A photo posted by Jessica Kirkland (@pnpflowers) on Mar 20, 2015 at 6:23am PDT

After posting my April book selection for the PNPF Book Club earlier this week, the publishing company, Ryland, Peters + Small reached out to me yesterday to offer up THREE FREE copies of Keep It Simple to my readers and fans. Yay!!!

With that, although I had intended on NOT opening the book until April 1st - the official "start-reading-the-book-date"- I just HAD to with three free copies up for grabs! The quick lookie was so I could take a few photos of the images from inside the pages. (and yes, I love having that as an excuse for a preview). *wink*

I promise I didn't look TOO closely at the pages although I was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of captions that caught my eye as I was flipping through. I have to say with conviction this book is going to provide much more inspiration than I had originally anticipated.

If you are looking for ways to simplify your life and your home decor...you're really going to want this!

Since the giveaway was a last minute idea, I'm hosting the actual giveaway on Instagram to make it quick and simple. I'll be picking a winner at some point this weekend and making the announcement on Monday. That means if you don't have an IG account, you have time to create one...if you want. Here are quick and easy instructions for creating an Instagram account.

If you are wary of Instagram, I have to tell you it's my very favorite social media site.
I've never been a big fan of Facebook and honestly, Twitter,  for me is "okay" but my experience with Instagram has been really positive. I've found it to be a community of very supportive and positive people and I've discovered some incredibly talented people over there that I'm continually inspired by from simply searching different hashtags. (there really is a rhyme and a reason for those things). *wink*

So...if you want to enter the giveaway, head over to my Instagram account and follow the instructions. 

Oh! And Hey!! 
While you are over there you may as well enter to win the 
$500 GIFT CARD to West Elm. Yep! That's right.
I've teamed up with 6 other Instagram friends to make someone's day!!
The giveaway was announced a few days ago and will end on Tuesday, March 24th!
Just one more reason to create an Instagram account!!

Enjoy your weekend friends!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I could really use that West Elm gift card myself... *wink*

For those of you wondering...the new shingles are officially on the roof! (and I love them).
Still trying to decide on paint color and I REALLY need to do a blog post about this whole process so I can keep you guys in the loop. Seriously!!

HOLIDAYS | Gold Foil Holiday Cards :: Shutterfly

I've let the past two years go by without sending out Christmas Cards…
and that makes me really sad.

This girl used to be the "queen of holiday cards" because I would design them myself and come up with really cute themes every year. Everyone looked forward to them and anticipated what I would come up with next.

And...life got busier and I just got burnt out on coming up with something new and frankly didn't have time to breathe let alone sit down and design a card.

Besides that, my life circumstances changed in the middle of all of that and…well…so…
it just didn't feel the same anymore.

But THIS year…thanks to my friends at Shutterfly…
and their Perfectly Personal™ Holiday Cards…
I got some GORGEOUS Gold Foil printed cards to send out this year!!
Before the hustle and bustle of the Holiday Season - which is almost unheard of for this girl. *blushing*

They have a HUGE selection of Holiday Cards.
I chose the Happiest Holidays Christmas Card - a beautiful but simple flat card with rounded corners. I LOVE how pretty the gold foil pops off of the photo.

Shutterfly made the process of creating Holiday cards SO simple.
I picked my favorite photos from our recent Field of Dreams photo shoot and then chose cards that would work with the layout of the photos.

For this card, I had the option of choosing a photo for the front and then I was able to include a smaller square photo on the back to include with the personal note you can have printed for your family and friends.

For the back of our cards I came up with
"Wishing you the Happiest of Holidays and a New Year filled with lots of love and laughter."

And you can choose from a wide range of fonts to match your style - love that!

I didn't even realize what I wrote went so perfectly with the "Happiest Holidays" on the front of the card until I actually received them in print from Shutterfly. I love when that happens!!

But wait…it gets better...
Coordinating envelope stickers and personalized postage too!!

I went with the Enchanted Frame Sticker and the Gallery Photo Personalized Postage Stamp and love them both. I chose to use the same photo for both but you could totally use a different image for the card, postage, stickers and they even have Address Labels too!! I personally LOVE this Snow and Sparkles Address Label.

Now…I do have to confess.
I had several "favorite" photos and couldn't decide between the three…so…
I ended up ordering these Bright Bokeh Christmas Cards too.
Which is awesome because there are no "limited quantities" when ordering from Shutterfly so I just divided up my order so I could have some of all three of my favorites.

PLUS…my girls were happy too because they had their personal favorites!

I have to say - the whole process was super simple and the cards came really quick!
The quality is awesome and I don't foresee me going back to custom designing my own cards any time soon. And I'm okay with that.

I can't believe all I have left to do is address the envelopes and get them to the post office.
I prefer to hand-write my addresses but would you believe Shutterfly offers the service of addressing the envelopes for you?! Wow!!

I know you'll be shocked when I tell you this…
While I was in the middle of ordering my Christmas Cards, I went ahead and ordered the invitation for the Annual Cookie Baking I'll be hosting at my house again this year. Yeah. I know. I'm completely ahead of things this year.  I'll be sharing those with you soon - they are SO completely adorable.

THIS IS A SPONSORED POST. PEN N' PAPER FLOWERS HAS RECEIVED COMPENSATION AND/OR PRODUCTS FROM SHUTTERFLY IN EXCHANGE FOR SHARING, BUT FRIENDS…AS ALWAYS...ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN AND I ONLY SHARE THINGS I TRULY LOVE.

KEEPiNG iT REAL
I think one of the most important things J has taught me is this:
"Don't start programs you can't maintain."
That's been a hard pill for this mama to swallow because I want to DO and BE everything to everyone.
Letting go of designing custom Christmas/Holiday cards was NOT easy for me.
after all...I'd been doing it for 12+ years previously.
I could NOT maintain it any longer - at least not if I wanted to stay sane.
I have to say what a relief it was to just sit down at the computer this year and not have to design anything or come up with something cutesy or clever - I just picked out a design I liked, uploaded my photos and pushed send.
Thanks Shutterfly!
And thank you J…you are a wise man.
You don't even know how many ideas I've walked away from after realizing it wouldn't be something I would want or could possibly maintain on a long-term basis.
Lucky me.
Lucky you. *wink*

SHARE | DIY Spring Carrots :: SNAP! Creativity

Hello everyone! I'm sharing how to make these adorable mini "Spring Carrots" over on the SNAP! Creativity Blog! They are really simple and make creative snacks for Easter or any of your celebrations this Spring. Check out the post HERE.

I promise to get back to the Rainbow Unicorn party details I still want to share with you. (see the PARTY HERE and the COOKIES HERE).

I've still got a recipe and the how-to on the fun Pastry Pedestals and platforms PLUS a closer peek at those NEW clear table labels.

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Been prepping for my trip to Salt Lake City later this month.
If you don't know, I'll be attending SNAP! - an amazing 3-day blogging conference.
On top of all of the informative classes and amazing sponsors that I'll get to rub shoulders with…
I'm also looking forward to the 80's themed prom night and pajama party night.

I've been keeping myself busy with planning out the 80's themed outfits, designing and ordering new business cards, picking up little gifts for the "secret sister" portion of the event…all in an effort to distract myself from the fact that I don't like to fly…travel alone or be away from my family. (just breathe, Jessica).

SiMPLE | Sweetheart Sandwich

I thought we'd start things off this week with something sweet and simple.

If you follow me on Pinterest or Instagram, you saw me post this last week...

Sweetheart Sandwich

FOR VALENTINE'S DAY AND MORE...

I had a couple of inquiries as to how to make it...

so I thought I'd share how quickly you can turn an ordinary pb&j into something extra special!
I'll let the photos do all of the talking...

FAMiLY | Ella's 4th Birthday

It was Ella's 4th birthday on Wednesday. (November 14th!!) *sigh*

Because of scheduling conflicts...

we just kept things SUPER simple. *gasp*

Trust me.

I fretted over not having a party for her.

The theme was picked.

The invitations were done.

The planning had been underway for several months.

I was fighting a losing battle though.

Life is much busier when you have two teens and a toddler. 

(That could totally be the name of a t.v show) *wink*

BUT...

We still made her feel special...

surprised her with balloons and breakfast in bed...

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw this photo last week...

She got to choose her birthday dinner: Spaghetti

and birthday dessert: Strawberry Cupcakes

And we had dinner, cake and presents with Grandma & Grandpa A.

Here's a 1 minute video I made using Ptch to capture the evening...

http://ptch.com/ptch/50a673608d4f9835a9859021

I would embed the video but Ptch doesn't have that option yet. *frown*

By the way...

Don't judge...

Ella's hair was looking a bit crazy...

And I'm no professional Ptch videographer.

But it's definitely "keeping it real" for you.

KEEPiNG iT REAL

Honestly, as I type the words...

I still can't believe I didn't have the party I'd been planning.

I may need therapy to help deal with this loss...

It truly feels like a loss...

a missed opportunity. *heavy sigh*

#momguilt

SiMPLE | Gift Giving - "Outside of the Box"

You've heard me say it many times...
"It's all about presentation."

Ever notice the word "present" (prez-uhnt) in the word "presentation"?
The way we "present" (pre-zent)  things to people...
Well...
It's actually a gift in itself.

So...
speaking of gifts...
How about skipping the tried and true "gift bag" the next time you are wrapping a present.
Try something a little "out of the box"
Or in this instance...
"in-the-box"...

Use a "gift box" instead.

I picked up this brown, versatile gift box from Target...

removed the lid and repositioned it to the bottom of the box...

added some tissue...

put in my present...

added some more tissue to hide it...

wrapped the box with coordinating ribbon.

Done!

Why I love this idea:

It's something different.

It's simple.

It's fast.

It's fun.

The height of the tissue makes the gift seem more grande. *wink*

The presentation makes it seem like you put a lot of time and love into wrapping it. (even though it's simple).

The box can be reused - either for gift giving or organizational purposes.

The box is cute all on it's own.

You can actually put an item in the box that wouldn't normally fit with the lid closed.

(which is exactly how/why this idea was born). *wink*

SiMPLE.

KEEPiNG iT REAL

I originally planned on filling this box full of my daughter's favorite cookies...

And then tying it closed with some pretty ribbon.

Upon packing the cookies inside, I realized I couldn't shut the lid.

Lightbulb moment...

No lid needed.

Voila!!

I didn't mind splurging on the box...

I knew I would get it back since the gift was going to my daughter.

I like to refer to it as "Advanced Creative Planning/Recycling" *wink*

styling | Simple Tissue Paper Cupcake Toppers

You may not even realize it...
but you could be minutes away from a simple, unique cupcake topper to use at your next event.

If you happen to have any decorative tissue paper around...
(the kind of tissue you stuff into gift bags)...
Cuteness awaits you...

Here's a quick example of what I did using some polka dot tissue paper I had on hand...

Materials needed for recreating these Polka Dot Cupcake Toppers seen above:

• Polka Dot Tissue Paper

• 1" circle punch

• cardstock

• wooden toothpick

Instructions:

• Back your tissue paper with a piece of cardstock prior to punching. (this allows you make a nice, clean punch through the tissue paper)

• Using a 1" circle punch,  cut three different colored circles from the tissue paper.

• Poke the toothpick through each circle, one at time - creating a stack of polka dots - leaving space between each circle.

• Insert into cupcake.

With an array of adorable tissue paper available on the market...

there's endless creative possibilities awaiting you!

Have fun...and come back and share your creativity!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL

I am an admitted tissue paper addict...(see this post)

I'm always on the look out for new cute designs because I ADORE working with it.

I have quite the stash in my "gift wrapping" center.

To make matters worse...

I keep all of the tissue paper from party bags or gifts.

And it doesn't even have to be a gift given to me...

If I sense someone is about to toss a perfectly good piece of tissue paper into the trash...

I politely ask if I can have it. *wink*

I simply fold it up nicely and add it to my color-coded stash.

Totally true.

Ask anyone who knows me - they've witnessed it...I assure you.

Tissue paper is such a versatile tool...

I treasure it.