Some Happy Buns!

More PJ's? Always PJ's, if you ask me. Especially when they have an adorable little bum panel like these Happy Buns Britches by Peek-a-Boo Patterns (affiliate) do. I told you I had an unhealthy obsession with making PJ's, and I'd be lying if I said this is the last pair I'd be making anytime soon.

This moose print and stripe print (both by Girl Charlee) were just begging to be made into PJ's, so who am I to ignore that call? I mean, seriously, the cuteness of that little bum.

We've had plenty of chilly days laying around the house watching TV and eating popcorn lately, so snuggly PJ's were just the thing this little guy needed. And the little bum panel on the Happy Buns Britches was the perfect solution for my out of control scrap pile. You only need a small scrap for the back, and there's even an option for a larger panel if you little one wears cloth diapers (which mine does not.)

The Happy Buns Britches are on sale for 15% off today only, so snag your discounted copy while you can. And psst, they're great for girls too. I love a good unisex pattern!

'Thankful For You' Neighbor Gift and Free Printable

Eighteen. That is the number of loaves of apple bread I've baked in the past month. With November being a prominent month to show thankfulness to others, I wanted to really focus on the people I'm most grateful for and give them something to show my gratitude. And what better way to do that than with something edible, amirite?

My kids and I took a trip with some friends to a local apple orchard to pick apples for the first time recently. It was SO much fun to wander the rows upon rows of apple trees in search of the perfect, juicy apples. We even did a little tree climbing to reach the ones at the very top. Well, mine was more of a slipping-shimmying-desperately grasping branches-thing, but my limbs remained intact, so that's a win in my book. We all had a great time, and I ended up walking away with a huge bag of every variety of apple you can imagine.

In my quest to figure out what to do with all of the lovely apples I stumbled upon this recipe. I made a couple substitutions (no nuts, 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar, added vanilla, made 2 mini loaves instead of 1 big loaf) and crossed my fingers that it would turn out well. As I'm sure you gathered by the 16 additional loaves of bread that followed, the recipe was amazing. Moist, flavorful, and apple-y. Which, thanks to this recipe, is now a word.

I spent the next week living in the kitchen baking and eating apple bread, which is a pretty great life if you ask me.

Apple-y goodness like this must be shared, so when I eventually made it out of the kitchen, I made some free printables (go here to download) so that you can share some yummy apple bread with your neighbors too. Or just keep it all to yourself, I won't tell. I made 2 versions to choose from - a chalkboard tag and some in pretty fall colors.

Just print these babies up, add some kraft paper and twine and you have a treat that your neighbors will love you for.

Also, I can't be blamed for any subsequent addiction that you may develop to the apple bread.

#MichaelsMakers Dream Tree Challenge Part 2

So let's talk Christmas décor inspiration.  What inspires your Christmas décor?  This year I wanted to do something woodsy, rustic, log cabin-ish.  I'm so incredibly happy with the way the tree turned out!  It feels so cozy when it's all lit up, wrapped in flannel and flanked in fur. 

To get this feel, we used the flannel ribbon and burlap ribbon from Michaels.  I made the pine cone garland last year (link below).  We focused mostly on natural materials for the ornaments, but threw in some glitzy gold stuff here and there.

If you saw our video in the last tree post, you saw our idea of using a paper mache deer head for the tree top was an utter failure, and we ended up using a stick star that I already had.  It fit in so perfectly with the theme!

      If you haven’t seen our Dream Trees yet, stop by The Glue String to see all 30 – they will blow you away!

You can help spread some holiday cheer by sharing a photo of my dream tree or any trees that inspire you this year on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, tag your friend, use the hashtag #TagATree and encourage them to do the same!

Michaels has a variety of Make it Merry projects for you and your family to work on this season!

Below are some of our Christmas DIYs from last year.. check em out and get inspired!

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A Pretty Party Dress

Long time no see! It may seem like I've been sitting on my hands, but it's actually been quite the opposite. Between starting a new job and sewing for a wedding, Halloween, winter, my daughter's first piano recital, and making gifts for Christmas (yep, that's happening already) I've had my hands full! I have so many posts that are partially started, so hopefully one day very soon I'll be able to catch my breath and share all that I've been making with you.

One thing that I actually got a head start on, is making this beautiful lace holiday dress by Peek-a-Boo Patterns (affiliate) for my daughter

This is the Gloria Party Dress, and it's a versatile pattern that can be both a dressy party dress or a comfy play dress, depending on what material you want to use. I opted to make the fancy version, which has a sheer stretch lace overlay with knit underneath, so it's still a super comfortable dress compared to a lot of the stiff holiday dresses you see out there.

I love the peek-a-boo back!

The gorgeous stretch lace is from Girl Charlee, but it looks like this particular one is no longer in stock. You can find other colors here though. The lining is a navy knit from Jo-Ann Fabrics, and the navy ribbon is from there as well. The gray and navy together give the dress a more sophisticated look that I love. 

This girl loves her dresses, so she was thrilled with this one and with how comfortable it was, and demanded to wear it all day. I'm a mean mommy and made her take it off at dinner though so she wouldn't get spaghetti all over her new dress :)

You can snag your copy of the Gloria Party Dress in the shop today for 15% off (today only)! Go get a head start on your holiday dress making!

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support!

#MichaelsMakers Dream Tree Challenge

Hello!! So we decided to do something a little different this month.. we did a VIDEO!  What??? Let me tell you guys, it was a blast!  We had so much fun.  We managed to squeeze 8 hours of shopping and decorating into 11 MINUTES.  Check out our video... Follow us as we shop for Christmas at Michael's, watch as we show you our haul and tell you our plans, then be amused as we attempt to decorate with children running around, my cat climbing the Christmas tree, and ideas not going quite as planned.  Most importantly, get INSPIRED and get in the Christmas Spirit!  When you finish the video, let us know what you think!  Should we keep up with doing videos?  Do you guys like it?  I feel they're slightly more personal because you guys get to see us... how we are for real.  Bottom line, we're goofy.  There's no way around it. 

Also, make sure to change the setting to HD.. much better quality video!  Click the little gear in the bottom right of the video window.

Stop by Michaels’ blog, The Glue String, to see the full Dream Tree Challenge and all of the fabulous trees that were created this year by the Michaels Makers.  Head into Michaels Nov. 2 through Nov. 8 for the Make It Merry Tree Event  – 50% off all trees 6 ft. or taller!!! To kick off the holiday season, make sure and check out of Michaels’ Make it Merry  inspiration book or all kinds of holiday tips and projects.

An InLinkz Link-up

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