The Elves Are Here!

The elf cards are here! I received them last night and they came out cuter than I imagined. The sweet little guys are ready to take a trip to visit you and spread Christmas cheer. To purchase, visit my shop.

Elf Cards

Just wanted to share some exciting news...my elf cards are being printed as we speak! That means you, sweet readers, will be able to share some holiday jollies through the mail this year. I designed the cards in a large 5.5" x 8.5" when folded  size to show off the happy friends and to give you plenty of room to send holiday wishes.

These cuties will be in my shop early next week so I thought I'd give you guys a heads up in case you are already deciding on your Christmas cards.  If you want to be notified when the cards are ready for purchase please leave a comment with your email addy or shoot me a message at lindseysgreatfull at gmail dot com. 

Great Full Friday

MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I hope that you and yours are having a blessed holiday! I personally cherish these days spent with friends and family. And of course I'm trying hard to remember first and foremost the reason for the season and the greatest gift is not one found under any tree.



I'm grateful for so many things this week...
--family
--a warm home
--our church
--a place to go to celebrate this day
--friends
--generous gifts
--fun times with loved ones
--my doggy
--a cozy bed
--my husband
--sunshine
--Christmas music
--a lovely tree
--a oh so loving God who sent His Son to be one of us
--Grace of a giving, Creator
--the magic and miracle of Christmas

Happy birthday Jesus!!! I'm off to celebrate with family.
Tell me, what are you grateful for this week?

photo from The Navity Story

Bergdorf Beauties

NYC at Christmas time is magical. Last year when visiting, one of my favorite activities was viewing the windows at Bergdorf Goodman. All of the windows are fabulous decked out for the season but theirs were spectacular. This year BG's windows are equally amazing with the theme being: A Compendium of Curiosities. Described as "A wild cast of character. Tinged with op-art and references to M.C. Escher. Paradoxical points of view. Vintage Victoriana. Laced with the Lewis Carroll "Alice" books. They are surely fantastic!

Suntanned Christmas Tree

For your daily Christmas pretty, I present to you: The Santanned Christmas Tree. It just fits the beach cottage room so perfectly. I adore it and this blog. Beautiful don't you think?

Christmas Elves

I did a little Christmas crafting this weekend, inspired by these pinecone elves. It was really fun and kind of brought out the child in me. These cute little guys are now hanging out in our living room and I smile each time I see them--jolly lil ones!

I followed these directions and changed them up a bit for my preference. Instead of bells I made felted poms and I used extra pipe cleaners for accents. I also improvised a fun collar on one elf. I made sure to use a pipe cleaner inside of their hats, shoes and mittens for bendability (is that a word) and easy posing.

These cuties were easy + fun and the supplies are inexpensive. They'd make a cute decoration for gifts and a fun activity to do with your children too. Enjoy!

Tasty Village Treats

I may have a slight addiction to cake pans from Williams Sonoma and I really want to add this one to my collection. Would these be adorable packaged individually as gifts for neighbors, teachers and friends? The dusting of powdered sugar "snow" is really seals the deal for me.

Christmas Crafting

If you are in need of some heartfelt gifts or feel like doing a bit of crafting, Martha's got you covered. I've bookmarked many of her homemade gift ideas and thought I'd share some of my favorites.



1. Velvet Boxes
2. Gift Card Holders
3. Decorative Candles
4. Holiday Drink Mixes
5. Gingerbread Caramels
6. Caramel Bourbon Vanilla Sauce
7. Velvet Ribbon Belts
8. Felt Coasters
9. Teacup Candles

Merry Kitschmas

I love the Christmas set from boopsie daisy on flickr. I'm not sure if is the colors, the fun ornaments or the fact that it is called "Merry Kitschmas" but this group of photos makes me happy!

Cookie Mail

These sugar cookies decorated like postcards are so cute! I love the creative icing idea and think these could be great for giving this season...like a Christmas card + gift all in one! Packaged in a snug kraft box sitting atop a bed of candy peppermints would be a fun way to mail these to friends far away.

What is your favorite holiday cookie? Any fun decorating tips to share?

My sister and I are going to have a holiday cookie baking extravaganza soon and I'd love to hear your input!

Pretty Pink for the Holidays

I love nontraditional colors for Christmas. Green and red remain popular with me too but I guess the creative artist in me appreciates the unique palettes out there. Pink trees have become popular since Domino magazine featured them and I'm loving that color being elaborated throughout homes like Better Homes and Gardens featured.




Pretty in pink, don't cha think?

S'more Love

I love s'mores. Love.them. In Louisiana it is too hot to roast marshmellows in the summer so it definitely a fall/winter treat for me. I stumbled upon these S'more Love favors on Elizabeth Anne Designs and thought they were too cute not to share. I'm thinking these could be tweeked a bit to be a great gift for neighbors, teachers, friends and co-workers for the holidays. The simple packaging could be customized for Christmas. Kraft boxes, clear bags and muslin bags would be festive if accented with red/white baker's twine and a red stamp. This idea is now bookmarked for future gift-giving.



Photos from Meg Perotti via Elizabeth Anne Designs

Gingerbread Greatness

Speaking of gingerbread this house takes the cake, or the cookie I guess I should say! Can you imagine the work that went into all the detail--the Christmas tree inside, tiny icicles hanging from the roof, wood ready for the fireplace outside, and even a snowman in the front yard. I'm quite sure my attempts at a gingerbread house would fall way short of this beauty but it certainly gives me ideas.



For more gingery goodness check out The Whitehouses's annual gingerbread house. It is pretty amazing too. My only qualm is that you can't even tell it is gingerbread but then again the house is white, so I guess I can understand.



Will you be making a gingerbread house this year?

Guy Gift: Sudsy Soap

Love to support artists and crafters around Christmas. I seem to always be drawn to girly finds on Etsy but the other day I stumbled upon a great gift for the guys in your life: Suds Sampler Beer Soap. Pick out your giftee's favorite ales and soaps using those flavors will be whipped up, packaged in simple white paper and wrapped with raffia. At under $10, they make a perfect gift or stocking stuffer.

Ribbons on Trees

I found this idea (guess where) and thought it was so clever. An easy and simple way to make your Christmas tree a unique standout. And it also gives you an excuse to buy lots of pretty ribbon!

Joyeux Noel

The Christmas Season is officially upon us! I thought I'd usher in the season with these lovely, whimsical cards from Babouche Rouge. I'd love to get one of these beauties in the mail. Have you picked out your Christmas cards yet--if so, what design did you decide on?