Make Your Packages Pretty with Maison De Papier!

Not too long ago I discovered Maison De Papier, a fabulous stationary company with a whole lot of southern flair and it's based right here in Atlanta. The creator, Jennifer Stephens, offers high quality stationary with a wide range of products and of course everything is customizable from embellishments to colors to fonts. Her collections include Family, Women's, Men's & Sporting and Children and from within these collections, clients can choose from gift tags, calling cards, blotters and flat cards with coordinating envelopes... really anything your heart desires!

Jennifer Stephens' cards make these pretty packages pop!

Gift Tags

Calling Cards

Blotters

Flat Cards & Coordinating Envelopes

My absolute favorite product she carries would have to be her gift tags... these are perfect for a practical person like me. I must admit I'm not big into Hallmark cards. Rarely do I go out and buy a card that says 'Happy Birthday' or 'Congratulations' to accompany my present. It's not that I'm cheap... I'll spend the $3 on a card, it's just that half the time I can't find one worth reading. The cards I pick up are either not as humorous as intended, or they sound cheesy as if in need of something sentimental. Not to mention it takes too much of my time going through all the selections only to settle on one I'm not really crazy about. So all too often I find myself bypassing the card, which is exactly why Jennifer's gift tags are perfect for me. I just tie one around my gift bag, maybe write a short and sweet line or two on the back and there you have it... a pretty and customized topper for your package!


To purchase 24 gift tags you spend $24 so they're a great buy in my opinion. Recently, I purchased two sets from her, one bearing our last name and the second with my daughter's name, and needless to say I've put them to good use! You can see a picture of these below. I've enjoyed using them so much that I plan to buy more and give them as gifts!

These I like to drape over a bottle of wine and give as a hostess gift when invited to a dinner party.

Toddlers' birthday parties are a big part of our world these days so I knew having some customized for my daughter would be a wise spend.

One last thing, as I was perusing Maison De Papier's website I noticed they were featured in one of my favorite magazines, Garden and Gun. This is a publication my husband has been in love with for some time now and I too have been sucked in by its literary charms. If you have never read a copy of Garden and Gun and you have an appreciation for the finer things the South has to offer, then I highly recommend this magazine. It's more sophisticated than the title may imply, but I think the name is befitting considering the wide range of topics their articles cover. It's a real honor that Jennifer's lovely paper products were featured in this publication. You can read their tribute to her craft here.


Catherine

a little Mardi Gras revelrie...

Is it really almost February?!  How did that happen?  I still feel like we just rounded the bend after Halloween and are heading full-speed ahead to Christmas.  But then I shake off the ol' noggin fog and realize... no, it's mid-winter, almost February, and before you can say "Happy Valentine's Day!" -- it'll be warm out!  How does that happen and, more importantly, can we slow this ride down?



Gosh, I didn't know Father Time moonlighted as the Grim Reaper (check out that scythe)!  I guess everyone was doing what they had to do in ye olde 1880's and 1890's to make a shilling.

Homemade Fudge Recipe

My nanny - Betty, who was just like a grandmother to me, use to make this fudge when I was little and the taste of it alone brings back so many fond childhood memories. I can still see Betty (or Beb as I so affectionately called her) sitting in the kitchen stirring a batch of hot fudge over the stove top... it didn't have to be a special holiday or occasion either, she would just randomly whip up this homemade chocolatey goodness for all of us kids. Beb helped raised me from the time I was brought home from the hospital and remained in my life even after my parents no longer needed her childcare services. Both of my grandmothers lived out of state so in many ways she filled in the gaps. Still to this day my mother will say how grateful she was to have her around. Beb is no longer with us, I believe she's gone on to a much better place, but I'll never forget that special lady who always had so much love for me and my siblings and often showed us that love through her cooking.

Know your colors, ladies....

Bear with me readers.... today I want to get a little artsy-fartsy on you.  I want to talk about colors.  No, I don't mean your own individual colors that we girls used to be taught about, i.e., whether you are a cool person or a warm person or a neutral person.  Doesn't it seem no one really talks about those things anymore, at least not as much as they used to?  (Somewhere, Mary Kay Ash just sat up from the grave and wants to slap me silly. But really, I'm just not sure those rules are as important as they once were.  I'll bet you a pink Cadillac not as much as they did 50 years ago.  But I digress).

Miss Mary Kay Ash herself.  Glamorous til the end.

We're Ringing in the New Year with this Butterscotch Cake Recipe!

Happy New Year!

By now I'm sure your collard greens (symbolizing a prosperous new year) and black eyed peas (representing good health) are on the stove top, but if you're still unsure of what to make for dessert then allow me to suggest a delicious butterscotch cake! It's truly one of my favorites... I got the recipe from my sister-in-law and everyone I've made this for says it's amazing! It's simple to whip together too... below is all you need to know!

On the day AFTER Christmas, my true love gave to me....

Hello dear readers and I hope that all our Christian readers had a wonderful Christmas day yesterday. We enjoyed time with family and friends, and actually, my family is not quite done with our get-togethers!  And that's A-OK with me, as I like to spread out the festivities and good cheer. 

For today's post, at the risk of being redundant, I want to share a few more images of Christmas around our home and a few other places this season.  Christmas cards, cookies, and the Pink Pig, oh my!!  Please indulge me, as I figure that this is my last chance til about 11 months from now to get in the Christmas spirit!

Without further adieu....

The below cake was actually my birthday cake, which was celebrated earlier in December.  Thanks to the hubby and my stepmom for this great cake!  Don't you love the tall candles??

 

Peppermint Wreath

I was flipping through this month's issue of Better Homes and Gardens and on page 39 I saw this really fun peppermint candy wreath. This inspired me to try and make my own so I went to Michael’s today and picked up a few things to get started. I'm not finished with this yet, it takes some time for the glue to dry so you're attaching the candy in stages, but thought I'd go ahead and post a couple pictures since I'm so behind on blogging. My apologies for the delay, but it's been a crazy week and I still have so much to do before the 25th! :) And since I won't be posting until after Christmas I thought it would be best to go ahead and share this in case it should give you a last minute gift idea. This little wreath would make the perfect holiday hostess gift... in fact that's what I intend to do with mine once it's finished! :)

And Visions of Sugarplums Danced in Their Heads...

For today's post, I just wanted to share some Christmas images from around my house.... hope all are enjoying their holiday seasons!

 

10 Holiday Gifts All Under $20!

Forgive me for not getting this post up sooner, but blogging took a back seat to my Christmas cards this week! So much to do, so little time. Anyway, I'd like to share with you some of my top picks for Holiday gifts, and the best part is that all of these items are under $20. I thought this might stir up an idea or two for those of us who love to give, but need to watch what we spend! Read on for my top 10 gifts under $20.

Anthropologie's Voluspa candle. They have several scents to choose from, but my absolute favorite is the Santiago Huckleberry. I could stand around with this to my nose literally all day and never get sick of it. Love this three wick candle, and at $18 it makes the perfect gift under $20.

 

 

 

Christmas planning is underway!

Hello dear readers!

I hope that each and every one of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  As for us, we spent 4 days enjoying family, friends, food and good times.  I've been battling a sinus infection (yuck), but let me tell you, that didn't stop me from having a great time with loved ones this past week.  Since just this past Wednesday, my husband and I have enjoyed: a date night at Empire State South (read about sister restaurant 5 and 10 in one of my Athens-centered posts, here), a performance by Yacht Rock Revue - y'all recall how we love this band! - at classic Atlanta haunt Smith's Old Bar, two days of family get-togethers, and a smashing wedding reception for one of my oldest friends and his lovely bride (they married about a month ago on a mountain-top in the northeast - how romantic is that?)  Oh, and lest I forget, we also enjoyed watching another delicious win (4 in a row, to be exact) for our beloved Georgia Bulldogs over in-state rival Georgia Tech.  It was a great weekend for the Forlines!
 

Our Bunco Group Sends Some Love to our Military this Holiday Season!

Each year our bunco group comes together for some sort of charity around the holiday season. Last year, we supported our troops through a group called Operation Homefront where we sponsored a few military families and purchased Christmas gifts for their children. (Read that post here.) This year, we kept with the same military theme only changed it up to send care packages to the troops who are currently overseas. Some of us met up at Target and purchased items such as candy, beef jerky, cans of Chef Boyardee, Hostess Cakes (long live the Twinkie!) and even some playing cards. These things were compiled with some of our own baked goods, magazines, letters of gratitude, and artwork from our children to make up several packages. One of the girls in our group then sorted and shipped these goodies to the various places around the world where some of our military men and women are currently serving. I believe she said one of the packages went to someone stationed on a ship off the coast of Libya. Considering the recent events in this country, it's unnerving when you think about the danger this young man or woman could be in while stationed near such a hostile environment. Our prayers for protection go with each package that was sent over.

Halloween 'Hood Party

Yes, Halloween 2012 is now in the past, but I want to share some highlights from a party a few of us on my street organized in honor of the holiday. The majority of the effort was lead by, the King and Queen of Halloween themselves – The Sokolowskis, who, I might add, were responsible for the very idea of this spooky soiree! Everyone gathered in their front yard so the house you see in my pictures below actually belongs to them. Needless to say, the SPOOKolowskis go all out with their decorations, they even purchased a projector so we could all watch a Halloween movie displayed on the side of their house once the sun went down. And another neighbor took the time to decorate a trailer he hitched to the back of his truck with orange lights. He created seating with hay stacks where the kids proudly sat as they rode up and down the streets parading their costumes for all those whom we passed by. We were suppose to have a jack-o-lantern contest too, but never got around to that... we must have lost track of time due to all the fun we were having!

It goes without saying that I feel very blessed to be surrounded by such awesome families. I love getting together with my neighbors and hope we can make this an annual celebration!

 

Our fabulous hayride!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween dear readers!

Hope you've had a wonderful day, tricking and treating, dressing up, eating candy, having fun with little ones, or whatever else Halloween might mean to you. 

For today's post, I wanted to share some of what Halloween meant around these parts, in terms of decor that is.  ;-)

A look at our front door... some squashes, gourds, and pumpkins (in vintage iron baskets from happy place Scott's Antique Market) alongside some ceramic jack o'lanterns from Kroger and an autumnal berry wreath from Target a few years back and I'm good to go!

 

Foodies Love Food Trucks!

It seems like Food Trucks are all the rage these days. Foodies flock to them not for your usual hamburger and fries, but for a more cultural cuisine. You’re more likely to find a gourmet twist on tacos or an Asian fusion type of menu on one of these trucks rather than some boring hotdog. These chefs on wheels have put a whole new spin on the idea of street food and the masses are really taking to it. There is even a show dedicated to the concept on the Food Network called The Great Food Truck Race. My husband and I watch this from time to time. The good news is you can find a food truck in almost every major city. Atlanta finally came around to the idea too, opening a huge park on the westside of town. I haven’t been there yet, but I hear it’s really fun, attracting tons of trucks which offer a wide variety of food. This park in particular even hosts small concerts on the weekends. You can check out their site here.

Quick and easy - but still HOMEMADE - No Bake Cookies!

Y'all, today I want to share one of my favorite recipes, No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies.  It's a favorite because the end result is so yummy, but it sure doesn't hurt that it's quick and easy to boot.  And not to mention - no baking required!!  I got this recipe some years ago from a dear friend and former co-worker, Donna.  Donna is just about one of the sweetest women I've ever had the pleasure of knowing and calling my dear friend, so it's fitting that she's the one who gave me this to-die-for sweets recipe.

Burt's Pumpkin Farm & The Cumming Country Fair and Festival all in a weekend... Oh and Zoo Atlanta too!

In the year of 1492 when Columbus sailed the ocean blue... and who knows how the rest goes? Just glad they didn't have GPS back in those days or ole Columbus wouldn't have missed his mark by two or three oceans and most of us would agree that was a good thing. Geez, he really was no where close to India. Well happy Columbus Day everyone, hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

Sorry my post is a little late, Lindsay and I like to have one out by Friday or Saturday if possible, but this weekend was a busy one for me. I actually got around to doing some of those Autumn activities I mentioned when I last blogged. You can read about those here. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of the highlights/pictures from my weekend, we hit up 2 of the 5 places I mentioned – Burt's Pumpkin Farm and the Cumming Country Fair and Festival. And we're headed to Ellijay next weekend for some apple picking so my list is close to being checked off.

Fall Delights

In keeping with Catherine's post from last week about her favorite Fall things to do in the greater Atlanta area, I thought this week I would share some images I've been hoarding that are giving me oodles of inspiration this season as I start to decorate our home.  It doesn't hinder me in the least that we won't be getting cool weather for a few (to maybe even several) weeks, thanks to our mild Georgia weather.  I mean, I guess colorful leaves would be more fitting if I needed a sweater, but hey! you go with what you got.  ;o)

Most of these images are also featured on the "holiday decor" board of my Pinterest page, so if you want to follow me there, please do!  You can find me here.

My Top 5 Autumn Activities

Ahh Fall... brings about cooler weather, football, festivals, 'warm the soul' kind of food such as chili, and the aroma of those cinnamon brooms you buy at the grocery store fills the air. Of course, it helps that everyone is a little giddy knowing that the holidays are right around the corner which means a much needed break and more time spent with family and friends is on the way.

Who doesn't love Fall? It's my favorite time of the year!

Below is my Awesome Autumn Activities List and despite my cheesy title, I think you'll find this list is a 'cornucopia' of fun Fall things to do if living in the state of Georgia. ;) OK, that whole sentence was cheesy, but I just couldn't help myself. Anyway, I drafted an activities list for summertime (see that post here) and thought I'd do something similar for the cooler months. I hope you enjoy! :)

Burt's Pumpkin Patch

There are many great pumpkin patches to visit in Georgia, but this one has been around since I was a kid and it's my favorite for a number of reasons. One being that it's set in such a pretty location, the North Georgia Mountains. You have to drive over an hour to get there from Atlanta, but it's worth the trek because you really feel like you're out in the country, and you are! The mountains surround you as you walk through hoards of gourds. Ha! Seriously, there are thousands of these big, orange fruits sitting around - yes, pumpkins are actually classified as a fruit and not a vegetable. Burt's pumpkins really are beautiful. They come in all different sizes too, some of their big boys are around 150 lbs! Once you pick out your pumpkin and load it on to your wheelbarrow, you can buy some pumpkin baked goodies, take a hayride, purchase some indian corn, or bale of hay for your Fall decorations... what ever tickles your fancy. We took my daughter last year when she was around 9 or 10 months old and now that she's walking I can't wait to take her back!

Colorful Co-Ed Baby Shower

Wes grilled and Staci marinated this pork roast.  Yum!  Colorful hurricanes are from One King's Lane.  Y'all know how I love that site!  (And if you don't, check out my previous post on the ever-so-fabulous OKL here).

Happy weekend everyone!  Here in Georgia we are still experiencing gorgeous summery-fall weather (I made that word up, but I think it fits nicely), just perfect for heading outdoors and having some fun.  Just this morning, my son and I enjoyed watching my husband play tennis with his men's ALTA team.  It was beautiful out there (made even prettier by a Zing-Zang bloody mary).  And while my little one naps, I am itching to get back outside and tackle a little gardening.  But before I do that, I wanted to share some pics from a little soiree that my hubs and I co-hosted a few months ago.  This was an evening shindig we hosted alongside Staci and Alex (another couple we are close friends with), and it was for our dear friends Matt and Heather.  (Side note: Staci, Heather, and I have co-hosted a baby shower together before - it was a nautically-themed coed bash for friends expecting a little boy; you may remember that post, found here).  The reason for this particular party (besides having a swell ol' time, naturally) was to celebrate the then-upcoming arrival of Matt and Heather's little girl.  I am proud to report that at this point in time, their little pink bundle has arrived safe and sound, and she is now doing well and even sleeping through the night (almost!).

Pasta with Tomato and Almond Pesto from America's Test Kitchen

I'm on a recipe sharing kick and this week I want to share one from a public broadcasting TV show that my husband and I love. It's called America's Test Kitchen and you can find it on your PBS channel. I believe they've been on air for over 10 years now, but if you've never seen this show, then I highly recommend you catch an episode. They always demonstrate a recipe or two, but as the name suggests, they also test out different cooking equipment - blenders, specialty knives, toasters, etc as well as test various products. They also do blind taste testing on coffee blends or various peanut butter brands to see which one the audience prefers most. Needless to say, it's really interesting, very educational and the recipes you'll get from them are awesome!