Featured Sponsor: The Letter 4

I'd like to introduce you to my Feautured Sponsor for the month of November, The Letter 4!

"We are 4 sisters from a small town in Idaho that grew up like normal sisters. Stealing each others clothes, hogging the bathroom, bickering over this and that. One thing always did bring us together though. Our mom always had something crafty up her sleeve that we would all enjoy. Now we all live in different parts of the country, and to be honest...we miss it! So we started The Letter 4 blog as a way to share and do projects together. But why stop there? We might as well share all of them with you too! We all have different talents, different tastes, so in our blog there is going to be something for everybody!"

Check out their fantastic blog, and read about how they started The Letter 4. You can "meet" the four sisters here, and make sure to check out their appearance on The Martha Stewart Show as well!

Check out their ETSY, follow them on TWITTER, and like them on FACEBOOK.

as of late..

[evenings at home are for baking...]

I've been taking it easy.  Our internet was sort of down at my house over the last few days, and blogging was not going to happen.  I've been taking life slowly ever since the gala last week. Trying to catch up at home, and rest.  We had the first of our Christmas family gatherings this weekend, which officially puts me in the holiday spirit.  Ryan's work banquet was on Saturday, which is always a treat.  Cedar plank salmon, veggie pizza, mocha punch, red velvet cupcake, and a comedian = one lovely dinner.  I laughed so hard, it was like medicine... loved it!

Exciting news of the day, Ryan got his iphone! (his first smartphone, and my Christmas gift to him).  I already downloaded Instagram... for me of course, haha, so you can follow me there! I'm createlovesholly..

all for now...
xo holly

Holiday Gala/Salon Open House 2011

Last night was our salon's 3rd annual Holiday Gala (open house event)! It was fun to plan, and the turn out was great.  This also explains my lack of posts this last week... hosting an event like this takes a lot of preparation, and time!

We launched our holiday gift sets, introduced new handmade hair accessories, had almost everything in the store on sale, and served pretty food!  We also give stress relieving massages & hand massage treatments to everyone who attends, which is a nice perk. ;)  It makes for an evening of festive music, relaxing shopping, visiting with clients and friends, and all around fanciness. We set up our Stella & Dot for an added shopping experience.

I baked macarons for the evening, and wanted to try displaying them in a tree a la Laduree, but that proved to be difficult! First of all it was hard to find a big styrofoam cone, then I realized quite quickly how fragile macarons are when sticking them on!  I only made one little one, but everyone loved them!  I was going to break up with macarons after yesterday, but a woman complimented me saying they were the best she'd ever had (!!) so maybe I won't. ;)

The decorations were a team effort, and half DIY, half bought.  My mom helped me make a ton tissue paper pom poms, and some of the stylists made felt ball ornaments that we turned into a pretty garland.  I had fun putting up the fabric/ribbon garland behind the dessert table.

Overall, it was a great night.  It was the perfect excuse to do some of the things I love most... bake, make stuff, decorate, and dress up.  That's what the holidays are for, right?
-xo holly

Stella & Dot Giveaway Winner

Congrats Linda, I'll be in contact with you. :)

Thanks to everyone for entering the giveaway! It was fun to see what pieces you each love.  

I'd also like to mention that I have an Ad Space sale on for the holidays! Click the Sponsor Page for more details, but if you sponsor in December, your ad space for January is free!! Two months for the price of one. Sweet.

Have a fabulous weekend,

xo holly

D.I.Y: Chevron Print Wrapping Paper

We had our first snowfall (that stayed on the ground!) last night, and waking up to a white winter wonderland has officially put me in the holiday spirit!  I love adding personal touches to gifts, and making things over the holidays.  This year, I don't have a lot of free time to make a lot of my gifts by hand (boo), so I thought a DIY wrapping paper was just enough of a personal touch on a store-bought present. :)

I accidentally erased the photos from when I was making this DIY, so please bare with the lack of photos for each step... oops!

Supplies needed:
-Plain kraft wrapping paper. (I picked mine up from the post office)

-scissors

-sponge

-heavy body paint (it shows up brighter than runnier paint)

-paper plate

1. Cut out the chevron shape out of the sponge. This can be whatever size you like depending on the pattern you want to make.  

2. Squirt some paint into a paper plate, and dip your sponge. A nice thin layer is good.

3. Stamp your sponge chevron on your paper, starting at the top right, and work left to right re-dipping the sponge as needed.  

4. Allow to dry. Pretty easy!

Choose a couple different colours in a palette and have coloured stripes, or make a few different sheets in a variety of colours for a grouping of gifts.

Happy early holidays! It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas over here... we've got hot chocolate and Michael Buble Christmas keeping us company this afternoon. ;) Love it!

-xo holly

Give'em the cold shoulder..

1 to 6 all from ASOS

 For a more special occasion....

1. Jessica Simpson 2. Aidan Mattox for Nordstrom 3. Urban Outfitters 

Here's a random fact for you... whenever someone asks me what my favorite feature is, I always say my shoulders. Not sure why, but I like my shoulders.  I like raglan sleeves, racer back tanks, and halter straps on a lot of dresses because I think they flatter my shoulders.  One trend that I am loving right now, is cut-out shoulders!  I think it's a sweet way to still show your shoulders, even in the colder months.  In the first photo, #3 is even a maternity top! I think it's cute.

What trend are you loving right now?

xo holly

Good day.

[hanging out in new jammies, listening to sesame street songs before bed]

Yesterday, I felt this urgency to get out of my house, and spend time with my kids.. away from our livingroom.  I needed to pick up some stuff from a beauty supply in the city (90 minutes away), so we made a cute little day trip out of it.  I let Simon plan the day with me, as we went.

First, we made a playlist of music that Simon wanted to listen to on the drive.  He picked a lot of Christmas songs, with the occasional JLo upbeat addition (ha!).  We took care of business first thing, and picked up the supplies.  I asked Simon what he wanted to do next, and he said he wanted to go to the mall! So we walked around the mall, I treated him to his own bucket at Kernels, and then we shared Chinese food at the food court. It must have been something else to see all three of us sharing from the same plate!  We picked out some Christmas presents for Grandma at a store, and then decided to leave.

I remembered that I wanted to go to a new Carter's store on the way out of the city, and Simon was so excited to visit the new "pyjama store".  They picked out some new sleepers.  Is there anything cuter than a child in a sleeper?? I think not.

A Starbucks run for a caramel brule latte, and then we hit the road for home.  Both kids were asleep within 5 minutes of leaving, and I could enjoy my latte in silence... it was so nice!!

This is probably boring to read, and doesn't sound like an exciting day at all... but it was the best day I've had in a while. Can't really explain it.  I felt like my kids and I were a real team, and everyone got along, the whole day.  They were in a great mood, and I was happy to drive around with them, shopping and what not.  I am trying hard to enjoy these last few weeks with just the two of them, because soon there will be 3! 

Once we got home, both kids wanted to try on their new jammies right away, and had a cuddly evening.  

I felt positivity, and was thankful for the little things... like how cute kids are in sleepers, and how a little thing like popcorn can make a child's day, and how being a team makes all the difference in everyone's mood.

xo holly

Gift ideas: Toddler Girl

orla books, blabla, wooden pram, tegu **tegu blocks are recommended age 3 and up**

Just wanted to share some ideas I had for gifts for toddler girls.  I'm pretty much done with Christmas gift shopping for my kids this year! I'm never early, but for some reason I wanted to get a head start this year.  

These are things that I know Delilah (18 months) would love (we have Melissa & Doug blocks for her, not the Tegu ones... maybe once she's 3. These ones are so pretty though!).  Having a girl is so much fun!

xo holly

GIVEAWAY: Stella & Dot *closed*

To celebrate the recent launch of our personal website, Anita & I are giving away a pair of the new Goddess Teardrop Earrings by Stella & Dot, to a Create*Loves reader!  I love these, and have a feeling I'll be wearing them a lot this holiday season. You can win a pair for yourself (or for a friend.. these will come beautifully gift wrapped!)

TO ENTER: Please visit our personal Stella & Dot website, and come back here to tell us which is your favorite piece! Easy peasy. :) Some of my top favorites are the Avery Chain & Pearl Necklace, the Medina Bib Necklace, and the Petra Braided Bracelet. It's hard to pick just one!

Open to anyone, worldwide! Winner will be chosen using Random.org on Friday, November 18th.

xo holly

Maternity Style - 29 weeks

I dressed a bit professional/semi-casual for working at the salon this morning.  This blazer is one of my favorite things in my wardrobe, and I took the buttons off of it for now, while I can't do it up. (I'll sew them back on after the baby is born)

To spice up an otherwise plain outfit, I added accessories with fringe.

 Outfit details:

Tee & Skinny jeans: Thyme Maternity

Blazer: Talula

All jewelry: Stella & Dot

Boots: Minnetonka
on my nails: OPI Warm & Fozzie
Glasses: MBMJ (Thanks to my Dad for making these for me!! My prescription is a bit of a challenge..)

The third trimester is here, and I want to say "finally"... but in all honesty, this pregnancy has gone by fast for me!  I know that January 28th is far away, but this season seems to really fly by, which is *awesome*.  I'm by no means comfortable, and it's a challenge to find clothes that don't cut in, or fit too tightly.  Even my boots don't fit because my legs are retaining so much water, so my calves are huge.  But this is all par for the course.  Pregnancy is uncomfortable in general, but I love the kicks and wiggles from this little one, and I'm so excited to do this for them.  Pregnancy is a physical sacrifice, but it's the best gift, and I would do it all over in a heartbeat.

I've got a follow-up ultrasound and the good ol' Glucose Tolerance test coming up. Everything is good though, so far.

I've been doing a prenatal exercise dvd, which helps me with keeping as flexible as possible. Stretching and relaxing music are a real treat while Delilah naps... Simon sits on my mat beside me and does the exercises too! It's cute.

These earrings are Stella & Dot's new Goddess Teardrop earrings, and they are the prettiest rose gold! Would you like a pair for yourself?? I thought so. Stay tuned for a giveaway post coming right up! Rose gold is so trendy right now, and these dainty teardrops literally go with any outfit.

Thanks for reading,
so holly

Food File - Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

I'm still into pumpkin, even though the Canadian Thanksgiving is long over, and October has come and gone. I searched the web for a good pumpkin cookie, and came across this one over at My Baking Addiction.  They looked great, and I love a good cookie with oatmeal in it, so I gave them a try!

I followed the recipe exactly, except I used Original Craisins instead of dried cherries.  They turned out amazing... so soft and chewy, with the perfect amount of sweetness.  So yummy with a glass of milk, or a cup of pumpkin chai!

I don't know what it is about fall... but baking is my favorite past time as of late.
xo holly
ps: stay tuned for a Stella & Dot giveaway coming soon!

sweet treat.

I'm having a Stella & Dot Holiday open house today, so I made some macarons for the occasion.  Out of the whole batch, the one I took a photo of, above, was the prettiest one. :)  The rest aren't as uniform, and have a "nub" on them... but I'm getting better!! This was probably the 6th time I've made them, and they turned out the softest.  Practice makes perfect!  I recently bought this book: Macarons

..and the recipe is great! The instructions are really easy to follow, and the little book is full of pretty photos.  I look forward to serving these tonight, and making them again in the future.  I think I'm obsessed!

xo holly

Hockey player in training...

Simon got a pair of hockey skates (and a helmet, which he wears all. the. time.) for his birthday this past September.  Today his Grandpa took him to the rink for his first skate! We all went along to watch.  Ryan and uncle Chris took him for his first way around the rink.  They didn't think he was enjoying himself...

But after another go, he got some more confidence.  I went on the ice to snap a photo and asked him if he was having fun, and he said "Yeah I am!! Now you should get off the ice, you might fall Mom..."

Overall, he had a great time.  He did really well, too, for his first time on the ice. He is only 4 after all... did you know that Elvis Stojko learned how to skate when he was 4? Ha, not saying we're hoping our little Simon gets into championship figure skating.  Ryan played hockey when he was younger and loved it, so I think he'd like to see if Simon gets interested in it too.

The whole time we were watching the guys skate, Delilah was not impressed.  She was walking around looking for a way to get into the rink.  Turns out she wanted to skate, too! In time, sweetie..

Simon helped his Grandma make homemade cocoa when we got home from the rink. He thought it would be fun to smell the cocoa powder and ended up exhaling into the bowl.. covering his face and eyes in it! We had a good laugh.

Marshmallows on top? Of course! I hope we can take Simon skating more this winter, because I think he's going to like it, and it's something that he can do with his Dad, Uncle, and Grandpas.  What's a winter without skating and hot chocolate? 

Do you have a favorite winter tradition? I'm getting pretty excited for winter to arrive around here.... although we're having some above seasonal weather in southern MB and the snow is holding off for now. Not complaining!

Happy weekend!

xo holly