Just when we were all getting into the swing of a healthy new year, Valentine’s Day sneaks in, tempting us with cream filled chocolates and decadent desserts. I wanted to treat Phil and I to something special for our sweet tooth(s), but not with anything that would totally undo our recent healthy decisions. It didn’t take me long to figure out a solution! Dark chocolate combines perfectly with unsweetened coconut and naturally sweet fruit for a perfect Valentine’s Day treat we can enjoy guilt free!

For our chocolate covered fruit box, I selected some of our favorite sweet fruits: strawberries, raspberries, cherries, and clementines. Not all of these are in season, so it  was a bit of a splurge for us! Before covering the fruit with melted Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips, I soaked the berries and cherries for ten minutes in a large bowl filled with one part vinegar and 9 parts water. After my clementines were peeled and the other fruit was dry, I laid out wax paper, slowly melted the dark chocolate chips in the microwave (a double boiler would work too), and began dipping my fruit in the chocolate and laying them on wax paper to dry. I added unsweetened shredded coconut to the clementines and raspberries, sprinkling coconut on the wax paper before laying down the chocolate-dipped fruit, and then sprinkling again overtop of the freshly dipped fruit.

This would be a sweet gift give to coworkers, friends, and lovers too! I found a cute heart-shaped box that, when refrigerated, will keep the chocolate covered fruit fresh for a week or so. But knowing us, we won’t let it last that long!

On December 5, 2011, our tree stand broke in half, sending our Christmas tree crashing to the ground. The next two days we drove around town trying to find a replacement stand, but each one didn’t quite work. The frustrating search didn’t seem to matter much anymore though when on December 7th, my friend Lauren took her life, and two days later my two month old unborn baby died. Our Christmas tree laid in the middle of our living room floor, pathetically lit and undecoratd until New Years, when we finally packed it away. What a sad holiday season it was for us.

But remember when I talked about patience and weathering through the bad stuff until good things come along? Well, this year is it! We will be celebrating with my whole family in our new house with our new precious baby. This Christmas is sort of a makeup holiday for last year. Lauren is still gone, and nobody here on earth can give me back the child I lost. But this season is about hope, and we’ll be celebrating hope in Christ with refreshed hearts this year! And how exciting this season of life is!

When I was a little girl, I thought it was the most magical thing. You can draw with an invisible (white!) crayon, and when you paint over it, your secret message appears! What fun for a little kiddo, and still fun for adults. Here’s a holiday greeting card that utilizes that same watercolor resist technique. It might not be as mysterious, but it’s now a great on-trend card to give to friends this season!

• watercolors
• paint brush
• watercolor paper
• blank white card (I used 4.25″ x 5.5″)
• sentiment template (download mine here)
• waxy white pencil, or white crayon
• spray mount
• steel ruler
• Xacto blade
• optional- tape

1 – Hold the printed sentiment (download mine here) onto a window or tracing table and lay the watercolor paper overtop. It’s nice to use tape here so that neither paper moves while you work. Now using your white crayon or waxy pencil, trace the outlines of the letters you’ve printed.

2 – Mix together two colors (pink and red or blue and green work great for a holiday card) of watercolor paint together, and paint over the sentiment. You will see your message begin to appear. I varied the color mixture as I went across the words. I didn’t need to blot my message after painting, since the paint really resisted that whole area. But you might want to blot yours to remove extra paint that sits on the words- just make sure the paper is just about dry before you do it.

3 – Lay your white card overtop the dried watercolor paper you just worked on, trying to center it with your sentiment. Now trim around it, leaving about a half inch around the edges.

4 – Now spray the back of your watercolor paper with spray mount and lay the card over top of it, being careful to keep the card center and the right sides up. Smooth out the two joined pieces with your thumb.

5 – Lastly, trim around the card so the watercolor paper’s edge is the same as the card’s edge. Since you are laying the ruler on a sticky surface (the sprayed watercolor paper), you should back the ruler with scraps from the time you trimmed before.

That’s all, folks! It’s a super simple crafts adults and kids alike can enjoy. You can also use this same technique to make your own framable art for your walls. You can stick with the typography theme here, or create a fun pattern with your white crayon. So many possibilities!

Have you ever felt put on the spot at a Thanksgiving dinner when the host asks you to share with everyone what you’re thankful for? Uhhh… my health? Family! Is that the right answer? Obviously we all have a lot to be thankful for, so why not encourage your guests to share their blessings in an unconventional, interactive way?

This table setting idea is super simple to throw together, and even includes an easy craft you can make with your family or friends before the day of the feast. Click here to download the leaf placemat template, and read the instructions below to get started on your own crafty table arrangement!

• roll of kraft paper
• twine
• felt-tipped pens (not a sharpie- they’re too stinky for the dinner table!)
• twine
• fabric scissors
• leaf template (print out this 11×17 template)
• felt
• sharpie

1- Trace the leaf template with a sharpie marker. Make sure you leave room to flip over the template and complete both sides of the leaf!

2 - After you cut out the leaf, use your sharpie to draw vein lines across the leaf.

3 & 4 - Pinch one of the veins you just drew, and cut a thin cut on the fold you just pinched to get your cutting started. After you have a starting point, you can insert your scissors and cut along the line like normal. Be careful you don’t cut into two layers of felt on accident!

5 - Using small pieces of the kraft paper, cut out smaller leaves to write a message to your dinner guests, letting them know what the kraft paper table cloth is there for. Tuck it into the twine-wrapped napkin bundle that also holds a felt-tipped pen for each guest.

So simple, right? A nice after-dinner idea would be to have guests switch seats for dessert, that way everybody has a chance to read all of the blessings that have been written on the table. And if you still want to put people on the spot, you can your guests them read them all aloud. :)

Phil and I are sitting here on the sofa, listening to the new She & Him Christmas record (I know, I'm a clich? blogger girl.), sipping spiced tea from our holiday mugs, and staring at the unwrapped presents under the naked Christmas tree. Oh man. Motivation, where are you?! Procrastinating a bit longer, I popped over to my friend Stephanie's blog to see what her cute family was up to. Good thing I did, because her simple, but savvy wrapping ideas were just the inspiration I needed to stop what I was doing, pull out the patterned paper and Scotch tape. But first, I had to share a bit with you. ;)

Now. It's time to delve into my button collection! I'll be back later with an outfit post.