Hi everyone! I just wanted to pop in really quick and tell you guys what we have been up to this last week. I haven't been posting here on the blog because we are visiting family and I want to soak up every minute with them while we are here. I hope you don't mind.

The other morning I was playing with Jocelyn and Adrian. We were all laughing and having lots of fun so I decided to pull out my camera and snap a few shots of their cute little faces.

Every time we get to see our niece and nephew they get cuter and sweeter. We love these little guys.

A while ago my friend Elizabeth came to me asking if I would be willing to design their Christmas card this year. They wanted to include information on what they did this past year. So Elizabeth put together all their fun facts and I got right to work. I had so much fun working on this design and I even got to know Lizzy a little better. I had no idea she ate so much sushi!

It's been a few weeks since we've posted a picture of Pixel. Look how big he is getting! On Monday we went to Disneyland and took Pixel with us. They have a kennel where pets can stay for the day. Everyone that saw him got so excited and of course we got plenty of Cruella De Vil comments. 

When we went back to let Pixel out and feed him in the afternoon, there was a film crew there making a video of the Kennel Club. When they saw we had a Dalmatian they started filming us playing with Pixel right away. Pixel's dream came true. He is going to be in a Disney video! Maybe this could be his big break even though it's only a video showcasing the Kennel Club.

Look at this awesome find I came across this week at Urban Outfitters! This Trompe L'Oeil Laptop Case is perfect for any creative (particularly me)

Today I have some more holiday goodies for you! Cyd from The Sweetest Occasion and I teamed up again to bring you more paper goods. This time we put together a fill-in party invitation and a set of gift tags to help you host a gift wrapping party! Doesn't that sound like a perfect afternoon?

Design by A Pair of Pears. | Styling by Cyd Converse. | Photos by Alice G. Patterson.

You can grab the free gift wrapping printables over at The Sweetest Occasion. Be sure to read Cyd's suggestions for hosting a gift wrapping party. And don't forget to pop in your favorite holiday movie while you wrap. I would recommend While You Where Sleeping. I just love that movie. 

Katherine over at Gathered Heart had the brilliant idea of doing a series of posts this holiday season called The 12 days of Christmas Cookies. She gathered up 12 of her favorite bloggers to share their favorite Christmas cookies on her blog throughout December. I was lucky enough to be asked to share mine. You can find my favorite Christmas cookie recipe over on Gathered Heart today along with some other ones that are sure to make your month water.

Download at Eat Drink Chic

Download at Love vs. Design

Download at Design* Sponge

download at Swoon

Download at Sea Urchin Studio

Download at Hey Look

Download at Creative Index

I am happy to say that we finished our Christmas gift shopping yesterday. Now comes the fun part, making them into pretty little packages to set under the tree. Last week I posted a tutorial on a more non-traditional monogram gift tag/ornament, but If you don't have the time for that here are a bunch of free printable gift tags from around the web. Originally I planned on designing some of my own to share here on our blog, but there are so many cute ones already out there. With all these free printables you will never need to buy tags again.

The most amazing unexpected thing happened yesterday. Are you ready for this? I won a ticket to ALT Summit SLC in January. If you don't know what that is, it is a huge conference for bloggers! The tickets are pretty pricy and they go fast. This conference was sold out months ago.

When I saw that I won I was so excited. I had to look at the winners list a few times to make sure I wasn't seeing it wrong. But no matter how many times I looked my name was still there! After the initial excitement wore off I started to get really nervous. I don't know anyone else that's going. Who am I going to talk to, sit by at sessions, or eat with during meals? I felt like I was back starting High School or College, the only thing different was that I didn't really feel like that when I started a new school. I saw it more as an adventure. Why have things changed? Maybe because I know that everyone at this conference is going to be super tallented and beautiful people. That's intimidating. I just need to keep reminding myself that there are going to be a lot of other bloggers that have never been to ALT before and probably don't know any other soul in the room. I'm still really excited to go but I wouldn't mind a friend to talk to. I guess this will be my chance to make a few new ones.

If you're going to ALT or know anyone else who is let me know. I would love to meet up and make a new friend!

This year I decided that instead of paper tags I would make these monogram tags and attach them to my gifts. Once the present is open they can be hung on the Christmas tree. It's a multipurpose tag that is also an additional gift. This is not a tag that is going to get thrown away! If you still have some people you need gifts for you can always wrap one of these up. Most importantly they are so easy to make and add such charm to any gift.  

You Will Need

• Clay (I got mine from Michaels)
• Letterpressed Cookie Cutters
• Rolling Pin
• Wooden Skewer
• 1/8 in (3mm) Wide Ribbon
• Fine Grit Sand Paper (220 works well)

Begin by rolling out some clay. Start with a small amount because the clay starts to dry out. When you have the clay about 1/4" thick cut out letters with your cookie cutters. Place on a flat surface. 

Next take your wooden skewer and punch a whole for the ribbon. Let dry over night.  

The next day when the clay is completely dry, take some fine grit sand paper and gently go over the edges to remove any rough spots.

Tie ribbon to each monogram and attach to gifts or hang on your tree. That's it! 

DIY Holiday Gift Wrap / Music Picks / Hot Chocolate Party & Printables

Last Christmas I had a lot of fun putting together posts for the holidays. Since then my blog has grown quite a bit. If you're a new readers and haven't gone back and looked through the archives or stumbled across pins on Pinterest, you probably haven't seen them. So I thought I would bring back some of my favorite holiday post from last year. They're oldies but goodies. I have a few new ones planned for this year too but these should hold you over until then.

Show & Tell

The Medium Control

Anthony Burrill

Graphic Anthology

I love a good type poster. These are a few I'm currently obsessing over.