Gift Wrap and Tags

 

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is all of the pretty gift wrap. I love to wrap a gift beautifully..I think it really lets the recipient know you took the time to present him/her with something special. I have a hard time resisting all of the pretty papers,tags and ribbon! Today,I wanted to share a few of my favorites with you.
   I'm the girl that likes all of her gift wrapping items to match. I also try to match the wrap with the person I am giving the gift to..for example, if that person is a dog lover, I try to go with that theme. This year, I found the cutest tags on Etsy . You have to visit this shop..such  beautiful tags and cards. I plan to go back and purchase more to put away for next year! Here are a few of the tags in my new favorite shop..
   I purchased the reindeer tags for all of the little ones in my life .

These lab tags are perfect for my dog loving sister and my son.

These sleigh tags add just the perfect touch of nostalgia to any gift.

Who doesn't love a red truck at Christmas?

Little girls would likely love these kitten tags.

Visit  and see all of the beautiful items she has available for all holidays! Love this shop!

I also love festive gift wrap. Every year, for many years, I've ordered wrapping paper from Current,and have always been happy with the quality of the paper as well as the price point. It is definitely my go to for gift wrap, and they have an assortment of other seasonal items as well, such as coordinating tags,ribbon and cards. They have great sales after Christmas,so be sure to check that out.

Every so often, I splurge a little bit on fancy paper. This year is no exception. I found this gorgeous paper by Caspari on Amazon.

This paper is from Jenni. The quality is excellent, and it comes in sheets rolled up in a tube. It is a bit more expensive,so I save it for those extra special gifts. The matching tags bring it all together.
I'm really loving this nutcracker/gingerbread paper. I tend to favor all things red,white and green around the holidays,but this pink is a nice change.So sweet.

The trees and trains are beautiful as well. I'm definitely a fan.

I hope this helps a bit if you are still looking for gift wrap essentials or plan to purchase some on sale after Christmas.I will share more of my wrapped gifts before the holidays. Enjoy your day!

Holiday Happenings

In my mind, Halloween was yesterday, so the fact that Christmas is 10 days away has me a little stressed. I've finished a good portion of my shopping, started meal planning and have wrapped most of what I've purchased, so that is good,but it feels as if the past few weeks have flown by! I've slowed down on my baking orders this year in an effort to focus more on the boys and the actual holiday. Here is a bit of what we've been up to this month.
   My son Sean wanted to see the new Grinch movie,and I happily tagged along. It really was sweet and we definitely enjoyed our evening out together. He insisted we go to IHOP for Grinch pancakes, and I obliged. He ate,I watched him eat..haha. Since that day, we have been on a Grinch pancake kick at home.My favorite buttermilk pancake recipe,a little green food coloring, topped with a cream cheese frosting and some fresh whipped cream. It makes him happy, so why not? If all of that is too much for you, try my apple cinnamon pancakes recipe,topped with just a little whipped cream or simply syrup. You'll love them.

Sean and I also spent a nice afternoon together enjoying a local production of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Special moments with one of my boys.
  

One evening, a local cooking school was hosting a gingerbread decorating party. Timmy and I happily went,and had a great time together decorating our house. He loves all things gingerbread, so this was a perfect night out for him, and he wore his pajamas, so it really doesn't get better than that.
 

We also spent an afternoon visiting Dee's Nursery. It's a great place, filled with plants ,all things Christmas,holiday treats and their own dogs ,which my son Timmy loves. We were greeted by this fine gentleman playing a variety of carols near the entrance.We spent some time wandering around enjoying all of the decor and petting the pups.
 

Speaking of pups, if you follow me on instagram, then you know our dog Gigi has a love affair going on with the dog Doc who lives across the street. It seemed only fitting to buy them matching dog bone ornaments for Christmas this year. Doc's family sent me a picture of theirs...so cute. I purchased them here.
  

I also gave a way one of the signs from our Etsy shop to a great lady!Giveaways are always fun!
  

I've been decorating a few cookies when I have the time. I found this design on the Semi Sweet Mike Design page website and ordered the cookie cutters to make this Santa scene. I love it! I made five sets and sent them out as gifts, along with some other goodies.
 

I also made some of my favorite Chocolate Chip Madeleines to give to one of my husband's co-workers. Trying to spread some holiday cheer!
  

Well, that is it for today. Check back in this week for gift wrapping ideas,ornament collection and more Christmas fun! Enjoy your weekend!