My hand-lettered cupcake flags are always completely customizable, but sometimes I like to whip up something special to show the possibilities. I just listed two sets especially for Christmas, and thought you might like to see!

The first is oh so classic in red and green.

The second is colorful and fun in blue, turquoise, pink, and red orange!

All sets (plus holiday stripe drink stirrers!) are available in my shop!

Now for the hilarious part. My little helper was patiently watching from the sidelines while I photographed these goodies. After about a half an hour, though, she just couldn’t stand it anymore! She spent the rest of the photo session on the other side of the guest room door, grumpy.

Aaaaand I’ll just take this one, thankyouverymuch.

Helloooo, friends! It’s good to be back! Let’s kick off the Christmas season with five of my favorite wreaths, shall we? I’ve rounded up wreaths at least once before (here), so I left this one and this one off the list, even though they’re favorites. This one was a runner-up, too.

Handmade Recess | Yvestown Blog | Martha Stewart | unknown | O So D

P.S. Our wreath this year:

Simple.

Yep, a little bit early! (Some of) my family is arriving tonight, so I’ll be signed off for the rest of the week to enjoy their company. We’re having the traditional Thanksgiving menu on Thursday, then getting together with extended family on Friday. What do y’all have planned?

via Martha Stewart and Bon Appetit

On the menu for Thursday:
— Hot corn dip and deviled eggs
— Turkey and gravy (we forgo making an actual turkey and just buy a breast or two from the store! :)
— Stovetop stuffing (I’m sorry, but I have never tasted homemade stuffing that I liked better than Stovetop. Equally good, yes. Better, not that I can remember.)
— Real mashed potatoes
— Fresh green beans (just sauteed on the stovetop with a little red pepper and olive oil)
— Rosemary and sea salt rolls
— Two types of homemade cranberry sauce (John’s contribution)
— Pumpkin pie and apple pie (with cheddar cheese slices!) from our favorite local bakery
— Chocolate chunk pecan cookies (because my Mom doesn’t like pie — weird, I know!!)

Some people down here consider macaroni and cheese a traditional part of Thanksgiving dinner. (I love mac and cheese, but that will never seem normal to me!) Does your family include anything “unusual”?

Safe travels to all, whether you’re going down the stairs or across the country! I am very thankful for all of you!

In addition to our photo Christmas cards, I think we’ll be sending a newsletter! Did your families send holiday newsletters when you were younger? Do they still send one? My family always did, and I loved it! In fact, once I was in about sixth grade, I was often recruited to write it — my Dad and I alternated years :) Even in the age of Facebook, I still LOVE reading all the letters we get from other families, families I’ve known my whole life, when I go home for Christmas. My Dad is in the military, so my parents have lots of far-flung friends that I remember from my childhood but haven’t seen in years. My sisters and parents and I have been known to sit at the kitchen table and pass the letters around the circle, discussing the neatly-encapsulated contents as we read!

Our newsletters were always fairly simple affairs, graphically speaking — printed on plain paper, or maybe holiday letterhead, if my Mom was feeling fancy. I’m hoping to step up the game a bit for my and John’s debut, and am taking inspiration from these beauties I found around the internet:

By Amanda Jane Jones. Go here to see more angles!

Also by Amanda. More here!

By Aprile Elcich.

I’ll update you once ours is complete!