Trick or Treat Bag Update

I have been working on a bunch of trick or treating bags this past month and really enjoying it because it's getting me in the mood for the holiday.  I am so thankful that they have been so popular!

Here a few of the completed orders....

These are for siblings...boy and girl in Massachusetts!

For another set of siblings in California!

For my own little ones...

I have a few more that I've done, but not photographed and  4 more to complete this week...yikes!

And....I was asked to partner with a local magazine in Florda as part of their "Halloween Fun" series.   They will be advertising "Poshed Up" via their Facebook page, in the magazine and on Twitter.  I'm very honored to have been asked.  Here are the bags they are featuring...

You can check out the magazine's Facebook page by clicking here.

I am enjoying working on these, but my supplies are becoming VERY limited.  I am soon going to only create completed bags which means they won't have personalization options.   If you are at all interested in a bag of your own, please feel free to visit "Poshed Up" on etsy by clicking here.

It's almost time to start working on my Christmas project...can't wait!!

Poshed Up

Pins of the Week

I've decided to share my favorite pins of the week on a regular basis.   If you aren't already hooked on pinterest....you may soon become hooked as you start hearing more and more people telling you to try finding something on pinterest.  I now use it as my search engine for so many things....funny how things change!

So here they are :

CRAFTASTIC

I can't wait to do this fun craft from marthastewart.com.   How fun to make each year until you build up a little gardenful to display each year...or at least until they think it's too corny to keep doing!

FOR THE HOME

I think this is the most amazing idea from freshpaintartist.com.

FASHION FINDS

I'm happy to say that these beauties will soon be mine from piperlime.com.   I used a 20% coupon and $20 in rewards that I had from Old Navy to get them.  I just hope I love them in person too!

GREAT TIP



I am willing to try ANYTHING to get my burners clean.   While my husband is a wonderful cook...he is a messy one!   Check out this tip from 'The V Spot'...I'm going to try it this weekend.

FOR THE KIDDOS

So excited to be planning my little guy's 5th birthday party right now.  Can you guess the theme?  This template from one of my FAVORITE blogs, 'The Pleated Poppy', will be so helpful.

QUOTE TO LIVE BY...or in this case...laugh with

Happy Pinning!

Poshed Up

My very favorite time of the year...it's HERE!

I love absolutely everything about Fall!  I feel lucky to live in the Northeast where we truly get to enjoy all four seasons and their corresponding weather, but of all...I enjoy Fall the most.  The smell of baked goods and clean, crisp air, the cool breezes, warm sweaters, the sound of crunching leaves and the colors of nature everywhere....I just adore it all.

And...I love most to decorate for Fall.   I have 3 full bins of decor for just this season.  The good thing is that it stretches (at least for me) from the day after Labor Day until the day after Thanksgiving.   That's at least 2 full months.   So I literally start decorating the day after Labor Day.   Call me crazy, but by now, I can't wait to see new things around my house and the splashes of red and orange.   Besides, the stores put their Halloween candy on the shelves the day after 4th of July so I'm not too far ahead...lol

I found some great ideas for mantles for the Fall to help inspire my own.  My fireplace is located in my kitchen...which is very much the heart of our home.   I love to switch it for holidays and seasons to keep it interesting!  We spend all of our time in our kitchen from cooking, homework, family game night, entertaining, etc. so I need something fun and inviting on my mantle.

I'll first show you my inspiration....

Love the simplicity of this leaf garland from Better Homes & Garden.   You can even recruit your family to help gather the leaves.   Martha Stewart had the same idea with these that she's dipped in wax to preserve...

I'm digging this Fall banner from 'One Fell Out of The Cuckoo's Nest'.  Not sure if I have the interest in making it this year, but love it just the same.

And I LOVE any kind of glass container...    hurricane, drinking glass, mason  jar...you name it.  These from 'Junk Garden Girl' are so great for fall.

And these hurricanes filled with gourds (fake I think from the looks of the picture) from 'Her Southern Charm' are so similar to what I've done in years past.


So...here is my mantle after a few days of work....what do you think? 

It looks a LOT better in person and during the day, but you'll just have to take my word for it.  It's a very high stone fireplace with a stone mantle so it needs lots of color!

And this work in progress similar to the one I found on pinterest will sit in the middle once it's complete.....

Can you guess what it will say?

I also like to do a simple centerpiece that I either leave on my kitchen table or on my kitchen island with some candles.  Here is my inspiration...

Not sure about the rolling pins, but I love the long dough box that is pictured with the misc. items in it.  It's for sale on etsy by the way...just click here.   I haven't completed mine just yet because I really want to use real pumpkins and gourds and it's still to early for those.

I tried this idea of a gourd topiary last year, but with Dollar Store fake pumpkins and I choose to re-use it this year.  This idea was from 'The Party Dress'...and they have stunning ideas!

And I usually decorate the windowsill in our kitchen as well since I spend a disgusting amount of time looking at it as its in front of our kitchen sink.   Here is where I am as of today, but again I'd love to add some real items once we make our annual trip to the pumpkin patch.

I know it just looks like ordinary acorns, but my daughter and I picked those 5 years ago together so to me they are priceless. 

And candles...oh how I love you candles.  Especially those smelling of fall scents like pumpkins, apples, cinnamon.  Need I continue.  How about these adorable candles found on tumblr...so simple!

Or these in mini pumpkins....LOVE!!!

Last but not least is the front steps.  This is definitely not my area of focus or expertise, but an area I'd like to try to improve this year.  Here are some gorgeous ideas and inspiration!

Too much?  But oh so beautiful.  From Midwest Living Magazine.

And this beauty from 'Front Porch Ideas and More'...a bit more realistic.

And last, but certainly not least...from my so-called alma mater Southern Living at HOME.   This is so great!

I hope you feel inspired and ready for the cool days of Fall to follow!

Poshed Up

My favorite pins of the week!

For those of you who have not yet discovered Pinterest....you NEED to check it out.    I introduced 2 friends to it this past week and I am excited to hear what they think.

So what is Pinterest?  

• It is the invention I wish I had thought of myself
• It is the smartest thing I've ever seen on the web
• It is the best organizational tool on the web
• It is an e-bulletin board
• It is a HUGE time stealer

Why should you too join and get sucked in?

Pinterest gives you the ability  to save pictures, how-to's, party ideas, whatever you encounter

when you are surfing the web or blog surfing

Why is it better than just saving websites to your favorites?

It gives you the ability to save just 1 item on a website or blog and returning to that specific item later.

It also gives you the ability to create "boards" and organize your pins into different categories.   Check out my pin boards by clicking here so you'll understand exactly what I mean.

Can you tell I love it?   And...I was not paid to say that!

So...that all being said, I'm going to start sharing my favorites PINS OF THE WEEK!

Here's my favs for this past week:

CRAFTASTIC

Great craft idea....check it out by visiting my pin by clicking here. 
I bought my own canvas, fabric and buttons yesterday for a total of about $15 and I will be making mine soon for my fireplace.  I'll share it once it's completed!

FOR THE HOME

LOVE.....me too.   I love anything by Katie Daisy.  Check her out by clicking here.  She's fabtastic!!!!!

FASHION FINDS

I love the relaxed feel of this outfit without the slob effect.   If you know me well, you'll also know that I adore all things red so this sweater is soooo up my alley.  And....if you love fashion like me...check out polyvore.com by clicking here.    Totally addicting!

FOR THE KIDDOS / GREAT TIP

Use a dish rack to hold all of the kids homework items, workbooks, etc.   Genius!  Check it out via my pin here.

QUOTE TO LIVE BY

I hope you enjoy.....happy pinning!

Poshed Up

  

What time is it? It's time for lunch?

For all of you with fans of "Bubble Guppies" you'll appreciate me putting that song in your head now.  And for those of you that have no clue what I'm talking about, check this out and then you too will have it in your head.

Click here for video clip

I digress as usual.....

I have some really fun ideas for school lunches and/or snack time for those that are not yet in school or in school only half of the day.   I am all about quick, healthy lunch options that are neat and easy for my children.  I know that they don't get a great deal of time to eat at school and are on a timeline unlike the leisurely days of summer where we're lucky if lunch falls before 2pm so... I want to simplify as much as possible in their lunchboxes.

In addition to the desire for healthy lunch and snack options, I have a child with SEVERE food allergies to many foods include milk, peanut, tree nuts, eggs, soy, mango, avocado, beans, coconut and avocado.  So...that being said, I have done my fair share of research on food choices that are fun and easy for kids.

I am, however, only going to focus on some ideas for a child without restrictions in this post and I will devote an entire post to food allergic lunches another day!  That can easily be its own post.

 (and if you have a child with food allergies and have some great ideas to share, please email me so I can put them in the post and share)

Here are some of my favs for lunchbox ideas:

1. small sandwich in a fun shape for the younger kids (the older they get, the more inappropriate they find this...so I make smaller basic shapes)

2.  a small bagel sandwich with cream cheese or jelly

3.  fresh fruit cut up

4.  baby carrots and ranch or other dressing of choice

5.  crackers and cut up cheese for them to make their own sandwiches

6.  apples and a dip (peanut butter, yogurt)

7.  cous cous and peas (healthy and yummy...try it, they might like it...my Yo Gabba Gabba plug)

8.  pasta and sauce with a side of fun shaped bread to dip

9.  yogurt and a side of granola or other small topping

10.  chicken nuggets and homemade fries (sweet potato preferably)

I know some will say that their children are picky or only want to eat junk, but I do personally believe 2 things:

1.  Kids will eat what you buy...they don't buy it themselves and won't go starving so you can try to introduce healthy and tasty together.

2.  Kids want to eat healthy. Unlike us...the idea of a healthy lifestyle is all around them growing up and the days of the sugared cereals commercials and soda commercials are gone. 

I really try to make them smaller portions and give variety.  I find that my kids will pick at all of it and get a better variety. They seem to get bored with a whole sandwich or anything big that requires wrappers or any kind of work to eat.  The last thing you want is the whole lunch to end up in the garbage...

make it fun, make their friends wish you were packing their lunch too :)

You can really get creative and have fun like in these great ideas taken from bohaute.com

Or these fun ideas from Lisa Storms who is incredibly creative...

How fun for Halloween...

Love the silly face...

So cute and a fun creative trail mix...

Dinosaurs, grape boulders and dirt...

                                                            what more would a boy ask for ?

I also found some great ideas at Cooking Light.  Check these out...  they even give you the caloric info.

For your meat eater....I personally LOVE the fruit kabob idea.  As long as it doesn't become a lunch table weapon.  Can you tell I have a little boy?

A healthy, homemade pizza...looks like a cross between pizza and quesadilla.

And the cous cous I mentioned earlier....very healthy and fun to eat!

A few more I thought were great ideas taken from EasyLunchboxes.com.

I love that all of these ideas are varied, fun and COLORFUL!  It really makes the food look yummy!

If you're really stumped, try visiting Wendolonia where she has a printable list of school lunch ideas. How handy!   Click here for her list.

If you're wondering about these fun containers you're seeing in some of the pictures, they are these....

and you can find them on amazon.com or directly from their website at EasyLunchboxes.com.

 

There are also the bento boxes which are oh so popular for kids.

 I found these at Toysrus believe it or not on sale for $4 each in purple and green and my kids are very excited about the part where you can write a message on them.    I plan on putting a few things on the left and then something like fruit on the right.

Snack time, whether at home or in school, is as important as lunch.  From what I'm hearing on the news these days, children need nutrition throughout the day for energy and to keep their brains working.   They too should follow the many small meals theory.  Here are some of our family's favorites.

1. my own trail mix- cheerios, rice chex, small pretzels, chocolate chips and raisins

2.  cut up fruit

3. cheese sticks

4. pretzels, pita chips, etc.

5.  cut up veggies- my daughter loves cucumbers and green peppers

 And I LOVE this idea for pre-made snacks.  For those of you who don't know me yet, I have MAJOR obsessive compulsive tendencies and love all things organized. This epitomizes organization for me when it comes to getting lunches and snacks together.  I love the time saving element...another genius idea from Real Simple Magazine.

Lastly, I wanted to share some really cute ideas to let your child know that you are thinking of them while they are at school.    Most days I can't wait for them to head to school for some time to myself and then I find myself wondering what they're doing and missing them like crazy.   I love these fun ideas for kids of all ages. 

Check out these cute food related jokes for their lunchboxes from Cap Creations...

And these from The Gunny Sack...

Or how about these sweet notes to attach to fruit with a love note from you...

These come from Cindy at AlphaMom.   She also has free printable notes you can find here.

Have fun with these as much as one can enjoy packing school lunches.   I don't know why this is such a painful task, but I hope these ideas might ease your pain....just a little!

Poshed Up