It’s that time of year again where thankfulness and giving gets an extra spotlight, though we should certainly be doing this every day of the year. The girls have been excited to brainstorm all the things they can make as gifts this season. Making gifts is one of the things they love to do most. Sometimes, we have to reign them in because they make so much stuff (too much stuff!), but it really is sweet to see their hearts overflowing into wanting to make someone’s day a little brighter.

All the holiday baking and making has probably started everywhere. Our first gifts to make this season were for their teachers. Typically, we gift teachers and neighbors with some home baked goods. This year we’re doing something a little more healthful by making Cutie wreaths!

The girls and I laid out all our supplies and we had an afternoon of wreath making (and Cuties eating). Everyone got involved in the process. One gal was cutting string, another cutting out leaves from crepe paper, Soul was fixing the wreaths, and Glow peeled the Cuties for everyone to eat. My little Cuties Correspondents were all having a blast with the task on hand!

Cuties Wreaths

Supplies:
5 lb. bag of Cuties
Scissors
30″ clear cellophane
Cotton string
Green crepe paper
Tags, optional

Directions:
1. Cut out a 10″ wide strip of cellophane. Center 6 Cuties on top and wrap the cellophane around.

2. Cut 6 – 10″ strands of string (per wreath); cut out about 12 leaves from crepe paper (per wreath). Best way to cut them is to fold and cut, so that there are two leaves on one. Place a piece of string between each Cutie, add some leaves on top of the string, then knot and tie string into a bow. If want the leaves just in one section of the wreath, instead of between each fruit, then just tie bows all the way around with leaves inserted.

3. To join the two ends, cut any excess cellophane, leaving just enough to cover the next piece, then overlap cellophane over each end to close the circle. Lastly, add string and leaves.

With Ben being a dietitian, he was definitely in approval of this type of sweet treat. It’s a healthful gift to give and putting them into a wreath definitely give off holiday vibes. The kids were so proud of the wreaths they made and were very excited to give it to their teachers. Making a Cuties wreath was easy-to-make and will definitely be easy-to-love. This homemade gift certainly spreads a little bit of sunshine and sweetness to this season of #100DaysofSunshine.

This post is in collaboration with Cuties. All opinions are my own, and I’m thankful for the support you give me, this space, and the brands I partner with.

This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

Ugh! We’ve hit a couple bumps in the construction in our front yard and we’re trying not to worry (cause does worry really do anything?!) and trust (and thank) God for the trial. It’s not a bad problem to have, but does get a little frustrating when you aren’t seeing eye to eye with the contractor.

Thankful Thanksgiving break starts now! WOOT!

Okay, so Aunt Flo came early and I think I’m a cup believer. Will give my review on it on another post. Also, I love reading all your comments regarding the cup and your cultural norms of shoes in the house. I miss reading your comments (I know most people no longer really comment on blogs these days) and I love how it felt like a discussion here (I want to do more of that). I plan to respond to the discussion in the posts in the next couple of days. It’s been so busy this week that I felt like Ben and I had to both schedule time just to breathe because we’ve been go, go, go.

Any orders placed in the WOVENFOLK main shop and etsy between 11/18-11/26 will be shipped out 11/27.

These thin oat cookies look delicious.

Do you have your eye on anything on Black Friday? The girls have wanted SONOS speakers (they love listening to music at home), so we are thinking about it as a community gift for them (if we find a good deal). We were also considering Chromecast Audio, which seems to be really cool and is only $35, but it doesn’t play iTunes, which is where all our music is stored.

Cute denim dress from Ms. Tips. Looks cute layered with a sweater under during the colder months.

“Suffering is like scorching heat to the soul.” from this Desiring God article. A rebuke and encouragement to suffer well.

We are headed to Sedona, AZ for Thanksgiving week! Anyone have recommendations for things to do, see, and eat there (or neighboring cities)?

This geometric building block set  and make a face puzzle looks really cool. The toys that get played with the most at our house are the ones they can build things with.

If you’re stateside, happy pre-Thanksgiving weekend prepping! Hope everyone has a chill weekend!

My parents are in the process of remodeling and I told my mom I’m going to make her home look farmhouse-country-shabby chic. They added almost 500 square feet and now have this huge kitchen, dining room, and living room space. It’s been fun to see the transformation, though I’m sure it doesn’t feel as fun since my parents have been living out of a suitcase for almost 6 months now, and have had no kitchen. They lived with us for about a month, so I’m sure that was a welcome reprieve from their construction zone home, but they are itching for life to go back to normal and be able to cook their own meals. Honestly, I can’t wait for my mom to have a kitchen because I miss her home cooked meals. We all see the light at the end of the tunnel though because everything should be done by the end of November, just in time for Christmas.

While they were deciding light fixtures and other details like that, my mom would ask me what I thought, and I would help her pick things out. I love decorating, so I’m happy to put in my design advice. Though what I’m really excited about is helping them decorate (and purge!). They’ve bought new (vintage and reproduction) pieces here and there, and I’ll text her things I think she should get. When I came across Antique Farmhouse, I knew immediately my mom would love this store. All the items have the romantic country-shabby chic vibes she loves. When I lived at my parents’ house, I tried to help her decorate with a floral country-shabby chic touch. Then, when I had my own home, I went shabby chic for our first nursery. You can still see my love for that shabby chic touch in certain pieces we have in our home.

As I was window shopping at Antique Farmhouse, I noted things I think would look grand in my parents newly transformed space. Lots of shabby chic home decor like this distressed table would look good in their new dining room or entry way. A golden wreath like this would look great on wall in my mom’s new master bath, where she has a gorgeous chandelier and claw foot tub. Then, maybe a stool like this next to the tub or in the corner to offset the glamour of the wreath with a little shabby chic, farmhouse touch. My mom is a maximalist, so she loves mixing lots of different styles together for a cozy, comfy feel.

My style is very eclectic. Most of my friends thought my home would have had lots of florals like my mom, but I use florals sparingly (though I do have a big pop of it on a rug here). While shopping for my mom, I made a note of things I like, and share some of those things here. I really like the beaded chandelier (I love hanging lights and not so much floor lamps). I like using architectural pieces for wall art, like this acanthus leaf corbel or old mill window. My favorite thing on the site is the swan wall decor; I’d love that in a bathroom or over our bed (off-centered to the side). My decor choices might seem random, but that’s because I describe my style as vintage-modern, bohemian minimalist, so I guess that means I make random things I love work. While my mom is a maximalist, I’m a minimalist when it comes to decor, but a maximalist when it comes to plants. There’s never such thing as too much green.

Is traditional or shabby chic your thing? Or are you more romantic bohemian in your home style? Or maybe you’re more minimalist modern? I would love to hear how you describe your home decor!

Do you allow shoes to be worn in your home? This can be a touchy thing. Just as touchy and difficult to ask someone to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before touching your newborn baby.

I’m Filipino, so culturally, shoes are typically not allowed in the home. Everyone comes over and takes it off in the entry way. When I go to other Asian homes, we know to take off our shoes prior to entering (and sometimes you’ll notice that shoes are left outside of the door). It’s considered rude to step into their home with shoes on. I married someone who is not Filipino, so he grew up wearing shoes in the home, but he has since adopted the no shoes stance.

The main reason we do it is for health and cleanliness. Shoes track in lots of bacteria (read here and here) and we have kids who play on the ground. They roll, lay down, put down blankets all over the ground. Not only do my kids play on the ground, they tend to put their fingers and hands in their mouth (even though I’m constantly on their case for it). So shoes off in the house, is one way to help eliminate bringing in things we don’t want in our house.

We know it isn’t always convenient for people to take off their shoes. If we’re having a big party, we usually won’t say anything, and cleaning the floors just comes with the party clean up. Though most friends already know to take off their shoes, so people catch on when they see a bunch of shoes at the door. When construction people come over, we have non-slip shoe covers right at the door for them to slip on, so they don’t have to go through the hassle of removing their boots. We also have clean (and cute) slippers for guests to wear. Ben can’t walk around barefoot for long periods of time because it’s painful for his feet, so he has a pair of “indoor Nikes” that he wears just for inside the house. I’ve recently started having foot problems too, so I have a pair of Birkenstocks just for the inside of the house too. To avoid having to explain while it’s ok for us to wear shoes in our home, we will typically walk barefoot when guests are here.

I have friends who have put signs on their doors, so we recently adopted that. One friend’s sign says, “Hawaiian style. Please remove your shoes. Mahalo.” Another says, “This is holy ground. No shoes allowed.” The one I saw most recently, in beautiful calligraphy, said, “Kindly remove your shoes.” It kind of saves that awkward conversation when you answer the door and it spells it out plainly.

In a recent discussion on another blog, I saw someone mention if they go to a home where they have to remove their shoes, they aren’t likely to go back to that home, and will prefer to meet that friend out. I thought that was an interesting response.

Imagine where our shoes have been! Public restrooms… eek! I once was at someone’s house recently, and they wore their outside shoes inside, and put their shoes up on the couch and the coffee table. That same evening they laid on the couch and ate dinner on the coffee table, and I just kind of got the heebie jeebies. It’s obviously not my preference to wear outdoor shoes inside!

I know this can be testy subject. I think I’ve discussed it here before, but some friends and I were discussing it recently, and especially since we just put up a sign on our door, it’s been on my mind. Shoes or no shoes? What do you do in your home and what do you expect your guests to do?

My newest project for Babiekins Mag is up… turn an old oven mitt (or pick up one at the dollar store!) and make some turkey puppets. These have kept my girls entertained for hours; they love creating characters and stories with their new toys. Get the full project here.

vintage dresses, kinoko kids. shoes, hanna anderson. toy kitchen/puppet theatre, momoll. 

My old silk pillowcase died, so it was time to get a new one. My first one was cheaper, and I don’t think I cared for it properly, so it really wore out quick (had it for a few years I think). I plan on salvaging what I can and make something out of it, but I ordered this one (also in photo above) to replace it. I can totally tell the difference with my hair on a silk pillowcase, so I use it for less breakage.

After I saw this post on New Age Nesting, I’ve been thinking about alternatives to pads and tampons, so I decided to give a menstrual cup a try. I hate tampons and always freak out about toxic shock syndrome, so I’m hoping I like the cup. We’ll see. I’m definitely nervous about it, but it seems it’s cleaner, less waste, and saves money! I ordered this one, so we will see how it goes. I’m trying to convince friends to try it with me, so who wants to join in too?! I will tastefully report back a review after Aunt Flo comes and goes.

To go along with the cup, I ordered a few pairs of Thinx. Period panties are genius and I wish I knew about it when I was a teenager. I’m using it as back up to the cup and when I have light days. We’ll see. I’m skeptical about it, but I’m down to try.  Knowing I have 2 girls who will have to deal with this soon enough, I’d love for them to have something that feels comfortable and not worry about leaks (eek!). I have a couple embarrassing accident stories from my teenage years, so maybe these really will be magic and I can spare them having to worry about it. It is a bit of an investment, but it will save in pads and waste (and money!) in the long run. Like the cup, I will report back my thoughts on it after I take it for a spin.

A friend is trying to convince me the benefits of essential oils, so I’ll give it a shot. I’ll be sure to share what I think of those too.

If any of you have any experience with any of the above things I mentioned, would love to hear your thoughts on it!