creative thinking & some fun etsy shops | a special gift guide

Oh. Heavens. Thank you all for the kind comments, messages & emails. I am surrounded by some of the most wonderful women & I am so grateful to have you all in my life. Thank you for reading my blog & supporting me. We are not alone on this crazy journey…& I hope you know how much I love having you as a part of mine. :)

I thought after something a wee bit deep, we’ll lighten the mood up a bit. So many of you joined me over on pinterest, after I wrote about it. You can follow me here & I will follow you back. :) It has provided me so much inspiration, including how I was going to gift this season. I couldn’t post this any earlier for obvious reasons, but all the gifts you see here are great ideas to use year round, so I thought it would be helpful to share them. I tried my darnedest to make some really meaningful decisions about what to give who this year. I put a lot of thought & time into everything I gifted & I hope the receivers were as excited on Christmas Morning as I was to give these treasures! I am posting links to all the goodies.

  • row 1: inspired by all of this to get crafty with packaging.
  • row 2: Printed books for all the grandmas with many of the great images of the year using Blurb. Safe to say, they were a huge hit! Easy interface to use & I am about to make our 2010 family book there too. You do not need to be a professional to use them to print your pictures into a book & I found them to be very affordable, comparatively. Very happy.
  • row 2, box 1: we make ornaments every year at The Painted Plate, which is a local pottery shop. Though it is a three step process (mold, paint, pickup) I think we’ll cherish these keepsakes for years to come.
  • row 3, box 1&2: Used Lulu to print calendars for all the dudes. Extremely disappointed with both the quality & customer service. I will not use again.
  • row 3, box 3&4: Worked with the wonderful Debbie of Penelope’s Press to letterpress a special quote for my SIL to hang in her new office.
  • row 4, box 1&2: Had a special print letterpressed for my BFF who is expecting her first babe! Print by Penelope’s Press–be sure to head over to see more of Debbie’s adorable stationary. I am drooling over her personalized cards…(she is also here on etsy) & I bought the crabby print for my hubby…;)
  • row 4, box 3&4: Decided to let Sarah of Bit of Whimsy Dolls sew the special “babies” for my nieces. Someday I will get it together enough to sew my own!! All doll patterns available, as well as adorable ready-mades! She even has adorable animals for boys.

Months & months ago I began searching for a special baby doll for caroline. I loved babies when I was little & I hope my daughter does too. So many babies are super creepy these days & I wanted something unique & sweet. When I first found Bit of Whimsy Dolls (also here on etsy), I contemplated buying the pattern & giving it a try. But then Sarah opened up just a few custom listings for Christmas babies & I snagged a spot. She made the most perfect baby doll ever & even let me pick the fabric. caroline calls her “Mae” as we have been practicing. :) She is so perfect & very loved already. Thank you Sarah!!

& in the spirit of Christmas I thought I would share just a few images from our morning. Last year, I was not brave enough to use just my big camera. This year, I clicked away. Our big gift to our girl was a kitchen & she LOVES it! Especially her pots & pans. Though her favorite part about Christmas might have been her first taste of hot cocoa. :)

This is the Ikea kitchen, which was by far, my favorite kitchen out there. It even has light up burners, which miraculously, get turned off when she walks away! After chasing her all morning with the camera, she started chasing me with my lens cap.  ;)

my brother took my camera…

& I apologize for being behind in responding to all of you who sent me such kind notes on Friday. I will reply. My promise to my family this year is to be less glued to my iPhone & more glued to them. It is so easy for me to check my facebook page & comments & emails all day long, but that is really no good for anyone. So my replies might take a bit longer, but they will come. I challenge you to do the same. There is actually quite a bit of freedom in leaving the phone downstairs & heading up to play in the playroom! ;)

Hi! Hello! I am Shawna, the founder of Styleberry Blog. This creative corner of the internet has become a learning haven for moms and creatives, offering a warm and encouraging nudge to those who wish to be better and do better, but often don't know where to start. From Decorating to DIY to Diapers and Paleo-ish Dishes, I strive to make the complicated simple and empower women to take action beyond their personal comfort zone. I subscribe to the Shine Theory & so strongly believe that we shine when the women around us shine and mutual support—lifting up instead of tearing down--will always be the culture here. Are you in? I hope so! Beyond the computer, I run Styleberry Creative where I work with clients to create low fuss, high function spaces that are pretty and practical in San Antonio, Texas and beyond. I LOVE making a house a home. My own studs out renovation is now complete and I am now back to working with clients. Please don't hesitate to drop me a line if you'd like to work together! I hope you’ll join me on this fun new adventure! Xo.

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