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Category: Christmas

It’s beginning to look like Christmas

It’s beginning to look like Christmas

or at least, it did while I took these photos :)

One of the things our cookie cutter {but absolutely wonderful for us right} house does not have is a fireplace, and I miss having a fireplace. Not just on rainy days, snowy days, days when I really don’t want to get out of my jammies, but also on days when I really need to get some product photos for our shop taken. So, I came up with a solution – create a faux fireplace/cozy area!

creating a faux mantel in your home With all this coziness, you almost don’t notice that the actual fireplace isn’t there :)DSC_0040 DSC_0041For me, a cozy fireplace spot is made up of a great chair, complete with welcoming warm throw and cushy pillow, a spot for a warm drink, soft glowing light, and a mantlepiece {and, of course, a fireplace ….}.DSC_0019 Notice I was able to pull together all but the fireplace? The photos I needed were for some new Christmas products so I added in some garland, a tinsel tree and lots of candles. Candles have been my answer to not having a fireplace for years {here and here}! DSC_0020 I just love how the luminaries glow, and how the light reflects off of the gold shimmery banner!DSC_0021 DSC_0022 It was so fun to put this little area together, and as soon as I can get our Thanksgiving decorations put away, I’m going to put all of this back up. :)DSC_0027 And of course, having a bottle of wine to share with your love as you get cozy together is wonderful! {and with our new leather gift ties, they’re a pretty fun hostess gift, too!}DSC_0066 DSC_0033What do you think? Do you have a fireplace that you’d like to cozi-fy a bit? Or do you need to create a faux fireplace in your home, a place to get cozy and rest in the midst of the holiday hubbub {and winter chill}?

 

 

merry christmas

merry christmas

DSC_0160 DSC_0161 DSC_0162 DSC_0163

 

May your Christmas celebration be filled with true and lasting peace and joy. May you take time from the bustle to savor the treasure of this moment {that will not come again}. And may you celebrate Emmanuel truly this year.

Eph. 3:14-21

Merry Christmas to each and every one of you <3

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders.
And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9: 6
a last-minute Christmas Gift DIY roundup

a last-minute Christmas Gift DIY roundup

Well, hello again! This past {almost} month since I posted last has really flown by! You all have blown me away with your support of our shop {from the bottom of our hearts, thank you, to each and every one of you} and you’ve also been keeping me busier than ever before. :)

If you’re like me, chances are very good that you’re looking for a few quick, cheap *eh hem* inexpensive Christmas gifts that you can whip up before Christmas morning {tell me I’m not the only one!}. Today I’m rounding up a few of my favorite tutorials I’ve posted here over the years –  most of them can be made from materials {or ingredients!} you already have, and all of them are quick, simple, and sure to be loved by your nearest and dearest. :D

These fabric posy pins are quick to whip up, and are a huge hit as stocking stuffers {or could double as package toppers!}!

Or how about some handmade tea-towels {always a lovely gift, and endlessly customizable to suit any personality and home!}

Or perhaps an cute ironing board cover for the newly-weds in your life {or maybe your mom who has had hers for 20+ years}?

Or maybe you need a special something for the foodie in your life? In that case, homemade Lemon Curd is delightful!

For the newest additions to the family circle, these embellished onesies here

and here are beyond adorable,

and cute-ified burp cloths are always appreciated!

Up-cycled crayons are perfect for your junior artist,

and if you have more than one little girl in your life, little matching skirts are quick, adorable, and might even start a tradition!

As I said, these are just a few of my favorites from the peat few years – have you made any of them? Or do you have a favorite {or two!} of your own to share?

Hugs to you all <3

THE 36TH AVENUE
it’s that time of year …

it’s that time of year …

Thanksgiving in the US is over, and that means that it’s now officially time to bring out the Christmas decorations and shop the sales!! Thanksgiving pies | the Path Less Traveled{all while enjoying some left over pie – we may have enough to last for a few days!}

I don’t know about you, but I like to try to get all of the decorating and shopping done as quickly after Thanksgiving as possible, allowing me time to enjoy and savor the rest of the season with the family at a slower pace {and have time to make the crafts and gifts I’ve been wanting to :D}.

This weekend I’m thrilled to be able to offer you all a 20% discount on orders of $20 or more – just enter code BEMERRY13 as you are checking out and it will automatically recalculate the total for you. This is even good on the massive sale we are having on the popular ice cream makers! Just add another item{s} to your cart to bring the total to $20 :) Use this code for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and all the way through Cyber Monday!

One other thing – we’ve noticed that there are some issues with parts of the site, and we are working to fix them as quickly as possible. If there is something that you are trying to purchase and either having difficulty adding to your “cart” or receiving an error code on, please contact us at contact@pltmarket.com and we will be happy to set up a Paypal invoice for you instead of the website checkout. My apologies about this!

Thank you all for joining me here through the past year, for your kind comments and your encouragement. I’m so grateful for you!

Emma’s first Christmas…

Emma’s first Christmas…

…and the ornament that I made for her.

My Gramma used to give each of us grandchildren all the same type of ornament each year: Daniel got soldiers, I got ballerinas, Anna got angels, Julia got nativities, etc.

I decided to make Emma’s first ornament this year, and made her a bird. I hope that one day she’ll have a whole collection of birds, one for each year.

Emma is tall enough to pull our DVDs off of the shelf, and last week we added it to the “no touch” group. She had been gravitating to the shelf more and more and I would often find her on the floor happily surrounded by – and chewing on – the movies that she had pulled off the shelf.
So, now Emma is learning to obey some more, and the DVDs are staying on the shelf (mostly).
Because of that I spent a moment putting them back into alphabetical order this morning. It had been bothering me a bit that they were all “messed up” and now they are back in order (for now). So nice.
Of course, I expect to find them spread out on the floor with our baby girl happily in the middle of them again ………… but it’s nice for now.

winter solstice

winter solstice


christmas 2009, originally uploaded by Lizi Beth.

isn’t it wonderful that on the darkest day of the year, December 21, the candles and lights shine the brightest?
it’s something to ponder in relation to other aspects of life, too………….

I love that Christmas, the day we celebrate the Light of the World being come to earth, directly follows the darkest day of the year. Somehow it seems to be full of meaning to me.

Wonderful Love

Wonderful Love

Yesterday I found an article titled “His Love Stories“, by Elisabeth Adams.

“The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Word made flesh. I like to think that, in a small way, each of us is also the Word made flesh; that each of us has a story in which the kindness of God is made visible to the world. Think how clear His kindness is in your salvation story. And when you listen to the salvation stories of others, don’t you see how unique is the way He captures each of our hearts?
“That’s why my favorite love stories are true ones. In fact, I’ve probably read or heard the stories of nearly 150 Christian couples, each one as unique as a fingerprint. Some couples called it “courtship,” some called it “dating,” and some met and married long before the terms acquired their present meanings. God’s kindness is evident in them all.”

It’s a good article, reminding us of God’s creativity in pursuing and wooing us. After I read it I started to think of the many ways that God is still wooing me – because one of the wonderful things about the Almighty is that He is our Eternal Lover, never content to let our relationship with Him to grow stale. And not just the ways He woos me, but those around me.
It may not always feel loving or look beautiful in the moment – just as in any long term relationship there are periods of pain – but looking back I can see that He has always been loving, always been faithful to care for my heart.
What a wonderful God.