a new month,

means a new color challenge for the Crate Paper blog! This really is my favorite challenge and I absolutely love coming up with a new combination of colors each month. This month, inspired by our unusually wintery weather, I chose colors that were cooler and more muted. (and they couldn't be further from the typical red-white-green colors that are so expected this time of year!)

I decided to create 5 pages for my December Journal. Each page is 6x6 inches and I used a combination of 4 collections by Crate Paper (Neighborhood, Peppermint, Random Farmhouse). I wish I had pulled out the Portrait collection out to play with, of course I remembered after I had finished up!

So, here are my pages:

Silver & Gold

our Wreathe

ttv Santa

vintage ornaments

home for the holidays

~ all wrapped up!

and did I mention that I get to give away a Crate Paper collection each month! How sweet is that?! I'll be choosing a winner next Friday, if you feel like participating in the challenge this month. The details are in my post on Crate's blog. :) I'll be back tomorrow to post another page for my December Journal, I'm a guest designer this month for a journaling based blog!

8 things I love: Saturday

just popping in this afternoon to post my Saturday 8 things list! I must say how much I adore this color combo, grey + yellow + a little gold = spectacular!

metallics by taraanderson featuring slip on shoes

1. light flowy (not a real word, I know) blouse
2. Grey dress pants, straight leg
3. Vintage Wool coat ( I love this yellow one with the fur color!)
4. perfect small clutch
5. Leopard flats (for staying in)
6. metallic heels (for going out)
7. gold rings
8. gold cuff bangle (I adore light pinks with gold, it's so feminine!)

That does it for today! I need to get back to cleaning and scrapbooking. I have some special people coming to visit us this week and I need my home to be holiday guest ready!. Happy weekend. Oh and yes, I absolutely plan on posting photos of our Christmas trees, there are 3 this year!

December is here!

Remember this photo of my box of vintage Christmas ornaments I posted last year?

Well, I collected a few more this year! and this is only some of them, I used a bunch and then remembered to take a photo. What luck I have! :)

Are you ready for December? I just finished putting our trees up today and I think the house is mostly finished being decorated. The Christmas dishes are being washed and I have a whole list of projects and crafts to do this holiday season! So exciting! But first, I will be watching The Santa Clause tonight and continuing to wash dishes. :) What's your opinion on Christmas dishes? yay or nay?

Oh! and I added my holiday playlist to the side bar here ----> It's some of my favorite Christmas music - enjoy!

a winner, plus some other stuff

Sorry! Yesterday ended up being so incredibly hectic, and I didn't go anywhere.... well, with the exception of the post office. :) I did have plans to go out on Black Friday but I chickened out at the last minute and decided I really didn't need anything desperately enough to brave the crowds. Instead, I tidied the house and put away some of the Fall decorations in preparation of my 23285394875 + boxes of Christmas stuff.

Now, onto the important stuff!

and the winner of the of December Journal is:

Kanani said...
LOVE the colors and textures in the peppermint journal kits! thanks for the chance to win!

21.11.11

Thank you to everyone who left such sweet comments! It's so hard giving away just one kit... but I have a few more giveaways planned for December. It seems like the perfect month for gifting handmade items doesn't it?! I'm on my way to Home Depot this afternoon, exciting, right! I need a few paint samples for my next color challenge with Crate Paper. Have a wonderful Saturday and weekend!

Peppermint GiveAway!

Good morning! What could be a better way to start off this week than with a giveaway? :) I had so much fun this weekend with the reopening my little shop, (thankyou to everyone for your purchases and sweet comments! I really do love creating ~ especially Christmas items!) I thought a Holiday Kit would be perfect to giveaway. Today's giveaway is one of my Peppermint December Journal kits!

Starting next month, I'll be doing little step-by-step tutorials on creating some of the pages for this journal. I've always wanted to create a December Journal but I didn't want the pressure of having to photograph and scrapbook everyday. I created this journal with that idea in mind, a 6x6 inch mini that I could fill whenever I found a free moment! {December might be the most wonderful time of year but it's also the busiest!}

To enter this pepperminty Holiday Giveaway just leave a comment at the end of this post! I'll choose a winner this Friday. Good luck and happy Monday everyone! ~ Tara

Etsy Update

it's all updated and I gave my shop a little makeover this week complete with a new name! yay for a productive morning! I have still a few more things to add to the shop this afternoon but so far it's coming right along. :)

If you have any questions about the shop, I'm going to be working all day and I have my computer next to me so feel free to drop me a line! Have a wonderful weekend ~ Oh! and I'll be doing a little Holiday Giveaway on Monday.... if you feel like popping back in! :)

Etsy, part 2

Today was all about photos and music. I finished taking my photos this afternoon, did a little scrapbooking and found a new favorite song. I'd say that makes for a pretty spectacular day! Other than Etsy I'm working on the next Everyday Challenge for the Crate Paper blog. This month's challenge topic will be a first for me so it's kind of special. My challenge post will go up on Monday if you happen to feel like scrapbooking next week. ;)

here's a few more photos for Etsy. I really love Christmas colors, they're so pretty and girly. It's such a fun change from all the orange and black we had for Halloween just a couple of weeks ago!

{I made another little page for my December journal using one of the kits. I'm on a roll!}

and I found this song, that I think is so amazing! I must be late finding this song so it may not be new to you but I put it on repeat tonight and edited all of my photos to it! It's my new fav work song.

Time for some peppermint tea and a little menu planning for next Thursday! good night!

Etsy preview

it's late but I wanted to post some of the photos from today! I still have 2 full kits to photograph tomorrow but I am almost ready! I'm going to say that I will be re-opening the shop this Saturday morning. Like most of the kits I've put together I included a few vintage items I've been saving for the right project. I even pulled out this old box of vintage type writer paper to create little tags for each product. I do love my sewing machine and typewriter. :)

~ onto the photos!

This last photo is part of a kit that I'll be photographing tomorrow. I already dove into the kit and starting playing with some of the pages.... just getting a head start on my own December mini!

So, I'll come back tomorrow and add a few more photos. I also want to put together a giveaway for Saturday.... something perfect for the holiday!

just another Monday

I came home this afternoon in a great mood, I had after all, just found the most beautiful vintage red coat while at an antique store earlier this morning. (I've already asked Peter to take me on an afternoon date up North so that I can wear it!) I was all ready to get to work and start photographing when..... I got a phone call.

Our neighbors 15 yr. old son was having an eye-brow emergency and who's the first person you call in a situation like that? Well apparently, me. So, after making an eye-brow house call and trying to calm down a teenager, I had lost the best light of the day and my mojo was a little wiped out. (If you're wondering how I went from a red coat with a gorgeous fox fur trim to teenage eyebrows, I can only say that my life is completely random and you got to move fast to keep up!) Can I just say now, that no one could pay me enough to be a teenager again. Remember when something as simple as eyebrows could be the deal breaker to your popularity in high school?

No thank you.

I did take a few photos though. I'm in the process of packaging everything now. I'll be wrapping up the smaller kits tonight. Everything is pretty and layered and a tiny bit sparkly. I love the packaging process!

I'm hoping to start taking photos again tomorrow.... that is if I don't get another phone call. :)

8 things I love: Saturday

I'm taking a little break this afternoon to post my outfit of the week! The closer to winter we get, the more excited I am about jackets! My Grandmother gave me a few of her winter coats, the old wool ones with the fur collars. I am so determined to wear them this winter and even if doesn't get the cold here, I'm going to take the chance of being overly dressed and wear them anyway! :) So, this weeks '8 things' is Grandma inspired!

winter weekend by taraanderson featuring straight leg stretch jeans

1. comfy knitted sweater
2. wool coat
3. dark straight leg jeans
4. big knitted scarf
5. fuzzy ear muffs
6. leather tote bag (I love anything in an eggplant color!)
7. printed gloves
8. brown riding boots
+ 1. a pine scented candle from Bath and Body Works because cactus' don't smell very holiday-ish!


and...... I'm working on an update for my Etsy shop! I'm so excited about this too because it's just in time for Christmas. I've put together 3 different Holiday/Christmas kits; Peppermint, Sugar Plum and Sleigh Ride. Each kit has handmade paper stickers, vintage bits and bobs, garlands, snowflakes and layers of paper. I made an extra kit for me so I can play along this December too!

{I took these with my phone today. I'll be added some much better photos on Monday as I get each kit all packaged up!)




alright, I'm off to get some more sewing done! Enjoy your weekend!

a quick hello

just getting the Color Challenge post ready tonight for Crate Paper. It goes up tomorrow morning!!

8 things I love: Saturday

It's a chilly 50 degrees out this morning. If you live some place where 50 degrees is no big deal and your rolling your eyes while continuing to read this, I'll apologize now, because here in the desert it might as well be -10 degrees. We are freezing. :) But the cooler weather and rain make it seem a bit more Fallish which is always a welcomed event!

With the arrival of cooler temps ~ I wanted to make today post match with a pretty Fall/Winter outfit!

almost winter by taraanderson featuring post earrings

1. frilly neutral tones tops
2. Dark Indigo jeans
3. Peacoats (especially in jewel tones)
4. Black Ankle boots (these boots paired with a dark boot cut jean will make your legs look a mile long. If you don't have a pair of boots put these on your wishlist!)
5. Diaper bag that no one would ever guess was an actual diaper bag.
6. Vintage inspired rhinestone earrings
7. Floral Wallets
8. Merry Merry Pink perfume

The kids and I are getting bundled up to head out this morning. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!