merry:

image from Joe Cavazos / edited with pixlr / gif made with gifninja

it's Christmas! I am sitting here in Missouri with my husband (well, he is actually sleeping now) and just enjoying this time of relaxing. No orders to ship, nothing to make, no show to sell at. Just being content. I know the chaos and busy-ness will all start back up again the minute we get home (I actually already have a very long list of to-do's, hehe) so it is really nice just sitting here and just being. You know what I mean?

Can I share with you about why we (my family) celebrate Christmas? Well, many years ago, a baby was born in most lowly and humble circumstances. Jesus. He came into the world to give His life for the sins of man. Some of you may think that sounds like a sad or strange story. It's actually really a story of love. Love so far beyond anything we can comprehend or understand. Jesus knew His purpose for coming into the world, and in His great love for us, gave His life that we may be saved. The ultimate sacrifice. Without His birth, there could be no sacrifice. Without His sacrifice, there could be no salvation. But the price has been paid, and we have all been set free. All He asks is that you simply believe! To Him be all honor and glory, for He is the Savior of the world!

Well dearest friends, I want to thank you for all your amazing support this past year. Thank you to everyone and anyone for even taking the time to read this blog. Thank you for every single comment. and really, thanks for allowing me to share my faith with you. I know there are many of you who hold similar beliefs but I am sure many of you who don't necessarily share the same views. Either way though, you allow me be open without criticism or judgements and for that, I am deeply grateful. You are seriously the best readers a blogger could ask for, I mean it. I think that a reader appreciation week is definitely in order. (it's in the works, was just brainstorming ideas with Nick on the plane ride over ;)

I don't really have anything planned to post for next week and plan to just take a little blog break and gear up for a fresh year of blogging in 2012! I hope you all are able to share this time with family or loved ones. Whatever you celebrate, wishing you a lovely holiday and very wonderful new year! xo, danni (& nick too)

shop packaging:

This past month I have been packaging a lot. Ruby jokes that I have 3 children aka my 3 shops: my etsy shop, reverie market and the wanderlust. I probably sent over 100+ orders - I am so grateful for each order and for all your support, truly!

Packaging orders takes me quite a long time. I suppose I could just stuff the item in an envelope and be done with it. Although, I don't think I could bring myself to ever do that, I always have to send out a nicely wrapped or at least a somewhat decent looking package ;) Anyway, I've been documenting some packaging over the past several weeks and wanted to share some images with you because I know many of you are fans of packaging. Enjoy!

the wanderlust packaging:

Packages for friends:

A package I wrapped up for a swap I participated in.

Tied it with a little horse paper clip and twine:

Reverie Packaging:

oh, hello friend packaging:

Favorite items currently using on packaging:

rubber stamps, ribbon/lace/twine, key charms, wood tags,

random finds/vintage embellishments

inspire: lovely / Christmas:

With all my shop + craft show craziness, I haven't really had a chance to get into the Christmas spirit this year, which I'm a little bummed about but it is what it is. We are up north visiting my mom right now, and we're headed to Missouri tomorrow to spend time with Nick's family. This is my favorite time of year and even though we didn't decorate our place or even get a tree, at least we can spend time with family, which is really what it's all about for us. and in the mean time, I will just live vicariously through all the gorgeous photos out there, here's a round up of some of my favorites :) How are you enjoying this time of year?

photograph by Lark Photography via Style Me Pretty

via You are my Fave

via The Style Files

via Present & Correct

via Dreamy Whites

via Little Brown Pen

via Fryd + Design

via The Happy Home

photograph by Alison Conklin via Style Me Pretty

via Chris Everard

diy with Brittni:

Good morning. Its Brittni from papernstitch, and this week instead of a diy roundup, I have a festive tutorial to get you ready for the holidays. About a year ago, I was asked by Country Living to create a nautical paper weight for one of their issues, and I've been meaning to complete some additional projects using the plaster molds I had lying around from that diy. So I created this vintage-inspired golden anchor ornament to bring you a little holiday cheer. And if you like this tutorial, you might want to check out my free eBook, The Happy Holidays Guide to DIY, with eight easy winter projects for the holidays.

Materials: Flexible silicone mold (I used this anchor mold - lots of different molds to choose from on that site), Pottery Plaster Powder, Water, Gold Paint or Liquid Gold Leaf, Sealant (I like to use Liquitex Matte Medium), Ornament Hook or Thin Wire

Instructions: 1. Following the package instructions (and wearing rubber gloves), mix your pottery plaster powder with cold water. 2. Stir continuously to remove lumps. Stop mixing when the plaster is the consistency of pancake batter.

3. Now you are ready to pour. Very slowly pour the mixture into your anchor mold until it just reaches the top of the mold. 4. Let dry for at least one hour on a flat surface (follow package instructions).

5. Gently remove the hardened plaster from your mold. Be careful here. 6. Let the plaster set for the rest of the day (if you're really anxious to keep going you can probably skip the waiting here, but I like to be on the safe side), then coat the front and back of your unfinished piece with a sealant. This will ensure that the paint, which is step 7, will not soak into the plaster. So you won't have to use as much. Allow an hour or more for drying time.

7. Now its time to paint. Paint your anchor (front and back) with gold liquid leaf or simple gold paint. Let dry for another hour. 8. Coat each piece again with sealant and wait for it dry. *If you want a more antique look, use a clear spray shellac (like Zinsser) and it will begin to "turn" over time. It reacts with liquid gold leaf but it takes quite a while to see the results. 9. Attach your ornament hook or wire and your golden anchor is ready to hang.

Have a wonderful holiday! Happy crafting.

About Brittni: She is the founder of papernstitch (a site dedicated to finding the best in art + handmade), and is also the editor of a handmade + diy blog, by the same name. When not working on papernstitch, she is dreaming up fun little tutorials and crafting projects for her home. If you love DIY as much as Brittni does, download a free copy of the Happy Holidays Guide to DIY eBook, packed with eight step by step tutorials for the season.

lovely package workshop:

We had the lovely package workshop a couple weeks ago at Salvage Life. It's a lot of fun to prep and set up for events, to gather the props and supplies needed. Here are some shots from around the workshop that day. My husband took most of these, he is the best! :)

Some shots of the workshop set up and all the things we had to package with.

Had some little eats before the workshop started.

We had guests Tristan from Besotted Brand and Lauren from Lauren Elise Crafted join us and show us some super cute packaging ideas.

Beth set up her photo area with cute props to take pictures of the packages - so fun!

Shots from around the workshop and the tables.

All in all, I think it went well. Packaging is something I love to do and it's always fun to meet new friends. Thanks to Megan, Elizabeth, and Jennifer for joining us!