sugar paper for target.

i am completely & utterly dying over the  

s u g a r  p a p e r   x   t a r g e t  

holiday collaboration.

it is gift wrapping & decor perfection. 

literally. 

it. is. perfection. 

i have been a devoted sugar paper lover for several years now.

& was fortunate enough to have collaborated with them before they made it super big time.

{yes. when you collab with tarjay. you have made it super big time in my book}

you can see two of my previous posts on them here and here.

this collection has my name all over it.

take a peak.

you may find thirty-seven of these boxes under my christmas tree.

they may be empty. & simply there for looks. 

but boy will it look pretty. 

i happen to love wrapping presents. 

i guess i just love creating pretty little things.

and the presentation of a gift is equally as important as the gift itself.

that structured bow.

those perfect little bobble ornaments. 

they knock it out of the park.

the gold piping on these gift boxes.

it is so impossibly beautiful.

and the ornament gift topper is just stinkin cute. 

love that the gift boxes are 

lovely enough to use as table decor.

be. still. my. heart.

the black. the gold. the white.

the jumbo polka dots.

the scalloped gift boxes.

was this collection made just for me?! 

adore these embellished wreaths as chair decor.

but they would be even sweeter as plate embellishments 

for a holiday dinner party or supper club. 

completely darling. 

beautiful ribbon is a must for beautiful gift wrapping.

anytime you see some you love. snag it. 

you'll be thankful one day.

oh. and master a perfect bow this holiday season.

it makes the world of a difference in present presentation. 

yes. yes. yes. 

i do believe that sugar paper had me in mind when they designed this collection.

it is as if they have perfectly gift wrapped my whole style in one pretty little package.

now. ladies. run don't walk to target to snag some pretties of your own.

{they are already sold out of a lot of items online!} 

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pumpkin snack bars.

if you are anything like me

pumpkin season makes your soul smile.

the scent. the taste. everything about pumpkins is just glorious.

to kick off the season.

patrick & i threw together some pumpkin snack bars.

they were outstandingly tasty & fun for a toddler to get his hands into.

i love finding recipes that patrick & i can make together.

having a toddler in the kitchen is just so much fun.

and while it can get messy.

and sometimes {read: all the time} recipe directions are not followed.

and dirty little fingers touch all the ingredients.

and one pinch of sugar, mama?

turns into ten handfuls of sugar.

and then ten double fistfuls of sugar. on top of that.

even with all that.

the wonder. the exploration. the intrigue.

of a toddler in the kitchen is just the best.

so even though the recipe was short 1/8 of a cup of brown sugar.

we still carried on. 

ok. thats enough little mister.

{it was just before dinner time}

thats enough. patrick. that is enough.

{mentioned dinner was spoiled.}

our measurements were not totally accurate.

but thats ok with toddler friendly recipes.

because what was lacking in ingredients

was made up for with an extra dose of childish love.

so you are probably wondering about these bars . . .

all you need is

3 cups of trader joe's pumpkin o's cereal.

1/2 cup of nestle tollhouse pumpkin spice chips.

1/2 cup of raisins. 

1/4 cup of honey.

1/2 stick of butter.

1/4 cup of packed brown sugar.

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.

combine the butter. honey. & brown sugar. in a microwave safe bowl.

melt in one minute increments. for three minutes total. stirring in between.

add the vanilla to the bowl & whisk together.

it will be a bubbly & extremely hot caramel. 

pour in the three cups of pumpkin o's & stir until they are covered with the caramel.

add in the raisins. the cinnamon. & half of the pumpkin chips.

stir well.

line an 8 x 8 pan with tin foil. then grease the foil to ensure the bars don't stick.

pour the mixture into the lined pan & pat down with a spatula.

sprinkle the rest of the pumpkin chips on top.

the next step is the really hard part . . .

put the dish in the fridge for 2-3 hours to cool & harden.

isn't that just torture?!

worth the wait. i promise.

because after they set. you have some delicious pumpkin snack bars to munch on.

let me tell you. they really are a yummy fall treat.

and totally tot approved.

enjoy!

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the perfect treat bag.

looking for the perfect little halloween treat bag?

the hunt is over. my friends.

this darling personalized halloween bag is the jam.

and is certainly a must-have for every tot this season. 

i fell in love with sarah + abraham the second i learned of them.

the adorable little online boutique is seriously too cute for words. 

what started as a love affair with their customized & personalized lunch boxes

quickly grew into a need for every item in their shop. 

the cups. the bowls. the placemats. the labels. & it goes without saying . . .

the precious little tote bags. 

my little monkey of a tot has been carrying his friendly ghost tote around all month.

we use it for spend the night outs. bible study diaper bags. & really anything else. 

{breaking it in for the big october thirty-one}

the size is perfect. the quality is supreme. 

this tote really is a bag-loving-mamas-dream. 

i adored the friendly ghost style . . .

but sarah also offers several other halloween inspired prints.

from bats. to pumpkins. to owls. to cats.

oh. and they are all totally friendly halloween styles. 

this mama happens to strongly dislike anything frightening. 

the best part is . . . patrick loves the little ghostie too.

totally kiddo approved. 

so run. run. run. & order your sarah + abraham personalized tote today!

you will get it just in time to gather all your candy on the 31st. 

and while you are at it . . .

check out those lunch boxes. 

they are seriously darling to the tenth power. 

{c'est si bon was not compensated for this post. however, product was given for review}

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pillowy pumpkin cookies.

oh. yes. it is that time of year again.

the time when everyone gushes over everything & anything pumpkin.

pumpkin treats. pumpkin drinks. pumpkin soups. pumpkin all around. 

if it is consumable . . . it is given a pumpkin-ie twist.  

i am certainly no exception to the bandwagon of pumpkin lovers.

in fact. i could very well head up the gaggle of pumpkin.praising.peeps.

i sure do love pumpkin. & i love it any which way.

speaking of pumpkins . . .

baby patrick took a gloriously long nap yesterday afternoon.

so mama decided to carve out some time to bake a pumpkin treat.

{no pun intended. but proud nonetheless}

& friends. let me tell you . . .

these treats are not for the faint of heart.

they are outrageously. sinfully. impossibly delicious.

sure to sway even the strongest pumpkin critic. 

i am tickled to share with you.

my very own version of

perfect. pillowy. pumpkin. cookies.

these babies melt in your mouth.

they are extremely cake-like. & ridiculously crumbly.

i happen to think they are the best pumpkin cookie i have ever tried. 

& terribly simple to whip together. 

all you need for the cookie dough is  . . .

1 cup unsalted butter. softened.

1 cup sugar.

1 teaspoon baking powder.

1 teaspoon baking soda.

1/2 teaspoon salt.

1 teaspoon cinnamon.

1 teaspoon nutmeg.

1 egg. room temp.

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

8 ounces canned pumpkin.

2 cups flour.

and for the delectable brown sugar glaze . . .

4 tablespoons unsalted butter.

1/4 cup packed brown sugar.

1/8 cup whole milk.

1 teaspoon vanilla.

2 cups powdered sugar.

&

cinnamon for garnish.

using an electric mixer . . .

simply beat the butter for about 30 seconds.

then add the sugar & remaining dry ingredients. 

{with the exception of the flour}

beat until well combined.

while the paddle is still running add in the egg & vanilla. 

then add in the pumpkin.

lastly add in the flour.

be certain all the ingredients are well mixed. 

using an ice-cream scooper. 

place dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

the dough will feel more like a cake batter than a typical dough. 

do not fear . . . that is exactly what you want!

bake the cookies at 350 for 11-12 minutes. 

the bottoms will be golden & the tops will be set.

while your cookies are baking. prepare the glaze.

heat the butter & brown sugar on the stove until they are melted & smooth. 

take off the heat & transfer to a small bowl.

whisk in the milk & vanilla.

then beat in the powdered sugar.

you can play with the amount . . .

it depends on how thick you wish your glaze to be. 

after the cookies have baked & completely cooled . . .

glaze those pumpkin babies.

i used a spoon to drizzle the frosting. 

you could also spread the frosting over the entire cookie. 

then simply sprinkle with cinnamon on top. 

voila! the most perfect. pillowy. pumpkin. cookies. ever.

hope you enjoy them as much as we did. 

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birthday bash. party planning.

it is hard to believe that my baby boy is going to be one!

this year has flown by in one big whirlwind of uncontainable laughter & love. 

i can hardly wait to celebrate this little boy.

he has brought so much joy into our lives.

that being said. 

the planning has commenced.

& i have had an absolute ball planning patrick's birthday bash.

there are few things i enjoy more than planning a soiree. 

and since it is for baby patrick . . . i enjoy it even more. 

i want to share some of my inspiration & ideas with you. 

so take a sneak peak of behind the scenes planning for  

patrick's perfectly polka dotted pinwheel party.

i just adore how the invitations turned out. 

minted always hits the mark when it comes to darling paper goods.

a punchy color palette is always great fun.

i am using lime green. sunshine yellow. & cobalt blue.

& a hands-on sidekick is always a necessity when party planning. 

i find any & every excuse to incorporate photos into my party planning.

darling head shots of patrick & his many expressions will sprinkle the table. 

i won't spill the beans on how exactly they are being used. 

you will just have to wait to see the party pictures. 

i snagged these dotty little pinwheels at hobby lobby.

i mean. really? pinwheels just scream summertime fun.

these were an absolute steal of a find.

i like to have all my supplies in front of me while i am planning & creating.

its like a big piñata of party goods spilled onto my dining room table.

and i am totally ok with that. 

it helps my creativity flow. 

while i love etsy for its great inspiration & one of a kind finds

it is so much fun . . . and a whole lot cheaper . . . to make things yourself.

these giant wooden letters were so simple to decorate.

simply trace the letter shape onto the paper of your choosing. 

glue the paper down. & sand the edges until they are smooth. 

i loved the idea of using milk jars in some capacity.

but the glass jars were just too impractical with young kiddos. 

i was thrilled to find these adorable plastic milk jars via hoopla events

not only does hoopla have the cutest things . . . but they are reasonably priced. too. 

aren't they darling?

they would be perfect to fill with candy as a party favor.

half the fun of party planning is simply playing around.

just experiment with your supplies. 

try different ideas until you land on something you love.

and don't take it too seriously. it should be fun.

allow your personality to shine through & its guaranteed to be a hit.

these giant pinwheels are also from hobby lobby.

{i totally hit pay dirt at that super store}

three oversized pinwheels. a yard of burlap.

& twenty dollars later you have the perfect door hanging. 

don't you think that will make a precious welcome for the guests?

one way to make party planning a breeze is to prepare in advance.

it is easy to underestimate the time that it takes to set up for a party.

spare yourself the stress & do anything in advance that you can.

fold the napkins. set the table. whatever you can do prior to the day of. do it. 

i promise it will make the moments before your party so much more enjoyable.

hope this has given you a bit of inspiration.

party planning can be fun. simple. & it doesn't have to break the bank. 

i can hardly wait to share with you pictures from the actual party.

it is going to be great fun & impossibly polka dotted. 

{special thanks to leisa rice for the photographs}

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