little gift guide.

tis the season to give little gifts.

to show all those you love how special they are to you.

whether it is dropping off a little gift at their door . . .

or sending them home from your dinner party with a favor . . .

that being said. finding the perfect little gift can be tough.

well. i have a treat for you. ta-da!

i have the perfect little gift ideas to help you out.

all of which are under twenty dollars &

all of which are centered around mini-scripture books.

the perfect little gift that will absolutely 

keep christ in christmas.

a place setting with a take-home mini-scripture book is just brilliant.

not only does it create a stunning place setting. 

but it also gives your guests something precious to take home.

are you hosting christmas dinner at your house this year?

if so. this is a simple way to make your place settings extra festive.

a bag of christmas cookies is always a sweet way to celebrate the season.

but the addition of a mini-scripture book tied onto those cookies

really enhances the value & sentiment of this gift.

give your friends some sweet snowflake sugar cookies 

to nibble one while they read over their scriptures.

{more on these divine sugar cookies later. stay tuned}

christmas time & hot chocolate are such a sweet mix.

nothing warms up the winter season like a piping hot mug of hot cocoa.

pair this wintertime treat with a festive mug & a scripture book.

the sure way to spread warmth & good cheer.

i can just imagine sitting beside the fire on winter nights.

sipping hot cocoa & praying the scriptures with my loved one.

wrapping gifts is so fun to me. i just love finding the perfect wrapping paper & ribbon.

it takes just a few minutes to make such a beautiful presentation.

really step up the beauty by tying on a mini-scripture book on your gifts this year.

a scripture book present topper is an easy way to

give the gift of love this season.

i absolutely adore this idea for the kiddos.

well. big kids will love this too.

a giant candy cane is whimsical & playful.

tying on a santa scripture book is just too stinkin cute.

isn't that just darling?

i love it. 

so simple. so sweet.

sure to keep you on the nice list.

christmas time is always jam packed with holiday parties & get togethers.

finding the perfect hostess gift can be tricky. but a nice bottle of wine is always a winner.

turn up the volume this year with a scripture book tied to the bottle.

this makes this simple gift extra personal & memorable.

your wine bottle will stand out among all the others. 

this is a gift that would be great for a man or woman.

it is elegant. and quite wonderful.

bring this to your next holiday party.

it will guarantee a repeat invite in years to come.

last but not least. another beautiful place setting.

perfect for a girls dinner or girls christmas party favor.

its fun. its playful. & just cute to boot.

how cute is this santa baby?!

hope this has inspired some great little gift ideas for you this season.

inexpensive. personal. and one of a kind gifts that will bring much cheer.

order your mini scripture books today. as we have a limited number left.

you can find them here. they are 15 each. 

if you are interested in purchasing a bunch send me an email

kristen{dot}brett{at}gmail{dot}com

great deals like buy five & get one free.

buy ten & get two free.

merry merry to all of you.

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baker's box of recipes: best chocolate cake.

the day is finally here.

the very first installment of my new sweet series

baker's box of recipes.

just had to kick off this fun little tasting adventure with a bang. 

so. naturally. i called upon baker-extraordinaire. one of mom's bff.

{who am i kidding? i like to pretend she is one of my bff. too}

the friendliest. perkiest. cutest. little thing that there ever was.

our sweet little baker. little ms. kim. 

kim has been a dear friend of our family for so many years.

not just because of her skills with sugar.

but because she is just simply wonderful. in so many ways.

how did we get so lucky to have her as a friend?! 

anyways. she happens to be one of the best bakers i have ever met.

pretty sure she would win the affections of anyone with her chocolate cake. 

oh my goodness. it is heavenly. & she is graciously sharing her recipe.

are you not drooling over this big. honkin. chocolate cake?!

pretty certain i could eat this entire thing on my own.

just hand me a silver fork & call this my pie in the sky.

grab a pen ladies. you will want this recipe . . .

for the cake:

cream together 2 cups of sugar & 2 room temperature eggs.

add in 1/2 cup melted semisweet chocolate.

in a separate bowl mix the following dry ingredients

1  3/4 cup flour

1  1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1  1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup cocoa

alternate pouring in parts of dry mixture & 1 cup buttermilk 

into the creamed sugar.

then add 1/2 cup vegetable oil & 2 teaspoons vanilla.

lastly. add in 1 cup of hot coffee.

this batter will be thin. do not fret. it is supposed to be thin.

just be certain that you scrape the bottom of the bowl & mix well.

pour the batter into two greased 9 inch cake pans.

bake at 350 for 25-28 minutes. 

for the icing:

cream 8 tablespoons of softened butter.

sift together 4 cups of powdered sugar & 3/4 cup cocoa

slowly add this mixture to the butter.

add 1 teaspoon vanilla. 3 tablespoons milk. 1/3 cup cooled coffee.

1/4 teaspoon salt. and 1/4 cup melted chocolate chips.

after the cakes have cooled completely . . .

frost the top of one & stack the second on top.

then grab your flat spatula & frost away! 

can't wait to hear what you all think of this chocolate cake . . .

so be sure to send me a note & let me know.

thank you. sweet kim. for sharing this sweet treat with us.

can't wait for another sneak peak into your recipe box.

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darling audrey.

oh. i am so inspired by the darling audrey.

obviously i am always inspired by the audrey.

little ms. audrey hepburn.

but these days . . .

i am completely & utterly inspired by 

the darling audrey tautou.

she is just so impossibly feminine.

so charming. so demure. & just timeless.

honestly. can she be any more darling?

a natural beauty with chic hair to boot.

classic style. red lips. & effortless glamour.

plus. she is from france.

one more reason that i just adore her.

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five month play.

five month play is a whole new ball game.

it is full of wonder. exploration. & movement.

yes. movement. and lots of it.

this little mister is on-the-go.

five month play is way fun.

there are lots of giggles.

hands on play is number one on our list.

we like to touch everything.

& look at everything.

we grab & hold on to toys with all our might.

& babble about all the fun things we see.

we like to make toys move & shake.

and we are really proud when we discover a new skill.

we are old pros at tummy time.

now we can scoot & roll all over the place.

and at five months old

we can even hold onto our fave cars 

while we are on tummy time.

and then we get really proud of ourselves again.

we play with our footies & grab onto our little toes.

but our all time fave five month play activity is to read.

this little mister loves. loves. loves. to read his books.

he is certainly his fathers son.

a book lover to the tenth power.

we look at the bright pictures.

& listen to the silly rhymes.

we try to turn the pages all by ourselves.

& we really dive into the story.

i mean. hands on. all over it. love it. 

commotion in the ocean is our fave book.

we could read it one hundred times a day.

and when we finish reading . . .

we giggle some more.

five month play is the best.

high five to that!

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gift of thanks no. 4 & 5.

it is time to wrap up my gift of thanks series.

after all. thanksgiving is just three short days away. 

today i will be featuring two super simple. super sweet. gifts of thanks.

and tomorrow will be the grand finale. 

i really love gift of thanks no. 4.

it is literally the easiest gift in the world.

but it surely will mean the world to the recipient.

a love & thanks jar

is a wonderful gift of thanks for those you love most of all.

a love & thanks jar is exactly what it sounds like.

a little jar. jam-packed. with words of love & thanks.

i made one of these for my lovie a few years ago.

his love language is certainly words of affirmation . . .

so this meant so very much to him.

is there someone in your life who thrives on words of affirmation?

if so. this is the most perfect gift for them.

all i did was cut little pieces of kraft paper.

& wrote words of love & thanks on them.

some are silly. some are sentimental.

but all are surely from the heart.

just put all the little love notes in the jar & embellish it with a ribbon.

this will be the gift that keeps on giving for many years to come.

as the recipient can always go back & read your words for some encouragement.

{lovie still keeps his jar at his desk. so sweet}

a love & thanks jar is a sweet & simple way to share a grateful heart.

i also love gift of thanks no. 5. 

it is not quite as sentimental as no. 4. 

but it absolutely makes the heart warm.

and that is something to be thankful for!

a fall spice candle is always a necessity at this time of year.

it just makes the home so welcoming & cozy.

i especially love the tyler candle company line.

you can find them at our local boutique, marion's.

tie a fall colored ribbon around this burnt orange candle

& you have a darling. and divine. little gift of thanks.

one that anyone would love to receive.

gift of thanks no. 4 & 5 are both so easily put together.

you can have it done in a snap.

take a few minutes today 

& surprise a loved one with a gift of thanks!

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stocking stuffers.

christmas is going to be upon us faster than you can say ho ho ho!

i mean. honestly. this blessed holiday is in just a few short weeks.

i don't know about you . . . 

but i have got to get going on my christmas shopping.

i tried to go yesterday. but quickly got distracted shopping for myself.

how terrible is that?! 

{terrible. but also quite fun}

i wanted to give you a little gift idea for all the lovies in your life.

your fam. your friends. your kiddos. your cousins.

your hair dressers. your daily barista. your nail techs.

your lawn man. your junior league committee. 

your kiddos teachers. your church preachers.

your bible study groups. your neighbors. 

your everyone & anyone.

this is the most perfect gift for all of them.

it is tough sometimes to find a meaningful & darling gift

while keeping the dollars down to a minimum . . .

and this is just that! 

for fifteen little bucks. 

you can wow your peeps with this great little gift.

mini scripture books.

perfect for stocking stuffers. present toppers. & gift exchanges.

i love that these little gifts are both beautiful

 & jam packed with the word of the Lord.

a true treasure. 

each book is 3 inches by 5 inches.

and they have 16 scriptures inside.

the scriptures are personalized for the recipient.

as an example . . .

thank you, God, for loving me so much that you gave your only son.

that if i believe. i will not perish. but i will have everlasting life.

all options are available on etsy.

find them right here!

place your order on there. or email me to place your order

kristen{dot}brett{at}gmail{dot}com

15 dollars a piece. or buy five. get one free.

stock up now on these precious stocking stuffers.

they are flying off our shelves! 

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