These are a few of my favorite things...

I have very fond memories of Christmas growing up. My single mother of a mom and I were apartment dwellers so we never had tons of space for a big beautiful tree. Oh how I wanted a grand 8' Christmas tree! But because of our confined space we would tree hunt and come home with something no bigger than about 3.5'. The little guy would find it's home upon of side table in the corner of the living room. My mom would bring out the decorations, and the little 3.5' guy would always turn into a beauty. We were pretty standard on the decoration department. Colored lights were a must, gaudy silver tinsel, and the little glass balls in green, red, silver, and gold. I can still see those ornaments so clearly, sitting in their boxes, purchased from department stores now long gone. The decorations were simple, but comforting.

Now I'm the one who needs to create that comfort and enjoyment for my kids when it comes to our tree decor. This year the kids opted to go green and pull out our artificial tree. We have the 8' I always wanted, but now that I'm grown 8' seems too big. Makes me realize how much I had with that little 3.5' tree.

There are still the main elements that can't be left off from when I was small. We still have to have the colored lights. The gaudy tinsel is still there, but over the years the kids have added their own stamp to make the tree theirs. They started collecting ornaments from the places we have traveled and visited, and love remembering where they got each one.

Here are a few of my favorites they have picked over the years...

No tree is complete without the Grinch! Owen got this at Universal Florida a couple of years back

Emma made this one when we vacationed at Disneyworld. All the colored pieces are dyed ostrich shells

Here is another Disneyworld one, the Yeti from Expedition Everest

This was a Tiger Owen picked up at the San Diego Zoo

Jack at Sally from Disneyland

The kids had to get and ornament for their dad

These homemade ornaments are some of my favorites! A kindergarten creation from Owen

Emma picked this when we attended a ballet

Owen chose this gem from the Bass Pro Shop in Las Vegas

This guy is from the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, CA

Oh yeah, this one is all the way from Graceland

My husband's creation, circa 1981

Emma's first Christmas-2005

Owen was so excited to find this one at the Love shop in Las Vegas

San Francisco-2007

This one Owen made at Disneyworld, like Emma's it's made with dyed ostrich shells

Another ornament from Love, every time Owen sees the show he checks for a new ornament

Emma's choice from Bass Pro Shop

This is one of Emma's newest purchases. This is her second year preforming the Nutcracker ballet as a baby mouse. She was so excited to find this guy!

Owen got this from the Titanic exhibit in Las Vegas

I love adding to our collection year after year. We have so many ornaments it's crazy!

How do you decorate?

Straight through til Christmas

I'm having a rough time with this holiday transition this year. I'm not sure why. Maybe Halloween being on a Sunday threw me off, or maybe it's daylight savings time, or maybe I feel the days just rushing past me. I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that it's November 10th already!

This past weekend I spent taking down the Halloween decorations. Why is taking down any kind of decorations such a chore? I love putting them up. My house is still in shambles, all the decorations are down, but I have yet to put my normal decor back up. I usually go right into Thanksgiving decorations. Nothing too fancy, a table runner, a basket of cinnamon pine cones, some festive candles, but with the middle of November approaching I feel why? Why decorate only to have to take down again? Why not skip the Thanksgiving decor, and go straight through til Christmas? Why not put the tree up (my kids opted for our big fake tree as opposed to the small real tree we have gotten the past couple of years)? Why not put the stockings and the Nutcrackers up?

So I started thinking, I'll just bring Christmas to the house a little early. The kids will enjoy that. As I was walking out the door, I realized that I had not taken down all the Halloween clings from he sliding glass door. Boo...just one more chore to do before Christmas arrives in our house. Now it's just a matter of finding time to decorate. With my schedule, there's a chance we could even miss Christmas!

Before I get too ahead of myself, here are some pictures of my kids all decked out for Halloween.

My daughter was Strawberry Shortcake. The costume was store bought, I just added the pink eyelashes, basket and pettiskirt under the dress.

My son was a vampire. I made his cape and vest for him, but he picked all the fabric. I was very impressed with his choices!

Grim Grinning Ghosts

Halloween is upon us and I can now share my love for the season with everyone else now that it's October.

I'm the weird freak that starts the season in September.

I'm not sure what it is I love about the season, mostly it's the weather change, although here in Southern California you would think it's still summer! I love autumn! It's the best season ever in my book! I love the changing leaves, cool crisp weather, back to school time, short days and long nights.

I'd like to think I am an AWESOME decorator, I owe that to my mom. She always went all out when it came to any holiday and I loved digging through the boxes and boxes of decorations. I'm happy she planted the festive seed in my head because now I get to share the holiday love with my kids.

I held back a little this year. I'm not sure why, but it's pretty simple.

Everyone knows I'm a sucker for skulls. I found these really cute skull bottles last year at Michaels craft store.

The pennant is from good ol' Target

Michaels is a great place to shop for decorations after Halloween, everything is on clearance. I found this a couple of years ago for about 10.00! It's a centerpiece with silk flowers, caution tape and a crazy looking rat.

These gems are my pride and joy. I started buying the Halloweentown houses at Michaels a couple of years back, again the key is to buy after Halloween when you can get the best deals because these guys can get pricey. They kids love setting them up. Some light up and some even move.

And no holiday is complete without the gel clings on the sliding glass door


Happy Halloween everyone!!

Have you stopped by the Etsy shop lately? Some Halloween hair accessories have been added.

I'll be having another contest too with some Halloween hair accessories, so stay tuned!

I'D LIKE YOU MEET: MOM*TOG

Drew, creator of Mom*tog, is a gal of many talents. One of them being my best friend ;) That's a talent in itself. She is also a photographer an is super successful with DrewB Photography, she is an amazing mother of a 2 1/2 year old my kids like to call French Fry, and she is a great friend.

With all this juggling, she manages to find time to help every day moms out there that just want to take better pictures of their kids. When she created Mom*tog, I thought, where is she going to find the time to do this, but she did, and Momtog has a HUGE following!

But before her son, and before Mom*tog, there was just Drew and DrewB Photography. With her great photography style and great personality, I was able to see her photography business grow, and grow. Weddings, engagements, family sessions, you name it, Drew knocked it out of the park.

After her son Brayden was born in 2008, her life changed dramatically. She was always great with my kids, they always had fun with Auntie Drew, but this was a more hands on role than what she was used to. She turned on the motherhood switch right away and never looked back.

Drew started the Mom*tog blog as a way to connect with other moms who love photography. She wanted to spread the word that you don't have to be a professional photographer in order to take great pictures of your kids. She's constantly sharing tips and information on how to get to know your camera and equipment, lighting tips, technical tips, and adds a dose of her everyday life to the mix. Her blog is just like her personality, very engaging and fun.

If you want to know you can be a better Mom*tog, stop by her blog.

And the winner is...

Jen McClellan who wrote: I love, love , love the Maroon felt flower w/quail feathers hair clip!!!! You make such beautiful clips :) I really love them all.

Thanks Jen for entering and you will get your clip this week.

Thanks for those who participated. Stay tuned for new items and more giveaways.

Giveaway Time!!

It's Friday! It's been a VERY long week, and since I'm so happy it's Friday, I feel like giving something away.

Have you been to Purdy Burdy's Etsy shop yet?

Do you see an item you like in the shop?

Do you want an item in the shop?

Maybe you like something like this

Or perhaps this

The winner will get to pick any item from the Purdy Burdy Etsy shop!

All you have to do is leave a comment on the blog and let me know which hair accessory tickles your fancy. I will pick one winner at random on Monday. You will have it in time to look fabulous for the upcoming Labor Day weekend.

Good Luck!

I'D LIKE YOU TO MEET: OH JUST DANDY

Erica, creator of Oh Just Dandy is a very talented artist who has a very vivid imagination, and uses her artsy skills to create awesome stuff. I'm very proud to call her my friend, I just seem to be drawn to very talented people ;) She paints, builds, draws, you name it. She is also a very skilled graphic designer.

Erica was one of the first people to help me build my Purdy Burdy business. She was my cheerleader, my back patter, and always had an honest opinion for me. As a birthday present, she made me what is now the Purdy Burdy logo. She asked what kind of branding I was interested in, I threw some random pictures of birds from google her way, and if you didn't know, I'm in love with the final product. She took a thought of mine, had little direction, and came up with something I would have never thought of. She managed to take a little of me, and create a logo from it, and this was her first draft! The mind of an artist boggles me.

She is a fun, easy going person who aims to please her client. She loves what she does, and hopes to focus more on her talents, so if your in need of her artistic skills, send her an email!

If you ever need an artist for:
branding/logo

murals (rooms, company walls)
paintings
you name it, then Oh Just Dandy is your gal.

Here is just a small taste of the work she has done:

Hi All! Welcome to Purdy Burdy Handmade. I'm Michelle, the gal behind Purdy Burdy Handmade, and I've been gearing up for this launch for some time.

Purdy Burdy Handmade started about two years ago with a lonely feather hair accessory similar to this one.



I'm not one to accessorize with necklaces, rings or bracelets. I can honestly say I look like a nerd with a necklace on, or a dangly pair of earrings. I always feel like I'm trying way too hard when wearing jewelery. The one thing I do accessorize is my hair. I feel naked if I don't have a cute clip or bow in my hair. Yes, I'm a grown women and I still wear a bow in my hair from time to time. I love hair accessories, it's like the finishing touch.


I would sometimes come across hair clips I liked, and bought one of every color. But that was far and few between. I decided I'd try to make my own. My first attempt were the Purdy Burdy feathers you can find in my shop. Just something small to clip on the side of a ponytail or bun. I loved it, then made one of every color. I do like to have my accessories match my outfits...again, I admit I'm a nerd. Once I felt my hair "wardrobe" was complete, I started playing around with different styles. These accessories were great for friends and family, birthday's, Christmas, you name it. I just kept making more and more, excited by each one that was completed.


A friend had once put in my ear "You should sell this stuff". What? Me? Sell? No way.

I wanted something more, to be creative in other outlets, because I do claim to be a super crafty person. Just ask my friends! So I taught myself to sew. I had dabbled when I was younger. My mom made baby blankets as gifts from time to time. I still have my Holly Hobbie blankie she made when I was 1. It looks a little different now after 30 or so years of wear, but I still love it! I never really played around with a sewing machine. They always used to overwhelm me, so I stuck with hand sewing. Then one day my mom in law bought me a sewing machine. Nothing extravagant, just a Singer Simple. Reluctant to learn the in's and out's I decided to make my first project which was a simple clutch purse for my best friend.





Since then I haven't looked back.

So here I am, a couple years, many Purdy Burdy feathers, and plenty of sewing needles later. I have my own little web shop filled with items I adore making.

I love to create, whether it be hair accessories, coin pouches, crayon rolls, or even softies inspired by creatures from my son's imagination. As hard as it is to fit my creativity into any spare time I have, I keep on pushing. It really keeps me sane!


I hope you enjoy Purdy Burdy Handmade and all the products I have to offer! Check the blog often as I will be holding contests for Purdy Burdy Handmade items. Take a look at my Etsy shop, things will be added often.