2011 DIY Printable Christmas Cards in Etsy Shop

It's time to place your Christmas card orders so check out these designs in our Etsy shop! If you don't see what you like, take advantage of our 15% off Custom Christmas Sale! Contact me at hannahhdixon@gmail.com for more information!

Merry Christmas!!

xoxo Hannah

Holidays

Here is a brief recap of Gunnar's recent first holidays....

Mother's Day



We enjoyed a picnic at Auburn University's Memory Garden. It was prefect and I have requested we spend all future Mother's Days there! I got a new camera lens, so for practice Gunnar gave me his "old man face" while he posed!

Memorial Day







We spent the holiday weekend in Panama City with our great friends, the Whitakers. It was Gunnar and Brighton's first trip to the beach and Taylor's 2nd birthday!

Father's Day




We celebrated a few days early so we could enjoy the actual holiday with Matthew's family at Fort Walton Beach.

A Beautiful Easter - Creations by Michie Pleated Bubble

Even though Easter has passed by, (please forgive me for being late...again!) I still wanted to showoff Gunnar's first Easter outfit.

I knew I wanted to use the ecru tatting on white batiste and I knew I wanted him to wear a bubble, so the Creations by Michie Pleated Bubble #102 was a perfect pick. I've used Michie's patterns before and I absolutely love them! They are easy to read and understand and the finished product is always beautiful.

One thing I had not considered was a bib. And these days, a bib is necessary because G's drool is out of control! But, it couldn't be just any bib. I wanted it to be a special heirloom. So, I decided it was about time that I learned shadow embroidery. Again, Michie is great. I used her Heirloom Embroidery Book and within a couple of hours, I'd mastered it...the D at least!



Easter this year was very special. After church, we spent the day with Matthew's parents and enjoyed G's mini photo shoot. Thank you Lord for giving me this wonderful blessing... xoxo Hannah

Toomers for Tuscaloosa

The tornado disaster from last week has left our "Sweet Home Alabama" very emotional. With the death toll now at 342, and still rising, we are now joining forces around the state to help with relief efforts in Tuscaloosa and the surrounding areas. Here in Auburn, a Facebook page called Toomers for Tuscaloosa has been established to help inform people of ways to help with donations and to gather volunteers. Please join if you are eager to contribute.

My family was very fortunate. The only loss my mother had in Huntsville was electricity. But, as uncomfortable as that may be, it is nothing compared to the heartache felt by many across the southeast. Our hearts and prayers are with all of the victims who are coping with the devastation as they begin to heal. Please continue to keep Alabama in your prayers.

A Famous Friend: Auburn Local Vanessa Kleypas Makes Her DIY Debut In BHG

A good friend of mine, Vanessa Kleypas, is featured in the current issue of Better Homes & Gardens! She was kind enough to answer a few questions about her experience and her blog. You can visit her blog "This and That" to find out more about her projects.

Congratulations Vanessa! You are currently the "I Did It!" feature in the May issue of Better Homes & Gardens, where your dining room table design is in the spotlight. Tell us a little about yourself and how you landed in the hands of BHG.

I graduated with a degree in Interior Design in 2005 from Auburn University. I love problem solving, managing, budgets and pretty things so Interior Design is a perfect fit for me. Before graduation I worked in commercial design and I have been working residential design/sales for 6 years.

Having had a subscription to Southern Living since I was a teen, I've always dreamed of being in a magazine. I am pretty excited to accomplish that goal and hope I have the opportunity to be featured in a magazine again.

I love blogs as much as I love magazines. One of my favorite blogs, Design Intelligence had a post on getting published. I followed Sherry's directions on who to contact and how, a few months later BHG was at my house! Sherry is also featured in the same issue of BHG as me!

What was your inspiration in designing the table?

I like for my house to have a casual collected feel. I love antiques and old "things" with character. I had considered several different antique tables for my dining room but with the small space it really needed to be custom made. Going with the casual feel I decided I wanted a X style table. It would also be easy and cheap for my dad to build. I love that my table is casual enough people will put their elbows on it, but still cool enough for painted cane back chairs.

How would you classify your design style?

I like clean spaces. Not too many accessories but just enough to make the space feel warm and people to feel comfortable. Collected - a mix of new items for function but antiques to give a warm feel to the space. And if we can add one more, I am really digging the "new" traditional style.

I follow your blog, "This and That", but tell us how you first got started blogging and what your blog currently focuses on?

I started my blog in 2009 when my husband and I bought our second fixer upper. I wanted to have a way to document our renovations as well as share with friends and family what we were up to. One great thing about the blog is it has been a great resource when I have a question on how or why I did something, I can just go look it up.

Since our house is pretty much finished my blog is a bit more random. Now I use it to showcase recipes, pretty pictures, and crafts. Things I think are cool and think my readers would like. Add a few small projects in and you have This & That.

Have you always been a "do-it-yourself" kind of girl?

Yep. My parents are both very creative and very much DIYers so I get it honest. As a teenager I was repainting and repurposing furniture and telling my friends what bedspread they needed to buy. I even helped my dad build a coffee table out of an old window.

What projects are you working on right now?
Well right now we are focused on the backyard. It is pretty much my hubby's domain but somebody has to be the project manager, right? I am also wanting to do some type of wall treatment in my bathroom and I'm thinking horizontal wood planks. I'm the brains of the operation and my husband is the brawn so I'll have to see what I can talk him into ;) Vanessa~

Cranes for Kids

As you all know, on March 11th, Japan experienced a 9.0-magnitude earthquake that set off a tsunami that pummeled cities along the coast, leaving thousands dead or missing.

Many people and companies here in the US have been touched by the plight of the thousands of children who have been affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. OshKosh B'gosh is one of them. Their mission through the tragedy was to find a way to empower kids to help children in need by using their creativity.

Now through next Monday, April 25, OshKosh will be collecting the paper cranes that you and your children create and send them to OshKosh stores in Japan to show them the support and caring of their friends in the United States.

In Japanese culture, cranes are a powerful symbol of health and well-wishes. In fact, the Japanese people believe that anyone who makes 1,000 origami cranes will have a wish granted. So, OshKosh is willing to donate up to 50,000 articles of clothing to help grant some wishes!

And as if they haven't done enough, OshKosh will give you 10% off your in-store purchase when you deliver your crane to a local OshKosh store! Please visit the Cranes for Kids site to find out more info.

scrapNfonts

If you're like me and have waited until the last minute to make Easter goodies for school, you may want to check out the scrapNfonts April newsletter.

They've got some inspiring ideas for your Easter printing needs!