Christmas Time from my phone

I love Christmas! Here's a few pictures from my phone :)

Dunken loved jingling the bells on the door and looking at the lights on the Christmas tree.

Christmas Card

 

 I love taking family pictures, especially since Dunken changes so much when he is this little.  I wanted to send out Christmas cards, so I made Jensen and Dunken dress up with me to take some photos.  Here's some of my favorites :)

Share the Gift

Jensen and I went with the youth at church a few weeks ago to Temple Square in Salt Lake to see the Christmas lights.  With the business of the holidays and so much focused on buying presents, it's nice to take some time and focus on the true meaning of Christmas.  

I'm trying to take more time this holiday season to focus on what is really important.  We have been challenged at church to share the true meaning of Christmas.  Here's a beautiful video about the first gift, which is our Savior Jesus Christ.

DIY Monogrammed Zipper Pouch

The past few years I've seen beaded monogrammed zipper pouches at Anthropologie and fallen in love with them.  Unfortunately $38 for a zipper pouch is out of my budget, so I decided to make my own!  These personalized pouches make great Christmas gifts! (And that's exactly what I'm using mine for!)  These zipper pouches are super simple to make, and the addition of beads and metallic pleather make them extra special.  Let's get started!

You'll need a 7" metal zipper, metallic pleather, a coordinating fabric for the front of the pouch, and lining fabric.

Cut four 9" by 7" rectangles, two of the lining fabric, one of the metallic pleather, and one of the fabric that will be used for the front of the pouch.

Make the ends tabs for the zipper:

Cut two small rectangles out of the pleather, about 2 by 3 inches. 

Fold over one end of each small piece of pleather and pin the folded end on to the top side of the zipper.  Top stitch the piece of pleather in place. 

Making the pouch:

Place the pleather right side up, the zipper teeth side down, and lining fabric right side down.  Pin in place and sew together along the edge of the zipper.

Flip fabric so wrong sides are together, and the zipper is visible.

Repeat those steps using the front fabric, instead of pleather.

Turn the fabric, so on each side of the zipper the right sides of interior and exterior pieces are together.  Make sure to leave the zipper partially open for when you turn the pouch right side out later. 

Sew all the way around. leaving a small opening in the bottom of the lining pieces for turning.

Trace a small cup or bowl on each corner of the lining and exterior fabrics and sew along the curved line to make rounded corners on the pouch.

Turn the fabric so the pouch is right side out.  Pull out the lining of the pouch and top stitch the opening closed.

Tuck the lining back into the pouch exterior.

Monogram the pouch by adding beads or sequins with hot glue and you're done! 

Best Free Christmas Printables

Christmas artwork is a quick and easy way to add a little holiday cheer to any room.  I got together some of my favorite FREE Christmas printables so you can do just that! These would also make a great little gift to a friend or neighbor printed and put in a nice frame.

Find the downloadable files here:
Be Merry
Joy to the World
Merry and Bright
Merry Christmas
Luke 2:11
Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Mornings with Dunken

Mornings are my favorite time with Dunken.  He usually wakes up around 6 and I bring him into bed with Jensen and me.  (Or sooner if he's had a bad night sleeping and has already woken up a few times).  He will usually eat and go right back to sleep until 8 if I'm lucky.  Most days he's such a happy little guy when he wakes up and oh so cute.  His bed head is the best, and morning Dunken cheeks are even cuter and more kissable than other times of day.

Thanksgiving from my phone

Here's a few more shots from our Thanksgiving in Idaho.  We went looking for crawdads with my uncle and cousin and Jensen and I went four wheeling along the canal.  Although I love the mountains in Utah there's something beautiful about the flat farm lands in Idaho where we were.  At my uncle's house Dunken stayed much more entertained than at home.  There was a ton of toys and other people for him to play with.  Even with so many distractions he still wanted to climb up to his mama from under the table from time to time.

Lighting the tree

Dunken was a huge help putting the lights on the Chritmas tree ;)

Life be still

I was able to have an impromptu mini photo session with a friend of my last week.  She is an amazing photographer (here's her website!). I am absolutely in love with these photos she took of Dunken and me.  He was mesmerized by the camera, and I think she got some great shots.  Dunken is growing way too fast, so I'm grateful to have these moments captured.