Holiday Comforts

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It's that time of year again-- the holiday season!  Many people don't consider it "the holidays" until after Thanksgiving, but for us here at AquaSeventy6, the holidays begin well before our kids have even gone trick-or-treating.  We plan our holiday trunk shows months in advance, and have Jingle Bells on the brain at the first sign of Fall.

Stretching out the holidays for so long can put anyone at risk for Christmas burnout. But we have learned to cherish those little comforts that make the holidays special, without screaming "Santa Claus!"

Special recipes--It isn't the holidays without a bowl of Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup.  This warm and savory dish brings us back to our childhood.  It's especially yummy on a cold and rainy afternoon. We change the recipe up a little by adding some cubed butternut squash and sprinkling in a dash of cumin.

Dinner around the fireplace--As you may know, we grew up in sunny Florida.  Homes with fireplaces were few and far between.  Now that we both live in cooler climate areas, we love to light a fire on a cold winter's night.  Eating around the fireplace makes dinner time so special and creates memories we know our children and husbands will never forget.

Movies in bed--Now that it gets dark before dinner time, we like to settle our children down a little early.  But since Yvette's two children are older, 6:30 p.m. bedtimes just won't cut it.  At least once per week, Yvette and her hubby let the kids jump in the king-size bed to watch a movie or catch up on family-friendly t.v. shows. The kiddos are usually out like a light by 9:30 p.m., and after Daddy carries them to their own beds, Mom and Dad can catch up on movies or t.v. shows of their own.

It's these little comforts that help us make long-lasting holiday memories, but can be recreated almost any time of year.

What are the little comforts that make your holidays special?  Tell us in the comments!





Comfort is the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday gift list, so be sure to take advantage of ; Tempur-Pedic's Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

Colorful Checkbook Covers

In the age of online bill pay and debit cards, our poor checkbooks barely see the light of day.  (Remember your first set of checks?  Mine were "Precious Moments"!)  Even though a box of checks lasts me longer than the calendar on the back of the register book, I wanted to give my checkbook a little "sprucing up".   I made myself a cute little checkbook cover and lo and behold, other people liked it!

It turns out that I am not the only one who still carries my checkbook on me at all times "just in case".  Just in case, what?  I don't know...just in case I leave my debit card in my other jeans after using it to pump gas the day prior (this has happened to me more than once!)  Just in case the credit card machine is down at the grocery store.  Just in case my kids remind me as I am dropping them off that field trip money is due TODAY! 

So here are some of the checkbook covers I have designed.  These will be at our trunk shows, but you can always order by clicking on the email tab on our sidebar.






For pricing information, visit our Facebook page. 

Click here to see where we party!

Fabric and Bead Necklaces

These fabric and bead necklaces were a hit last year, and we have brought them back and better than ever!  If you follow our Facebook page, these will be familiar to you.  (Facebook followers get first looks, discount codes and first dibs on all of our items!) 

In fact, 3 of the first 5 necklaces we posted were scooped up within minutes of hitting our Facebook page!




 


For pricing information, visit our Facebook page.  To order click on the email tab on our sidebar!

Click here to see where we party!

Tennessee Trunk Show Sneak Peak

Trunk show prep is both fun and exhausting. I have been knuckles deep in my sewing machine which is both a glorious and neck-cramping experience. The next show is one week from tomorrow at the home of yours truly! Here is a little peek at what all my awesome Franklin gals will be shopping at the show.

Little Gal Apron...

and a matching one for mama!

Girls Night Clutch - Love these colors together!

Small Zippered Pouch

Comfy Headband

Everyday Shoulder Bag

Roomy Shoulder Bag
If you are not coming to a show and see something you like, click on our email link and shoot us an order!
 

Mini Pleated Pouches

Happy Friday!  We almost don't know what to do with ourselves without the Fabulously Frugal Fall Fashion Challenge! ;)  JUST KIDDING!  In fact, we are busy little bees!  Our first holiday show is this weekend, and our second is just 10 days after that!!

Here's another sneak peek at some things we have been working on:

Mini Pleated Pouches!

These two particular pouches already have homes, but we are having so much fun playing with shapes and sizes that there will be more to come.

Mini Pleated Pouches can be used as a wristlet on a Girl's Night Out (woot!), as a pencil or makeup case, or they can be tossed in your bag as a discreet way to store your "lady supplies" (TMI!) In fact, because they can be created in any shape and size (and include some mini interior pockets to boot), you can pretty much use these for whatever your heart desires!

Along with the make-up bags we posted yesterday, these pouches would make fantastic teacher's gifts!

How would you use your Mini Pleated Pouch?  Tell us in the comments!

Trunk Show Preview

First thing this week, both Yvette and I sent out boxes of goodies for the first of our holiday trunk shows, which is coming up this weekend! By now the extravaganza of fabric items should be safely in Port St. Lucie, for all the party-going ladies to enjoy. But for the rest of you, here is a little peek and what's in store.

Roomy Shoulder Bag
This bag is so great - I actually own one myself! It has 4 deep pockets on the outside (big enough to hold a bottle of wine!) and a nice roomy inside for anything you can imagine.

Everyday Kitchen Apron
I conned my sweet mom into modeling this fun apron. I loved the fun kitchen themed print. Plus, it is so easy to clean - just toss it in the wash with everything else.

Medium Make Up Bag

Large Make Up Bag
I love these simple zippered bags. You can fill them with (obviously) make up, snacks, sunglasses, first aid supplies...your camera, phone...whatever you like! They are perfect to toss into a *Roomy Shoulder Bag* or just grab and go on their own.
I hope that all the S Florida girls have fun shopping all the great stuff from Aqua Seventy6 and other vendors! Let the shopping season begin!

Last FFFC Feature and a Peek at Our Halloween...

Sorry that we haven't been around in a few days.  We had a fun and busy Halloween and finally got our items shipped down to South Florida for our first Holiday Show.

Last week we announced our final Fabulously Frugal Fall Fashion Challenge: The Anything Goes Challenge.

Today we are featuring the one reader who participated in EVERY SINGLE CHALLENGE!





AnhKay, rocked out every challenge using items from her closet and her Anything Goes looks were our FAVORITES!!  You can read more about AnhKay's fantastic fashion sense on Glass Slippers on a Budget and You Know You Want It!

Here's a little peek into Yvette's first Halloween in Richmond:

 Here are my kiddos showing off the trick or treat sacks I made them. Woot!  My son definitely got into the Dracula spirit with his serious expression!

Here is my candy corn witch showing off Mommy's first attempt at making a costume.  Pretty cute, if I do say so myself!

How was your Halloween?  Tell us in the comments!