[A Very Merry...]

Here are a few other origami box ideas along with a simple tree ornament I gave out as a gift this year.

Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas Eve while you are putting in It's a Wonderful Life and sipping peppermint hot chocolate as you wrap up all your last minute gifts for your loved ones. Hope your season continues to truly be merry and bright!

(Oh, and while you're gobbling up your Trader Joe treasures, be sure to check out Marigold's and A Creative Mint's bag wrapping ideas inspired by this post. So great!)

[Thinking...]

I can't believe there are only 5 days left until Christmas! Where has the time gone? Well, if you are like me and need a stress free (and fast!) treat idea for friends and family, look no further.

These super simple origami boxes filled with some delicious goodies are just thing to put a smile on their faces. And if you are more on the ball then I am, fill them with scrumptious confections straight from your kitchen. Otherwise, find some store bought delectables, add a bit of holiday trimming, and you are all set!

Now on to that sewing, wrapping, and last minute shopping I've got to do!

[cards for the teachers and a...]

Good times were had at our family Christmas card photo shoot this year...and, thanks to the ever fabulous Jordan, the pics turned out great too! I'm a little late on the family and friend Christmas card front this year but I'm happy to report that we have little A's teacher cards completed and sent out (check that off the list!).

We went with simple origami Christmas trees made from pattered paper which we then adhered to blank white cards . Little A signed them and then we topped it of with possibly the best photo from the family shoot...

...that of Little A lounging with his feet up, chillin' on our chairs, hanging onto the Christmas wreath... Knowing his personality, his teachers will be sure to get a kick out of it.

Now on to the rest of my Christmas cards! (If only I was ambitious enough to do origami trees for all of these...)

(oh and I'll share more from the photo shoot later...after I've got my Christmas cards out :)).

[slow down, you move too fast. you've got to...]

I've been trying to slow things down a little bit this year in an effort to make the most of the Christmas season and the priceless time I have with my little guys while they are young. It's really been great (if not a little bit hard) to let go of some things and just let the season sink in. As always I have a kagillion ideas for Christmas starting Dec. 1st and just want to run with them, i.e. - handmade ornaments, super fantastic handmade gifts for the boys, friends all my extended family, a gorgeously decorated home, delicious treats and goodies for all, you know, the list goes on (and on top of that, it's also a really busy time of year for illustration and my etsy shop...). While doing this stuff can definitely get me into the Christmas spirit, it can also stress me out if not kept in check. This year I really want to be sure to reflect, serve and really feel the Peace of the season. So we are keeping it simple.

I started this by letting go of the idea of creating a new, perfectly decorated tree and just let the kids go for it. It turned out to be a magical afternoon full of joy and merriment. Little A was ready to put the tree up just as soon as we got back from our Thanksgiving travels so we headed over to our local lot. The Christmas spirit must have been in the air because the kind salesman offered to let us name our price (he must have noticed our gawking stares when he told us just how much this little squatty tree originally went for). He then proceeded to pull out some santa hats for the boys so that our picture taking could be more festive. We were very thankful for his kind spirit which really set the mood for the rest of the day. (Which helps when I think of how my iphone was set down and then most likely swiped at IKEA yesterday...yeah I know, sad story).

The boys were very happy with their work and the Christmas spirit began to resonate throughout our home. Can I just say I love this time of year! Little O is walking around singing Jingle Bells and Little A is trying to figure out how Santa is supposed to get to our house if we don't have a chimney (he doesn't like the idea of him using the door...just doesn't seem right I guess).

And don't worry, I still have a few creative ideas I want to share, and you can hop on over to Giverslog to see what I'd slip into santa's sleigh for all of you if I could. Hope your season is feeling merry and bright!

[brown paper packages tied up with string...]

If you are lucky enough to live by a Trader Joe's, or in my case right across the street from one (far too dangerously close to those Candy Cane Joe's Joe's!!), then you probably have seen their fantastic holiday paper bags. When Jon came home with a few the other night I couldn't help but swoon over the marvelous, whimsical illustrations that adorned their bags. Being a lover of brown paper, a fan of great art and design and an advocate for reusing great shopping bags I knew at once I had something here - beautiful wrapping paper right at my finger tips...and the best part...it was totally free!

After trying to do a search for the illustrator hired to do such lovely drawings, I soon discovered that I was really behind the times. Apparently Trader Joe's has had this same bag design since at least 2008 when the creative Katie Chambers of Ink&Post reused these bags and made some pretty fantastic DIY labels (which Design Sponge even covered...hello...where have I been?). I have to say, these are way cooler than my simple idea of wrapping paper...Thanks Katie for the inspiration (even if I am 2 years late!).

Oh, and I still haven't been able to find out who the illustrator/designer was on these so if anyone knows, pass it along.

Happy Re-giftwrapping!