It's been less than a week since my last day in an office and I'm already busy, busy on new projects. The best and most exciting one (besides the project of being a mom again) is Design House Digital. It's new. It's all about digital scrapbooking and it's live tomorrow, Jan 1st.

I'm not sure if any of you are familiar with digital scrapbooking, so let me fill you in. It's like paper scrapbooking, except all it really requires is Photoshop. DHD is the brain child of designer Jen Allyson Nugent (aka Project Girl). She's very familiar with digital scrapbooking and has been a fabulous inspiration and mentor. You should probably check out her blog. It's full of all sorts of pretty things.

I've just been bursting with excitement about my first kit. This first kit is inspired by the genius of Ellen Gallagher and Studio on Fire's Peacock wedding announcement. SOF is my favorite. And I wish to maybe someday have a smidgen of their coolness.

My idea behind this collection was to do something a little crazy. A little unique and a lot loud. The neon colors help with the volume, don't you think?

This font is all thanks to my Intuos4. Now that I think about it, this whole collection is thanks to the intuos. I love that thing.

I hope y'all get some time between partying and resolution-making to stop by Design House Digital. Sign up for their newsletter and get a free kit. And after midnight please stop by to shop, browse tutorials and inspiration galleries. Oh. And don't forget, everything is 30% off this weekend! Take advantage!

You'll be seeing a lot more of this and other crazy things in the future. Do you digi-scrap? What are you looking for in a kit?

Dad is an accountant by trade. He spends his days working up financial statements and digging through the minutiae of banking regulations. When he's not at the bank, he's riding his motorcycle, hiking, camping, photographing and silversmithing. The silversmithing was unexpected. Years ago my dad signed up for a silversmithing class with my older sister and he's been churning out work ever since. One of Dad's first class projects is the bracelet pictured above. The image is a bit blurry, but the bracelet is beautiful! My dad gave all of these to me for Christmas with the exception of the heart necklace which I received on my wedding day. These pieces mean more to me than anything store-bought because they came from Dad's own hands. I love wearing these reminders of my dad around my wrist and neck. These handmade gifts are the pinnacle of gift-giving, because they come packed with personal and spiritual meaning. I've not had as much time to make all handmade gifts this year, but I've tried. What's the best handmade gift you've ever received or given?

Merry Holidays everybody!! Here's my 3rd annual Christmas candy box. I've been a little stumped with ideas for what to do this year. LAME. So 40 hours, a pep talk from Chris and a few temper tantrums later, here it is. My gift to you.

click on image to enlarge

The color scheme was inspired by 100 Layer Cake's Red + Green colorboard. Have you been to that blog before? It's a fabulous resource, wedding or no. I pretty much drool out the side of my mouth every time I visit that site. The pattern was inspired by Orla Keily and one of my favorite wallpapers. I really hope you enjoy this printable and USE IT! I plan on using these for the annual candy party with my mom and sisters. Oh, and if you don't celebrate Christmas, it's fairly holiday neutral, so feel free to use it for your holiday celebrations, or anything. Ever! Click on the button below to download for free.

More Christmas Candy Printables (By Year)

2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

The assembled box measures about 3.25 in x 3 in x 1.5 in, which is perfect for homemade caramels, chocolates, jewelry, etc. Let me know how you're using it! I'd love to see pictures or hear about what you did, so please comment!

I found the most lovely no-sew, no-glue wreath tutorial online last week thanks to twig & thistle's lovely wreath tutorial round-up. Most tutorials I find these days end up collecting dust in my delicious account these days, but not this one. It uses felt + ruffles, the two most trendy things on the crafty interwebs these days, so there was no denying it.

I added my own little pom pom mistletoe to the mix.

Sadly, I didn't find any felt colors that I was happy with, so I used some scraps from my favorite Fabmo. Making the wreath wasn't hard at all, all it really took (besides the materials themselves) was a good hour+ of tv and a thimble. Not Bad, eh? Giddy like a 12 year-old-girl is probably the best way to describe my post-project mood. After I hung up my festive little wreath I couldn't help but point out it's loveliness to Chris every 20 seconds. Thankfully I have a very indulgent husband who agreed with me. You can find the fabulous tutorial at domestifluf.

I just have to tell you I have the coolest in-laws. Really. Reeeally. My sister-in-law is fantastic. She speaks fluent Cantonese from living in China for a year and a half. She's getting her masters in Engineering. She throws a serious dance party. She has excellent taste in music and it was her birthday last week. While lurking the "Sale" section at Urban Outfitters I came across a radical black men's tee that had bleached spotted stripes. Sadly it didn't fit Chris or me, so I logged the idea in the back parts of my brain to use at a later date. The later date ended up being (surprisingly) a few days later when I was thinking of what to make for Lindsay's birthday. I got a basic shirt from you-know-where and revamped it using a little bit of bleach and a lot a bit of packing tape. It was super simple. I just laid the shirt flat on some cement, taped stripes down, mixed 1 part bleach 1 part water and flicked at the shirt with a brush like a crazy lady. I was smart and wore junky clothes and took great care to dispose of the packing tape without getting any stray bleach on me. After I bleached up both sides of the shirt I threw it in the wash (with rags as to not waste water and not ruin any other clothes). I would've been done at that point, but I had to add a little flair on the side. If you asked me how I did it, the only terms you'd hear are "scrunch this", "squish that" and sew. My biggest fear was that I creating a heaping, bleached mess, but it worked! I'm disappointed that I didn't think ahead and make two while I was at it. I think it looks pretty snazzy.

I am so excited about giving gifts this year, I've got a B-I-G surprise in store for Chris. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he opens it! I just love that bursting-at-the-seams excitement that I get when I figured out something particularly thoughtful to give to someone. What are your Christmas gift-giving plans? Do any of you have plans to give the gift of love and appreciation (aka a really special letter)? I'm doing a unique giveaway here this week. One lucky, random commenter will win a hand-written note transcribed by me! What does this mean, exactly? It means the winner will email me the text for the letter, I'll hand write the sentiments in calligraphy on special stationery and send it off in a special envelope to that special someone. I think this is a great idea, especially for those loved ones that may be far away and/or overseas serving our country. Please follow the guidelines below for entry:

• Please comment on this post. Click on the this permalink or the title above to comment.
• Any comment will do. If you can’t think of what to say, answer one of these questions: Who would you sent a letter to? Would it be funny or sappy?
• Comment before 11:59pm midnight MST Thursday, December 10, 2009.
• Please tell family and friends about it (not required, but very nice). Tweet, Facebook, or text someone about it.
• One comment per person only.

Bonnes Chance! P.S. There's nothing wrong with entering for your significant other. Make sure to put their email address in the comment form & include your name in the comment!

Chris and I live dangerously close to Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City. Most of the time it's fun, but it gets really annoying when trying to drive around the hoards of pedestrians making the Christmas mecca to see the lights. I've seen the lights many, many times growing up, but it's always magical. Every year. Nothing gets me in the mood for Christmas more than seeing the lights, watching the nativity program and listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing Christmas tunes while walking around the gorgeous temple grounds. Last week I was smart. I brought my camera and tripod to Temple Square and I took photos of the lights and my favorite chapel. It just looks heavenly, doesn't it? Now I need to find some time to put up our two Christmas decorations. What are you doing to get into the Christmas spirit?