Black Friday SALE and a GIVEAWAY!!!

 -Giveaway Closed-

Winner:

Cassie

(Make sure to contact me within 72 hours to find out how to claim your prize)

First of all, I am so excited to be hosting a giveaway from the darling 

Ashley of Simply Enchanted.

She has both a Mary Kay shop, and an etsy shop.

And lucky for us, she is giving away something from BOTH her shops.

Here is what you have a chance to win:

1.  A Mint Bliss legs and feet Mary Kay Lotion ($10 value)

2.  A special limited-edition Mary Kay Cosmetics bag ($10 value)

3.  A set of 10 vintage-inspired "THANK YOU" cards from her shop ($4 value).

Wow!  What a great giveaway, right?
Here's how you enter:
1.  You have to become a GFC follower of Ashley's blog.
2.  Like Ashley's facebook page
3.  Follow Ashley on Twitter
4.  Follow Cait. Create.
5.  Like Cait. Create. on facebook
6.  Get a Cait. Create. button
7.  Blog/Facebook/Tweet about this giveaway


7 ways to enter and 7 chances to win!  Good luck!  The giveaway ends Thursday at midnight.  The winner will be announced on Friday.  Be sure to check back to see if you won :)

*Don't forget to check in on my BLACK FRIDAY SALE in my shop! :)

Happy Black Friday!

EVERYTHING in my Etsy Shop is on sale for 24 hours only!

Orders over $50 will receive a free Christmas decoration with purchase.

You can also find me here:
Craftaholics Anonymous Handmade Black Friday
Through the Eyes of the Mrs.
Love Stitched
Adventures of My Family of 8

(Limited quantities available)

I am THANKFUL...

Last night we played "I am thankful for..." with the kids.

They had no interest in it until we said that whoever could name the blessings "wins."

Here are some things that we are thankful for:

Caitlin: My family.  Without question.  I am so grateful for my husband and my kids.  I have a husband who comes home after a long day at work to help me paint signs and take care of kids.  I have 3 gorgeous kids who I love to pieces and I am so grateful to be their mom!

Nate:  Having a job.  In a scary economy, I am grateful that Nate has a job too.  I have big dreams of one day getting a better job (LOL) but at least he has a job. 

Saxon:  Brothers and the whole world. :)

Bridger: Big Blue.  (Big blue is our minivan.  We are all soooo grateful to have Big Blue.  After squishing all three kids into a tiny car for almost a year, we were so grateful when we saved up enough to be able to afford a down payment on Big Blue.  The color wouldn't have been my first choice, but we it makes for a fun nickname).

Dalton:  I'm pretty sure he loves having big brothers.

As our game went on, our list of blessings became more and more obscure.

It was fun to remember things that we often forget to be thankful for.

Bridger told us that he is thankful that he can poop in the potty.

I am thankful that he can poop in the potty too LOL.

As the game ended, Saxon declared that "the boys team wins!!!"

Since I am the only girl in the house, I guess I didn't stand a chance :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

More Thanksgiving Ideas

Last year we had my husband's family over for Thanksgiving.

 Before I tell you about the decorations, let me explain our situation:

Nate and I live in a two-bedroom townhouse with three children.

There is barely enough room for us...much less company.

When it was proposed that we host Thanksgiving at our house, I was a little overwhelmed.

We had to move the furniture out of our family room to accommodate the tables and chairs that we had to rent.  It was a very tight squeeze.

I was responsible for all of the food, and my sister-in-law, Brooks, offered to bring all of the decorations and place settings.

When she showed up with the decorations, I was in awe...

It was beautiful beyond anything I could have come up with 

and I wanted to share her ideas with all of you because they are inspiring...

Each place setting was marked with a photo place card.

The kids had their own table, and their plates were those hard plastic plates that look like glass, but won't break if they are dropped.  Genius.  Because of course, a few were dropped.

Each table had a white table cloth with an organza overlay.

She brought all of her own dishes and silverware and place settings from Las Vegas.

Brooks and I both agree that Thanksgiving is a formal holiday, and we wanted to avoid paper products.  She even included on the invitations "smart casual dress requested" so that everyone would come prepared for a beautiful dinner.

For the center pieces, she cut the top off of a foam pumpkin.

She put the brown glitter candle, tied with a green ribbon, in the pumpkin.

Each pumpkin sat on a wreath of twigs and berries.

Each place setting had a chocolate truffle with a Thanksgiving quote.

She put a different quote on every single truffle.

After dinner we all read our quotes to each other.

The kids loved it because it was like getting a fortune cookie :)

Isn't she amazing?

I hope her creativity inspired you as much as it inspired me.

Thanks Brooks!

Guest Post - Cinnamon Sugar Bread

Hi all you lovely Cait Create readers!!
I am so excited to have the opportunity to guest post on Caitlin's blog today. She is such a sweetheart and I always look forward to reading her posts.
Before I share a yummy recipe for Cinnamon Sugar Bread with you all, allow me to properly introduce myself.

My name is Lacee and I'm the momma behind the blog Mommas Like Me!

I am a 29 year old wife and momma to my two favorite boys in the whole wide world. They seriously make my world go round and my heart complete.

In my free time {wait a sec...free time, what's that?} ok in my "when I squeeze it in time" I love to bake and craft...oh and blog, of course! I started my blog about 5 months ago based on the thought that "us mommas need to stick together" and I absolutely love the community of amazing mommas {and future mommas} that have not only supported my blog but have been such a source of encouragement to me. Just knowing that there are others out there enduring and enjoying the same ups and downs of motherhood is so comforting. I just love meeting others and making new friends, so I hope you'll stop by Mommas Like Me sometime and introduce yourself. I would love to get to know YOU!

I should've also mentioned my addiction to Pinterest since that is where I stumbled upon today's recipe...and boy am I glad I did!!

So lovely ladies, here's what we'll be making today...

This bread is no joke my friends. Sweet, moist, cinnamon-y, and the perfect companion to a nice hot cup of coffee {or tea, whatever floats your boat}. It would be a great treat to serve for a Sunday brunch or it would also be an awesome homemade gift for someone you love because not only is it to die for delicious but SUPER easy to make as well! Ok so enough of my rambling let's get to it!

Cinnamon Sugar Bread

{If you'd like to see the original recipe please click HERE}


Ingredients

1/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and 1 cup sugar. Add egg, milk, and oil to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened.
Pour half of the batter into the pan then sprinkle with cinnamon and 1/3 cup of sugar.

Cover with the remaining batter and top with more cinnamon and sugar if desired.
Bake in a preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Now here's the tricky part. The part where I kinda broke the rules. Apparently once the bread is cooled you are supposed to wrap it in foil and let it sit overnight. Um, yea right. I just spent over an hour smelling it's tasty goodness and practically drooling all over myself and you want me to wait until tomorrow to have a bite?? I think not!! I cut off an end piece to taste then wrapped it up and put it away for the next day. Even though I was a rebel it still tasted delicious. But when I went to have a piece the next morning after it had sat all night...it was ahhhhhmazing!!!!


So if you have will power, unlike myself, you may want to wait...it really is worth it.
And that my friends is all there is to it! I'm so glad I could share this with you today and I hope you try it and love it just as much as my family and I did!




Thank you so much Lacee!
I was drooling just looking at the pictures...
There's little I love more than a fun new recipe.
I can't wait to try this one out!!! 
Be sure to pin this one if you need a yummy treat to keep in mind when all of the family is in town for Thanksgiving!

DIY Thanksgiving Decorations

Growing up, Thanksgiving was a formal holiday.

My Grandma's house was always decorated exquisitely, the food was gourmet, and we always dressed up in honor of the holiday.

Even though I live away from my family, I want to keep our traditions alive.

I make all of the food from scratch, I decorate, and we all dress up...even though it's just us...eating dinner together as a family.

I've been experimenting with some ideas for Thanksgiving Decorations that are simple, pretty, and affordable.  Money is always tight around here, so I try to use supplies that I already have.

1.  Burlap Table Runner

This one if very simple.  I cut a piece of burlap the length of the table.  Then I tied both ends with a ribbon.  I left the edges raw because I like the natural look of the burlap.

2.  Corn Kernel Tea Light

I saw this idea on pintrest and I loved it!  I used an ice cream dish that I already had, and filled it with popcorn kernels.  Then I put a tea light in it.  That's it.  Sometimes the simplest things are the prettiest.

3.  Painted Pumpkins

I still have several garden pumpkins that we didn't carve for Halloween.  I painted two of them white.  

For the small one, I just painted it white and then distressed it, so the orange pumpkin was showing through the white paint.

For the large one, I painted it white and then cut out the letters "Give Thanks" and some leaves and glued it on.  Until Thanksgiving, it's going to sit on my front porch :)

4.  Ribbon Napkin Ring

This was a last minute idea, but I like how it tuned out.  I don't have a matching set of napkin rings, so I just tied ribbon around the napkins.  It added a fun pop of color to the place settings.

5.  Thanksgiving Vinyl

I ordered this Thanksgiving vinyl off of Groopdealz a while back and finally decided to make something with it.  Vinyl is fun because it is so easy!

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving?

Early Christmas at the Riverwoods

Last week I had a girls day with some fellow bloggers at the Riverwoods.

It was so much fun, and I now have some great Christmas gift ideas!

First stop...Blickenstaff's.

If you haven't been there, you have to make the trip.

It's magical!

Vintage toys and games, candy and soda, etc.

Here's my early Christmas recommendations:

-Rody Pony.  It's llike the old hippity hops, but animal shaped.  We have one and LOVE it!)

-Wiggle car.  Once again, we have one and my kids love it!  Even the baby can scoot around on it until he learns to wiggle it.

-World Floor Map Puzzle (got it on my Christmas list for Saxon)

-Vintage Games (for Saxon and Bridger...my boys LOVE games!)

-Faber-Castell art supplies.  I used to use them in Brazil and they are the best!  I've never seen them in the US before and was so excited to find them at Blickenstaff's.

If you live in Utah, stop by in Blickenstaff's in December because they are doing a 12 days of Christmas event where they are giving out gifts to random customers.  If you don't live it Utah, you can still visit them online. 

Next we headed over to Ike's Ice Cream at Provo Beach Resort:

It's Utah's best homemade ice cream!

They serve Bluebell ice cream.

Have you ever heard of it?

I had not, but I tried the Pralines and Cream and it was yummy!

After ice cream, we wandered over to Zion's Mercantile.

I think I could have spent all day in this store!

It's full of art, history, some replicas and some originals...all inspired by Mormon Church history and the pioneers.  The photography and art work were breathtaking.

My favorite piece...the Nauvoo Stained Glass Star.

I'm adding it to my Christmas List.

I want one for myself, and will probably get one for several family members as well.

Loved it!

Last stop...lunch at La Jolla Groves.

I felt like I was having lunch in a lemon grove in Tuscany.

The food was divine and healthy.  A bonus.

We started the meal with a fruit and gourmet cheese platter.

I felt like I was back in Europe.

My favorite dessert was the lemon bundt cake with a caramelized sugar dome.

They even do cooking demonstrations...which I am planning to sign up for.

Photography by Bryce Olsen Photography.

 Have any of you been to the Riverwoods lately?

Anything special on your Christmas list yet?

Point of View

THEME: gifts

I'm SO EXCITED to have the chance to guest post with POV this month!!!

Here's a list of everyone involved.

Just click on each link to see a tutorial of their project.

Amy     http://amerooniedesigns.blogspot.com/     Ameroonie Designs

Gwen    http://www.gwennypenny.com     Gwenny Penny

Jonie     http://easyascutandpaste.blogspot.com/     Just Between Friends

Leanne     http://organizeyourstuffnow.com/     Organize and Decorate Everything

Michelle     http://www.alittletipsy.com/     A Little Tipsy

Caitlin (Guest)     http://caitcreate.blogspot.com/     Cait Create

Debra (Guest)     http://www.housewifeeclectic.com/     Housewife Eclectic

Do you have a project that you would like to share?
Join the linky party over on Leanne's blog: http://organizeyourstuffnow.com/

For the theme "gift" I decided to do something that would make a great neighbor or co-worker gift.  I seem to always need last minute gifts for people that I didn't plan on when I did my shopping.  I also don't have a lot of extra money, so it needed to be affordable.  

The kind of gift that says 

"I just wanted you to know that I was thinking of you."

I started with JUMBO marshmallows, melted chocolate chips, and sprinkles.

I melted the chocolate chips in the microwave and then dipped half of the marshmallow.

I sprinkled it with Christmas sprinkles while the chocolate was still warm.

Then I set it aside to let the chocolate harden.

I bought a white and a mocha colored dish towel at the dollar store.

Then I cut a piece of tan burlap, and a piece of white burlap.

I stenciled "Believe" on "Joy" on the other in red paint.

You can use your own creativity and style here and stencil whatever you would like.

It would also look cute with an image instead of a word.

Next I sewed the edges of the burlap onto the towel.

I didn't sew too close to the edge because I wanted to fray the burlap around the edges after I was done.

Last, I arranged the towel, marshmallow and a single packet of hot chocolate on a holiday charger (also from the dollar store).  All it needs is a cute Christmas card and it's ready to drop off to a neighbor or friend.

And while you're here...

Don't forget to enter the giveaway from CioCo Photography!