Join the Chalk Letter Challenge!

This month I've had a lot of fun practicing my brush lettering skills with the #BrushLetterPracticeChallenge hosted by letterer and Instagrammer Olivia. I love having a word already given to me that I can use for lettering practice. Sometimes I have a hard time thinking of good words to write, and this just makes it that much simpler.

Well, I decided to venture out into the world of creative challenges by making a challenge of my own! It's called the Chalk Letter Challenge and it's starting February 1!

One of the gifts I got for Christmas was The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering by Valerie McKeehan, and it has inspired me to work harder on my chalk designs. And that's where I got the idea for the Chalk Letter Challenge.

My hope in creating this challenge is to practice different styles of chalk lettering, and to also get creative with different design elements. And, I would LOVE it if you decided to join in! You don't have to have Val's book or fancy equipment or even an Instagram account. All you need is some chalk, a board, and the challenge prompts, which are below.

Here's how the Chalk Letter Challenge works: First, print or save the prompt image so you can access it quickly and easily each day. If you have Instagram, you can share the image by reposting it from my account, or by saving the image below on your phone and posting it on your account. Make sure to use the hashtag (#ChalkLetterChallenge) and tag me in the photo so I can follow your progress! If you don't have Instagram, you can leave a comment or shoot me an email to let me know you're joining in!

After that it's pretty simple. Each day there is a different word for you to practice. I tried to pick words that would be relevant to chalk lettering work, the season, and--in their entirety--include all the letters of the alphabet. After you've lettered your word, snap a photo and share it on Instagram with the hashtag! (Or share it on whatever social media site you like best.)

I will be following the hashtag and I would love to see your unique work and your progress. If you miss a day, no worries! February is going to be a really  busy month for me, so I will probably miss a day here and there too. You can absolutely use more than one prompt word in your design or catch up on missed words anytime.

My hope that we can share tips and tricks, and maybe I can get in some Periscope tutorials too! I'm definitely not a chalk expert, but I have been doing paid and unpaid chalk projects for a while and I would love to keep growing my skills. I hope you'll join me!

Thanksgiving at My House

This year Nick and I are hosting Thanksgiving for my family at our place. We still have about two weeks to plan and prep, but it's never too early to get and share some inspiration! (Including on Pinterest with some new ideas.)

I think this year, my house will look (and taste) like a mix of Thanksgiving and Christmas because it's always hard for me to wait to put up Christmas decorations. I want to enjoy them as long as possible because they bring warmth and cheer to an otherwise cold and dismal season in Iowa.

It will possibly also taste a little like Christmas as we're ditching the typical turkey for a ham. This won't be the first time we've switched up a usually traditional menu, however. Last year for Christmas dinner my mom served family-agreed-upon burritos/tacos and sides. We had friends over and had such a great time; no one missed the turkey or the stuffing.

As for the rest of the menu, we're planning for the usual suspects: mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, my mom's yummy stuffing, bread, cranberry sauce, and savory sides like olives and pickles. Plus dessert. Then we'll enjoy the annual tradition of watching the Cowboys game, which will be even more exciting this year as they're playing the Eagles (aka, Nick's favorite team). There's nothing like a little rivalry to make the day more interesting!

While we gear up for the big day and its festivities, there's nothing better than sharing with friends. And for this post, I'm sharing my favorite biscuit recipe, which also easily converts into really amazing cinnamon rolls. They may just have to become a Thanksgiving breakfast tradition!

As always, if you have something to share, please leave it in the comments (even if it's just a link to your Thanksgiving Pinterest board, I would love to check it out)! What are your Thanksgiving traditions or favorite dishes you can't go without? Will you be cheering on the Cowboys or the Eagles?! :)

Old-Fashioned Baking Powder Biscuits

Makes 12-15 biscuits
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening or margarine
3/4 cup milk
Directions:
1. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
2. Use a pastry blender or fork to cut shortening into flour mixture until consistency is like course meal.
3. Add milk; stir with a fork just until a soft dough forms. Then turn dough on floured surface and knead gently 10 to 12 times until no longer sticky.
4. Roll or press dough into 1/2-inch thickness and cut with 2-inch floured cutter. Place dough rounds on ungreased cookie sheet 1/2 inches apart for soft sides or 1 inch apart for crusty sides.
5. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Life Right Now...

What happens when you don't have to post a photo on your blog every single day? Apparently, for me, I stop posting all together. In my defense, life has been quite full lately (I'm avoiding using the "busy" word since I'm not really that busy).

Right now I'm trying to transition more into wedding planning. And really, for how much time I have before the big day, I already have a lot of things figured out. Like...

   •  Location for the wedding and the reception
   •  Bridal party/ushers/attendants
   •  My dress (Yup, I already got it, thanks to a very productive Chicago weekend!)
   •  Colors/theme (The theme is sort of in-progress, but it's quickly forming.)
   •  Part of my centerpieces (see below)
   •  Photographer (I am suuuuper excited about him!)
   •  Flowers (My amazing cousin at Floral Sense is doing the flowers!)
   •  Guest list

Okay... I don't know how it is for other brides, but the guest list is probably what is going to give me the most grief in the long-haul. I have a limited budget and therefore, can't invite everyone I know. And since I'm the "pastor's daughter," just about everyone knows I'm getting married. What I'm not looking forward to is explaining to people why everyone isn't invited. I've really had to go through and, sadly, pick the people Nick and I feel closest to. The good news is, I'm planning a post-wedding cake reception for everyone to attend. So, here's hoping I can keep the peace and help people feel included, even if they can't come to the big day.

I also feel bad that my guests are dominating the list, limited though it is. Poor Nick doesn't even get half the slots. But hopefully by the time the big day comes, he will feel closer to a lot of the people on the list.

This past weekend I did some "antiquing" at a couple of local places. Thanks to Google search and the wonderful world of Pinterest, I've had the idea of using antique, blue glass mason jars in my reception decorating. This weekend I found the best deal yet on the exact kind of jars I wanted so... I bought enough to furnish all the tables. My centerpieces are going to most likely start with them, and possibly baby's breath. This project is in progress, but I like where it's at now. :)

So besides wedding stuff, I am doing some home decorating and getting in the mood for fall. Last weekend, Nick and I made a trip to the Quad Cities so we could visit Michaels (and a few other places/stores we don't have in Clinton). They are in full fall mode, and even though I went to find sale items for the wedding, I had to look at everything for Halloween/fall. I ended up getting a few things (sweet Nick got me the best smelling fall potpourri mix and basket) and then went home to put out my fall decor. :)

What are your thoughts on my mason jar centerpieces? Are you getting into the fall spirit yet?