Have A Holly Jolly Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

More than any other Christmas song, "White Christmas" is the one that means "Christmas" to me (and it has to be sung by Bing, because my dad sounds like Bing when he sings this song) ;) Enjoy

See you next year!

From the Desk of A.J. - Merry Christmas!

I always try to remember what is important to me, especially around the holidays. I spend the holidays with family and friends and try and be in the moment...as in the true meaning of the moment. Its easy to do with my little dude. The Hubster and I always seem to be in the moment when it comes to him. Everybody always says you are going 100 miles an hour with kids...I think we're going 200 miles an hour...except when he is around. When he's around...we stop and smell the flowers... we take in him discovering something new to taste, play with, or throw;). Anyway we see it...he's our little bundle of sanity that reminds us just how truly lucky and blessed we are.

So, I received this poem via email (what else is there...oh yeah...real mail;), and I absolutely started bawling. Some of you have probably read it, but my pms-ing self read it and wept like a big ol baby. Love it...and makes me wish and hope that it is true...I'm a believer...and will be until I no longer can sit on Santa's lap...or at least until he kicks me off;)

Merry Christmas!!!

On Christmas Eve a young boy with light in his eyes

Looked deep into Santa's, to Santa's surprise,

And said as he nestled on Santa's broad knee,"I want your secret. Tell it to me".

He leaned up and whispered in Santa's good ear,"How do you do it, year after year?"

"I want to know how as you travel about,

Giving gifts here and there, you never run out.

How is it, dear Santa, that your pack of toys you have plenty for all of the world's girls and boys?Stays so full never empties, as you make your way

From rooftop to rooftop, to homes large and small,From nation to nation, reaching them all"

And Santa smiled kindly and said to the boy,

"Don't ask me hard questions, Don't you want a toy?

"But the child shook his head, and Santa could see

that he needed the answer. "Now listen to me.

"He told the small boy with the light in his eyes,

"My secret will make you sadder, and wise.

The truth is my sack is magic inside

It holds millions of toys for my Christmas Eve ride.

Although I do visit each girl and each boy

I don't always leave them a gaily wrapped Toy.

Some homes are hungry, some homes are sad,

Some homes are desperate, some homes are bad.

Some homes are broken, and children there grieve.

Those homes I visit, but what should I leave?"

"My sleigh is filled with the happiest stuff,

But for homes where disappear lives, toys aren't enough.

So I tip toe in, kiss each girl and boy,

And pray with them they will be given the joy

Of the spirit of Christmas, the spirit that lives

In the heart of the dear child who gets not, but gives.

"If only God hears me and answers my prayer,

When I visit next year, what I will find there

Are homes filled with peace, and with giving and love

And boys and girls gifted with light from above.

It's a very hard task, my smart little brother,

To give toys to some, and to give prayers to others.

But the prayers are the best gifts, the best gifts indeed,

For God has a way of meeting each need.

"That's part of the answer. The rest, my dear youth,

Is that my sack is magic. And that is the truth.

In my sack I carry on Christmas Eve Day

More love than a Santa could ever give away.

The sack never empties of love, or of joys

'Cause inside it are prayers, and hopes, not just toys.

The more that I give, the fuller it seems,

Because giving is my way of fulfilling dreams.

And so do you know something "You've got a sack, too.

It's as magic as mine, and it's inside of you.

It never gets empty, it's full from the start.

It's the center of lights, and of love. It's your heart.

And if on this Christmas you want to help me,

Don't be so concerned with the gifts 'neath your tree.

Open that sack called your heart, and share

Your joy, your friendship, your wealth, your care.

"The light in the small boy's eyes was glowing.

"Thanks for the secret. I've got to be going."

"Wait, little boy," said Santa, "don't go.

Will you share? Will you help? Will you use what you know?"

And just for a moment the small boy stood still,

Touched his heart with his small hand and whispered, "I will."

-Betty Worth Westrope

Merry Christmas!

It's almost here!! Are you ready? Because I'm totally not. But that's okay ;) Just a few more gifts to buy, and a few more projects/gifts to tackle. But The Husband is home and I'm feeling jolly and content. Thought I'd share a last minute project just in case you needed a last minute gift.

*Before I added the paper elves and gift tags

I made these bouquets for my kid's teachers and I think they'd be a great little hostess gift or a small gift for a neighbor (sorry the pics are so dark, I didn't finish these till late in the night!). Hot glue some pretty ribbon around an empty glass jar (I upcycled some spaghetti sauce jars) arrange some flowers and top with a little paper elf. I was able to make three bouquets with two small bundles from Trader Joe's and some clippings from my Christmas tree. The elf is a printed pattern from the Macula website, you cut him out and glue him together. They have several different patterns (my fav is the yeti, but I've got a yeti obsessed five year old) all for free, and fairly easy, depending on the pattern (still haven't figured out the unicorn/pegasus for my daughter!). I also used these gift tags, which were in my gift tag post. They turned out really sweet and cute and the teacher's were delighted with them.

Find the paper cut-outs here (all the different options are along the top) and the gift tags here and enjoy!!

Serah's Cupcake Soap

While visiting us at the Unique LA show, my mother-in-law purchased these adorable cupcake soaps for my two little ones. I thought they were cute, and they smell delicious, but it wasn't until I watched my three year old in the tub that I thought, these things are genius! I've watched my kids struggle to use a regular bar of soap, and forget about giving them a bottle of liquid wash (one bottle is gone in about thirty seconds). But the shape and size of the mini cupcake is perfect for little hands to grip! And while my kid's have absolutely no problem spending hours upon hours in the tub, I know that is not true for some kids, and a little extra incentive is always a good thing in my book. ;) Do I even need to mention how perfect these are for stockings??

Even sweeter? If you go here you can find a code for free shipping (good till the 20th)! Find the mini cupcake soaps here.

Order of the Week -A Nana Love-Line

Everytime we make a Love-line necklace we sigh and exclaim how much we love it. It's just such a simple, elegant necklace. This one was ordered for a Nana, and it has all the initials of her grandkids and a Nana charm in the middle. This necklace is perfect for all those lucky Nana's and Grammie's with more than two or three grandkids (or even some of those mama's!).

Order your own Love-line here!

Gift Tags Extravaganza!

We're getting closer and closer to The Big Day and while I'm no where near finished with my Christmas shopping and crafting I'm already thinking ahead to my wrapping. Wrapping is almost as important to me as the present, I take packaging quite seriously (as does Ms. A.J. we are kindred wrapping spirits). This year I'm going with some kraft paper, simple ribbon and really fab tags. The internet is awash in amazing free downloads and it really couldn't be simpler to download and print these beauts. Print them on heavy card stock and tie on top, or print them on adhesive paper and use as a sticker! Here's a few of my fav's I've come across:

• From Creature Comforts - Tags by Amy Cluck (love the colors!) find it here.
• From Orange You Lucky! - Tags by Helen Dardik (my personal favs!) find them here.
• From Sew Mama Sew - A little modern flair. Find it here.
• From Angry Chicken - Hilarious tags! Find them here.
• From Martha Stewart - From the queen of DIY surprisingly un-stuffy tags. Find it here.

From the Desk of A.J. - Our Newest Design! "Something Old, Something New"

Fa La la la la my friends!

I absolutely love this time of year. I heart the weather, the décor, the music, the lights, the smells (uh…cookies people!), the clothes (thick scarves…and coats…and tights OH MY!), and yes…of course…the shopping. :)

This last weekend at our Unique LA show (sorry…you won’t have to hear about this for a loooong time…ok…until the Spring show arrives;), one of our pieces that the peeps were totally lovin’ up on was our newest baby…Something Old, Something New.

We’ve told you time and time again how much we love all things vintage…so a vintage line seemed like a completely natural turn to take. One of my favorite things to do is to take a stroll in an antique store, hunt through rows and rows of tables at flea markets…and Lo…the other half of my design brain…well…that girl could find a flawless estate diamond at your local thrift store. So…long story short…we were born to make this necklace:)

We found a lady at one of our favorite antique and collectibles shows that loves all tiny jewelry…so her tiny finds grabbed our attention immediately. We bought tiny treasures knowing we were going to mix them with something we had…little did we know, it would be so easy. One tiny locket, one tiny cameo (hello…they are sooooo precious), and one tiny Pinky Swear Designs customized charm…voila…instant heirloom!

All three strung up on a beautiful gold chain…you’ll have Something Old, Something New, and you won’t care what the rest of the saying is. ;)

We have a few different cameos and lockets to choose from, if you're interested in this design, please contact us here! Supplies are limited! ;)

Unique LA Wrap-Up

We had an amazing time at Unique LA and want to thank everyone for coming out and supporting us! Over 11,000 people attended the show! We met some amazing people, danced all weekend to the great dj, oh, and sold some stuff too ;) Can't wait to do it again!!

From the Desk of A.J. - PenguinBot (yet another fab UniqueLA vendor!)

Ok...I know...we Pinky ladies are flooding you with tons of info about the cooolest gift/design/everything kick ass under the sun show...so here's one more shout out to the neighbor across the aisle from us:)

PenguinBot. If you go to her website...you can see and read just how cute she is in her design ways. Mama/wifey/killer purse, tote, clutch, coin purse maker. Love how she describes her starting as something she fell into and was "supported" aka practically forced by then b-friend/now Hubster (all sounds soooo familiar huh Lo?)...into using her talents and bringing her hobby to the masses:)

So...way fun designs, and great colors and fabrics (check out the green knit purse...with the sewing needles...its my fav), all handmade by a self professed beer and cupcake lovin' mama...uhm...we're so in love with that!

See more PenguinBot here.

Ten More Reasons You Should Go To Unique LA (this weekend!!)

In no particular order:

1. You get one Pabst Blue Ribbon beer just for coming! (or IZZE soda, Honest Tea, or O.N.E. Drink)
2. You get one free Studio One Cotton Tote (that's Studio One as in Shepard Fairey folks! Even if you don't recognize the name you know his work, trust me!)

*see I told you you would know his work!

3.Free Eco gift wrapping for all those goodies you're going to buy

4. Free portraits at the Oh Snap! Photo Booth

5. Free DIY workshops all weekend long!

6. Free music by DJ Bryan Davidson

7. Underground all-day parking for a special Unique LA rate ($6! In LA? Come on!)

8. Free give-away's from sponsor Yelp

9. A lounge area and two cafes where you can rest your weary wallet.

10. Pinky Swear Designs will be there!! ;)

Unique LA - Support 826LA!

So you've seen all our posts on some of the awesome vendors at Unique LA, but still can't muster up enthusiasm? How about spending $10 measly bucks to help out some kids in LA? Some of the proceeds for the entrance fee to Unique LA goes to the awesome non-profit 826LA. Essentially 826LA is a writing workshop for kids, and also a homework center. But its not just a room with tutors. Each location (there's also some in New York, San Fransisco, and more) is fronted by a retail shop with its own theme. 826LA is fronted by the Time Travel Mart where customers can buy Time in a Bottle, "Dead Languages" in a jar, and leg warmers to name a few. Beyond the shop is the workshop where classes write stories (and then have them printed in house and sold up front), participate in workshops, and get one on one tutoring from professional writers. Its an awesome organization and one I'm proud to support.

Read more about 826LA here!

Also? Check out their great retail stuff here. I lurve the posters!