04 November 2010

pre-holiday special event

greetings! the mini mart shop is fully stocked. happy browsing.
scroll down for my giveaway and special offers from other boutique vendors!


happy homemade holiday cards: individual and set of six.


happy harvest pennant diy banner kit or design download.


handmade striped merry christmas button cards.


a dozen darling tags: matryoshka dolls or merci tags


fancy birdcage flats, set of eight cards & envelopes.


jolly old st. nick labels coordinate perfectly with spools of divine twine.


the dear diary stories, my new book and e-book! straightforward and straight from the heart.


pretty packs of assorted scalloped rounds, available in christmas colors or a variety.

to enter to win a pre-holiday giveaway please comment on this post and tell me about a favorite family tradition, a link to the best recipe in the world, a fabulous holiday gift idea or a diy project that is calling your name. surprise me. comments close on saturday at midnight.

don't miss out on more goodies featured at our boutique from the following vendors
abby of gracie lane quilts is offering free shipping for orders over $20 until sunday when you enter "BOUTIQUE" in the notes at checkout!
polly makes darling fabric flowers with vintage flair. she will be opening an etsy shop very soon but you can order her versatile lovelies directly. see her blog for her great selection!
contact kathy for gourmet goodies, ruffly aprons, crayon rolls, matchbox car rolls and darling oilcloth aprons for children.
• mary is a utah photographer. view her photography blog and check out her etsy shop. feel free to contact her directly about a portrait/family shoot this season (just in time for christmas cards). she is currently offering anyone who mentions the BOUTIQUE from martawrites 20% off her regular session pricing!
whitney still has some darling stitches and fun screen-printed tea towels left too! let her know if you're interested or want something custom made.

coming up...
i have so many posts brewing. firstly, i made my very first pan of lasagna yesterday. yay. i'll have to tell you how it went. monday i'll begin project thankful, i hope you'll have an i am thankful list to share. it'll get us into the spirit of the month. tuesday i'll be doing the how-to post for my method to surviving christmas and remaining inspired year to year. it's one of my favorite projects ever.

55 comments:

Efter Stormen said...

i like your graphic work!
it's fantastic!

Danielle said...

We always have New England clam chowder on x-mas eve for dinner & then strawberry shortcake for bkfst on x-mas day. These are traditions from my father's childhood. In addition we can only open our stocking presents before bkfst & have to wait to open the gifts under the tree after bkfst. Thanks so much for the giveaway.

crissy // mama boss said...

My diy project is too make a bunch of fabric pumpkins to decorate the tables for Thanksgiving dinner. (Ah! I'm hosting this year!)

As for traditon, mom would make delicious apple pancakes on Christmas morning. It became, I think, her way of getting us to be OK with waiting until mid-morning to dive into the presents.
Even after I was married and moved out, I could drop by on Christmas morning for breakfast and presents. (Then she moved to California...) I'm going to miss that this year.

Anonymous said...

hmm, we do not have any tried 'n true holiday traditions. the projects that call to me, for gift giving, include socks, scarves, and fingerless gloves! I have some on the needles as we 'speak'. =)

polly said...

We always have grama b's homemade chicken noodle soup on Christmas eve. I am now changing the name to pollys chicken noodle soup. we have anyone who wants to stop in and enjoy good food and games. Christmas morning jim is the chef with his delicious omelets!

Angie said...

I love the holiday season....so full of family traditions, renewed faith, and generally great food! My favorite holiday tradition is Broccoli Cheese Soup in bread bowls and new pajamas on Christmas Eve....and breakfast burritos on Christmas morning.....before we open presents!!

Unknown said...

A favorite tradition is that we have Prime Rib on Christmas Eve and then the following morning, will be a buffet of delicious breakfast foods. Its the only time all year my dad will make hollandase (sp?) sauce for eggs benedict. YUM!

A recipe that I've currently become a fan of (for the thrifty nature of it & nostalgia) is making my own vanilla extract. Super easy.
Here is a link to the recipe I found: http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/06/how-to-make-vanilla-extract/

Thanks for the giveaway!

Natalie said...

We have a special Christmas blanket. Every night from Dec 1st to Christmas Eve each child takes a turn sleeping with the blanket. It gives them wonderful Christmas dreams (according to the kids!)!

debby said...

thanks to your "how to" series, i made my daughter a play kitchen out of a nightstand. now, i need to make her oodles of felt food for christmas so that she has something to cook up in the kitchen.

Kelli said...

My favorite tradition is that my mom spends the night with us Christmas Eve, we all wake up together, open presents and then have a big breakfast. It is wonderful family time that I treasure.

J, K, L, and D said...

My favorite family tradition is our last present on Christmas morning - whether big or small. My dad does a treasure hunt, and for years, neighbors would call, wondering if we were okay when we dashed outside in our pajamas & slippers. (Dad is a stinker & would often put clues in the mailbox, under the car floor mats - you name it.) I'm also excited to try a new tradition with my husband's family - their traditional Jewish supper & lighting of candles (his mom has Jewish heritage, and they honor it this way). Love eating with my hands in the candlelight...

And this Christmas is particularly exciting, because my first child is due the 22nd. So it'll be an exciting Christmas, indeed!

Thanks for the chance at the giveaway, and thanks for your crafty, fun, & spiritual ideas. I truly love reading your blog daily.

Tracey said...

I started the tradition of writing down one thing we're thankful for during the month of november. I've taped them up on our back door so we can look at them throughout the month. On thanksgiving day, we'll trace everyone's hand and ask them to write down what they're thankful for and read them aloud during thanksgiving dinner. Thanks for a wonderful blog. You always have such great ideas. So I'm thankful for Martawrites!!!traceymccarthy@gmail.com

carrie said...

I am always so excited when Halloween ends so we can get on to the good stuff. I love the next 2 months. Oh, except for the fact that my car was stolen 2 days ago! Car seats, strollers, and all. I am determined to still make this holiday a good one for my girls. And there will definitely be breakfast burritos Christmas morning.

-carriechilton@gmail.com

Hil said...

You are so very talented Marta! One of my favorite Christmas traditions is opening up our pj's on Christmas Eve.. possibly because I love pj's a little too much. :)

lesa said...

Every year we decorate sugar cookies as a family. It is a huge mess but it is a must-do every year. Sometimes we have a contest of who can make the prettiest cookie. Other years, it is fun to see who doesn't hold out and must 'just eat this one cookie.'

Ashley said...

This isn't necessarily a holiday recipe but it's one of my favorites:

http://ashleysyummyrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/07/tri-colore-orzo.html

It actually has Christmas colors so I guess it could pass for a Christmas dish.

Courtney B said...

this is possibly the best breakfast recipe in the world, in my opinion. i found it only a couple of weeks ago and have made it 4 times... it is that good. mmmmmmm. maybe i'll make it for lunch ;)

http://cozyhomemaking.blogspot.com/2010/10/apple-pancake.html?spref=tw

Amanda said...

I can't wait for Christmas this year!

I really want to do this:
http://www.craftstylish.com/item/28838/how-to-make-a-snowstorm

Great items for sale, Marta!

caitlin said...

http://simplycaitlin.blogspot.com/2009/08/chocolate-eclair-cake.html

(I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner... no, but seriously I could. :)

Love those doll tags. My mom collects matryoshka dolls. I think I better scurry on over to your shop and pick me up some of those.

Happy November!

chloe said...

my favorite family tradition is going crazy shopping the day after christmas :) but before christmas mom makes orange rolls. they are sooo good.

gifts?
i love homemade gift tags i the month of november to help people with their gift list

Thelma said...

My favorite holiday tradition is our made up holiday: Pikku Joulu (means little Christmas in Finnish). We celebrate the first week of December with a hybrid of Christmas traditions my husband and I each grew up with.

Amanda L said...

Love hearing about the boutuique since I wasn't able to make the trip!
Marta, I JUST made my first pan of lasagna the other night, too! I was so nervous because all everyone talks about is how hard it is, but I loved it. I used the "pre-cooked" noodles- the ones that don't need to be pre-boiled, and it worked out great. Can't wait to hear how yours went over!

Hannah said...

Loving your new products! Especially those cute vintage santa tags. Adorable! You are always so creative.

My favorite holiday tradition is our family dinner Christmas night. We started doing this a 7 or 8 years ago. Christmas evening always seemed a little bit of a let down; all the presents were opened and we had no more plans after breakfast. Now, we have something to look forward to that evening. It is perfect.

Anonymous said...

Marta, Just had to let you know that I spotted someone plagiarizing your work here: http://ourezlife.blogspot.com/2010/11/love.html

That's annoying. I'm sorry.

Andria said...

Holiday tradition: Swedish Meatballs Christmas day. Yummy.

Ulrich Family said...

I just love your blog - one of our favorite family traditions is we have the New Year's Elf that comes on New Year's Eve. We put our shoes under the Christmas tree on New Years Eve and while we are sleeping, the elf fills our shoes with goodies, toys, whatever he wants. It is so much fun! We love it!

kylee said...

you make such amazing crafts! one of my favorite holiday traditions is going to my aunt's house for our candle lit christmas eve dinner. afterwards each family presents a slideshow of their year. it really is such a fun evening!

shanab said...

Every year, I make my Mom a calendar in iPhoto for the next year. Each month has a photo of someone in our family from the last year and a contected quote. Everyone's birthday contains a photo of that person as well. She loves it.

Marie said...

My family always goes to Mass on Christmas Eve, followed by a big dinner. Then we open presents. Christmas is a more relaxed day and we usually go to a movie (and you wouldn't believe how many other families are there, too!). :-)

This is just on the back of the Hershey's cocoa box, but it is SUCH a great recipe: Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake. Look on http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/ for the recipe (the link is long & messy).

Dansie Family said...

i love blending the old and the new. traditions from my family like clam chowder and other soups on christmas eve, traditions from the hubby's fam like german pancake for breakfast and traditions we have created like learning a christmas song to play on our various instruments on christmas eve (we aren't very good, but we like to try).

Emily Marie said...

My favorite Christmas tradition has always been reading the Book of Mormon through out the year and finishing the last chapter on Christmas morning before we open any presents. There were a couple years where we got behind and were reading up to twenty pages a night for the last few nights before Christmas, but we always managed to finish Christmas morning. :)

Erlyn said...

Thanks for the giveaway Marta!
Our Christmas tradition that I love is to have a big Christmas Eve dinner with my husband's family and then rush to midnight mass with mine right after. It just feels like Christmas when we're standing there with our candles in church singing carols. :)

jessica said...

i am so excited for christmas & these festive snowy posts are making me even more giddy!

it's hard to pick just one favorite holiday tradition, but i guess i would have to say it is listening to my dad read the christmas story from the bible after having dinner & opening pj's on christmas eve. even better if its snowing outside. so dreamy.

Season said...

We love to open pj's on Christmas Eve, then stay in them all day Christmas!

Unknown said...

a diy project that's been calling my name for a good few years now: i used to make and sell cards, but at one point i decided i became too busy, for whatever reason. i want to start that up again, already have someone who wants to purchase some and some newly learned skills in illustrator. now i just need to do it, and this would be a great time to start it up again.

Erica said...

i have so many projects calling my name but just not enough time and energy to get to all of them!! i'm excited to put together a special fabric tree on canvas creation for a dear friend.

Julia said...

My family spends most of christmas day snacking on rich appetizers and sweets, to the point that we never really have room for a big dinner. But we eat it anyway! And of course have trifle for dessert. And steamed pudding with hard sauce. Yum!

sugareaterATgmailDOTcom

lacey said...

excited for this, marta!!!

i adore going to Chirstmas Eve evening church service as a family dressed in our holiday best & snuggling in front of the fire wearing our red pj's all day on Christmas our 3 & 1 year olds will make this year glow

Anneliese said...

my favorite christmas tradition is on christmas eve we all go to my grandparents house & we read through the christmas story, passing the book around the room. as a child, it seemed to take hours, now, it is suddenly only a 20 minute reading. :)

Melissa A said...

Love the Happy Harvest Banner.

I was just reminiscing last night with my husband about how we went to see the Scrooge play every year for the first six years of our marriage and that we should start going again this year because I miss it.

Linda said...

Some years ago I bought a Christmas themed cheaters quilting project, since I don't know how to quilt but really appreciate it. I've worked on it a handful if times. We've moved a few times in the last few years so among the other things we have to it - it takes a back seat. This year I intend to give it a try again only this time complete it. :)

erin said...

each year on christmas eve, we play a dice game called "you blew it." we have played it for as long as i can remember, and i always manage to lose :)

i love your shop update!

Robyn said...

My sister & I always watch A Garfield Christmas every year on the 25th... it's such a fun (sing-a-long) tradition for us!

Cassie said...

My favourite family tradition growing up was that we always went out for a meal on Christmas Eve. First thing very early in the morning we would go food shopping and then put all the groceries away before heading out for a delicious lazy lunch followed by an afternoon by the fire with a festive movie! Oh the memories!
xx

Jess said...

every christmas eve, we fondue with family and friends. it's a recent tradition that began as our family grew and is something that continuously evolves. it's an amazing was to slow down during the holidays and we look forward to every dec. 24th!

whitney said...

Even though my siblings and I are in our twenties, we still do the Christmas morning tradition my mom started for us once we were old enough to get up early on Christmas. We all sleep in the same room Christmas Eve and then have to wait at the top of the basement stairs for my mom to tell us we can come out to the living room. Then Santa has come and put all of the presents in the middle of the room and hidden codes in the wrapping paper. We have to sort the presents by code and then try to decipher it before we can open them. This year is my first Christmas with my new husband and I was sad that Santa probably wouldn't write codes on the presents, but then I realized that we can start our own favorite holiday traditions, which could be just as good.

Melissa Sauls said...

Our Christmas traditions are appetizers for a come-and-go open house on Christmas Eve, and on Christmas Day, family comes by for a spread of Chinese take-out(always open on Christmas Day). We also have tons of homemade desserts. The Chinese take-out started when our kids were little, because it was too stressful trying to cook a meal while also putting together and playing with new toys with the excited little ones. We decided playing with the kids on the floor by the Christmas tree was way more important than a home-cooked meal.

cay said...

I love Christmas traditions. One of my favorites: Santa would leave each of us a little present on the foot of our beds to play with in the morning. Even now, when we're all home for Christmas with all the grandkids, Santa still remembers a little something to keep everyone busy for a few extra minutes of sleep for the elders.

(I love your Santa stickers, by the way. Awesome.)

hchybinski said...

one of may favorite family traditions is the Thankful Box on Thanksgiving. . .I crafted a little box and everyone writes something they are thankful for and drops it in. . .I'll feature it on my blog next week =)

Hillary

black tag diaries said...

very excited about all the christmas goodies in the shop. wanted to share a recipe link... speaking of pumpkin cookies (in your above post)... i made these recently...

http://www.pbfingers.com/2010/10/07/two-ingredient-pumpkin-spice-cookies/

and they were amazing! will definitely be trying your chocolate chip version soon.

The Scrappy Tree said...

Oh my goodness, look at all those goodies!! Heaven :)
Our Christmas family tradition is that every year we buy a new boardgame, and everyone has to play on Christmas Day! We have collected so many favourites now that we play them all over Christmas and New Year :)

Marsaille said...

I am trying to figure out what wonderful idea I am going to use for my advent calendar this year. It's a tradition I want to continue, but spend very little money on!

RW said...

every year I sew my children flannel pjs. they open them on christmas eve along with an ornament for the tree - usually something symbolic that represents the year - the theory is once they leave home they will take their ornaments with them... and I am saving all the flannel scraps to sew a quilt for the year they graduate.

natalie palmer said...

when we were little me and my sister pushed or beds together on christmas eve. it usually took us weeks to pull them apart knowing the minute we did the magic would be over.
love you christmas collection marta!

Emily said...

We get one (or more) new holiday books each year. It's so fun to browse for just the right one and then read from our collection in front of the fireplace or Christmas tree during December. Love having a low-prep, simple, and memorable tradition to balance out the more time-consuming ones too!

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