The passing of fall and what lies ahead...

I love fall. Have I mentioned that before? Oh, I'm sure I have! We live in Northern Michigan and the spectacular colors have passed their peak and I'm sad about that. However, now I'm starting to receive all the Christmas catalogs from Ballard, Land of Nod (my fave), Pottery Barn and a host of others so I'm feeling like I have something to look forward too as far as decorating goes! This year they are filled to the brim with little woodland creatures as holiday decor~or that stuff is just catching my eye for some reason. I've already decided to decorate the tree with cute plushy foxes, squirrels, acorns and of course owls! You can't go wrong with a bit of owl here and there right? Anyway I was inspired to create this little barn owl art this afternoon as part of a collection I'm featuring in my home. What do think? Maybe he'll just end up in my Etsy shop too one of these days! Happy Fall and beyond....

STARRY NITE BARN OWL~AREA FARE KIDS  JEN SNYDER

custom crib bedding on Etsy...

Oh my gorgeous! Check out these super cute patterns for crib bedding from Lil Slumber on Etsy... Buy premade sets or customize your own....it's love!

customize your crib...

adorable!

can't go wrong with this color palette for a boy or a girl...

this one has a mid century modern feel

awww~nautical theme

 

rugs with graphic punch...

Ok~I'm nutty over rugs! I'm not quite sure why but I just love a great big colorful statement piece underfoot. It's amazing how the right rug can change the look of a room or pull it all together for that finished look!

Check out these lovelies with a little graphic punch from Xavier & Me...

pretty right~HOT SPRINGS OMBRE $835

Can't go wrong with Chevron~ CHEVRON STRIPE $730

COASTAL STRIPE $705

SOUTH BEACH STRIPE $705

Imagine this in a little boys room...TARTAN $750

HOT SPRINGS

RECIPES FOR THE KIDS...

Today I'm sharing a recipe that I found over at the blog High Heels and Grills~ Sarah and Zachary's blog is super user friendly with tons of great recipes the whole family will love! These are sure to be a hit with my first grader and his class this Halloween! 

LOVE...

Ingredients:
Cookies:

• 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 and 1/2 Tbsp. sour cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 and 1/2 cups bread flour (or all-purpose flour is fine)
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Orange and yellow food coloring

Frosting:

• 4 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup half & half
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract {I used clear vanilla, so the frosting would be more white, but any kind works}
• A pinch of salt

Directions:

1. FOR THE COOKIES: Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add egg and combine well.
4. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until completely blended.
5. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. 
6. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until well combined.
7. Separate the dough into two equal parts and color one half of the parts orange and the other part yellow.
8. Press the yellow batter into the greased baking dish and spread out to the edges with your hands. {If you butter your hands, this will help with the stickiness. Also, it may seem like it's not going to cover the bottom of the pan, but don't worry, it will.}
9. Spread the orange batter over the yellow batter evenly. {I found it was easier to roll the orange dough out a little with a rolling pin before putting it on the yellow batter.}
10. After it's all spread out and ready to go, bake it for 17-20 minutes, or until edges become lightly golden.
11. Set aside to cool completely.
12. FOR THE FROSTING: In a medium bowl, cream powdered sugar, butter and half and half until light and fluffy.
13. Stir in vanilla and salt and combine well.
14. Frost your cooled cookie bars evenly.
15. Cut into triangles and serve.

Cuties from the Etsy universe...

how cute are these kids infinity scarves from the Etsy shop Poncho Dean...

giveaway from Area Fare Kids...

There's still time left to enter the contest to win any 8x10 print from my Etsy shop Area Fare Kids. Just head over to Sarah's lovely blog~Just the Bee's Knee's to enter until Thursday March 7th (psst that's tomorrow so don't wait) Don't forget to check out her blog too-she has great little DIY tutorials regarding decorating and sewing-you'll love it!

Jen

MLB LA ANGELS ABC...CUSTOM TEAMS ALWAYS AVAILABLE FOR NO EXTRA CHARGE!

HOCKEY ABC'S...

DECORATE YOUR NURSERY WITH YOUR FAVORITE NHL TEAM FOR YOUR FAVORITE LITTLE FAN! CUSTOMIZE YOUR ABC FREE!

NHL ABC'S FROM AREA FARE KIDS

A Little Construction ABC...

Here's a little construction abc I'm adding to my Etsy shop...it was a custom piece for a client and I thought other moms and dads would dig the big boy designs!

Check it out...

 

 

I haven't quite started my construction and demo project at the AFK house down the hill. We have so much to do up here on top of the hill that I've been too busy! Right now all of the kitchen cabinets have no doors and they are strategically placed around the kitchen in what I like to call an organized mess. I've sanded them and they are ready to prime...I'll keep you posted! :)

 

Jen