Friday, December 28, 2012

{Favorite Colors} Color Collaborative 2013

From Softly Shabby to Beautifully Bold

One thing daughter #1 and I share is a love of color. She has an amazing eye for which colors work and has a practical, working relationship with color. I have color memory, more of an emotional response to color.

Together, we created the first palette for my chalk finish paint. The colors were inspired by childhood memories, fabrics, and things I love. When I used the paint on the furniture pieces sold at our once a month Barn Sales, customers started asking to purchase it. So we made it available for our DIY friends, who love the ease of getting a durable, vintage finish with our paint.  As a result, The Sale At The Barn Etsy Shop opened, and I am also excited to share that we  have recently expanded into the retail market!

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Alverson Family Tradition: Creepy Santa.

In the Alverson household, we have many traditions. You know...things like baking cookies, watching home videos, and hiding a Creepy Santa around our house. Just the usual.


Mom needs to interject here. "Can I just add that Tori started the alternative Christmas traditions many years ago when she was just a little girl? I can be somewhat of a compulsive 'straightener' and I noticed I would have to keep straightening up the nativity every time I passed by. Sometimes Mary and Joseph would be facing backwards, and Baby Jesus would be moved to various places. This went on for a couple of years until dad and I realized who was responsible.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

{It's a Party!} Knox's Party at the North Pole First Birthday


Yesterday was Knox's first birthday and today was his party! I told you the other day that I had spent a lot of time planning his party. I decided on a Party at the North Pole theme since his birthday is so close to Christmas. I absolutely love Christmas, so this was lots of fun for me! I was quite proud of my frugality through the whole thing (and I think Clayton was praising Jesus). I did almost everything myself, and because I had planned so far in advance it was pretty stress free.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

{Printable} Last Minute Gift for $1!

Can you really throw together a little gift at the last minute and only spend $1?  Why certainly!

Cute packages of hankies can be found everywhere.  I found mine in the dollar spot at Target.


I added some twine, a jingle bell left over from another project and a cute card.
{download free printable here}

There you go!
Done and done!

With all the stuffy noses and colds right now, these were much appreciated by my co-workers.  And it made them smile too!

 Christmas blessings and joy to you and yours!
Y.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

{Printable} Thanks a Latte

Knox attends Mother's Day Out twice a week, so this is my first year to get to do "Teacher Gifts." I racked my brain for a few weeks trying to come up with something practical cute and not so teacher-ish. So I came up with this:

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

{Fashion} The sick day outfit.


Today I had to share what I wore yesterday because it was as comfortable as sweatpants, but a bit more appropriate for venturing into public! As you may have guessed from the title... I took a sick day yesterday. Unfortunately, I caught the dreaded bug making its way through every home in the area and needed an extra day to recover. Poor, pitiful me. Naturally on a sick day you want to wear the most comfy, least clingy outfit in your closet. I chose this navy and white striped boat neck tee from old navy (currently on sale), Old Navy black leggings, B.O.C. two-toned brown boots, rustic deer necklace and earrings from Blithe.

Monday, December 17, 2012

{DIY} Gold Glitter Serving Bowls

I have been preparing for Knox's first birthday party for about six months now (yes, seriously) because I wanted it to be absolutely perfect. This is our busiest time of year at the store, so I knew I had to get a head start. We decided on a North Pole theme since his birthday is so close to Christmas. I'll do a post on his whole party this weekend! I promised myself (and my husband) that I would be frugal, so frugal I was!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Hi, there!

Welcome to The Creative Collaborative! We are a mom and three daughters with a few different self-proclaimed talents. We have been all over the place, but are currently all living in small town Lufkin, Texas. Between the four of us, we are a little bit good at a lot of things. This is our story: our projects, our businesses, our everyday lives. This is a place for us to file away everything and share it with you! Here is a little bit about each of us.