One thing I have never done is gone shopping on Black Friday.  Yes, it’s true.  Traditionally, my family is recovering from the tryptophan, and then we manage to consume another round of leftovers, only to “drag” ourselves to a few wineries on Friday afternoon.  I typically do most of my shopping locally or online, especially when I see those words “Free Shipping”.

This year will be a little different.  We are entertaining some out-of-town family next week, and they really want to go to Union Square in San Francisco on Black Friday to shop Bloomingdales, Macy’s, and see the annual lighting of the Christmas Tree.  I’ve always been a little afraid to brave the stores the day after Thanksgiving, despite the amazing savings available. However, there is no escaping it this year. 

When my friend Amanda over at Serenity Now mentioned that she always goes shopping on Black Friday, it prompted this guest post.  I’ve picked up a few helpful tips from Amanda on life, mothering, and now Black Friday shopping.  I hope you will too.

Here’s Amanda:

Hi there! My name is Amanda, and I write a little blog called Serenity Now to hold onto the thin sliver of sanity that I have left. I hope you might stop by to say hello. I stay home with my two cutesy little girls; but I love being crafty, reading, thrifty decorating (bloggers like Kate are helping me in leaps and bounds in that department), entertaining, my DVR, and shopping.  Due to family politics, I can’t tell you where my family will be spending Thanksgiving this year, but I can tell you what I’ll be doing the day after Thanksgiving. I will be frolicking with the bargain-happy masses, participating in Black Friday shopping.

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Ever have one of those days/weeks/months where you just get nothing done ?  My list of projects to finish this week was a mile long, but I barely made a dent in it.  There were cabinets to paint, stockings to sew, emails to return, laundry to finish, a household to run, and children to take care of.  But when your little tykes are ill, it’s just about impossible to get anything done, or to get any sleep either. 

During our walk downtown running some errands, we happened to pass the local Christmas Fanstasia shop. Just try walking two small children (who wholeheartedly believe in Santa Claus) past this charming display behind beveled glass, and resisting their request to visit.  It’s completely impossible.  

So despite all my best plans to check off some of those items on my long list, I stopped, and then welcomed this little detour.   

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One of my most favorite blog sisters is Liz at It’s Great to Be Home.  I discovered her last summer when she was writing all about her adventures in home improvement, design, and do-it-yourself projects.  She and her hub recently flipped a home, and the story of their renovation was so interesting and most informative.  I’m one of Liz’s biggest fans, so I was delighted when she accepted my invitation to contribute to Guest Blogger Week. 

Please enjoy Liz’s insightful tips (and video!) on transitioning your fall table in an easy and inexpensive way. 

Here’s Liz ! 

Hey guys! I’m so excited that CG asked me to share a little something with you during Guest Blogger Week – here we go!

It’s that time of year when every time you turn around there’s another holiday that demands a whole new slew of decorations – or maybe not! Here are a few tricks you can use to easily transition your décor from Thanksgiving to Christmas, saving you some pennies and giving you a ton of extra time to spend with your family:

· Keep your greenery fairly neutral. For me, greenery is the “foundation piece” for a holiday arrangement, just like a sofa is for the living room – that’s why I try to keep my greenery neutral so that I can use it throughout the holiday season and make it feel new and fresh by adding some holiday-specific accents (like berries, leaves, etc). Try simple greenery with pinecones, and avoid greenery with glitter or faux snow that can lock you into a specific holiday or theme.

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This time of year, we look to our family traditions as a way of remembering our past, celebrating the present, and bringing our families closer together.  Today, I have some marvelous fall traditions, brought to you by some additional participants in Guest Blogger Week. 

Candi writes:

“First of all, let me say that I am filled with GRATITUDE to Kate for featuring my “Gratitude Tree” idea on her amazing site. I sometimes look at her ideas and wonder when the girl must sleep – how does she do it all ?   Today, I’d like to tell you about our “Gratitude Tree.” Our family started a tradition a few years ago.  We sit down together during November and write down some of the things we’re grateful for.  In the past, we would simply write our ideas down on leaves and put them on our kitchen wall.  This year, I took branches from outside, placed them into floral foam in a pot.  With some tags, I began a new family tradition. “

Candi’s Gratitude Tree

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When I first got married ten years ago, I started collecting Christmas decorations.  Christmas is my favorite time of year, and I’d always dreamed of having my own home filled with the sights, sounds, and scents of the season.  Every year, I like to add something new to my growing collection.

This year I was inspired to create some decorative pillows with felt. The nice thing about felt is that it is inexpensive, it doesn’t fray, and it adds just the right amount of coziness for those upcoming winter months.  I wanted to create something bold, something stylish, but nothing too busy.  Poinsettias were my inspiration. 

Here’s what I came up with:  

Red version, up close:

If you want to create your own version of these simple sew poinsettia pillows, here’s the step-by-step.

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