After Christmas

Well, it's the Monday after Christmas.

For some that means "after Christmas blues" 

because it is back to reality...

For others, maybe it's a relief...

that the "craziness" of the holiday season is slowly nearing it's end.

Maybe you already took your tree and decorations down 

or maybe you like to keep it up through Valentines Day..

drawing the season out as long as possible.

Regardless, I hope everyone had a lovely time with family and friends 

and I hope you'll be able to ease back into this week in good spirits... 

full of cookies and ready for the New Year.

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As we drove back home this weekend, 

I reflected on the past week and the love we received from family near and far.

All too often I forget to ever tell anyone those things

and to say thank you in a meaningful way.

Not just through a quick text to check it off the list

which I do all too often.

 Which brings me too...

Thank you cards.

I have friends who are so on top of it.

Who, without fail, will always send a sweet note...

and whether long or short or scribbled on a piece of notebook paper, 

I love receiving those...

knowing that the person took the time to think about me.

.....

So this year I am taking the time to write thank you cards

and if you would like to do the same and just don't know where to find cards...

feel free to check out these cards

and send a pretty tulip, hydrangea, or rose with your sweet words.

 Have a wonderful week!!

Christmas Traditions

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas

spent with family and loved ones.

I have realized more and more each year how every 

family has their set traditions for Christmas.

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When I was young, I figured every family did the same thing we did...

Getting dressed up for Christmas eve and Christmas Day,

 going to midnight Mass, 

sleeping under the Christmas tree...

wasn't that normal?!

I actually was tearful the first year we did not all sleep in the living room...

and yes we were all over the age of 20.

.....

Traditions often seem to be the root of Christmas

and it's easy to let that dictate everything from your mood 

and joyfulness if the "tradition" isn't met.

But once you realize that other people may be just as "passionate" 

about one of their traditions as you are about one of yours, 

it's easier to adjust and go with the flow.

.....

This was the second year being with Brian's side of the family for Christmas

and though it's easy to be nostalgic for my family traditions, 

I realize that change and that the ability to adapt and go with the flow is okay.

I look forward to someday being able to make those

 fun and unique traditions with a family of my own.

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With the first of the year RIGHT around the corner

I am gearing up for the

San Francisco International Gift Show

February 15th-18th!

 {As we headed down south to Brian's family's house 

we took a pit stop so I could take a few pictures and this was my favorite!}

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I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

It's Friday before Christmas!

Christmas vacation is about to begin

with schools getting out

and excitement and anticipation is among everyone!

Especially the little ones.

I remember counting down the hours and days until Christmas.

Christmas cookies everywhere and a warm and cozy home

filled with family.

of course things have shifted now a little

Embracing the whole Christmas season...not just the couple days leading up to it

and being more excited for my friends and family to open up the gifts we give them.

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The Christmas gifts are wrapped and ready to go!

and i decided to add a little greenery to spruce things up.

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And I was happy to have sent off Lindsay P Designs Christmas cards to the beautiful stores carrying my products..

And I am hoping the mail man won't remove my twine...

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I hope these next few days are not stressful but relaxing

and you are able to take time to enjoy the day and this wonderful season.

Gift Wrapping Ideas!

For the past few years I have used brown kraft paper to wrap my gifts

Then adding different elements each year to spruce it up.

This year.. I am going super basic with bakers twine and still deciding if I will add anything to it!

I personally love using the brown paper because there are so 

many things you can do with it...

it's a blank slate.

Here are a few fun ideas to get you into wrapping mode!

Enjoy!

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Good morning!

I hope you all had a wonderful, restful weekend!

9 Days until Christmas!

Oh my!

I am just about ready but have a few more gifts to gather :)

As I have been saying in almost every post recently...

I really do love this time of year!

Family, hot chocolate, giving gifts, time to reflect and be thankful...

and of course

a time to wear cozy outfits!

So I thought I would share a few fun outfits for Winter.

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Perfect for staying home to finish wrapping presents and decorating...

Or heading out to go see the tree lighting or fight the crowds while shopping...

Maybe you have to just run a quick errand...

Whatever your plan is this week 

I hope you take time for yourself and enjoy being bundled and cozy!

Happy Friday!

It's been a busy week filled with lots of sewing, card making...

and cleaning up my sewing and card making mess!

Do you ever feel like you can't seem to get ahead? 

No matter how early you wake up...

How late you stay up...

 (okay I guess I could stay up past my 10 o'clock bed time but I can't bring myself to it!)

But beyond the busyness...

I keep remembering it's the most wonderful time of the year

and it goes by way too dang fast!

Our tree is up, the wreath is on the door and our decorations are finally in place...

Before we know it we will be taking it all down so why not savor it now! 

And enjoy the warm drinks and candy canes when you can!

.....

Still trying to decide on gifts for your mom, sister or friend???

Do not stress because you still have time.

How about a one-of-a-kind beautiful linen apron that is paired with 

1800-1900's vintage fabric from France?

Sound appealing? Visit Lindsay P Designs

{Don't forget Redwood Empire Food Bank is receiving 10% of the profit from every sale...

making each sale a little more meaningful}

I hope you all have a wonderful, cozy weekend!

Come Celebrate Today!

A year ago today the Lindsay P Designs website was live!

I nervously told my family and friends,

 wondering if this was going to even last or work out.

I'm blessed to be able to do what I love

There have been days where I am doubtful and days where I feel like giving up

But I believe that's all a part of the beautiful journey of success.

I continue to tweak things and evolve to what you, my wonderful readers and customers, are looking for.

I am excited for what this next year is going to bring! 

I thought I would share how Lindsay P Designs aprons all began....

.....

After buying some pretty fabric and being a very beginner seamstress,

I decided to make my mom an apron for Mother's Day. 

I had a specific style in my mind and googled for the style I was looking for. 

I figured I could easily find a simple tutorial.

 But, I couldn't find a darn thing... shocking, I know.

.....

I was envisioning something pleated at the top with a band.. Simple.. 

So one night after work I decided, what the heck,  I'll try to come up with it on my own.

 I ended up making 4 of them.

 One for my mom, sisters and myself.

For a couple days straight I would get up really early before work 

because I was so excited to work on them.

.....

I started thinking about pretty pictures I could take... 

To bring a rustic and vintage element to them.

I made some more... then carried out a chair and some books and 

my camera to set on top (pre-tripod days).

 {the first apron from Mother's Day}

.....

I signed up and attended a wholesale fabric show

 but what I had in mind wasn't there.

At the time I was getting into the vintage French look

to me it says simple, beautiful, timeless.

It's not gushing with color and crazy patterns

and that's what I love about it.

.....

I decided to start pairing linen with the beautiful, vintage, fabric from France.

And went with it!

.....

Then I changed the style from horizontal French fabric to the one pocket style

And introduced the full aprons.

So to celebrate...

Don't forget to do a little holiday shopping today and save 20%!

Thank you for your support and sticking with me on this fun journey!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Good Morning!

I hope you all are enjoying your week...

the first real week of getting into Christmas mode!

What a wonderful time of year! 

.....

If you need some holiday decor inspiration check out 

Jennifer Rizzo's Holiday Housewalk!

You will go through 30 different homes filled with all different styles 

and soooo many beautiful ideas.

It is definitely worth taking a peek at!

.....

Remember how I have been trying to find products that give back for this holiday season?

Well I have found the one-stop-shop where you can find gifts for ALL!

AND

give back while doing so!

Given Goods

It's an online marketplace for all products that give back

and nice products at that!

Check it out and you will even see my cards! 

(and aprons coming soon :))

I am thrilled to be a part of this website!

.....

Don't forget this Friday...

Enjoy the rest of your week!

It's December!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving...

 eating delicious food and spending time with family.

And thank you to everyone who participated in the Black Friday sale! 

What a success it was!

.....

But do not fret if you missed out!

Yes, today is cyber Monday but instead I will be offering 

another sale this Friday to celebrate the one year launch of Lindsay P Designs!

I will give more details on Wednesday :)

It's the most wonderful time of the year so why not have two sales, two weeks in a row!

.....

While we had tons of fun being with family...Brian and I were anxious to get back to Brandi

We made the mistake of waiting to long to book a place for her to stay...

She didn't end up in the nicest of places and it was so hard to leave her there.

But with no other choices, we figured it would be good for her...

 toughen her up...help her to appreciate what she has???

 These are the things we just kept telling ourselves...

She survived but was happy to be home and we were happy to have her back!

The next few weeks are going to fly by as they always do.

It's the mad rush to get Christmas shopping done.

A lot of baking...

Decorating...

But be sure to stop and enjoy this time of year.

It really does seem to go by so quickly!

Have a great Monday!

Be Thankful!

Be thankful for your family, friends and loved ones

.....

Thankful for big moments and small moments

.....

Thankful for times that make you grow and for lessons learned

.....

Be thankful for the times when you feel like life is a breeze 

and for the tough times you don't know how you'll get through

.....

Be thankful for old friends and new friends

Thankful for the quiet times alone

.....

Thankful for the exciting moments and for mundane moments

.....

I believe each day is a gift..

Choose to be thankful not just on Thanksgiving but everyday of the year.

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I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and rest of the week!

And don't forget...

My 100th Blog Post!!!

Yes-I celebrated with eating cookies and ice cream with homemade chocolate syrup...

(check out this super simple recipe!)

A little less than a year ago I posted this...

"Welcome to lindsay p designs blog!  My hopes are that this blog not only follows the journey through lindsay p designs, but also shows the inspiration behind it all.  From my wonderful husband and family, to pictures of old vintage doors and windows, there has been so much already that has given me motivation to pursue this dream. I hope that you enjoy looking at my blog. And if you purchase an apron, I hope it will make you feel beautiful while cooking and preparing for family or friends."

.....

I hope that my blog has shown a little about who I am and what inspires me.

It's fun to look back and see how my blog has evolved. 

There are days where I have thought.."Oh jeeze I feel like this post is nerdy" or "was that too deep of a post?" 

Hopefully you-my wonderful readers-have laughed at my nerdy ones and resonated with my deeper ones.

On to the next 100 posts!

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Are you gearing up for tons of family this week?

or tons of food?

or perhaps tons of shopping?

well this year, add Lindsay P Designs to your shopping list!

And what's great is...

a. the sale isn't starting until 7am...not something crazy like 12am and..

b. you can easily go shopping in the comfort of your own home, wearing slippers, a cozy robe (like this one), drinking coffee and still recovering from your turkey and stuffing and gravy and sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes and pie...shall I go on?

Get ready and don't forget!

You will have 12 hours...and 12 hours only

So have your computer nearby!

.....

Have a wonderful, short work week!

Thanksgiving Tables

This seems to be the first year in a while where I am ready to jump into Christmas.

I do love Thanksgiving...

but I think because my Halloween decor is pretty much the same for Thanksgiving,

I am itching for a change...

To bring in the warm cozy colors

and to play Christmas music..

(I've actually already started my Christmas music playing)

but because Thanksgiving still comes first...

I thought I would share a few images I found of Thanksgiving tables I thought were beautiful...Enjoy!

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I like that these colors aren't your typical ones for Thanksgiving. 

And of course the tea lights...love!

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Simple and to the point. What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?!

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I am obsessed with these little Rosemary wreaths! 

Perfect for any dinner this holiday season.

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I always love the natural linen and natural wood elements.

And of course the French Heirloom pumpkins hidden throughout the center.

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I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

Happy Wednesday!

I hope everyone is enjoying their week.

It's been pretty rainy around here in Northern California the past two days.

I've actually been enjoying it...

being that it's fall I have been ready for the cold and rainy days!

I think this little pup has been too!

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Get excited! Because...

I am giving a sneak peek into a potential new product...

I had quite a few people at the Seattle Gift Show ask if I made banners..

So I have been playing around with that idea...

Stay tuned!

.....

 I was so excited to see The Purple Pear feature 

Lindsay P Designs on their website.

They even included this nice snippet...

If you live in the Portland area definitely stop by this beautiful shop out.

They carry unique items including the coveted Annie Sloan Chalk Paint!

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Enjoy the rest of your week!

What will you be bringing this Thanksgiving day?

With it being just a week from Thursday...

I did a little searching on fun hostess gifts.

Of course you can never go wrong with flowers or a bottle of wine...

but some of these photos offer a little twist.

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I love the idea of wrapping the flowers in a dish towel. 

Such a sweet touch with the wooden spoon.

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Dried lavender. 

Pottery Barn. 

You can't go wrong. 

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My personal favorite :) 

What a lovely gift to give to say,

 "thank you for preparing a beautiful meal"

{www.lindsaypdesigns.com}

This entire gift layout just looked so festive to me.

Whether you give just the wine wrapped in the cute bag 

or a cheese plate with ribbon wrapped around it...so cute!

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I absolutely LOVE Kitchen Papers and wish I had a place to use them everyday

How cool are these paper placemats?!

rustic meets holiday.

So classic and elegant.

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I hope you all had a wonderful weekend
 and have a great week!

Celebrations

My sister came down to visit last week for her birthday!

It has been so much fun and our vacation is just now nearing its end...

.....

We went to Carmel and stayed at the Cypress Inn

Cutest. Hotel. Ever

Everyone was SO nice and even gave us a bottle of champagne in celebration!

Not to mention it is a dog friendly hotel!

.....

We headed down the coast to Santa Barbara....

stopping along at all the vista points to take pretty pictures.

What a scenic drive!

Our plan was to run in the Santa Barbara Marathon and well...

we didn't train like we should of so at the last minute we decided to run half!

I think it was a good decision :)

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{being a tourist at the Santa Barbara Mission}

{Butterfly Beach}

{Shoreline Park}

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I hope you all are having a wonderful week!!