Tis the Season to get Decorating!

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there'

 

Christmas has always been a special time of the year for me. When I was growing up it was all about the presents, the food and spending time with family who we didn't get to see often...and it also meant it was summer holidays which meant it was beach time!

Christmas for me now is the same, but very different too. Its less about the presents, definately still about the food..but more about the special family time that I have learnt not to take for granted, and about creating special memories and moments that my little girl will grow up remembering.

Christmas also means decorating and I love decorating! So I thought I would share with you all one of my decorating ideas for our home this year, along with a few links to some freebies that can make your place a little more festive!

Advent Calendar

Every Christmas since I can remember we had a chocolate advent calendar and I have continued that with my little miss...but this year I wanted to do something a little bit different, but still with a few little sweets! This is some of my inspiration... but I will share my results in the next post! ;)

 

image found via google

Image found via google

 Last year I discovered the world of 'free printables'.... There are thousands of cute little things that you can make, activities that you can do,the list just goes on. So here is a freebie garland that I found that you can download, print and make!

Image from Polkdot Prints, and garland download found here

 Inside my advent garland will be a few goodies...I'm thinking a few little chocolates and lollies, some pretty christmas hair clips and ties from Two Little Bubbles and I'll also be including activity cards (another free printable) that I found via A Little Delightful 's blog 

Image from A little delightful's blog, printable can be found here

Style Me Gorgeous have some beatuiful printables for purchase, but they also release free printable colouring in pages for special times of the year. If you follow this link here you will find a VERY cute 'Letter to Santa' to download and print, and also a 'Picture for Santa' for the little ones who can not yet tell you want they want, but maybe they can draw it! (cute idea I thnk!)

I am so excited about getting started on this project and then sharing it with you all (keep an eye out for the next blog post!)! I'll also be getting my little miss in on the decorating too with plans of card making, painting and paperchains...and colouring in books and pages...and of course writing (and drawing) her first letter to santa...this will be her 3rd Christmas, but the first that she'll understand santas a roll a little better... and I'm soo excited!

Until next time, Stay Prettie (and get decorating!lol)!

Jodie-lee ox

 

To Market We Went!

When I was accepted for my first market at a Primary School market day I was excited, and nervous... I'd been to plenty of markets as a visitor, but I'd never been to a market as a stall holder...and it was a GREAT success and went beyond what I had expected!

Side view of our stall site

Front view, Leegirl Pretties to the left, Two Little Bubbles to the right.

SO when I got the guts up to apply for a bigger market and got accepted.... I had the urge to cry/throw up/smile and was on a rollercoaster of other emotions too, but mainly because I was so overwhelmed with the fact I was going to be a stall holder at the Piccadilly Market...the biggest upmarket market in Geelong!

Piccadilly Market

After the stress of getting everything together in a week and a half, I think it all paid off on the day. I had a great time being a stall holder and also having a look around at all the other talented stallholders at the market!

Me at the Leegirl Pretties stall...just a tad windy..but it didn't spoil my day! :)

Our popular Ribbon Wands

Our Fill In Invitations and party accessories

Leegirl Pretties Bunting

Our VERY popular Oreo Pops

Blackboard Sample display

 Thank you again to the Piccadilly Market Organisers for such a great day and taking us in as a last minute stall holder...we will definately be applying for the next market early next year! :)


Stay Prettie Always!

Jodie-lee ox

And the winner is....

Image found via google

CONGRATULATIONS to............Bree McMahon!

Thank you to all who took the time to enter this giveway.

Don't forget to visit us at this Sunday's Piccadilly Market being held at the Deakin Waterfront Campus, 10am til 4pm!

Image courtesy of Piccadilly Market.

 

I look forward to meeting you all!! 

Jodie-lee ox 

Party time for my Pretties

Photo Found via Pinterest

ThankYOU! Yes, I'm talking to you! Thank you for supporting me on my Leegirl Pretties adventure and for helping me reach 500 facebook likers!

Any one who knows me well knows that 5 is my favourite number..basically because my birthday is the 5th of the 5th, so reaching 500 facebook likers is VERY exciting for me!

I wanted to make this giveaway a bit bigger than the others I have conducted, and thought that giving away one of our Childrens Party Packs was the way to go!

These party packs have been designed by Leegirl Pretties, with the hope of creating something a little different for your childs party. 

Rainbow Party Pack.

Lady Bug Party Pack.

Blue Checkered Picnic Party Pack.

Red Checkered Picnic Party Pack.

Pirate Party Pack.

Pink Candy Stripe Party Pack.

Each Party Pack contains:

12 x Invitations
12 x Thank You Tags
12 x Cupcake Toppers
12 x Paper Party Straws 

12 x Matching Party Bags

All you have to do is this:

1. Be a liker of the Leegirl Pretties Facebook page.
2. Leave a comment here on this blog post stating which Party Pack you'd like to win.

The give away is open now and will close at 8pm Friday 18th November (2011) and the winner will be drawn via random.org. The winner will be notified by email and also announced here on the blog.

NB. This give away is only open to Australian Residents, sorry. 

** Please note, this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook and in saying this the participant is providing information to LeegirlPretties and not to Facebook.**


***** THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED****** 

The Leegirl Behind the Pretties

This is my first ever blog post.....and its a little scary to be honest! But luckly I had a great little tutorial from the beautiful Gab over at Gabrielle Skye ~ Design & Photography (find her here) so hopefully I do her proud! By the way, while I am talking about Gab, she is the wonderful reason I have this beautiful looking blog! Don't you think its beautful! Thank you Gab, you are truly amazing!


As this is my first blog I thought I would take this opportuntity to introduce myself and let you know about the face behind Leegirl Pretties. So here we go! **please note...I can ramble sometimes, so I apologise now lol!**

My name is Jodie-lee (yes its my whole first name and people often mistaken it as my first and last name or my first and middle name...and like I say to the people I work with, why would I put my middle or surname on my bagde when no-one else does...? *End rant*). I am 24 years old, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, an aunty, a bestfriend and now a new little business owner. 

I knew from the first moment I met my husband that we were going to be together and now four and half years on, we are married and have our own little family with the most adorable little girl ever; Kirby Maree.

Photography by Remember When Black & White Photography

I have always loved to make and create things from a very young age. Cooking has always been something I have enjoyed, and I especially love making cakes and other sweets. My first ever time of baking a batch of cupcakes was one day after school where I had just had a Home Economics class. I thought I would try impress my family with my new skill...but I had left the recipe at school... needless to say my amazing blue cupcakes turned out to amazing blue rocks that we ended up throwing against the garage wall later that evening! ;)  But I learnt from that experience and now I'm am very sure that you would never want throw one of my cupcakes at a wall!lol! 

These were my lastest creation after becoming obsessed with Butterscotch Sauce
They are a Butterscotch Cupcake topped with a Butterscotch Frosting drizzled with a bit of
Butterscotch Sauce and a Chocolate Chip... I told you I was obsessed with it!!lol!

I have also always loved making crafy things.... I think Leegirl Pretties started a long time ago, I just didn't know it had. The first invitation I ever remember making was one for my 5th birthday party. My mum was making card like invites with ballons drawn on the front that I got to help colour in, I remember that being one of the best parties I ever had...I got to have my WHOLE prep class there! My mum must have either been very brave taking on a class size party of 5yr olds, or completely crazy!lol! (I LOVE YOU MUM!!)

I created my own 21st invites, and I suppose it was a learning experience from there, as I went on to doing (with some help from lovely friends) our Engagement Invites..which unbeknown to everyone else was to also to be our Wedding Day!! Best surprise I have EVER pulled off...all planned and organised in a month (while being 6mths pregnant also!) with only a handfull of people knowing!

Becoming an Aunty to my two beautiful nieces and now also a Mother to my own beautiful daughter probably sparked something big inside of me because I loved to make things for them when ever I could; from pretties for their rooms, to invitations for their birthdays/naming days and baptism. These girls are my inspiration.

 

Cousin Love!

My friends and family would often tell me I was wasting my talents by not doing anything about it, and I think what held me back the longest was my fear of being rejected, and people not liking what I made... But a very good friend made me realise that people DID like my creations and that I should take a chance, be confident and to do something about it!! I will forever be thankful for my 'wingman'! ox

When it came to putting a name to my creations I wanted it to be a bit of me and a bit of my girls... so after many name ideas it came down to Leegirl Pretties... Leegirl was a nickname I was given when working as a 15yr old and Pretties, was what Kirby called everything at the time, so it seemed fitting.

Setting up and lauching that Facebook page was one of the most nerve racking things I have done...but I wouldn't take it back for a thing! Since then I have had numerous custom orders (more than I ever expected to be honest), done my first ever market (with Two Little Bubbles) which was very successful, and am about to be a stall holder at the Piccadilly Market... which I have taken as a huge compliment as this is a fantastic market that I have visited often and wished I could be at one day!

I love that fact that Leegirl Pretties is now being spread around Australia (and the world..?) and that I am able to create items for the special people in your life! I hope that you will continue to follow me on this wonderful journey, and I look forward to celebrating all the milestones that come along with it!

Until next time, Stay Prettie ;)

Jodie-lee
ox