Happy Friday! It is beginning to feel a lot like fall around here…actually in our case, more like winter. We had our first snow fall yesterday! The weather certainly helps to get us in the holiday spirit! Anyway, I’m here today to share a few favorites of the week in the way of style, home and family!
ONE| Favorite Way to Preserve Kids’ Artwork
A few weeks ago, I shared on Instagram that I was organizing the kids’ artwork. I have been considering Artkive as a way to organize school and home artwork for a while and I finally made the move! I am SO HAPPY with the process and I believe it is well worth the money!
In a nutshell, you request an Artkive box, pay a deposit and then they send you the box (which includes the cost of shipping). You organize the artwork by age, grade and child. When you are ready, you send the box back with the prepaid shipping label.
Next, you wait a few weeks for them to process the box and give you a total of how much the book will cost. I am at this stage of the process. I got an e-mail that the book was ready to be made. The cost for a 45 page book was $123. Now, I have to wait for them to create the book and then I get a chance to preview and make any changes to the book before it is printed.
This art book will contain all of my 12 year old daughter’s best artwork from preschool – 6th grade. I plan to make a book for the boys when they finish 6th grade.
You could also scan your child’s artwork to the Artkive app and then order your book through that process. If I had started Artkive when my kids were little, I would have gone for that route. No saving art work for years and years!
The peace of mind that I will have all pictures of my kids’ art pieces organized in a beautiful book is well worth the investment. Plus, it saves me the time and creativity in creating my own method for storing their artwork.
If you would like to order Artkive, use my referral code for $20 off your order!
TWO| Decorating for Christmas
Well, every year I think I am going to decorate for Christmas early and then we still stick to our usual day after Christmas routine. However, this is going to be the year we decorate early! Between our Disney trip right before Thanksgiving and our Thanksgiving plans (which includes a lot of overnight guests at our house), decorating sooner than later seems like a good plan!
The other day, I did a little shopping at Target. I collected some of the cutest ornaments for my daughter’s Christmas tree in her room.
The Target Christmas Shop is 20% right now, so I was able to get some good deals!
We are slowly adding holiday decor around the house. When I took the Halloween decorations down, I changed the coffee bar to a winter theme.
Everyone seems to have an opinion on when to decorate for Christmas, but I think you should do what works for you! 🙂
THREE| Ruggable Rug
The kitchen isn’t the only room that got a few changes recently. We just added this new Ruggable rug to our dining area and we are loving it.
Ruggable rugs are:
- Washable
- Non toxic
- Spill and Stain resistant
To wash, you just remove the rug from the attached rug pad and throw in the washing machine! These rugs are perfect for families and pets! There are so many patterns and sizes to choose from. While these rugs are a little more expensive than a rug you’d pick up from Target or a discount store, they are really well worth the money!
Use FUNJACLYN15 for 15% off your rug purchase!
Note: I received a rug in exchange for a review of Ruggable rugs.
As Seen on the Blog
On Monday, I shared some tips for getting organized for the holidays! It is easy to become a frazzled mom during the holiday season. So, I’m sharing some ways I stay a little more organized and a little less stressed!
Then, Wednesday I shared a ton of ideas for teaching gratitude to kids! There are a lot of ways you can work on gratitude as a family all season long.
I’d love to hear what gratitude ideas you are going to try (or you already do) with your family!
Decluttering Guide on Sale
Did you happen to see my news this week? I’ve created a new Decluttering Guide and it is on sale right now! My friend Keri and I have been sharing our tips on decluttering for the last two years! Now, we’ve gathered up all of our resources in one spot and we have a 42 page guide to help you declutter your home!
All week long, on Instagram, we’ve been sharing some mini decluttering projects you can do before the holidays. Now is the time to get your house in order before you decorate and entertain guests this season!
You can grab the guide for a special price this week. Head to the shop for all the details!
The kids are off school today, so we have some fun things planned. I hope you have a fun weekend! I am linking up with Erika, Narci and Andrea for this Friday Favorites post, so be sure to head over to their blogs as well!
Let’s Stay Connected! Instagram | FB Group: Mom Life Simplified |FB Group: Homegoods Happy| Pinterest
That Artkive box is so cool. I am slowing adding the Holiday decor in too this week and it is so much fun!!
OH my gosh Jaclyn, I LOVE all of the pinkish ornaments you snagged at Target…geesh now I have to go too..you gave me the perfect excuse 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Ahhh I love that you are decorating already. Your basket of Target goodies makes me want to go holiday shopping ASAP. Love your ideas for teaching your child gratitude as well. Happy Friday! xoxo
I had applied to review the Artkive process but never heard back. I look forward to hearing how the book turns out!
I loved the grateful guide! We did the Operation Christmas boxes for the first time this year and loved it. Thanks for the great ideas!
Thank you Katie! I’m glad you found some ideas and hope to hear what activity your family does!