Soul Sisters' Christmas Party!

ALL of the Soul Sisters finally got together for our annual Christmas party and handmade ornament exchange last night and it was as fun as ever! 

Sick kids, sick Soul Sisters, and lots of holiday conflicts kept us from getting together in December and I think we all agreed that we liked postponing until January. It took the pressure off and we really enjoyed ourselves!

We shared some drinks, had some good food, played our "name the waiter" game (thanks for being a good sport, Jeff!), and laughed until we cried.  We chased away all nearby tables with our hoots, laughter, and flashbulbs.

We exchanged ornaments and gifts and took lots and lots of pictures! I'll share all the ornaments next week.

We told stories...

And there was some good-natured teasing about phone sizes.  But in the end we had a great time and hated to say goodbye when the night ended too soon.

Friends are food for the soul...

Weekend Recap - Soul Sisters Power ... Activate!

I had a fantastic time away with my girls this weekend! It was relax-y, shoppy, giggly, yummy, and crafty...the perfect combination. I have so much to share with you this week! You're coming along, you know, as an honorary Soul Sister. So pull up your big girl panties, we're going on a weekend get-away all week!

Let's begin at the beginning. This was my ski condo last winter when we first bought it. I don't have any good photos, but you can see that it is bland white with a strange lighting apparatus on the ceiling.



The Big Guy and I spent the summer and about $300 to transform it in to a cozy lodge like this:








Some warm Behr "Cabin Red" on one wall, plaid flannel and burlap curtains, new art work, a touch of nature, and we've got ourselves a cozy little cabin condo! I'll share some of the decorating ideas next week, but this week is about the sisters.

Aside from a little break, it was a double birthday celebration for our own Marzipan and Girl in the Sticks. Here they are walking up after their long drive (yes, that is indeed snow):



We decorated the hallway since we had the entire building to ourselves:




And here we are posing for our traditional group shot:



We saved the classy decorations for inside. See the cool "Happy Birthday" banner I made from scrap fabrics and paper letters?



Okay, this is all for now, but coming up I'll share all the details from our fun weekend and plenty of tutorials. Do you want to join in? Okay, go grab about a yard of a nice jersey at JoAnn's (there is a sale right now!), matching thread, and a spool of elastic thread (it's in the elastic aisle, not the thread aisle) and meet me back here tomorrow...You won't regret it!

Soul Sisters Coffee Break

Cupcakes? Check.
Coffee? Check.
Cool home decor consignment shop? Check!

The Soul Sisters took over a nearby town last week to catch up, shop, and refill our estrogen reserves. The place we chose, The Sweethouse Bakery, was the cutest little bakery ever! Look at the counter filled with goodies - even the little sitting area was decorated with cupcakes decor!



We chatted about the nitty gritty details of my Paris trip and laughed. We ate cinnamon cake and got our caffeine high then posed for a S.S. pic:



Afterward, we walked across the street to the Monkey's Trunk to browse. This brand new shop features home decor consignment, and it was love at first sight!



We ooh'd and ahh'd our way through the shop, talked loudly about Monkey Balls, planned our next crafting get-together, then hugged goodbye.

I'm feelin' girlie again. A great break with my sistas...

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Soul Sisters Beach Birthday Smackdown!

195/365, originally uploaded by hopestudios1.

Well, the Soul Sisters were at it again and this time it was for a celebration - Smackdown style! (All parties with food and drink have been dubbed "Smackdowns" ever since we attended the Big Italian Smackdown in the city. We like how it sounds).

This time Joy was the lucky birthday girl and the shores of Lake Erie was the destination. So, five "Sistas", 13 kids, a jug of margaritas, lots of salads and cupcakes all made the journey for an afternoon of fun.

Our Beach Birthday Smackdown, originally uploaded by hopestudios1.

The usual rules applied to the gifts, (the gift must be hand made using $10 or less for supplies) and this is the booty:

A Hope Studios Memory Plaque
The coolest ankle/toe bracelet ring thingie you ever saw from Treat Girl
A mini Costco chocolate cake imitation from Marzipan (the birthday girl swoons over this cake)
A cute hand made clutch that matches a skirt she already has from Girl in the Sticks

We planted our own letterbox thanks to Joy's forethought (anyone letterboxing in the Erie area???), played at a cool playground then headed out.

So, happy birthday to our sister, you don't look a day older...