Let's Make Holiday Memories!

We have made a lot of holiday memories together on A Little Loveliness over the years!

In fact, we have loved holidays so much, we have even invented a few of our own, like this Southern Snow Day to combat the post-Christmas, holiday-break blues.

We have celebrated Easter with fun crafts and recipes, like this easy bunny topiary ...

And marvelled at the new life springing up around us.

We have gathered around the Thanksgiving table to share traditional menu staples. And we have mixed it up, too, with new twists on holiday classics, like this turkey-cranberry panini.

And we've watched these turkey cupcakes waddle off the platter to be gobbled up by hungry little pilgrims.

Oh, the fun we have had with Christmas!

You got up early with me on the morning of son Christian's fourth-grade play to encourage him to break a leg (or a candy cane) as Elf #6 with a surprise elf breakfast.

We have lingered over a cup of tea on a lovely December afternoon to talk about some of the favorite books we read this year.

We swapped books at our Book Club Christmas Party and were charmed to learn how to make handmade jeweled bookmarks to send home with our guests.

On the first day of Christmas vacation, we channeled the children's boundless excitement into a Christmas party tradition to kick off the holiday break.

Painting holiday canvases at our Christmas P-art-y was great fun, and our artwork gives us a lasting memento of the memories made that day.

From one holiday to the next, we've watched the children grow. And looking back through the photos, we realize how quickly the years are passing.

This gives us all the more reason to fill our days with celebration, like this surprise Wizard of Oz party after we dressed up as our favorite characters for our congregation's Trunk-or-Treat.

Throughout it all, we've looked for opportunities to welcome others to our table -- or deliver holiday cheer to them. Because holidays are about drawing people closer and showing others how much we love them.

I hope you will help me put Heart into the Holidays.

While I was visiting my sister over the weekend, her husband, Dave, helped me put together a video to enter Taste of Home Magazine's search for a holiday ambassador. Voting takes place on Facebook. To enter, visit the Taste of Home page, click the Mrs. Holiday link, and like the page. This will allow you to watch videos and vote for your favorite. My submission is among the newest today, but as others enter, you can find me by searching for my name. I did not realize until watching the completed video how very southern I sound! You can vote once per day, and I hope you will help me in this quest to share the holiday spirit.


Please look for me here. If this link doesn't work, you can find me through Mrs. Holiday Search tab on the Taste of Home Facebook page here. Thank you for your support!

Escape to Amelia Island

Last week we travelled to Amelia Island, Fla., for our final family trip of the summer. This vacation spot is a real Florida gem. I am totally smitten with this charming island and can't wait to share some of our favorite finds this week.



The girls and I are travelling home from my sister's house today, so look for photos from my nephew, Jonathan's, birthday soon!

Kat-N-Ty Tee Giveaway

Daughters Mary Ashley and Emma love to dress like their American Girl dolls, so matching tees and hair bows from Kat-N-Ty Designs made our recent country picnic an extra-special event. I discovered Alabama mompreneur Lona Heatherly's matching sets on Facebook last winter, but I delayed ordering until spring because I simply could not narrow down my choices. Take a look at just a sampling of Kat-N-Ty's designs pictured on Facebook, and see if you can choose a favorite.

Lona offers a beautiful selection of designs for girls and boys, all customized according to your choice of personalization. Some styles feature a center initial and name, while others sport a monogram.

I am partial to the polka dot designs, and Lona offers more than 60 here. Isn't the monogram above pretty and fresh in green and yellow?

An array of holiday designs allow girls and dolls to celebrate the season in style. Do you know a little girl who would love to find this design in her Easter basket?

In celebration of the recently-released American Girl movie, McKenna Shoots for the Stars, Lona designed a number of gymnastic-themed tees. With U.S. Olympian Gabby Douglas' recent gold-medal victory and winning spirit, the above design jumped out at me. I predict girls will be tumbling over themselves to get one of these gymnastics tees.

So who is the woman behind Kat-N-Ty Designs?

Lona describes herself as first and foremost, a mom whose creative inspiration comes from her children, 8-year old Tyler and 10-year-old Kate Davis. Lona discovered her love of design years ago when she owned an invitation and scrapbooking store with three of her friends. "When we all started having children," Lona says, "we realized we wanted to stay at home with them. So we sold the store. After that, my love for designing things was all focused on my children." 

Lona discovered a passion for planning her children's birthday parties. She poses with Tyler, above, at his magical celebration. She planned all the details, including the design of this cake she had made for the event. The collage below shows two holiday class parties Lona planned.

Kat-N-Ty Designs was actually born out of Lona's love of party planning. She explains, "The idea for my t-shirt business actually came from my daughter's 10th birthday. I took several of her closest friends  to the American Girl store in Atlanta and I made matching outfits for all of them. After that, I was encouraged to start my business!"  

That business has grown to include more than 6,800 Facebook fans, throngs of happy mom customers, and countless childhood memories made by little girls and their dolls.

And now Kat-N-Ty Designs is offering a giveaway to readers of A Little Loveliness. For an opportunity to win a doll shirt and girl shirt set:

(1) Like Kat-N-Ty Designs on Facebook here.
(2) Follow Kat-N-Ty Designs on Twitter, or sign up for shop updates by texting "Follow katntydesigns" to 40404 from your mobile phone.

Leave a separate comment for each entry above, and for an additional entry, leave a comment letting me know you like A Little Loveliness on Facebook here.



I will announce the winner next week! And in the meantime, take 25 percent off your purchases at Kat-N-Ty Designs with the discount code "Lovely."

Southern Daughter-Dolly Country Picnic

Last week Mary Ashley, Emma and I ventured to Southern Homes and Gardens in Montgomery for a country-style tea party picnic with American Girl dolls in tow. Join us for a perfect summer afternoon!

See yesterday's post for details of our menu and decorations. And be sure to drop by tomorrow for a special giveaway from the designer of the matching girl-doll tees that were picnic perfect: Kat-N-Ty Designs.



"O for a summer noon, when light and breeze
Sport on the grass, like ripples o'er a lake
Alive with freshness! when the full round Sun,
With the Creator's smile upon his face,
Walks like a prince of glory through the path
Of Heaven!—Thou vast, and ever-glorious sky,
Mantling the earth with thy majestic robe."

~ Robert Montgomery

American Girl Doll Picnic

Last week the girls and I planned a special picnic at one of our favorite tea party destinations: the landscaped grounds of Southern Homes and Gardens in Montgomery, Ala.

We had not visited in a while, so setting up our spread reminded me of the girls' preschool days.

For an easy picnic basket, I hot glued mini ball fringe to a basket I picked up at Hobby Lobby. I tucked a couple of cut work lace place mats inside, then filled the bottom with pink paper shreds. An easy menu was quick to assemble, but little touches made our simple choices look special. I slipped cut-out sandwiches and chips into clear party bags, dressed up Starbucks Frappuccino bottles with pretty labels and straws, presented fruit on skewers tucked into a juice glass, and finished the basket with a few sprigs of azaleas from our yard.




Country Tea Party Picnic

Turkey Sandwiches
PB&J Sandwiches
Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips
Fresh Strawberries and Nectarines
Cupcakes
Iced Pink Lemonade

This year we invited special friends to join the fun: the girls' American Girl dolls. Don't they look cute in their matching outfits? We love these coordinating tees and bows from Kat-N-Ty Designs.

Our picnic menu was delicious, but we were most thankful for pink lemonade on this hot, muggy Alabama day.

Pretty floral cupcake wrappers and toppers dressed up these bakery cupcakes. Download the free design from Food Art Party here. The girls were pleased to help their dolls eat their mini-cupcakes!

Six-year-old Emma brought Caroline, named for one of the teenagers at church who has shown an interest in the girls.

And 8-year-old Mary Ashley brought Elizebeth. She loves this classic name but could not be convinced to use the traditional spelling, Elizabeth. Little Mommy's choice prevailed!

Emma and Caroline are ready for fun!

And all these American girls are ready for a country tea party picnic!

Slip off your sandals, and spend a lazy summer afternoon picnicking with us. I'll share more images tomorrow!



"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer." ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald