A Give-Away, Freebies, Discounts.......

I am excited to be sharing with you another Priddy Creations give-away! Just in time for the New Year! What better way to ring in the new year than with some freebies!

Erin of The Vintage Pearl (thanks Erin!!) has graciously agreed to host the give-away for me and you can find ALL the details here. Not only can you win a lens cozy and camera strap cozy, but Erin will be offering a FREE pair of earrings to the runner up! Anyone who has owned any of Erin's jewelry knows what a treasure that will be! Her work is beautiful!

Not only will you get a chance to win a FREE custom camera strap and cozy set, but you will also be able to purchase these great new items at a discount for a limited time! Don't miss out!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you and yours have a very safe, happy and HEALTHY New Year!!

Amy

Christmas Eve Picture Share Plus a SNEAK PEEK!

Well, here I go again.....more holiday pics. I am almost done editing. Just need to do Christmas Day. Of course, there are a ton! I got a little camera happy! LOL! I am sure there are some of you that can relate???



The kiddos before heading out to the Prioux Christmas party. There was gumbo, chicken and dumplings, homemade bread and lots of sweets! It was yummy as always!



We finished up the night setting out cookies for Santa. Baylee decided that we need to leave one cookie (which were actually chocolate covered pretzels) from each of us. She didn't want to leave more because she thought Santa might get full since he eats so many cookies on Christmas Eve. I want her to stay this way FOREVER!! This is our "Santa" plate (thanks to Aunt Sarah) that we use every year.



Ethan opening his Christmas Eve present. He wasn't too excited about PJs until he saw it was Batman PJs complete with a CAPE! Yep, that perked him up a bit.



I think the anticipation for Mollee was better than the gift itself. She also got some PJs. She liked them but was hoping it would have been a toy. LOL!



Baylee loved hers! She is ALWAYS (and I mean ALWAYS) in need of PJs. She grows too fast.

And lastly......a sneak peek of some new products I will have available starting tomorrow along with a introductory discount and GIVEAWAY!! YAY! Be sure and check back tomorrow for details. You won't want to miss it!



Amy

LOTS of New Straps Listed!

I have been a busy little bee trying to squeeze in some time to get some new straps made in between all of the holiday festivities. I have FINALLY got them made, photographed AND listed in my Etsy shop. Lots of pre-sized straps, custom options and a few relists. I have a few other things in the works that will happen later this week so stay tuned. In the meantime, please take a peek at my new goodies and SHOP!!

Happy Monday everyone!

Amy

Holiday Cheer - WARNING: Picture Overload

Just a warning......there are LOTS of pictures! I had a hard time picking which pics to share. I took a TON! This is post one of my holiday goodness. I haven't even downloaded Christmas Eve and Christmas morning pics. I really love this time of year. I love decorating, Christmas music, all the yummy food and especially the quality time with friends and family. This is our first Christmas without my grandma and she was extremely missed. She always made Christmas extra special. We made it through and still managed to have a wonderful holiday. I hope all of you did too.

First, as stated in a previous post, I got to visit with one of my very best friends, Sarah, and her son, Kaiman, who happens to be my godchild. Man, he really has grown up! It makes me feel old. LOL! He will be 17 in March and DRIVES! UGH! Where does the time go???



Kaiman and I. Just for reference, I am 5'8. Isn't he a handsome monster?



This is Sarah. I have known her since middle school and is also Mollee's godmother.




Sarah and her baby (SNIFF).



Ethan, Aunt Sarah and Sarah's nephew sweet baby B! Wish he would have been looking at the camera. He is a cutie!



Aunt Sarah and Baylee being festive!

Now on the school parties. We had three parties in two days. Whew did they wear us out! The kids had a lot of fun though and I am thrilled that all three kids have wonderful teachers and are really enjoying the school year.



Me & Bay.



Mollee and her teacher. We made the apron she is wearing.



My girls & I at Mollee's party.



Sweet Ethan and his pal, Miss M.



Baylee giving her teacher the apron we made her. Her teacher LOVES Pandas.



Baylee and one of her good buddies, Natalie.



Baylee and more of her gal pals.

Next, we have our annual Prioux family Christmas party. This party consists of German Chocolate cake for my dad's birthday, Popeye's Chicken, LOTS of sweet, a little liquor, some gift exchanging and LOTS of laughs! This year was no exception.

My sister and her kid, D'Bo.

The Priddy crew.

My godfather (my dad's brother), David.

My parents and the kiddos.

Ethan and his godfather, Michael (my cousin).

A shot of Michael after he opened his Christmas gift.

My sis, Stacy, and I.

Michael's daughter, Jacie.

David, Jr. and my dad. The apron was a Christmas gift (click on the pic to enlarge and read the apron). SUCH a guy gift (insert rolling eyes here).

Mollee, David, Jr. (Mollee's godfather) and his wife, Erin.

David's daughter, Danyelle.

My dad being a goof. He is a HUGE Cowboys fan. Troy is not. That is Troy getting the brunt of the joke under the shirt.

My Aunt Mary who has one of the best laughs!

And finally.....Dad blowing out the candles.

Like I said.....GREAT times! Looking forward to doing it again next year!

If you are still looking/reading, thanks for sticking with me! I will be back in a day or two with more pics.

Have a great weekend!

Amy

Secret Santa Goodies & A Project

I love the holidays! I love giving just as much as receiving. But let me tell you, I REALLY loved getting all of these super great goodies from my secret santa, Jordon. She completely spoiled me! I got a fantastic, monogrammed sterling silver tape measure, handmade peppermint marshmellows, hot cocoa jar, handmade ornament, handmade note cards and a yummy smelling candle. Aren't they fantastic?? I am having a hard time picking a favorite item but I will tell you this....the peppermint marshmellows are almost gone. The are TDF! Thank you SOOOO much Jordon!! I love everything!



The whole lot of goodies.



The TDF peppermint marshmellows.



The yummy candle and beautiful ornament.

Can you see my tape measure? LOVE it!! I can't wait to use the notecards and the kids are itching to dig into the hot cocoa.

The gorgeous ornament on my tree. I LOVE handmade ornaments. A real treasure that I will enjoy year after year.

Lastly, I decided to try this wonderful FREE pattern that Sandi Henderson is offering on her blog. Isn't it cute? You can try it too!

Hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season. I have TONS of party pics to finish editing and then I will really overload you with pictures. Until then, enjoy your week!!

Amy

Flurry of Activity!

Whew. This week has been nuts and it isn't over yet. Fun kinda nuts though. We had all three kids school holiday parties on Thursday and Friday which were jammed packed with crafts, snacks, gift exchanges and all around holiday cheer. Let me just say, I completely admire all of these teachers and respect all that they do with our children every day. They are Saints in my book. I don't see where they find the patience sometimes.

Leading up to the parties was ME, in my sewing room, busily trying to finish all three aprons (pics will be shared soon) that the girls wanted me to make for their teachers. They had a great time picking out the fabrics and the theme of the embroidery. I am happy to say that they were a HUGE hit. Their teachers loved them.

I can FINALLY say that I am done with all of my Christmas shopping AND wrapping of everything. Now I am just looking forward to seeing the faces of all of our family and loved ones that will open them. :)

And a true highlight of our weekend was visiting with one of my best friends, Sarah, and my godchild, Kaiman, who I do not get to see often enough. Kaiman is going to be 17 soon (SNIFF) and has grown into one handsome, well mannered, all around great young man! His parents should be proud. I still remember the day he was born (double SNIFF) and can't believe how fast he has grown up. I will share pics of them soon too.

Tomorrow is going to be another fun day. My dad's birthday is Christmas Eve and we always celebrate it with a Prioux family get-together consisting of Popeye's Fried Chicken and German Chocolate Cake (my dad's favorite!). My grandma was the one to always make my dad's cake and I am sad that we will have to celebrate without her this year. I know she will be with us in spirit, but it is going to be a hard Christmas without her.

I am in the process of getting things organized to bring Priddy Creations into 2009 with a bang. It is a slow process though because what I want most right now is to just enjoy the rest of the year with my family. Sarah gave me a book titled "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" and just the little bit I have read has really given me a new perspective. While business is extremely important to me, my family comes first and I have decided that I am going to put things aside (for now) and just enjoy. I love what I do though and I am sure that my itch to create will win out a little. But my little list of projects has been tucked away in my planner for now. :)

I hope everyone is taking time to just breathe and relax with their families and friends this holiday season. Before we know it, 2009 will be here and we will all wonder where the time has gone. I already feel that way about 2008.

Amy

Kids & Sleep

I was cracking up how Ethan was sleeping. How is that comfortable? Also, he has an aversion to pajamas. Anyone have a 5 year old out there that likes to sleep in their skivvies? Sometimes I can talk him into putting some on, but most nights, this is what you get.

Amy

Custom Embroidered Camera Straps NOW AVAILABLE

You can find all the details about how to get YOUR personalized custom embroidered camera strap by visiting my Etsy shop.

I will have more samples to look at after the first of the year!

Amy

Sneak Peek of a New Item

I have already hinted that I will be offering lots of new products for 2009. Below is a sneak peek of one of the new products/services I will be offering. I have been making these as customs since April, but have yet to put together a package so that I can offer them in my store. That will all change come January, 2009. I am still working out the details (color charts, font choices, etc...). Although I plan on offering a chart of fonts to choose from, I can pretty much do ANY font you want. Gotta love 3D Embroidery! I can do business names, website addresses, personal names, etc..... Although this service/product is geared more towards the professional photographer, it is the PERFECT way to further personalize your camera whether it is for personal or professional use.

Stay tuned to my blog for a chance to pre-order these customized straps.

Amy

Priddy Creations Featured on Holiday Gift Guide

I am excited to be featured on Parents With Style's 2008 Gift Guide! Check it out! There are also lots of other good stuff perfect for gift giving!



I am also very excited to receive their "Stylish Award." Thanks Parents With Style! I am honored to be part of your gift guide and thrilled to have received your award.

Amy

A Couple More Holiday Photos

Below are two of my favorite shots of the kids while shooting for Christmas card pics. We were running out of daylight (bad planning on my part) so we had to take them quickly. I was happy to have a few of them turn out really good (I think anyway!).



This was the runner-up. I love this shot. Thanks Mandy for helping me edit! :)




This was the one that ended up on our holiday cards. A much more casual pic which would describe our family the best.



And lastly.....a little apron I made to go with Mollee's Christmas set. I will take better pics tomorrow when it is daylight. I am happy with how it turned out!

Amy

Snow Day!!!

WARNING: Image overload. And let me start off by apologizing for some of these pics (they are fuzzy). A lot were taken when it was barely daybreak and my 50 mm can only do so much without the flash (which I didn't want to use).

For those of you that don't know this, we live in Southeast Texas where it NEVER snows. We may get a snow flurry or two but nothing ever sticks. Yesterday we woke up to a winter wonderland. The very first time my kids have ever seen REAL snow much less get to play in it. It was HEAVEN and so beautiful to look at. The area schools allowed the kids to come in two hours late so that they could enjoy this amazing day! Something that will more than likely NOT happen for another decade or so. In fact, the last time we got this kind of snow, it was in the 1980s. Anyway, here are some pics! I actually took loads more but tried to narrow it down.

Our street.

The neighbors yards.

Ethan making a snow angel.

It amazes me how snowflakes gather on tree limbs and branches. Beautiful!!

Isn't it beautiful??

The girls about to throw a BIG snowball (see what Mollee has in her hands....she is in the pink).



They were cracking me up!

See the flying snowball??

The kids very first Snowman!

And I warmed up from the cold with my favorite Starbucks and a new mug! Love me some polka dots.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Amy