A Busy Bee.

Girl. Where have you been?

Maybe you noticed I have been a little MIA over the last month... or maybe not. :)

I started 2011 with an evaluation. A big one. This post, by a great friend, puts into words the way I had been feeling as well. A lot of going and doing but not necessarily a lot of accomplishing. So this little evaluation of mine has led to numerous changes, all of which I will explain at a later date. Important and relevant for now is the fact that over the past month I have been tackling, what had at one point been, a completely never ending t0-do list.... I kept adding great ideas to it and never seemed to find the time to actually DO any of them. So, I took January off... in the sense that I did not take any new clients, did not start any new projects, stopped blogging, etc... in order to make a dent in that list. My little self-imposed break from the normal has been amazing!

There was a lot of prayer that went into this decision and I am positive that God blessed. So with His help (and a lot of coffee... and a nana to watch my little ones) I became super focused (which, if you know me... that does not happen very often) and I was able to finally finish up a lot of client work, update my shop (seriously... this was a seemingly never ending task... ugh) and I have been a creation machine, pumping out lots of new designs that I cannot wait to show you!

So, take a look at what I have been working on. (And don't forget to tell me what you think!)

{Wedding Consultations}

I had a couple wedding consultations during this time off (so I guess it wasn't really time off then huh...?)
The above image is of my consultation packet.
Each bride and groom get their own folder that includes all the necessary wedding stationary information, like wedding etiquette and font choices. So very necessary, right? :)
They also are treated with a little monogram note card set as well.

I held one such consultation in my home.
The above and below images are of a gazillion wedding invitation suites spread out over my dining room table.

A stack of invitations ready for their bride & groom.

I finished up a custom birthday party pack for a friend.
{Party Pack Includes: Invitations & Envelopes, Birthday Sign, Thank You Notes, Cupcake Toppers, Favor Tags}

Cupcake ToppersThank You Notes

{New Collection: L O V E L Y Baby Shower Invitations}

Which one was your favorite?

So, what have you been up to over the past month?

Winners!

Thank you so much for entering the giveaway, leaving comments, and telling me your goals for the next few months!
I had fun reading them and was quite challenged too...
maybe we should make this a regular thing to help one another achieve all of those goals.

AND THE WINNERS ARE...
(from random.org)

Molly & Kristen - please send your mailing address my way so I can get your very own Resolution Calendar on its way to you!

Happy New Year... only a few days late!

So with the start of a New Year comes resolutions. Resolutions, that in reality, have probably already been thrown by the wayside by now, only the 11th day of January. Be honest... how committed and successful have you actually been so far with your resolutions?

This year I decided that in the place of a bunch of resolutions that would fail days into the new year, I would make goals... small, reachable goals, month by month.

My thought is that this way at the end of the month I can keep myself accountable. I can have a tangible way to check what worked and what didn't... that way I am creating a habit of working towards a goal at all times, not just once a year.

Of course, this little goal project needed to cute and well designed, so I came up with this little month by month goal list taker (phrase?).

And because I love you, I am giving it to you to download & print on your own.

And because I really love you, if you leave a comment here telling me what your biggest goal for 2011 is and how you are working toward it this month or next month you will be entered to win your very own little goal calendar that I will print/embellish/assemble and send your way!

As I update mine (and reach or don't reach goals) I will share it all with you this coming year.

. . . .

{Usage Instructions}
1. Click on image
2. After it opens in a new window, click on the image to enlarge to full size.
3. Right click to save it to your computer. (Make sure you save it to a place where you will find it, i.e. your desktop)
4. Open the file & print onto cardstock (When printing, uncheck the box that says 'shrink to fit' or 'scale to fit' etc.)
5. Cut the paper in eighths (final size = 2.75 wide by 4.25 tall)
6. Put months in order and hole punch in top left corner.
7. Create a front and back cover. I used a heavyweight cardstock and embellished it with a couple layers of paper cut in the shape of a circle and wrote in the year 2011. On the back I did the same but wrote 'Proffitt family.'
8. Punch hole in top left corner of front and back covers.
9. Assemble using a D-ring.

Email me if you have questions or problems downloading the file.

*For personal use only, not for resale. All rights belong to Ashlee Proffitt Design.

Celebrate!

We are celebrating a couple things this week and today I will start with this:

{The End of a Great Christmas Season}

As you may have noticed, my 12 days of Christmas suddenly ended... at day 10. :) I decided, quite abrubtly, that I was going to take a few days off from any work (i.e no computer, no emails, no blogging) so that I could truly enjoy this holiday season with my family and friends. Do you ever feel like you are just moving through life but not really experiencing any of the really great things going on around you? Well, that is how I was beginning to feel and I did not want to wake up the day after Christmas and realized that I missed it.

I am sure you understand.

However, I did not forget about my 12 days of Christmas commitment and I wanted to share with you the last two days I had planned. (Bookmark this post and use it for next Christmas!)

{Day 11 - Christmas Cookie Extravaganza}

My husband and I wanted to reach out to our neighbors in a special way this Christmas. We have lived in our house for nearly 2 years now and seem to not have close relationships with any of our neighbors... that, my friend, is a problem we wanted to change. So, we made about a gazillion cookies, packaged them into this adorable little box and delivered them door-to-door just a couple days before Christmas. It was a hit! Keep this in mind next year when you are looking for that sweet gift for a neighbor (or if you are like my sweet mother-in-law, you could make them for your mailman, hairstylist, etc. That is on my list for next year... thanking those people in your life who often get forgotten.)

{making cookies!}

{Three-Layer Bars}

{Favorite Sugar Cookies}

{Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Snowballs}

The little boxes of goodies:
1. Three-Layer Bars 2. Chocolate Chip Cookie (pre-made dough)
3. Favorite Sugar Cookies 4. Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Snowballs

{Three-Layer Bars}

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 1/3 cup HERSHEY®’S Cocoa
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cups crushed vanilla wafers (about 60 wafers)
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 
  FILLING:
• 3 tablespoons cold milk
• 3 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 
  TOPPING:
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

• In a large saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa and sugar. Cook and stir over low heat until butter is melted. Stir a small amount of mixture into the egg; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until mixture reaches 160°. Stir in the wafer crumbs, coconut and vanilla.
• Press into an ungreased 8-in. square dish. Let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes.
• In a small bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in pudding. Spread over crust. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes or until firm.
• In a microwave, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Spread over filling. Refrigerate until serving. Cut into bars. Yield: about 1-1/2 dozen.

- - -

{Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Snowballs} My favorite!!!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces German sweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
• 
  TOPPING:
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 teaspoons shortening
• 2-1/2 cups flaked coconut, toasted

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the German sweet chocolate, coconut and pecans.
• Roll into 3/4-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
• In a microwave, melt semisweet chocolate and shortening; stir until smooth. Dip tops of cookies into chocolate mixture; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets; sprinkle with toasted coconut. Chill for 1 hour or until firm. Yield: about 5-1/2 dozen.

Recipes from Taste of Home. (Looking for the Favorite Sugar Cookie recipe, click here?

{Day 12 - Decorate Your Little One's Room}

We had so much fun this year decorating Andrew & Asher's room.

+ We strung lights from the ceiling.
+ We made snowflakes, painted and glittered them. Then hung those from the lights.
+ We added a teeny little Christmas tree and colored lights too!

The boys loved it...
Next year I want to try this (thanks Kristi!)

Pictures from the boys' room:

. . .

You can look forward to these posts later this week as we celebrate

{A Very Happy New Year} & {Ashlee Proffitt Design's 100th Blog Post}