love this time of year!

I have to say this time of year has to be one of my favorites.  It smells like fall, the leaves have almost all fallen, and I finally get to wear mittens.  The holidays are getting closer and people are preparing to celebrate for Thanksgiving.  It's also the beginning (hopefully) of the snow season.  I almost can't wait for it!

This year I will be preparing a faux thanksgiving dinner for some of my friends and coworkers.  Its not the Thanksgiving dinner, but it does provide a nice prelude to the real deal.  This year I will be hosting the dinner at my new apartment and I have already begun preparing for what I hope will be a great evening!  I have come across so many creative ideas (courtesy of Martha) for what I will prepare and how I will decorate.  At the risk of sounding/seeming like holly housewife I'd like to share some of the absolutely adorable ideas I have found to help me decorate for this Thanksgiving dinner.

First off, I love name cards.  I don't know why, but something about them just makes a table look organized and fashionable or in this case pretty darn cute.  I found these great name cards that I just can't resist - I plan to use them on the table.  Real pics to come!

little turkey name cards

In addition, I've found some great ways to set the table.  Now, I know that I am probably getting a little ambitious, but I'm going to put these ideas in my back pocket in the case that I do have unlimited time to prepare!

Thats all for now.  Happy holiday prepping!  Cheers!

The mitten's first blog!

Hi friends!

First time blogger here, so I think I'll start with the basics.  I'm Jessie - I live in Michigan and I love this state.  I grew up in Texas, so I do have a little south in me and on a regular basis I am reminded that while I did spend the larger half of my life in a state that considers itself its own country I do have a great deal of respect and admiration for the little state us Michiganders so lovingly call the mitten!  Michigan is definitely my heart! 

a tribute to the mitten!

I also have a serious passion for all things creative and all things concerning the imaginative (right) side of the brain.  My favorite color is ivory, beige, white, off-white, egg shell, taupe, cream, burlap.... you name it, if it looks at all white/natural I'm all in.  In addition (and I've come to find out I'm pretty much on my own on this one) I absolutely love snow (go figure, its white too)!  As a kid, still living in Texas, it was a real treat to go on our annual ski trips out west.  My dad would prepare me for the wintery cold weather of negative below temps and extreme abundance of snow, but I remained genuinely fond of what I would come to call the best form of precipitation.  To this day I am amazed each and every time the first flakes fall here in Michigan - there is something magical about it, something that isn't so easy to put into words.  Sometimes when the passerby gawfs at my silly excitement, I'll chirp up and say "But I didn't grow up with it" - still I secretly think its something more.

a long time ago in Michigan...all the snow

there's just something about it :)

Another topic I find connecting with me on multiple fronts each and every day of my life is the topic of sustainability.  Not only do I value the idea that we as people enjoying this earth can (and I faithfully believe will) take care of it, but I also believe that its important for us to see what potential is already there.  Its sort of a "pass it on" exercise, just think about all the earth has given us!  We have all this brain power and will power to redevelop, reinvent, and renovate the places that need it.  I'd like to include in my blogs something called "the green mitten" - a thought or exercise or story or picture that provides an example of a sustainable or rejuvenating act that is relevant to or has affected Michigan.  Hopefully all good things!  Here's to the green mitten!

we started with the automobile, but the two wheel wonder can take us places!

riding bikes and native grasses

In addition, to  further explain why I'm here writing to you, I've decided to impart some of my passion to the paper world and the graphics world into something of an endeavour.  But as for now, till further explanation is needed, I think I'll stick to writing about things I like or enjoy, letting all of you get to know me and my style!  I hope my first blog went alright!


Thanks for reading!  Will blog again soon -


The Paper Mitten Co.