imported from bethlehem

This year Steve & I have a different perspective on Christmas since we spent a week in Bethlehem this past May.  We had the opportunity to meet with a variety of Palestinian business owners who face difficult challenges doing business in the West Bank. 

The group we were traveling with met with the Anastas.  They own a tourist shop in Bethlehem.  Originally their shop was on busy street, but unfortunately in recent years the security wall that separates Israel from the West Bank has drastically changed the traffic flow & customer volume.

Another place we visited was the inspiring Tent of Nations.  This land is owned by the Nassar family & they’re using it to bring people of various cultures together to build bridges of understanding, reconciliation, and peace.

It’s hard to imagine the Prince of Peace was born in this land of conflict near shepherd’s fields like these.  Hearing these people’s stories filled with passion for peace was incredibly moving.  I personally felt overwhelmed & couldn’t imagine living in their reality day after day.  My spirit would be crushed, but their strength, vision & hope for the future is unwavering.

We also spent time with Israelis and visited a nearby settlement. There is such a rich history of this land & such strong opinions about the future of it.  Steve & I left this part of the world heart broken about this ongoing conflict.  How can there be peace?

We’re really looking forward to our church, Kensington sharing more about where it all began this Christmas.  If you’re looking to attend a Christmas service this season & live in Metro Detroit, we invite you to experience this non-traditional, dynamic & moving service.

We’re blessed to be part of church that is all about bringing heaven to earth.  We strive to do the same in our business & personal life.  Thank you for allowing us to continue to pursue our dreams.  We’re grateful everyday for this amazing life God has given us.

twig ornament tree

One of my favorite seasonal decor tricks is dressing up branches from my back yard.  In the spring, I added whimsical leaves & birdies.  Around Thanksgiving I created a gratitude tree filled with flags of thanks.  And for the winter, I got a silver can of spray paint & prettied it up with Christmas bulbs.

It’s really an inexpensive way to add a lot of holiday flair to your home.  I just ran out & bought these vintage looking ornaments but I imagine it would look even more spectacular speckled with real vintage bulbs.

You don’t need much… just prune a small tree in your back yard, grab a few bulbs, ribbon & spray paint.  One of my weaknesses is not prepping adequately for my crafty visions so I’m sure there’s a better way to spray twigs without also covering the ground with silver paint too :-)

I love hand-dyed silk ribbon but any string, tinsel or ribbon would work just fine too.

That’s all there’s to it… hardly a need for a tutorial, but the results ~ fantastic!

I intentionally chose more wintery colored bulbs so I can leave them up through February.  Happy Holidays!

Like to get a little crafty every now & then?  Simply subscribe to this blog and we’ll email you a few of our snazzy ideas.

top 10 christmas gifts

With just 5 days left before Christmas, we’ve calculated some of our top sellers for the season.

mood buster shower bursts $3.95 each or $15.95 for the set

We’ve been selling these little aromatherapy gems to women of all ages.  Most everyone takes showers & who doesn’t enjoy a little pampering now and then?  Makes a great stocking stuffer, plus helps you decompress after all the holiday hoopla.

ticket stub diary $15.99

Life flies by so fast… remember the fun concerts, great shows or movies you saw with friends & family just by slipping your ticket stub in this handy book.  We’ve sold these for gifts to girls & guys all season long.

gurgle pot $39.95

A consistent favorite.  It’s a useful & pretty pitcher that makes you giggle when you serve up your favorite beverage.  A go-to gift for moms & grandmas alike.

bacon flavored toothpicks & floss $4.95 & $2.95

Apparently almost all boys like bacon because we’ve reordered these two goodies numerous times this season.  Super swell stocking stuffers for your meat lovers.

texting gloves $24.95 (available at our Berkley & Rochester locations only)

Keep your hands warm & fingers free with these polar fleece lined texting gloves.  Makes a great gift for a college or teenage gal.

bucky balls $34.95

Steve was just playing with our set earlier today.  These addictive little magnets are great desk toys or leave them in the family room to play with during tv shows.  Makes a nice non-electronic gift for teen boys too.

awkward family photos book $15

We always know when firefly fans have discovered this book in the store because we hear a mixture of laughter and disgusting oooohhs & awwwwwes.  No doubt an interesting addition to your coffee table… especially when the extended family is over.

baking beauty oven gloves $15.95

Tis the season to be baking & we have a feeling a lot of our firefly fans are looking quite glamorous in their kitchen this season by how many oven gloves we’ve sold so far.

putty creatures $12.95

These fun guys have been crawling out of our store as fast as we can bring them in.  It’s funny how two eyes & a little imagination can bring a blob of putty to life.

friendship bracelet maker $24.95

Some gals are going to come back from Christmas break with lots of little gifts for their girlfriends.  This bracelet maker makes it a breeze to whip out your favorite designs.  It comes stocked with a large collection of thread so she can start creating right away.

Do you like seeking out thoughtful gifts that bring bright smiles? We’re happy to share some of our clever ideas.  Simply sign up to receive these blog posts in your email and you’ll be the best gift giver around! 

 

our favorite christmas songs

Since our firefly team logs many listening hours of holiday tunes during the month of December, they have become experts on defining their favorite Christmas songs.  Here’s a few they still like to hear over & over again…

Plus Bess also loves Christmas Eve Sarasjevo – Trans Siberian Orchestra

Danielle also loves anything off the Andy Williams 1962 Christmas Album

A little fun fact – Steve & I spent our first married Christmas on our honeymoon in the Dominican Republic (not quite Hawaii ~ but tropical none the less) & we just celebrated our 13th anniversary.  Steve also loves a little Run DMC Christmas in Hollis

And I also love this upbeat Bing Crosby Holiday Inn remix

We would wake up Christmas morning with my dad playing the “record” over and over again.  To me this song brings back wonderful Christmas memories with my family.  I now play it over and over again on Christmas morning for my family.

Like reminiscing to timeless tunes that take you to a happy place?  Simply subscribe to this blog and we’ll email you our favorite music picks.

santa hat brownies

I’ve been spotting  a variety of these sweet Santa hat desserts on many different blogs & couldn’t resist making them myself.

You really can make these as easy or difficult as you wish… like buying pre-made brownie bites & frosting or baking the brownies & whipping up your own frosting.  It all depends on your taste buds & timeline.

I make a cream cheese frosting because it tastes so dog-gone good with strawberries & brownies, but it is a bit more slippery than other frosting styles & doesn’t travel the best.

Frosting recipe for a single batch of hats:

1/4 cup butter

4 oz cream cheese

1/8 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

*also if you have any left over frosting – it makes a great dip for pretzels

I served up these cuties at 2 different gatherings this weekend & they were a hit at both.  Festive, fun & fantastic tasting!  I think Santa would approve ;-)

make it yourself mistletoe

I’m definitely a crafty gal, but during the Christmas season I tend to turn it up a notch (hence all these DIY posts that are popping up lately).  My slight addiction to Pinterest has also been and inspiration ~ that’s where I found this cute felt kissing ball by ohdeedoh.com

We’re having a couple holiday parties so I thought it would be fun to hang it in our main entry way to the kitchen since that’s where everyone gathers most of the time… because a few extra kisses during this festive season is always a good thing.

Get some green felt, white pom poms & ribbon.

After you glue the two sides together, you’ll have to do some more hot glue handy work by adhering some of the petals from each side together to create more of a ball shape.  Then after you’re happy, add a few clusters of white pom poms.

And here’s a little mistletoe trivia for ya from the Farmers’ Almanac…

Decorating with mistletoe during winter is an ancient tradition, dating to the time before Christianity spread through Europe, when it was viewed as a symbol of fertility.

According to some versions of the kissing lore, the proper etiquette for kissing under mistletoe requires a man to remove one berry when he kisses a woman. Once all of the berries are gone, it becomes bad luck to kiss beneath that particular sprig.

Like to get a little crafty every now & then?  Simply subscribe to this blog and we’ll email you our latest creative endeavors.

cozy sock ornaments

Our retail teams double in size during the busy month of December…. so before we head into the busiest weekend of the year, I wanted to put together a little something to let them know they’re appreciated.

I wanted it to be creative, thoughtful & fun… and fairly easy to put together since I needed to make 24 of them.

I picked out a variety of super soft & colorful slipper socks & grabbed this wired tinsel ribbon from my studio. ( I bought it years ago & can’t remember the source — but ribbon would work just fine too)

1. Rolling up the socks into balls

2.  Wrapping the ribbon around them to create an ornament

3.  Creating cute tags & personalizing them for your friends, family or team members

Thank you gals for making days merry & bright for all our firefly fans this holiday season!

Now go kick up your heels & relax with a nice cup-0-cocoa :-)

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stocking stuffer giveaway

Tis the season to stuff stockings full of small goodies that will bring big smiles.  We specialize in these little nuggets of thoughtfulness & wanted to have fun stuffing one of your stockings for free.

putty creature $12.95, ADD magnet $5, seed of happiness $2, hot popcorn seasoning $3.95, orange blossom honey lotion $5.95,  relax shower burst $3.95, bucky cubes $24.95,  mustache lollipop $3.50, zotz fizzing candy $2.25 ($64.50 value)

So how can you score these sweet stuffers for free?

a Rafflecopter giveawayWe’ll draw a lucky firefly fan’s name on Tuesday, December 20th, 2011 and the winner will be listed on this post.

Have fun, good luck and thanks for playing!

Don’t want to miss out on future fantastic firefly giveaways?  Be sure to stay in the loop  by signing up here and we’ll email our fun-filled blog posts to your inbox!

have yourself a merry michigan christmas

Great gifts can be found close to home this holiday season

by Jen Sakey of c and g news

(excerpt)

Looking for a few more gifts on your holiday shopping list? Choosing a Michigan-made item or purchasing from a small, local business can be a win-win — recipients get to unwrap something unique, while shoppers help boost Michigan’s economy.

Instead of buying gifts online or at a large retail store, shoppers can make a real difference by staying in their own community. This option was emphasized on Small Business Saturday Nov. 26, which proved beneficial for many small stores in metro Detroit.

“Sales were up 30 percent this year,” said April McCrumb, owner of Catching Fireflies in Berkley. “I’m thrilled.”

After 11 years in business in downtown Berkley, McCrumb said she’s noticed a growing mindset among customers to shop locally. Catching Fireflies, which has another location in downtown Rochester, offers shoppers whimsical, fun items, including Detroit- and Michigan-themed gifts.

“We’re independently owned, and we offer a big variety of goods, including items from local artists,” said McCrumb.

In addition, McCrumb and her husband, Steve, own the Yellow Door Art Market, just two doors down from the Catching Fireflies Berkley location. The store sells handmade items from more than 70 Michigan artists, so not only are shoppers supporting a local business, they’re supporting the artists, too.

Catching Fireflies is located at 3117 W. 12 Mile in Berkley and 203 E. University in Rochester. For more information, visit www.catchingfireflies.com. Yellow Door Art Market is located at 3141 W. 12 Mile Road in Berkley. For more information, visit www.yellowdoorartmarket.com.

eager elves & merry mariachi members

Our firefly team specializes in creating smiles…. did you catch their latest holiday act?

Team Berkley ~ our very own firefly elves