Candyland

I love the way this looks. So fun and festive. I think it'd be a great centerpiece for a party or a great treat table, for that matter. Way to go, Martha!

Christmas Up Your Entry

Love this spread from Potterybarn!

Those old fashioned sleds are so fun! And I love all the lanterns lining these steps. The votives are really cute, too, but let's be practical...they'd get broken...maybe even stepped on. Silly Potterybarn.

The giant red bucket/planter filled with firewood and pine bows is really a nice touch. And I love the garland and all the ornaments hanging on it. The bows on all the lanterns and on the corners of the garland sure are cute!The hanging lantern and porch lights are so cute, too. Those would be good all year, but they add a nice touch mixed with all the other lanterns lining the steps. And that rocking chair with presents sitting in it...so cute! I love the wreath, too. What is Christmas without a wreath on the door? This just looks so inviting. I love it!

And here's another entry from Potterybarn that caught my eye:

Love how low the wreath is hung on that red door! It's so cute! I think wreaths are often hung toooo high. This one has those lanterns, too, although they are a little different... It's so cute. I love the lanterns! But this porch is also lined with Christmas trees...well, little pine trees, but they decorated them like Christmas trees. Just a few ornaments and lots of lights. I especially like that little tree planted in the urn. Cute.

And once again, so inviting! Those windows are amazing! I love the transom above the door. And the garland just enhances the beauty of this entry because it frames it so well. I really like that they strung it above that transom. Another thing I love about both of these entryways is that you can see the Christmas Tree through the windows. That just makes me want to go inside even more. :)

Merry Christmas!

My Sweater Refashion

Recently, I bought this sweater at Old Navy. I got it in grey, though, and for some reason, I can't find it pictured in that color. It's cute, but I wanted to change a few things about it.

So, I got it in a larger size, then I took about two inches out of each shoulder seam. I just left the sleeves at the same size, but gathered the cap of the sleeves so they'd fit back into the smaller shoulder hole. I did this so they'd be a little puffed, because I like it when sleeves fit that way.

With the fabric I cut out of the side seams, I made these little roses.

It was really easy. I just hand sewed them to felt fabric in a spiral pattern starting in the middle and working out. Then, I hot glued another piece of felt on top of the stitched felt and sewed on a pin.

That's right, they're pins. I can wear them on any shirt. And I love them. I love the whole thing!

I think I might make a ton of other pins just like this with other fabric and ribbons...They would be cute gifts, too, don't you think?

Merry Christmas!

Brown Sugar and Spice Body Scrub

I fell in love with this idea from {Bake at 350}. She says: "I tried it on my hands and arms. OH MY! My skin is now so silky smooth and I smell like gingerbread! I have been caressing my own hands and arms all afternoon..." If it's that good, it's worth a try!

Here's the Recipe:


1 cup C&H/Domino Light Brown Sugar
1 cup C&H/Domino Pure Cane Sugar
¾ cup almond oil (found in the "organic beauty" section)
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 16 oz. glass container with lid
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk all dry ingredients until thoroughly blended. Be sure to break up any lumps from the brown sugar or from the spices. Stir in the almond oil. Spoon into the glass container and secure with lid. Then, just include a little tag with these instructions:


"Scoop a teaspoon or two of the scrub on your hands and gently massage in circular motions onto your skin. Leave on for 3 to 4 minutes before thoroughly rinsing. The scrub will tighten on your skin."

Wouldn't it make a great little gift? Just make one for yourself, too. :)


Merry Christmas!

Non-Tree Ornaments

Last year I loved this look from Potterybarn:
Ornaments in different places around the house.

It's so festive! And who says the tree gets all the glory!?

I love the way they look in vases.

Or in an urn - like this one:

Or just placed in various places around the house...or cabin. :) I like these stars a lot! And the ornaments hanging around those cranberries are really cute, too.

At my house, I just scattered my left over ornaments around the house.

My favorite spot they landed was around these candlesticks.

How festive!

Maybe next year, I'll have more interesting ornaments so my house can look like those PB pics. Until then...

Merry Christmas!

Mistletoe

I think I might have to do this for my wonderful husband! Just like this - I love the note. :) And leave it somewhere he'll find it.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tree Decorating 101

You know those amazing trees?
The ones it the magazines?

And at the craft store?

Ever wondered how to make your tree look that good?

They're just so perfect!

I mean, the rooms in those magazines might have something to do with it...

But seriously, what does it take to make a tree look that good?

Having worked at a craft store and seen the secret to their Christmas Tree productions, I have a few tips for you that I use and that make me fall in love with my Christmas Tree every year.

#1: It doesn't matter what kind of tree you have or what kind of decorations you're going to put on it. It needs to be well lit to look great. And the best way to string the lights is to run them up from the trunk and back down toward the trunk on each branch...or most of them anyway. When there are lights near the center of the tree as well as on the edges, it gives your tree depth and makes it look ten times better! If your tree is pre-lit, you're a lucky ducky.

#2: String something around the tree in a spiral pattern. Regardless of they style of your tree decorations, it will look great as long as it's fairly substantial and not too thin or dinky looking. I've seen everything from feather boas, to sparkly branches, to ornament ball garlands, to ribbon used to do this and the list doesn't stop there. You could use just about anything, but make sure it's a color that you're ok with making the base of your tree scheme. The spiral pattern is a great foundation for the rest of your ornaments. It's also a great way to hide those bare spots. Just string a big chunk of it from a branch on one side of the hole to a branch on the other side of it. I use ribbon - and I make sure it's spiraling on it's own as it also spirals around the tree. I just unroll it as I walk around the tree. And for those big holes, I make sure there's a big spiral of ribbon covering it.

#3: Use ornaments of many different sizes. I have my huge ones, which my husband affectionately refers to as "bowling balls" and my tiny ones that are the size of gumballs and everything inbetween. The juxtaposition of the different sizes creates a lot of interest in the tree. You don't need very many large ornaments for the tree to look good. I have five bowling balls and five cranberry wreaths which are also on the large size and it's more than enough to give my tree the look we're going for with the different sizes. The huge ones are also great for hiding those holes in your tree.

#4: Use ornaments of many different shapes and at least a few different colors. The round balls are classic, but it makes a tree ten times more interesting if there are ornaments in other shapes and colors scattered over the branches. The long shaped ones are my favorite kind to mix in. I've seen icicles, candles, stars, and pendants just to name a few. And they all do the same thing. Bring more interest to your tree.

#5: Dress the ends. Make sure you have a great thing on top of your tree and a great thing beneath it. It doesn't have to be the classic star on top. I've seen giant bows, huge ornaments, bird nests, angels, santas, hats, ...pretty much anything used. Just make sure it ties in with the rest of your tree. On the bottom, it doesn't have to be a tree skirt either. I've seen fur fabric, burlap, other fabric scraps, and blankets used for this. Again, just make sure it ties in with the rest of the tree.
Ta-da! That's it. Doesn't it look nice!? If you can do at least four of these things, your tree will look amazing. Check out the trees at the top again if you don't believe me. They all have at least four of these five elements going on. Happy Decorating!

Merry Christmas!

Gifts for the Book Lover

{Living With Lindsay} has a great tutorial for making this awesome wreath. I love the way this looks! I LOVE IT! I don't know what it is about it, but I think it's such an awesome idea. Great gift idea for a book lover...then again, maybe not. :) Guess it depends on how much they love books.

I actually can't pinpoint where this image is from. But, I love these book marks!! I want some!! They are SO chic!! Look pretty easy to make, too. Those look like really thick velvet ribbon. And I'm sure they sell those brackets on the ends of those ribbons at some crafty place and then just add a charm on the end. Aren't they pretty!?  Here is a tutorial I found at {Oh So Crafty}
Anyway, happy gifting!


Merry Christmas!

Ornament Wreath

{Nannygoat} made this pretty wreath using these supplies from the dollar store!

Cute, huh!?

See her posts, {here} and {here}. I might do it with shatterproof ornaments, though. It might close really hard against the door or something, or I might drop it like she did...

Here's another version from {Thrifty Decor Chick}. She has a good tutorial, too.

And I saw this one in The Company Store magazine. I love the teeny tiny ornaments mixed in. So cute~

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Advents

I LOVE Advent Calendars! But, let's face it, most of them are really hokey. So, I've been on the hunt for some great ones. And here's what I've come up with so far:

Here is Martha's {Baby Sock Advent}. Click on the link for a tutorial. She says to put a little gift for baby in each sock - one a day until Christmas. It's cute, huh!?

I don't think it necessarily has to be baby socks, or have presents just for baby either. You could do things for the whole family - in big size socks.

Here is a cute idea from {Ali Edwards}

She just numbered different size and colored boxes and tacked em to her wall...

Isn't this train to die for!!??

It's sold out at {Impression}. But, it really looks kind of easy to make. Ok, maybe not easy, but all you'd have to do is get a wooden toy train red and white, then stick on those numbers. I just think it's adorable!! Wouldn't this be cute going around the bottom of your Christmas tree??

{Jordan Ferney} came up with this beauty!

Well, I guess it was her and Potterybarn. That's where she got the shelf. Seems like you could make one pretty easily. She fills her beautifully wrapped presents - I KNOW - with things like this:

December 1: Go Ice Skating

December 2: Watch It's a Wonderful Life, make spiced cider.

December 3: Exchange gifts

December 4: Make Christmas Cookies for friends.

December 5: Find Mistletoe, hang it in our house and kiss under it.

December 6: Address and Mail Christmas Cards

December 7: Go to Borders and Pick out one new Christmas CD.

December 8: Go to The Nutcracker

etc. etc. etc.

So, most of them are things to do together, which I really like. Go {here} for her full list of ideas.

And here are some family friendly ideas from The Idea Room:

1. Decorate the Christmas tree.

2. Write letters to Santa.

3. Build a snowman.

4. Have a snowball fight.

5. Make Christmas cookies and surprise a neighbor or two with a plate.

6. Sing Christmas Carols together.

7. Write Christmas letters to relatives we will not see for Christmas.

8. Watch a Christmas movie.

9. Visit Santa at the Mall.

10. Take a drive to see the Christmas Lights.

11. Clean out old toys and donate to Goodwill.

12. Make a gift for kids teachers.

13. Make some Christmas Candy.

14. Play a game in front of the fire.

15. Watch The Grinch.

16. Learn more about Jesus.

17. Sleep under the Christmas Tree.

18. Do a secret service for someone in the family or a neighbor.

19. Make a gingerbread house.

20. Read an extra Christmas story.

21. Make some reindeer food for Christmas Eve.

22. Read the Christmas story in Luke Chapter 2 and other scriptures.

23. Act out the nativity scene.

24. Listen to Christmas music.

25. Set out cookies and reindeer food for Santa and his reindeers.

26. Read the notes in our love socks.

27. Watch a Christmas special on television.

28. Go sledding!

You could of course do this idea without the 25 box frame. Just number the presents and set them out on something pretty like this image from {BHG}.

And here is probably my favorite idea that I got from this Potterybarn image. I'm totally doing this.

Hang an ornament on your Christmas Tree every day until Christmas. I think if I were to make this, I'd just attach knobs to a wooden board of some sort and just hang the ornaments from each knob. I also would have the ornaments mean something. I love this idea from {Keepin the Castle}. Each ornament has a scripture about Christ associated with it. What a great way to make sure you're focusing on the real reason for this holiday, which I think is all too often forgotten.

Merry Christmas!!

Wassil

I love sipping Wassil this time of year. It's great at any Autumn or Christmas party. Especially when served with yummy doughnuts, apples, and cinnamon sticks.

Wassil

Ingredients:

1 pint cranberry juice coctail

1 6oz can frozen orange juice concentrate

1 12oz can frozen lemonade concentrate

1 pint apple juice

3/4 cup water + 1 1/2 cup water

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp allspice

2 cinnamon sticks

8 orange slices

10 whole cloves

cheese cloth

Combine orange juice and 3/4 cup water in a large pot or sauce pan. Add cranberry juice. Add 1 1/2 cup water, sugar, allspice, lemonade, and apple juice. Simmer. While simmering, wrap cloves and cinnamon in cheese cloth. Float in pot while simmering. Put an orange slice in each cup when serving. Serve warm.