Brown Paper Packages...

...tied up with strings. These are a few of my favorite things. I love pretty presents! Potterybarn has so many stunning wrapping jobs!! :)

I love the twine around some of them! So cute!

I like the idea of having a present garland like this.
Once upon a time, I found a picture with a present garland sitting above where the stockings were hung. It was so cute, and I'm so sad I don't know where I saw it. But, cute idea, anyway.

Don't these look so pretty? That is the coolest peppermint twisty thing I've ever seen!

LOVE the berries tied into the bows.

And of course we can't forget this beauty from {Joran Ferney}. Isn't a present advent calendar such a great idea! And so pretty!!?

And here this advent from {BHG} uses the same idea.

I'm loving these mocha tones, too.Especially when they're shiny!

Gorgeous!

And why not put presents all over the house.
Like these on either side of the bed?
Love it. And here's a present garland living this bedroom. So cute!I like how these presents are adorning this bookshelf.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Votives

Just a few simple, yet stunning ideas to dress up your table.
Line some votives with lemon leaves - just use double sided tape or glue - and then tie a bow around them! Isn't that pretty!?

Same idea, just use cinnamon sticks instead. I love the way these look. And they both probably smell really good. :)

Merry Christmas!

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!