Christmas Fashion Explosion

Do you remember wearing everything that you got for Christmas -

at once?

Me too.

By Now You Know...

That I'm not going to meet my goal to post more than I did last year.  I can live with that.  

I chose great family time instead!

Spending time with the kids non-stop this holiday season has made me realize how much they enjoy our family time together.  Sure we're busy every weekend doing something fun with

them and we do lots during the week, but I'm talking about quiet moments here and there. 

When I see how happy they are when I say yes to a board game, when I surprise them with a mug of cocoa or when we sit down to watch their favorite show together it's a strong reminder to  

slow our roll.  

Here's to slowing your roll!!



Our House for Christmas

Have any of you been over to Jennifer Rizzo's blog for her Holiday Housewalk Party?  You can get there by clicking here.  Many people have shared how they decorated their home for the holidays and I wanted to join in the fun.  Here are a few ways we brought some Christmas cheer to our house.

I'll start with my studio...

My daughter Gracelyn and I decorated her nightstand...

And here are some other miscellaneous touches around the house...

I suppose I'm still not done as this year it seems like I do a little to decorate every night.  I hope you're all enjoying this wonderful time of year!

Button Cards

I was so happy to stumble upon these button cards by Etsy seller, CreativeSyzygy.  By now you're fully aware of the fact that I'm a button lover.  I spent some time pulling my favorites out and attaching them to the cards that in some cases hold 4 and in some cases hold 1 or 2. 

Some of them even have a shmancy hole at the top so that you can hang them.

I have to pick up some more of these, I don't know what I was thinking when I bought just one set.

Flea Market Review {Part II}

I didn't realize how much more I bought at Sunday's flea market that I didn't get to show you. 
 

I love these old plastic reindeer.  I passed up a bunch of them because I was specifically looking for the frosty pink ones with tinges of aqua.

I took more time this month to pick through paper, something I normally get bored with pretty quickly.  I found some great album frames, german scrap, french papers and pharmacy labels...

These itty bitty muffin tins were my find of the day.  They are from a childs baking set.  I didn't take a picture of the teeny utensils and rolling pins.  Each one of these fits in the palm of your hand.  Fabulous storage for little items and supplies. 

And the suppository tin....what can I say, it's the prettiest shade of olive green.  Nothing that a few paper scraps can't cover right?

I couldn't not buy these snowmen toothpicks.  Also in the same bunch were a bunch of santas, not quite as cute but hey, it's vintage honeycomb and what's not to love?  {P.S. Shawn, don't be sad, I have some of these put away for you}

Hmmm...compote purchases two months in a row.  I'm finding that I love these...

A delightful old box of colorful spools...

What's a Sugar Prune? I have no idea but I bought this stamp and have been calling my daughter that all week. She loves it.

This button card shaped like a shirt was too cute to pass up.

And last, I found more of these from the same guy that I bought them from last month. They're just scrumptious.

So that does it!  I have another fun find from an Etsy seller that I'll share with you tomorrow that I think you'll love.

LOVE This Wrap Job

A couple of weeks ago I was on Pinterest and I saw this bee-u-tiful package.  I clicked on the link and it took me here, there and everywhere and finally I managed to find out that it was the work of an Etsy seller.  I went on a shopping spree and picked up some fabulous things from her including the butterfly, and some wonderful string and millinery.  If you'd like to pick some up too you can find her under the name thegildedbee.  I found the doilies online, they come in 12, 10, 8, 6 and 4 inch sizes and can be found easily if you search for Royal Lace.  I thought I'd share this wrapping inspiration goodness.

December Flea Market Review {Part I}

I lost battery life right after I took the first picture of my flea market finds for today so this will be 1 of 2 posts on what I brought home.  I loved every minute out there today, Christmas was in full force and I had the best time rifling through boxes of ornaments and old holiday decorations.  Here are a few of my favorites.  I love the twisted ornament and it's rare when I pass up a faded purple bulb, they're just not as easy to find.  I have several of the bumpy indented ornaments so I almost left this one behind but at the last minute I took it {well I didn't exactly take it...I did pay for it}. 

There were bottle brush trees galore, but then again, there are bottle brush trees galore in my garage waiting to be flocked so I only picked up one.  And funny...the picks, well I had them in my hand and the lady whose space it was came over and got, seriously, almost nose to nose with me and told me that they were a great deal.  I bought them partially because I liked them and partially because I got the impression that she was going to use the money to fund her breakfast burrito :) 

Dying Bottle Brush Trees

This past weekend I found a tutorial on how to bleach and dye bottle brush trees.  It was really easy and really fun.  I started with a bag of Lemax trees from Michaels that ended up being on sale.  It was a 21 tree pack in 4 different sizes.  I threw them all in a bucket of 50/50 bleach & water solution andthey bleached out in the time it took me to fold a load of laundry.

I then proceeded to dye them using food coloring, easter egg tablets, Glimmermist, etc.  The only problem I encountered were those darn blue trees.  When the trees bleach out they are a bit on the yellow side and when I used blue dye they turned more of a greenish color.  After trying everything I could think of I spray painted those babies {hence the blue base}.  Now that they're dry I'm going to paint the bases silver.  The only thing left to decide now is whether or not I want to spray a bit of flocking back on the trees as it tends to come off in the bleaching process.  Flocking or glitter?  I don't know...

My husband has been asking his dad for his Christmas ornaments for ages now that they don't decorate anymore.  My father in law finally relented and we are the new owners of some of the most gorgeous vintage bulbs.  Look at these...

And the old original boxes were amazing.  It's nice to have some family ornaments that have been passed on.  About 10 years ago my dad got a tad bit overzealous when cleaning out his shed and garage and he accidentally threw out all of our families ornaments.  When he realized it he felt so bad.  Needless to say, we don't say "ornament" around my mom these days.

Zucchini Cakes Recipe

Today we spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with my in-laws and tomorrow my family is getting together for Thanksgiving part II.  After a big lunch I wasn't sure what to do for dinner tonight.  I decided to make one of my sides for tomorrow for dinner instead.  This isn't a great picture, in fact, I had to tell my husband to wait one sec while I took a quick picture before he grabbed it and ran back to the game.  This one is a keeper for sure and even my little kids loved them!

Zucchini Cakes

3 c coarsely grated zucchini
1/2 tsp salt
1 c bread crumbs
1/4 c diced red bellpepper {I used a 1/2 c because we love it}
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 egg
1 green onions
1 tbsp mayonaise

Press grated zucchini with paper towels to dry.  Add all ingredients to the zucchini and press into 8 cakes.  Press each side of cake in breadcrumbs and fry in 2 tbsp of oil on medium until browned on both sides.

I served mine with a drizzle of ranch dressing from The Cheescake Factory who has, hands down, the best ranch ever {you can ask them for a pint and they'll add it to your bill}.

I'm still going to make a batch tomorrow for those that didn't enjoy them with us tonight.  I hope you all enjoyed this day of thanks with family and loved ones!

Bitty Clipboard

You might have seen my bitty clipboard in the current issue of Somerset Life.  If you ever see one of these little versions at your flea market don't hesitate to pick it up.  It's about 5x9 or so and one of the reasons I love it is because it fits perfectly on the console between my seat and the passengers seat in my car.  Stamps, schedules, notes, you name it have a home on this clipboard.  I have a dumb phone so I don't keep the data that most people do in mine.  I like my old school ways!

Teeny Tiny Christmas Album

I have this years mini Christmas album picture ready.  It's teeny tiny, just 2x3.  I have come to find that these little books are the most enjoyable to look through.  I like the fact that the entire book is dedicated to just one day.  It never ceases to amaze me how much you can squeeze into a book this size.  {I used mainly K&Company products for this album with the exception of the paper on the front which is by The Girls Paperie}.

Tonight I need to chat with my sister about our Thanksgiving menu.  I'm in charge of our breakfast and I usually get the ham.  I want to try a side this year that we've never had.  The choices are pretty much endless, it's just a matter of narrowing it down to something that most everyone will like.  I saw a recipe for brussel sprouts in brown butter but that will pretty much only fly for me and one of my boys so that's probably not going to happen!

Honeycomb Love

I thought I'd share these darling little honeycomb gift tags that I found at Target.  How sweet are these???  I couldn't help it...I bought all they had.

Easy Christmas Centerpiece

By now you've probably guessed that I've begun decorating for the holidays.  I've mentioned this before but I'm early to decorate and early to undecorate.  All signs of the holidays are back up on the garage shelves by December 26th {this is true}.

My favorite candle is the Capri candle at Anthropologie.  It's the one that is usually in the blue glass container {and the one that you tend to notice the most when walking around in the store}.  Last year it came in a mercury glass looking container and I asked for a few of them for Christmas.  Instead of leaving an open flame going around children at various Christmas get togethers I decided to drop it down in a huge glass jar that I picked up at Homegoods.  Before placing it inside I filled 1/3 of the jar with fake snow.  I pulled out my best Christmas pick {really a few of them that I wired together} and I placed it inside as well, covering the stem.

Simple, easy and pretty! 

What Am I Doing Wrong?

I'd like to use my blog a friend please on decorating my mantle for Christmas.  I have always stuggled to create a nice mantle, holiday or otherwise.  I arrange and rearrange and I just can't seem to get it right.  What am I doing wrong?  Maybe a big silver charger or platter behind the compote of ornaments?  Some height?  Sorry for the bad picture, I had to take it from the end of my dining room table so I couldn't help but get part of my chandelier in the photo.

I love all of the items on the mantle so I don't know what to take out...

And some things behind, some things in front of the garland...how do you feel about that?  Please offer up your best suggestions, nothing will hurt my feelings!