Category: Holidays
Create, Holidays

Friday DIY-Day!

January 13
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Happy Friday everyone!  Valentine’s Day is just over a month away…but it’s never too early to start thinking about fun holiday crafts!  I have a really easy project today that anyone can create…really!  I was inspired by some friends on Instagram who shared how to make a festive Valentine wreath…and I merely put my own twist on it.  I love to be motivated this way…in fact, we’re all inspired in one way or another by those we admire or creations we see on all the wonderful media outlets we have to gaze upon!  I hope you too can find some inspiration today to recreate this craft or change it up to make it just right for you! So take a look at this simple and seasonally festive DIY that will steal even Cupid’s heart!

shot through the heart!

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Decorate, Holidays

Customize It!

January 11
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Have you ever wanted to create a holiday display with colors other than the traditional offerings in the stores?  I don’t know about you but I often want to mix it up a bit and coordinate holiday color to the hues in my everyday design.  I’ve also had color schemes in my home that just didn’t go well with the common colors of certain holidays…like red and green just didn’t mesh well with the canary-yellow walls of my living room!  It can be tough to seasonally decorate if your color loves just don’t fit in!  Now that my home is more on the neutral side it’s much easier to blend in traditional seasonal decor, but sometimes I just want something different!  If you can relate, or if you’ve avoided decorating for holidays because those particular shades just don’t work, I’d like to share a solution with you…make your own!  I DO understand that not everyone gets a little giddy when the the subject of DIY enters a conversation!  But let me tell you that this option today is so easy that you could have your kiddos do it for you if the thought of crafting turns your tummy!  But I hope once you see how simple it can be, you might find more inspiration for not just decorating for holidays but celebrations & occasions of all sorts!  take a peek…

make it your own!

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Holidays

Cocoa & Cookies!

December 21
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Well, the big day is almost here and I FINALLY feel fairly prepared for all the celebrations!  Since the last day of school is today, we can soon start baking cookies and getting ready for all the holiday callers!  And it’s a fact that we will be loaded with plenty of gingerbread, sugar, and other varieties of Christmas cookies, so we NEED to have a warm and toasty drink to go with them!  One of my favorite sips during the holidays (and actually all winter long) would have to be hot cocoa!  We serve it up often when the cool winds begin to blow, but there’s something about Christmastime that give us the opportunity to doctor them up in holiday style!  At our annual Christmas Eve Gumbo I usually prepare the hot drink…but this year I thought a Cocoa and Cookies bar was in order!  It’s a perfect opportunity to make it special with plenty of friends stopping by all evening for a cup of soup…AND some sweets and hot chocolate to wash it all down!  If you caught the Holiday Hop last week, you got a good dose of inspiration…including some festive cocoa displays!  Lucky for me, I also soaked in the wonderful ideas that inspired my own cocoa station for my family and holiday guests!  Hot cocoa is easy to make and you really don’t need much to go with it to create a treat table that will delight kids and adults alike!  So with a few days left before Santa arrives, you still have plenty of time to create a holiday treat for whoever may come calling!  Have a peek at what I’ll be serving up on Christmas Eve…

hot, hot, hot chocolate!

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Create, Holidays

Tag It!

December 19
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Christmas is getting closer and if you’re anything like me this year…you might find yourself a bit behind!  Nothing wrong with that though!   In fact, it can be fun to finish all those final touches later in the month…it’s so festive in the house with the tree finally up and possibly some snow on the ground.  What better time to get in the holiday mood!  But that said, it’s easy to fall under some stress worrying about getting everything finished.  If you’ve got some wrapping to do, I’d like to share some simple gift tag fun!  Good for much more than just labeling a gift…you can decorate with them too!  Gift tags can be just as festive on a tree or on the table!  Take a peek at some last minute Christmas fun…and make your season bright!

more than just a label!

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Celebrate, Holidays

Holiday Party Hop!

December 16
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Happy Friday everyone!

…and welcome to the final day of the 2016 Holiday Party Hop hosted by the talented and inspiring mirrabellareations!

HOLIDAY HOP

I’m beyond thrilled to have joined the other 18 fabulous hosts who are so completely gifted…it’s really been a joy reading along all week–and also feeling as though I’d like to copy each and everyone of them yet this season!  Not only have I gained so much inspiration for the holidays and beyond, but have had the pleasure of meeting these creative gals and sparking some wonderful new friendships!  If you’re hopping over from custom_maed…I’m sure you had a great time scrolling through her inspiring idea for a holiday s’more kit!  Wasn’t it wonderful?  If you missed it you can back up and check her out…

party hop 17

or see all the fun from the beginning right here!  you’ll find your way to the final stop on the  holiday hop at the end of my post!

partyhop 18

It’s hard to measure up to all the fabulous ideas from the entire week…but I’d like to share some simple tips that might help to make your gatherings jolly!  I can hardly believe that we’re past the midway mark in the month with only 8 more days until Christmas Eve…where did the time go?  But the good news is we STILL have plenty of time to celebrate the season!

get ready for some Fa La La…

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Holidays, Travel

Outing at the Butter Barn!

December 12
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One thing I love about the holiday season is the chance to take in as much inspiration as I possibly can!  I have so much fun browsing the shops…you can get so many ideas for entertaining and decorating just by checking out all the displays!  And what would make this inspiration seeking even more fun?  To do it with friends!  On Friday afternoon I had the opportunity to head over to a wonderful little antique shop that I’ve been dying to see!  The Butter Beans Antiques Barn (also known as Butter Beans or Butter Barn) has come up in many conversations…my friends who’ve been there sing its praises and have been urging me to go!  But life always seems to get in the way and shockingly, it’s been over a year since i found out about this darling treasure trove!  So a couple of girlfriends and I hopped in the car and headed across the Michigan border to seek out all the fun!  Check out the link to the Butter Bean Facebook page so you can find out when they open their doors to the public and get plenty of inspiration for yourself!  If you’re in the southeast Michigan or Northwest Ohio area you really need to check them out!  This past weekend they had a holiday open house…let me share a glimpse of the joy!

merry and bright holiday outing…

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Holidays

Utilitarian Twist!

December 7
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You know how much I love to recycle my items…I can hardly throw anything away because in the back of my mind I believe there’s a purpose for it somewhere!  Fortunately for my family’s sake, I don’t have a problem discarding things that I’ve not used for a long time…I can pass them along for someone else to create their own treasures!  I’m certain my husband is at least thankful for that!  But in general, I often find that hanging on to certain items and reusing them can save an awful lot of money AND these utilitarian things can be transformed into something really cute and unique!  Plus, there’s lots of common household goodies, supplies, and serving pieces that are just too cute to be tucked away in a cupboard…so why not find alternate ways to utilize them while they’re taking a rest from their intended uses!  At the urging of one of my friends, I’ve decided to share a couple ways I’m decorating for the holidays using some of my utilitarian favorites from my pantry and more!

holiday decor from the cupboard!

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Holidays

Wrap Station

December 5
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I’ve barely begun to shop for all my Christmas gifts this year.  When the kids were little I usually had everything purchased by Thanksgiving, wrapped, and hidden shortly thereafter!  Well, those days are certainly over!  It seems the older they get the busier we are…AND they either can’t come up with ideas for their wish lists or keep changing their minds!  So, I have yet to purchase one thing for my children…but I sure am ready to wrap!  Whether you’ve finished your shopping, are somewhere in the middle, or have not yet begun, creating a fun place to wrap up those treasures can make the holiday feel more merry!  It can be stressful to shop AND it can be stressful to wrap…but I find when I gather my supplies together before I start, the process is so much more joyful!  And since last week I shared some creative ways to wrap up your goodies I thought it would be fitting to share some simple ways to keep organized so you can enjoy the season!

pull out the wrappings…it’s Christmastime!

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Holidays

Merry Mantle

December 2
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Well, December is here and for me that means it’s time to finish up my decorating!  My oldest has a birthday on the 4th so it’s always been a goal to have all the halls decked before we have birthday celebrations!  And as much as I love decorating for Christmas, I always seem to struggle with my mantle!  I’m not really sure what it is…I just have to work a little (ok, a lot) harder to come up with mantle displays that I like!  I love what I see in the homes of others…it’s just my stumbling block in my own house!  This year I’m enamored with tiny houses…not the kind you dwell in (although they are fascinating!) but the kind you decorate with!  And I got lucky to stumble across plenty of options!  Each year my decor takes on a little different twist…not that I go and get all new decorations, I primarily use all my old ones but find new ways to embellish them!  This year I’m loving that homespun, traditional look…there’s something nostalgic to me when I see plaids, knits, and good old red and green!  So that combined with the inspiring thought of “home for the holidays” helped me to pull together a mantle that reminds me of the warmth of a home filled with love!  A little mushy maybe…but that’s how I feel when I look at it.  And isn’t that what decorating is all about?  Finding ways to create spaces that make you and those you dwell with feel happy…and at home!  So today I’ll share with you my labor of love…my mantle.

a little home for the holiday…

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Create, Holidays

Holiday Wrap!

November 30
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I can’t believe that December is almost here!  And the weird thing is that even though we’ve had these extra few days after Thanksgiving, I’m feeling a bit rushed to get all my holiday plans in order!  I have to keep reminding myself that it IS still November, even if only for the remainder of the day!  So I’m trying to keep everything in perspective and enjoy the process of decorating, shopping, and preparing for all the Christmas festivities that fill the days leading to the New Year.  One of my favorite holiday preparations is wrapping gifts.  I know it can seem a daunting task…and even though I love it, I can feel overwhelmed at times!  But lucky us, each year it seems there’s more options for easy gift wrap ideas…cute bags & boxes, prepared bows, darling tags, and all the extra trimmings you can dream up!  And with all these options at our fingertips, it can leave us with time to dream up some out-of-the-box wrappings or special ways to personalize a gift or two!  I’d like to give a sneak peek at some DIY gift wrap ideas…

dress up your bags & boxes!

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