Chanukah just started and Christmas is swiftly following! What I love most, more than gifts and more than food, is the spirit of joy and peace people seem to carry around during these months, but what I love secondly as much is the festive decorations! I am a blogger and lover of small space interior decor after all, it’s just in my nature. Being in the blogging world it’s easy to spot the trends, and this season I’ve fallen in love with greenery. So deck the halls, and deck the doorways, because greenery, both living and imitation, is on-trend this holiday season!
Living Greenery In The House
This picture speaks to me because the greenery is so feathery and soft looking. I feel like I can actually smell the evergreens straight through my computer screen. Garland is a fairly inexpensive, yet highly effective theme to run through your home. Pair garland like this with red accents, in this image they used a red tablecloth and red apple filled hurricanes to achieve a fresh and current holiday look. Hit up your doorways with loads of fresh greenery, try this on fireplace mantels and staircase railings as well.
{Image source: Better Homes and Gardens}
Give The Gift of Greenery
Okay, not literally, but I’ve seen people using it on holiday cards and present tags. Check out the tutorial for the mini wreath cards here, they present it as holiday cards, but I think it would work as present tags too.
{Image source: Frolic Blog}
Green Advent Calendars
If you’re planning on DIY’ing an advent calendar, you’re just in time, but you better get started quick! Christmas is fourteen days away and counting! I am not an advent calendar type of girl, but this advent calendar struck me differently and is one I would try if I had more time. It’ll make a strong impact as a fixture on top of a sideboard table or once again on a fireplace mantel. Check out the tutorial on Oh Happy Day.
{Image source: Oh Happy Day}
Merry Christmas! What holiday decor style are you working with this season? Are you going the tradition red and green route or have you jumped on a different trend? Please share in the comments and don’t forget to visit my pinterest board just for the holidays!
A certain someone I know is getting ready to celebrate her 25th birthday. I’d love to not only get her a present that I know she’ll appreciate but I’d also like to do a nice job at wrapping it as well. It’s all in the presentation. I did some trolling through Pinterest and found a few ideas for wrapping Ryli’s birthday present that wouldn’t be expensive and would be almost as exciting as her present.
{Image source: Robbie and Erin}
{Image source: The Country Chic Cottage}
I love the idea of butcher paper as wrapping paper. I could even recycle old paper grocery bags instead of butcher paper to get this look.
{Image source: Project Wedding}
Make sure to drop back here tomorrow as I share my final bedroom paint reveal! Can’t wait!
I know I don’t always post on Saturdays but I wanted to share a little bit of my special day with you all. Today I’m turning 25. Happy Birthday to me! Among other perks that come with a birthday, one of my favorite parts is the decorating of the party. I’ve had a couple of ideas for my party that I want to make sure to execute before the big event this evening.
1. Lots of candles. Lots of jars.
{Image: Christina’s Adventures}
I’ve always been a collector of glass jars and wine bottles, I never seem to run out of uses for them. So I keep a fair store of them in my cabinets and garage. Plus, I once made a very “Shannon-like” move and bought close to 300 tea lights thinking I would go through them in a breeze. I’ve used about 1/4th of them, and that was 5 years ago. Although, they’ll come in very handy for tonight.
2. Light and cheerful decorations.
{Image: Photo Smashing}
My party is being held at my parents house. One, because it’s nicer, and much bigger, and a more central location for my guest list. Two, there is a pool, and this week we had a day that was 108° F. Need I say more? So, on the back patio, my parents recently renovated and added a beautiful awning to add some shade. I’m going to be hanging balloons from the awning and put a marble inside of each balloon to keep them from blowing around too much and popping.
3. Entertainment.
{Image: Bear Pong}
Aside from swimming, which not everyone is going to want to do, I’m putting together a giant game of beer pong. I tried playing beer pong outdoors before and most of the time the wind will tip the entire game over. The advantage to giant beer pong is that it’s played on the ground and will be steady enough to withstand the wind. Last night I went and purchased several giant paint buckets from Lowes to put in my drive-way and will be using volleyballs as my game balls. I also have a simple washers game which I always enjoy playing so I’m going to put that out as well. I can’t wait, hopefully it’ll go over well and be fun.
4. Food and treats.
{Image: The Sweetest Occasion}
Aside from grilling some burgers, chicken, and hot dogs, I’m going to get watermelon to cut up and put on Popsicle sticks.
See you all on Monday! Have a safe weekend!
I was browsing for dorm room themes and furniture and came across this sweet commercial. I’ve been known to own an IKEA duvet cover or eight. I mean, they are so decently priced and you can change your look for $50 buckaroos. And seeing how growing up I too wanted to be a super hero who leaps into layers of blankets this commercial speaks directly to me.
I just had to share. Happy Friday!
I spent the past weekend running back and fourth to the W Hotel and Victory Suites for a smash event for the ladies of Dallas. Friday was the big party night, and it was complete with a red carpet and fashion show. A three day luxury shopping experience, The Weekender Dallas was swarming with goodies and good people. I actually ran into Giselle Phelps, a reporter from CW33 and had the chance to chat with her about a possible future makeover for their office.
Rumor even had it that my favorite Design Star, Hilary Younger, was floating in and out of the event as well. And guys, let me tell you, I went into full stalker mode, like I couldn’t shut my mouth about how I might get to meet Hilary. Sadly, I never got the chance to meet her, but Hilary if you’re reading this by some miracle just know “I WANTED YOU TO WIN!” Anyways…
It was hard to keep control of my credit card and narrow things down to what I wanted to purchase. There were over 70 vendors there. I started off in the main beauty suite. People were there to consult on your hair, put in extensions, give you lashes, you name it, and I think it was there. The Lash Lounge was the first booth to catch my eye. Let me tell you, I had lashes for several months and I loved them. If you’re thinking about giving it a go I would highly recommend it.
I have always wanted professional hair extensions put in and if I would have had the time on Saturday I just might have. Shammah was the extentions specialist in this booth and her shop is called Additions, cute right? I mean look at her hair, it is just gorgeous, if that’s not a walking advertisement then I don’t know what is.
Everywhere I turned I saw make up tutorials and skin remedies. It was estrogen heaven.
I pushed onward to the next room called the Designer Suite which featured a mix of jewelry and home decor. On the left side of the room was a massive pillow display by Deborah Main Designs, she had pillows in all shapes and sizes and they were so ornate.
She had so many, but I especially loved this red and grey pillow.
When I finally reached the main room I was a little over whelmed, so, to avoid overwhelming you all I’m only going to show you the two booths where I made purchases. Now, normally I don’t get sucked don’t know how to say no, but I’m quite proud of my restraint during this shopping weekend. The first vendor I couldn’t pass up was none other than the Laura Mercier makeup center. I’ve always been a loyal customer to Bare Minerals but I don’t know y’all…..I may start making the switch. I bought a stick of eyeshadow and a blush pad and then received a second eyeshadow with purchase. Yay me!
I had thought I had a before and after to show you but when I was creating this post I realized the before and after was taken by the event photographers so I’ll have to show you those on another day. My goodness, I love getting pampered.
The final shop stop I made was to a booth from a local Dallas artist by the name of Jenn Sprinkle. She had some fantastic prints with typography that made my knees go weak. Ever since I started blogging I’ve totally become a sucker for typography.
This print says “Everybody that is a somebody at one time was a nobody, dream big!”
Then I saw this Keep Calm and Rock On print and was immediately reminded of a post I did a couple of months ago.
The print I bought wasn’t actually for myself, (I am in seriously over my head with photos that need to be framed and hung up at my house) it was for one of my good friends and it said “Save the Dreamers.” I thought it was simple and inspiring, and especially applicable to my friend.
It was a great mix of shopping and I probably only showed you 1/10 of it. Everyone did a wonderful job and there was never a slow moment over the entire weekend…..well maybe an intentional slow moment but you’ll have to come back tomorrow to read about that. Stay tuned for part three tomorrow!
This past weekend I was able to take part in a great event at the W Hotel in Dallas called The Weekender Dallas, a three day event of shopping, pampering and luxury. I was there for a specific purpose (more on that tomorrow) but I was also really fortunate to enjoy the event as a guest as well. Things kicked off in style on Friday with the red carpet party and fashion show. Me and my coworker, Toni, fit right in, first by getting all glammed up and then hoping into the fancy-pants party bus. You’ll have to forgive this top image as the limo/party bus was so bouncy, it was hard to get a clear shot.
Here we are doing our best Steven Colbert impression. Unfortunately, the person we asked to take the picture for us wasn’t a fan of removing his finger before the picture was taken. Oh well. Doesn’t Toni look so gorge with that glitzy necklace? I was totally pining away for it.
The Red Carpet Party was held in a funky industrial warehouse space and the owner strung up these cool swing chairs out of white sheer fabric. We made good use of it for sure.
The evening flowed nicely from the cocktail hour, provided by Wine Sisterhood, into the fab fashion show. Here’s my girl Toni again, being a total diva and posing for the camera! She was obviously born for this type of life!
The last event of the evening before we tuckered out was the fashion show. I loved this outfit, it was like a high fashion version a bride from the turn of the century. What century though, I’m not sure. However, I will say that the up-lighting was not the best choice, mainly because it was a little hard to clearly see the outfits, and even models can look bad in unflattering light.
Later we came to find out that the purpose of the fabric chairs was actually meant for the models to pose on after and not for us to swing on. Haha, whoops!
Tomorrow I’ll be back to fill you with all the fun shopping I was able to do on Saturday. Ahh, I wish every weekend could be red carpets and fashion shows. What did you guys do this weekend?
For the next girls night in you’re going to want to remember this post! Krys, a friend of mine, also decided to partake in yesterday’s Pinterest Challenge and muster up the gumption to take on one of her pins.
Originally created by Kiersten from Oh My Veggies.
She gathered all her ingredients and decided to slightly twist the original pin from milk to her vice of choice – coffee. Krys is without a doubt a coffee fiend. On her most recent trip to Portland, Oregon, one of the coffee capitals of the U.S., she brought back eight different bags of coffee beans! Eight! Well, two were presents, but man oh man.
Her ingredients included:
- 2% milk
- sugar
- vanilla extract
- vanilla beans
Krys began by heating the milk, the vanilla extract, and the sugar in a medium sauce pan. She cut the vanilla bean open and scraped the insides into the mix and tossed in the bean as well. After the mixture finished simmering, she allowed it to cool before running the vanilla goodness through a strainer. This step helps eliminate any extra parts of the bean left over from the mixture. For full instructions including measurements and heating instructions check out the original recipe here.
She poured her vanilla ice blend into some super cute ice trays shaped like actual coffee beans! While she was waiting for the cubes to freeze, she began getting her coffee prepared, because it was about to have it’s mind beans blown!
This .gif (my first ever .gif by the way) makes my stomach want to drag me to the nearest coffee shop around! Well, first I would have to kidnap Krys, and have her make me some vanilla ice of my own, but yes, this little treat looks quite enticing. For more pinterest fun check out Compartment Life’s Pinterest Account! What pinterest challenges have you tackled lately? Is any else out there considering going to coffee rehab?
Recent Goodness!
Hammer TimeYesterday, I was sending thoughts out into the Twitter-verse when I came across this gorgeous image from Elle Decor… »
Round Up: Green and Gold Table AccessoriesGold Stones $Free, Allegra Hicks Placemat Set $9.99, Bracket Dinnerware $3.95-$6.95, Manchester Glass Set $128.00,… »
Vibrant Lulu & Georgia RugsHere is a breath of fresh air in the rug world. Lulu & Georgia carry accessories for all style types, glamorous,… »
Places To Shop
