real life.....{christmas at our house}

i love sitting in our living room on a quiet morning, soaking in all the Christmas goodness!
listening to carols, breathing in the scents and gazing at the tree...........
i thought i'd invite you in for a little peek :-)

 

i was certain when i took these pictures that they weren't blurry. sigh.......... most definitely time for new glasses!

anyway, i love how the mantle came out this year. i did the frosted candle holders myself.
and see those bell jars (that i'm in love with!!).......
soda bottles. way! check out the tutorial on seeing things!

there's another bell jar!
i inadvertently started a santa collection a few years ago. front and center is the last music box i gave my mom - and the only one left - of her collection.
and for the first time in six years i broke out the village! little man chose a few pieces to add to it.

the location of the tree changed this year (as did it's size to accommodate the smaller space!)

here's a tip: if you have children, you're probably gonna have to let go of your martha stewartish designer tree ideas. that was a hard one for me.

our outdoor decor remains relatively the same every year but this year we anchored our santa train to the railing. we got tired of it blowing over last year ;-)

so what does your home look like at christmas time? do you keep it simple with just a tree? or is decorating for the holidays a three day process? if you have photos on your blog, please share the link - i'd love to see!

shoppe update

a couple of new items have been added to "the shoppe"!

i really love designing these! i know, i keep saying that.
but i do!!
any graphics and backgrounds you see in my cards, invites, prints and party collections have been created by me.
no clip art for this girl! ;-)

gift ideas........{for the fashionista}

i'm a pretty laid back, casual kinda gal but my secret desire is to be a fashionista :-)
so putting this board together was a real treat!

1. bubble necklace by bubblejewelry 2. bow scarf by anthropolgie 3. nkhenry "lexi" bag

4. leather wrap bracelet from opensky 5. jcrew crystal bow keychain 6. chandelier earrings by ktjewelry

7. nars eye makeup set from sephora

how's your holiday shopping going so far? do you have anyone on your list who's hard to buy for?

12 days of free printables..(day 2: christmas gift tags}

here's another christmas freebie for you........
'chalkboard' gift tags!
i really enjoyed creating these for you - i hope you enjoy them, as well :-)

click on the photo above for a high resolution .jpg, formatted to print on 8.5x11" paper.

craftiness......{holiday card holder}

every year, we receive a pretty good amount of christmas cards and most of them have photos.
i love looking at the pictures throughout the season and usually i hang them along the banister or over the doorway.
this year i wanted to do something different.
a more prominent display, a little whimsical.
and here's what i came up with:

forgive the photo quality - y'all should know by now i take lousy photos *grin*

supplies:

old painting/frame
spray paint
thumbtacks/staple gun
clothes pins
glitter tape

(excuse the hands - i'm in dire need of a manicure!!)

super-easy craft - remove the old painting from the frame (be sure to get the staples, too!). spray paint then attach your chosen ribbon the the back of the frame. add your glitter tape to the clothespins and you're done!

i'm finding that i'm much more crafty around holiday time. how 'bout you?

GIVEAWAY.....{custom photo christmas card!}

surprise, surprise!
i woke up this morning and decided to have a giveaway.
you can win your choice of any christmas photo card design in the shoppe!!

mandatory entry: like our facebook page via the rafflecopter form below.
additional entries can be earned via the rafflecopter form by tweeting this giveaway.
easy peasy!

this giveaway will be open through sunday, december 9th and the winner will be announced monday, december 10th.

good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

gift ideas......{for the entertainer}

exactly three weeks until christmas day.
my house is halfway decorated and not a gift has been purchased.
maybe you're one of those people who finished their holiday shopping in may.
if you are, please tell me how you do it!
but if you're like me, you haven't even made out your lists let alone begun your shopping!!

so for the purpose of inspiration, i'll be sharing some gift ideas for the loved ones in our lives.
up first: gifts for those who love to entertain.....

1. champagne square chargers from world market; 2. champagne flutes from ikea; 

3. ornament place card holders from open sky; 4.  penguin cocktail shaker from pier1;

5. personalized confetti placemats from paper source; 6. serving set from anthropology

you can't go wrong with one of these!

how do i know, you ask?

'cause i want each one for my very own *wink*

tell me, how's your holiday shopping going? have you finished?

12 days of free printables....{day 1: christmas subway print}

happy december!
since this is the season of giving, i thought it would be fun to design some fun holiday printables just for you!
there will be 12 days of free goodness between now and christmas.
first up is a christmas themed subway print - and coincidentally, in the decor colors i'm using this year ;-)

just click on the photo for a high resolution .pdf, formatted to print on 8.5x11" paper.

happy holidays!