Tuesday, November 8, 2011

The New Red and Green: A Moss Frame for Christmas

I know it's a little early to start thinking about Christmas, but I just can't help myself. I heard "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" on the radio this weekend and since then, I've had the FEVER. Watch out honey--the decorations are going to start making their way out of the attic very, very soon.



In my Christmas giddiness, I made this frame. It is a wooden frame that I covered in moss and embellished with sparkling (lightweight plastic) red ornaments. It turned out even better than I pictured it would. The contrast of the natural moss and sparkling ornaments are perfect.






And I've listed it in my Etsy shop! My mirror sold so quickly, I have to admit--Etsy is addicting. However, I will be making another one for myself, too. :)

Visit my shop










Thursday, November 3, 2011

Fall and Winter Vase Fillers

It amazes me how simple things found in nature (like beans, cranberries, and pine cones) become as beautiful as floral arrangements when filling vases and apothecary jars. (Truthfully, I often prefer decorating a table this way.)






At A Pop of Pretty, the creative layering of beans in complementary colors is simple and beautiful.













At DG Style:







Pottery Barn:




And this picture just doesn't do these mirrored glass balls from Michaels any justice. I saw these in person....they are gorgeous and super sparkly.




From Michaels:




This holiday season, get inspired. Look for items found in nature and craft stores that you find beautiful and are small enough to be put into glass vessels.



Tips for creating a "wow" display:


-Pick a "theme"-whether it is "nature inspired" and you choose acorns and pine cones or "sparkly" and you choose ornaments and glittering stars, make sure you love the look you are creating. Anything goes with this!


-Group the filled vases and jars together to make a statement. They will look beautiful on a dining table, side buffet, coffee table, kitchen counter....you name it. Don't hesitate to add other things to the display (like the tiny Christmas tree in the Pottery Barn picture above.)


-Choose a few colors that complement each other.


-Choose a variety of sizes. We instantly think of "very small" objects only when thinking of vase fillers, but my rule of thumb is, if you can comfortably fit at least three, it looks great. For bigger objects, try to stick with an odd number (it's more pleasing to the eye.) Check out my "Skulls in a Jar" from Halloween below:








    The choices are endless and there are no “rules” here….have fun with it!




    Wednesday, November 2, 2011

    Table Settings for Thanksgiving Dinner

    Are you hosting Thanksgiving dinner? We are, so I am perusing some of my favorite sites looking for table scape ideas and want to share them with you all!


    Pears seem to be popping up on tables everywhere this season! I love the pairing of the rustic tag and pear with the elegant pattern shown here.


    I am totally stealing this idea. LOVE the Indian Corn centerpiece!










    Tuesday, November 1, 2011

    Trick or Treat!

    It's been a long day, and I am too exhausted to post all of the pictures from trick or treating yesterday, but wanted to at least post a few!

    How cute are these little tykes? These darling babies all live in our neighborhood-we are all so lucky to have so many kids the same age!






    My sweet little puppy hung out on Daddy's shoulders for most of trick or treating!


    I will post more pictures tomorrow!






    Monday, October 31, 2011

    Happy Halloween


    Wishing you a very happy and safe Halloween!
    (And if you happen to see the Great Pumpkin, send him our way.)

    Sunday, October 30, 2011

    Halloween Party: Costumes and Cocktails

    This weekend, we had our "Costumes and Cocktails" party. We had an unbelievably great time! Little Briggs went to visit his grandmother for the night, so we were having a "fun night" with our friends. We decorated our house and kept the lights dim to create a "Haunted House" vibe.
    Bat cutouts, crepe paper, spider webs, and orange lighting created a "bat cave" out of the hallway off of our front entry.
    Some of the girls before all of the guests arrived (from left: Jenny, me, Melissa, Misty, and Tasha.)
    How CLEVER is this costume?!? They were "Peeping Tom," complete with a window and everything!
    Quite possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen. This "Bun Baker" used the costume party as an opportunity to let all of us know that the stork would be once again visiting our street. Everyone stopped to read her apron and said "wait....." followed by a squeal. HANDS DOWN greatest way to let people know!
    The classic angel and devil with a twist-she is the devil and he the angel. Love it.
    Spartans cheerleaders from Saturday Night Live! (And she MADE these costumes....can you believe it?!?)
    Mad Scientist came in with a FABULOUS entry and these costumes were so realistic!
    We were the "Leg Lamp" and the "Fragile Box" from A Christmas Story.
    Somewhere along the night, the alien "statue" got a makeover.
    My mother lent me these fabulous aliens...they are huge! My husband put purple lights under one of them and the eyes were literally glowing. (Bad picture, but it was dark.)


    Meringue ghosts (my mother made these and cake pops for my party...she is my "go-to" person for desserts!)
    White lunch bags turned into ghosts lining the staircase. These detail shots are during the day (when there was better lighting) but glow sticks illuminated them at night.
    Cake pops!
    Crows were popping up all over the house. They look slightly disheveled (the one on the left is even missing a leg) because Briggs finds them fascinating and has carried them around the house all season.



    I dyed this cheesecloth with black dye and got this gray, tattered looking cloth that was perfect for the staircase.



    Even poor little Topper was exhausted by the end of the party.
    We had such an amazing time. Thank you so much to all of our guests for coming!