Last night it fell about five cm of snow. Now, if the temperature doesn't rise too much it will still be there this afternoon which would be perfect since Liseberg's Christmas Market is on tonight's agenda.
Five million lights and 700 Christmas trees greet you when you walk in the entrance to Liseberg Christmas Market in Gothenburg. This year Christmas at Liseberg celebrates it's ten year anniversary and is more popular than ever.
Northern Europe's largest Christmas Market offers, in addition to all the traditional attractions; buildings dated from the 18th century, about 80 rustic stalls brim with traditional handicrafts and seasonal Swedish treats, reindeer and ice skating. And of course, the restaurants serve Christmas delicacies.
The design and craft market offers an enviable selection of gifts from famous names such as Iittala, Georg Jensen, the Kingdom of Crystal (including Orrefors and Kosta Boda ) and Lammhults furniture. In the Lapland area you can buy unique Sami handicrafts and see the reindeer. You can visit Liseberg Ice Gallery & Bar, the interior of which is sculpted entirely from ice from the Torne river.
Christmas at Liseberg is open from mid November to 23 December.
Source: boinzo, kberberi, maj-lis, nouna andersson, sofia bystr'm ' flickr.com
So we've spent the month sharing all kinds of Christmas themed decor, projects, and ideas. We even had 12 full days of Christmas DIYs. We love all that stuff and everything about the Christmas season, but we wouldn't be keeping our promise of being Real with you if we just left it at that. See, there's one thing that we could never DIY and that's what Christmas is all about. We believe that the Christmas story is just the beginning. You know that DIY I mentioned? Well, what we can't do ourselves is take care of the fact that we're not perfect…nope, not even close. Christmas is the start of God's relentless pursuit of us. He loves us so much that he was willing to send his perfect son to earth to forgive us from our sin. Yikes, did she just say"sin" on a light, fun DIY blog? You heard it… let's be Real. I sin… Jess sins… I'm willing to take a guess that you might too? It's so sweet and comforting to think of little baby Jesus and get the warm fuzzies, and don't get me wrong, I'm so dang thankful that Jesus came as a baby, but Christmas doesn't end in that manger scene. Christmas, the true reason for Jesus coming, ended on a cross, and ultimately with an empty tomb. It might not make for as cute of a piece of wall art, or printable, but it's the best gift we'll ever receive. Jesus not only came, but he died for us, taking our sins upon himself. You know what would totally bum me out on Christmas morning? If my kids didn't want the gifts I'd gotten them (especially the ones I got at 3am on Black Friday!) Parents want their children to accept their gifts, and it's exactly the same with God. We didn't deserve for Jesus to come for us, but He did and all we need to do is acknowledge that we can't do it on our own and accept His gift of salvation. If you haven't really thought beyond the manger scene before, I encourage you to do so this year. God's gift to you will be the last gift you ever need and man, I guarantee it will be a Christmas you'll never forget. We sincerely wish you a Merry Christmas, but more than being merry, we wish that this Christmas will be life changing and focused on God's gift for us (because seriously, what does being merry even look like? I picture cheesy sweaters and really big smiles). So, that's what Christmas means to these Real Housewives. Thanks for letting us share with you.
PS-If you want to know more about this whole God thing, email us any time. There's nothing more we'd rather talk about with you! PSS- Here's the info about our Christmas church services if you're looking for a place to attend.
Monica's Church- Calvary Church of Souderton
Christmas Celebration 2011 Services Friday, December 23, 6:00 & 7:30pm* Saturday, December 24, 3:00, 4:30 & 6:00pm *Deaf interpretation offered at the 7:30pm service Childcare birth thru pre-k offered during all services
Jess' Church- Hiltown Baptist Christmas Eve Candelight Service "Lessons and Carols" Saturday, December 24, 6:30pm Childcare provided through age 3
I know, I know, you haven't even stuffed yourself with turkey and stuffing, or gone Black Friday shopping yet, and here I am talking about beginning a Christmas countdown. But let's be honest, once Thanksgiving is over, December is pretty much here and it's time to bring out the ol' Advent calendar. Our family had an advent calendar growing up, and I remember running downstairs and arguing with my sisters about whose turn it was to move the mouse from it's current pocket to the next day's pocket. Ahhh memories.
Last year was the first year I thought about doing our own Advent calendar because my daughter was at the perfect age, but I literally pulled the whole thing together at midnight on November 30th, so it wasn't perfect by any means. We ended up stringing it up on the curtain rod above our slider door, which was SO not convenient since we open those curtains every day. I did love the numbers, (which I downloaded for free but can't remember where-sorry!) and the little bags, so I wanted to reuse them this year. You can easily create your own numbered circles on Picnik using this tutorial. So here's what I came up with for this year:
It love the simplicity of this Advent calendar, and how easy it was to make! DIY Advent Calendar I started with an empty frame, some jute twine, mini-clothespins, and my trusty hot-glue gun:
I laid out the bags in five rows in the frame to figure out the placement of the jute rope.
Next, I measured the opening of the frame so that I could space the rows evenly. For this frame, I placed the jute every 4:5 inches apart.
(Ignore the pen pointing to 7 inches! I wasn't thinking when I took this pic!) As usual, I used my hot glue gun to adhere the jute rope to the frame. You could also do this with a staple gun.
I clipped my cute little bags to the rope…
And added fun activities to do as a family and leftover Halloween candy to the bags!
Finally, I hung it in our entry hallway for a touch of Christmas! It will also be the one of the first things my kids see when they come downstairs and head into the kitchen.
I love that you can see our Advent calendar as soon as you open our front door! (And no, my house is not decorated for Christmas yet, I just have a winter wreath on my door from our last Nate Show project- more on that later this week!)
My daughter can hardly wait to get started counting down the days until Christmas! I also scoured Pinterest for other fun DIY Advent ideas and found these for your viewing pleasure (click on the link to go to the tutorial):
Source: blogs.babble.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Source: davidandcarolineparker.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Source: modpodgerocksblog.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Source: flickr.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Source: budgetwisehome.com via Jessica on Pinterest I'm totally doing that last one: wrap a Christmas book to open and read each day. However, I'm doing the 12 days of Christmas books so I don't have to spend a fortune on books! (Tip: Your local thrift store probably has LOADS of Christmas books for sale) What do you do to count down the days until Christmas?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to our newest sponsors, Scout & Nimble and CJS Eco Chic! Check out these fabulous ladies and tell them we sent you!
You know what make us thankful? Besides our families, good friends, this blog and each other (of course!), it's Black Friday! So, while Monica is living it up in London and Paris this week, I'll be doing some die-hard shopping with my hubs. Love that man and his passion for finding good deals. (Would you believe he is MORE into Black Friday than I am?!) However, some of the best things you just can't find in brick and mortar stores, and that's what I'm bringing to you today. I've rounded up some red and green favorites from our awesome sponsors. Without them, this blog would not be, so show them some love and snag some good deals this weekend at their shops.
1. Kelly Green Crocheted Scarflette from Twysted Yarn. I am all about scarves this time of year, and this one is too cute! Order by December 6th for Christmas delivery. Use the code ECCFAN to get 10% off your order! 2. Last year, I purchased 12 Christmas books at Liberty Thrift store, and did a 12 days of Christmas countdown. Each day we read a different Christmas story. I LOVE this tradition, and Liberty Thrift makes it possible to do it inexpensively (Photo credit: Katherine Maries.com) 3. This Joy to the Lord Print from Red Letter Words is so beautiful and would make a great gift or a perfect accessory for your own walls. Plus, you just can't beat that message. Get 20% off all Black Friday weekend! (No coupon code necessary.) 4. I adore this Ikat Decorative Pillow Cover from our newest sponsor, Chic Decor Pillows. It's so stylish, but totally ties in with traditional Christmas colors. You HAVE to see the tons of pillow covers in their shop. Gorgeous stuff, folks! Beginning at midnight on 11/23, everything in the store will be 15% off!
5. You better believe that I'll be doing a few Christmas printables this year using this Gem Christmas Digital Scrapbooking Paper from Moo & Puppy. I'm telling you, the possibilities are endless! Use the code EC215 for 15% off your order. 6. I can't get enough of this Red/Orange Paisley Headband from Henle. I'll be buying a few of these for my sister and girlfriends this year (shhhhh…don't tell!) 7. Isn't this Pendant Light with Red Enamel Shade from Lucent Lampworks so much fun? Love the pop of color in this industrial style light fixture. I can't WAIT to show you what Brad designed for my dining room. Ummmm…let's just say, it completes me. Oh wait, I mean, the room. Use the code EC2tenoff for 10% off your order!
8. I know this isn't all that Christmasy, but my goodness, I adore this Herringbone Pattern Wall Stencil from Royal Design Studio. I'm running out of wall space, but I'm determined to incorporate this somewhere-anywhere- in my house. All stencils shown in black and white will be 30% off on Black Friday (gohere for the sale!) 9.Buy a few of theseQuilted Jar Candles in Spiced Pear from CJS EcoChic for a quick and easy neighbor, hostess or teacher gift. You can never go wrong with candle, especially soy ones that last forever! 10. I'm thinking another awesome gift for a teacher would be this Medium Utility Tote in Red Parisian Pop from Thirty-One Gifts filled with fun books for the classroom, survival items (chocolate and coffee, anyone?) or extra supplies. Where's your favorite place to shop on Black Friday? Do you have a plan of attack, or do you go at it all crazy-like?
We're still in Europe for a few more days (you can follow along through my pics on Instagram @EastCoastCreative), but I'll be honest that I'm itching to transform my house for Christmas!
Usually, we're a Saturday-after-Thanksgiving kind of family, but this year we'll decorate as soon as we're back from our trip. Last month I started perusing Pinterest for holiday inspiration and tons of bright ideas kept jumping out at me. I thought I'd share a collection of awesomely merry & bright Christmas inspiration for you… so all the way from Paris- Enjoy!
Merry & Bright #1- I've done the present thing before. Just wrap some picture frames in bright colored paper, add some ribbon and voila! I also love the super cheery and bright ornaments on this mantle.
Merry & Bright # 2- These felt trees would be really fun to make with the kiddos. They're simply felt, wrapped around a cone shape, and blinged out with some sequins.
Merry & Bright #3- Jess and I LOVE pine cone placeholders, but add a little paint dip in hot pink and man, it doesn't get much cooler than this!
Merry & Bright # 4- Umm, Hello Whoville…this sock vase and painted branches is insanely awesome! How fun would this be to make and then put in my kids' playroom? I think it's officially on the TO DO list (when we're back from vacation of course!)
Merry & Bright # 5- You all know I'm an anti-wreath kind of gal, and this is a super fun, non-traditional wreath. It's a ceiling medallion (which are really inexpensive at Lowe's or HD) and some holiday ribbon.
Merry & Bright #6- Moo & Puppy has come out with an awesome Christmas line of digital papers. I love using these papers because I can print out as many as I need. I'm loving up these patterns and am planning to use these as part of my Christmas Countdown Calendar (tutorial coming soon!) Check out all of Moo's awesome holiday papers!
Merry & Bright # 7- We've all seen some felt garlands, but this one takes the cake! Check out her post and you'll see that she used a combo of store bought felt poms and she also MADE some of them too! I'm not sure I'm going that far, but it definitely turned out amazingly!
Merry & Bright # 8- I could almost turn from my wreath-hating ways because of this wreath. I love the combo of shiny, matte, and glitter balls.
You've got to see the whole room…
Yup, that's pure Merry & Bright Awesomeness people! Who knows, this year I just might decorate my kids's playroom for Christmas! Usually, they just get a little faux greenery, but after all this Merry & Bright Inspiration, I might go the extra mile and use some of these ideas! How about you? Are what do you think of Bright, non-traditional colors at Christmas?
Ok, Thanksgiving is over and the Christmas season has officially begun in our house. One of my favorite things about the month of December is receiving loads of Christmas cards from our friends and family- some who we see weekly and some who we haven't seen in a year (or years!). There's something so special about getting real mail (vs. email, facebook messages etc.) and it's even better when it includes pictures of beautiful families or gorgeous Christmas cards. But, what do you do with all those cards? I loathe the idea of throwing them out (and no, I am not a hoarder! Not in the least, I just LOVE pictures). In years past, we've put all of our cards in a cheesy little mailbox that my hubs and I made early in our marriage.
Don't judge. We were young, dumb, and had not tapped into our creative sides yet. This year, I decided to do something different.
I am so happy that I can put these christmas card"books" out in our living room so that people can browse through them when hanging out. I originally saw this idea by Allen Designs here, but all I did was to buy binder clips or rings, and used my hole punch to punch two holes in the cards. Then, just slip the cards on the binder rings and voila! Your cards are ready to display, don't take up a lot of space, and can be kept year after year. Now that I know what I'm doing, I'm going to be sure to write the year on the back of each card so I can keep track. You just can't beat a project that is easy and cheap. I think that's going to be my tagline from now on. Just stop me if you're tired of hearing it. On second thought, there's no stopping me. Simple is my middle name. Believe it or not, I had a really hard time finding other great Christmas card display ideas, but I was able to scrounge up a few cool ideas that are not cheesy and look elegant!
Source: marthastewart.com via Jessica on Pinterest Leave it to Martha, to come up with something amazing. I couldn't stop drooling over that card tree.
Source: marthastewart.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Have an old shutter laying around? If not, you might just want to go find one, because this is a.dor.a.ble.
Source: prettyhandygirl.com via Jessica on Pinterest
Source: tatertotsandjello.com via Jessica on Pinterest Ooh, and I might just have found another use for my old ladder. It's your turn: Share your great Christmas card display ideas! Feel free to upload a pic to facebook and tag RHBC so we can see what you do!
Hey Everyone! We're super excited to share this simple, yet majorly cool project with you today! Two weeks ago I got back from my 8 day trip to London and Paris with my hubs (Recap post coming after Christmas). It was an amazing, kid-free trip that allowed us to do adult things like visit museums, eat at fun restaurants, see a musical, and do some shopping.
Let's be completely honest… Europeans have mad-style! I loved all of their clothes and when Eric and I were shopping at a store called Next, he pointed out a really cool deer silhouette art and said,"You could totally knock that off!"
Let me tell you, I was so thrilled that A.) my hubs is always on the lookout for blog projects and B.) he knew to call it a"knock-off" I took a cell pic (above) and knew I'd make it as soon as I got home. Here's what Jess and I came up with…
How to Make Your Own Illuminated Silhouette Art: We had a few 1x1s leftover from Jess' planked dining room wall, so we started by cutting them down to size. We made ours a little larger than the inspiration piece, we did a 18x24 rectangle.
We painted all four pieces with some leftover grey paint.
While Jess was in the garage painting, I got to work on creating my deer silhouette. I found an image on Google and then used my Silhouette to cut it on black cardstock. If I'm being 100% honest, first I watched about 5 YouTube videos teaching me how to do it! Ha!
I then measured the light linen-ish fabric down to 18x24
We laid out our wood in a simple box and measured 1 1/2 inches in for each intersection.
We started by using simple nails to secure the box, but it wasn't the most sturdy…
So, we went to a plan B and used a drill. Sorry about the lawn mower in the background- a little evidence that I live on 4 acres.
Once we had our box secure, we placed the fabric on the back and attached it with a staple gun.
We had some excess fabric, so we trimmed the edges down a bit.
One of my favorite things about the inspiration piece was the cording at the intersections. I picked up red and tan at JoAnn Fabrics.
We put the paper silhouette on the linen using spray adhesive. To light it, I just stood it up near a light, but you could also use a small reading lamp or Christmas lights to illuminate it.
It looks awesome in my Kaden's room with his Pallet Wall!
Even though it's perfect in Kade's room, for now it's part of my Christmas decor!
One of the coolest parts of this DIY, is that you can easily swap out the silhouette. I already have something fun planned for Valentine's Day! If you want to see the rest of Jess and my Christmas home tours, you can check them out here. My Christmas Home Tour
Jess' Christmas Home Tour
We hope you and your family are enjoying these days leading up to Christmas.
So, why is this Take 2? Well, last year we shared what Christmas really means to us: it represents one DIY project that we could never do ourselves. And guess what? Nothing has changed. We still feel the same way. But in in light of the tragedy that occurred last week, the Hurricane that wiped out a huge part of the East Coast, and all of the other pain and hurt we see every day, the biggest thing that stands out to us about Christmas this year is this: Hope. Our world is full of darkness, but because of that little baby who was born in a manger so long ago and then died and rose again to save us from our sins, we have hope that one day He will return and rid the world of evil and sadness. Our hearts go out to each and every one of you are hurting, are lonely or have no reason for hope this Christmas, and our prayer is that you'll look beyond the hoopla of Christmas and even the manger, to see what Christ has done for you. He can give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11) that this world can not take away, if you'll just accept the gift He has offered to you. We promise you it'll be the best present you will ever receive. And to fill you with some Christmas cheer, take a listen to this little ditty by Pentatonix.
We are so thankful for all of you and wish you a very Merry (and hopeful!) Christmas!
PS. We'd LOVE to chat with you more about this (even more than our latest DIY projects!), so shoot us an email any time!
Welcome to my Christmas House Tour! Last year our homes were decked out for all of America to see on Nate Berkus, but this year it's just for my family to enjoy. Sometimes in the blogging world it can feel like there's a lot of pressure to have an HGTV worthy home, but guess what? This mom of four, that works a full-time job, is not going to cave under the pressure. I proudly present to you, our Very Merry & Realistic Christmas Decorating for 2012!
(it's going to be a picture heavy post, so get ready and Pin it if you like it!)
I'm still loving my Grinch Front Door. Last week I gave the full tutorial.
Before and After- LOVE it!
Welcome to my foyer and my favorite Christmas tree of all time…
I follow Urban on Instagram, and saw that they had put staff pics on a tree at one of their NYC store locations. I was smitten! I got a Fuji Mini (which all the kids call the"Magic Camera") and snapped a ton of fun pictures of our family and some special friends. I added spray painted bicycle ornaments (from Target), some orange ribbon, brown ornament balls, gold lights, and leftover fabric to create the coolest tree ever!
Even the tree has the shabby look I was going for, do you want to know how I achieved that look? I cut the tree on October 5th and it's been sitting in my house ever since! Ha! It's dead as a door nail and I love it! (I needed it for some P&G videos- coming soon!) Fuji Mini Pics
Brown ornaments
Bicycle ornaments- I spray painted gold
Added hooks to each picture using a finishing nail
Ready for the tree
Best.Husband.Ever
This tree make me really, really happy!
Directly off the foyer is our formal living room/kids' craft room. It's the most unfinished room in our house (it's a hot mess), but I still did one little vignette in front of the window.
I love the chalkboard printable, and you can get it (and many others) free here. I also love my little yellow bird, and while she's not super Christmasy I think she looks mighty fine!
Here's the whole thing together
Even though we're no longer"The Real Housewives of Bucks County," I'm still gonna keep it real for you… here's what the rest of the room looked like. I'm showing this to you, so you remember that we're totally normal girls with messy houses, crazy kids, and so not perfect. Hopefully, you can relate! (The Christmas boxes and decor are still there, but they're on my TO DO list tomorrow to put them all away!)
Okay, enough reality, back to the pretty stuff… This is on the console table in my family room. I love that crazy picture of all of us!
Here's the wood grain Christmas Countdown I made this year. I LOVE plywood projects where the wood grain is highlighted. You can check out the tutorial here
We have 3 trees- #1 Family Tree (below) #2 Mommy's Tree (foyer) #3 Kid's Tree (not shown) Here's the"Family Tree." We decorate this one together as a family and it looks pretty much identical every year. Some traditions are too important to change for the sake of decor: )
Did you notice the stinkin' awesome lighted silhouette artwork? We'll be posting the full tutorial on Infarrantly Creative on Dec 13th. Jess and I love it and it was so simple to make!
Of course Charles loves hanging out in our tree sometimes
It seems that I have a thing for pictures on trees. We got these ornaments at Crate and Barrel about 6 or 7 years ago. The picture on the left is our ultimate favorite Christmas picture ever. It was taken of Kaden when he was 3 (he's now 8).
This year I'm proud to say that we have 4 kids on the NICE list… Last year the eldest might have made the NAUGHTY list. Oh Snap!
My mantle is Lame with a capital L… The dang TV always limits me, but it is what it is…
This year I was into the traditional nutcrackers with primary red and blue
This little guy rocks. I picture him talking with a Russian accent- don't ask me why!
I've had these stocking holders for 9 years, but this year I hit them with a tiny bit of white paint, so they popped a bit more. They were originally dark brown and got lost on the mantle.
Target had this cute stockings this year and they totally worked with my red and blue nutcrackers.
Michael's had some really fun graphic words in their dollar bin and I picked up a few.
Well, I hope you've enjoyed this little peek into my home. It's definitely not perfect, but we're pretty darn happy here. I mean, just look at us, don't we look happy??: )
I'd love to know what's your favorite part of my Christmas Decor? Leave me a comment and let me know!
Hey Everyone! I'm so excited that I can finally share my Christmas Countdown with all of you! I had to wait until P&G was ready for it on their pgtryit.com site, so I'm sure you've already created yours for 2012, but hey, Pin it for next year! Tomorrow is Jess' Christmas home tour and I don't know about you, but I'm really super excited (okay, yes I've seen it all, but not in pictures!) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hope your Thanksgiving was awesome and you're ready for the crazy holiday marathon that is the next few weeks! I don't know about you, but the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is probably the most exciting time of the year for my family. It's also really easy to get so busy that we miss taking time to do some of the things we love! As the Trend Trio Home Expert from P&G’s Have You Tried This Yet? I'm going to share with you a fun craft that you can make to ensure the month doesn't pass you by!
Christmas Countdown Tutorial Christmas Countdown Tutorial This is not yo mama's countdown where you just get a little piece of candy that most likely was packaged last year… This is an interactive family activity that I know your family will love. The best part is that it will ensure that none of the special activities and traditions slip through the cracks. Step 1- Start with a plain Jane piece of plywood. I'd recommend looking for one that has really cool patterns in the grain like this one does!
Step 2- Lightly spray paint. I gave the wood the lightest possible coat of white spray paint. Keep the can far back and move it back and forth very quickly. The spray paint got rid of the warm brown tones and began to highlight the grain. Step 3- Paint the grain to highlight the details. I used about 1 part paint to 3 parts water to paint over the awesome grain! I dipped my brush in the mixture and then dabbed it dry on some paper towels. I used a really light hand and tried to feather the paint on, so that it looked natural.
Step4- Use Stencils to title your board. I used a simple, industrial font and stencils that are adhesive backed. They make my crafting life so much easier.
Step 5- Spray paint 25 wooden clothes pins. I picked a cool-toned grey blue color that would pop on the white-washed plywood.
One tip about spray painting- have an old drop cloth handy. I use this piece of plastic when I need to paint in my garage so that I don't get it all over the floor.
Step 6- Choose some washi tape colors. Washi tape comes in almost every pattern imaginable these days. You can order from a huge selection online, but I actually got these colors at my local craft store. Washi tape is really versatile and can be used on all kinds of surfaces.
Accent each mini envelope with your washi tape and then either hand write or stamp your countdown numbers.
Step 7- Measure, Place & Hot Glue your clothes pins. The easiest way to do this is to just lay it out on the wood and then measure your spacing to keep it consistent in each row.
I just love the end result!
Step 8-Plan 25 Awesome Family Activities. Write down 25 things that you want to do. Each day you will open an envelope and do what's written inside. I recommend using a calendar to plan out your activities before putting one inside each envelope.
Our activities range from something as simple as reading a holiday story as a family to going out to see all the Christmas lights in our neighborhood.
I hope your 2012 holiday season is super special and that your family enjoys all the awesome activities you plan for them!
The countdown is on! What kinds of activities will you choose for your family to do this month?
Make sure you check back to keep up with all of the Trend Trio videos, blog posts, and product tips to help make this holiday season the best one yet!
I 'm a little disconnected from blogging these days. It's not due to the arrival of our sweet babies though — we're still pregnant! Rather, it's due to my very pregnant body, and my general lack of energy to do much of anything. Thankfully, my Mom is here and helped me decorate the dining room for Christmas!
On the way home from our last doctor's appointment (the only time I leave the house these days), we stopped in at our local Christmas tree stand to pick out a tree for our dining room. Mike commented that it was the quickest tree selection I've ever made! This is true....my aching feet and back cured my perennial case of 'Christmas tree indecision.' The three of us decorated the tree with cardinals and simple strands of white lights. We'll have another Christmas tree in the living room, which will be decorated with our vast collection of childhood ornaments (yes, this includes my favorite ornament — 'Hunk of Love' ).
My favorite Christmas decoration is the greenery. I just love the lush green color against the sleeping winter landscape outside our window. I also love the fragrance of the cuttings, which offers such an intoxicating mix of nostalgia and crisp earthy freshness.
We replaced the burlap runner on the table with an antique crocheted table cloth I bought a few years ago for $10. My Mom has a larger one that my Great Great Grandmother made, which was always put out for Christmas Eve dinner.
My dear friend Joan from For the Love of a House added three beautiful antique brass candlesticks to my collection recently, which I've placed on the Empire card table below the mirror. Hope you are staying warm and cozy wherever you are! P.S. I've been meaning to mention that our kitchen was featured in a little article on Small Space Kitchen Design over at HGTV.com.
Only 11 days until Christmas, everyone! Start panicking! Just kidding- I absolutely love this holiday season (September through December is my FAVORITE time of year!) and have been tweaking, arranging and rearranging my Christmas decor for the last few weeks. And guess what? I probably won't stop until I take the stuff down on January 1st. I'm so excited to show you around on my first official home tour. Come on in and make yourself comfortable! (Warming: LOTS of pictures to follow, and hopefully, I'll be able to keep my mouth shut and let you enjoy it!: )
I'm still in love with my blue front door, and decided to forgo the traditonal holiday colors in favor of a rustic, woodsy color scheme. Browns, creams, copper and a few wood tree trunks!
Welcome to my foyer! This is what greets you as you come in the front door.
Isn't that houndstooth wrapping paper fabulous? Monica has great taste in (and an obsession with!) wrapping paper, so I have her to thank for it.: )
I tried my hand at making a wrapping paper leaf garland this year. It's pretty cute, but took a long time!
Living Room
I had fun decking out my mantel- again going with the rustic,woodsy theme.
I had to include my wood slice wreath, threw in some cut greens leftover from our tree, wrapped a few little presents with cute wrapping and added those charming. brightly colored reindeer from Target.
I love the Pottery Barn stockings that were a gift to us from my mom, and think they look great against the stenciled fireplace.
On the other side of the room, the moss monogram made it's appearance again this year.
I can't wait to show you how I made this faux-console table for behind the couch. So easy and makes a world of a difference!
Dining Room
I'm so close to a full reveal of my dining room (coming January 2013!), but couldn't resist sharing a few little glimpses. It's beautiful and I often think,"This can't be my house."
Family Room/Basement
I recycled the Nate Show ornaments that Monica made for me last year (why buy new when the old stuff is so cute?!), and bought two adorable plaid pillows on clearance from Target to stick on top of my old thift store trunk. And of course, what makes the space is the reindeer sillouette art.
I totally dig this space!
And see that little red pillow with the zipper? Monica and I made that last year for our fourth Nate Show episode. So cool, right? Kitchen
I kept it clean and simple in this room, folks.
I made that felt garland and let me tell you, it was a bear to make. Worth it, but oh-so-time-consuming.
We broke out the framed Advent calendar again since it was such a big hit last year.
Hall Bathroom
I had to show you this fab plaid rug I got from Target (yes, Target again, and no they don't pay me). It's so cozy, but doesn't scream Christmas. Love it.
Thank you, Jones Design Company, for the pretty (and meaningful!) printable! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But nothing in my home beats watching these two enjoy the holiday season. Celebrating Christmas with kids is so.much.fun.
And not to be outdone by the fun, crazy Mangin picture, here's a greeting from my cuties!: )
I hope you enjoyed my Christmas home tour! Let's play the favorite thing game. Ready, set, go! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And oh yeah, if you missed Monica's tour earlier this week, check it out HERE. There's some good stuff in there, folks!
Okay, so two years ago Vista Print entered my life… yes, it sounds dramatic, but man, it Rocked My World! Maybe you've heard of Vista, and maybe you know you can get FREE pens and oodles of business cards, but that really doesn't excite nor apply to you. Well, I'm hoping that some of these ideas will get you almost as sold on Vista as I am (and no, I don't get commission- lol.) Ok, so with Vista Print, you sign up for their emails (and yes, you'll get a lot, so don't use your everyday email address unless you want to. I have one email account for all my"junk" emails I subscribe to and one"real" account that I use daily) Every few days, Vista will send you FREE products you can order- you only pay shipping. There are 3 shipping options, so the price is decent and totally worth all the products you'll be getting for free!
Now onto the fun part… what you can create in Vista! The suggestions I'm giving in this post were all made without using Photoshop or any professional design programs. Vista has designs to choose from or you can create your own and upload a completed design. I do a lot of both. Idea # 1- Mommy Cards These little cards are perfect for the playdate lovin' mom. Keep them in your purse and when your child makes a friend at the local park, you can give new friend's mommy one of your super-cool cards so that you can meet up again. If you're like me, you've jotted down a mom's cell number on a scrap of paper, only to completely lose it and then feel awful that you never called. 250 Mommy Cards Printed as business cards = FREE!
Idea # 2- Shower Invitations You don't need to pay insane prices for cool, trendy invitations. Get ideas online and then design your own! Baby Lucas (after Luke Skywalker) was due to arrive last summer and of course we needed fabulous Star Wars invitations for our Star Wars themed Shower. The pictures were simply pulled from Google Images and the font was free online. 50 Invites Printed as Oversized Postcards = FREE!
(sorry for the blurry parts, but I wanted to get rid of the personal info) Have I mentioned I have the best, most super-fun friends ever?
Idea # 3- Children's Birthday Parties I haven't bought an invitation in two years. Small postcards, large postcards, notecards, or invitations can all be used to create your invites in Vista. This is Kenzie's Spa Party invite. She had so much fun helping me design it! This one was one-sided, but the back can be personalized as well. We put them in 5x 7 envelopes and voila! I only needed 10 invites, but 100 were Free, so we have lots to use as scrap cardstock. 100 Party Invitations = FREE!
Idea # 4- Christmas Cards Can you believe how much Christmas cards have changed in the last few years? Gone are the days of the painted, snowy scene cards and in are awesome photo cards and more! The only problem is that it can cost a small fortune to send the nice photo cards to everyone. These were our Christmas Cards from 2009. I used Picnik (free editing software) to edit our pics, create a collage, and add some bling; and then I uploaded it onto the oversized 5 x 7 postcards.
I think my favorite part was that I could fully customize the back and had plenty of space to say exactly what we wanted to share. Another bonus was that I could mail them as postcards and didn't need envelopes. Score! 100 Christmas Cards (2 orders of 50) = FREE!
Idea # 5- Kids Pretend Supplies Last Christmas I used Vista to put together a Vet Kit for Kenzie. She loves animals and loved playing vet, but she was getting a little"old" for typical pretend play. So, we made pretend"cool" again by giving her a present of real vet supplies. Her vet supplies included: a Pet Vet Poster, a personal stamp, business cards, a personalized pen, a tote bag, stationary and printed forms (I went online and grabbed a basic vet form.) She LOVED it and had so much fun playing vet again, since now it seemed a bit more grown up. You could do this for anything your child is into… Doctor, Builder, Photographer, Ballerina, etc. Oodles of Pretend Play Supplies = FREE! Pet Vet Poster
Personal Stamp
Idea # 6- Totes for Everything I mean everything! Every time I put in an order I add a tote (umm they're free, why not!) Here are some ideas: Library Book Tote, Sports Tote (the one below was for Kenzie's cleats, shinguards, and water bottle for soccer.) Books for the Car, Snacks for on-the-go, Sleepover Bag (sized just right for one night and you could write something cute on it), Pretend Shopping Bag. What ideas do you have? Share them and I'm sure I'll order one! Everything Tote Bag = FREE!
Idea # 7- Gift Tags These are just business cards repurposed into gift tags. I used these for Christmas presents and they matched so well. I used a hole punch in the corner and attached them with coordinating ribbon. You could also make some non-holiday tags to have on hand. You could even make a set from each child for all the class birthday parties. My kids love when I have things personalized. To: _____ From: Kaden. I haven't done that yet, but I will be soon! 250 Gift Tags printed as Business Cards = FREE!
Idea # 8- Teacher Gifts Want a great, personal gift for a teacher? How about giving them a collection of coordinating, personalized supplies? Hit up Target's dollar bin for a cute container and your gift will be the talk of the teacher's lounge! Here are some items that you could include: notepads, sticky notes, pens, postcards, notecards, and more! I plan to do this for my kids' teachers this spring, so I won't give all my ideas away, but stay tuned for some inspiration! Personal, Thoughtful Teacher Gifts = FREE Notepad with magnet on the back
Matching sticky notes
Phew… that was a long post, but hopefully at least one of these ideas made you ready to jump in and give VistaPrint a try. I promise you'll be hooked! Use this link to sign up for Vista today and be sure to share your creations with us!
Happy Thursday! A few weeks ago, we had the priviledge of sharing this fun project onI Heart Naptime (if you haven't ever stopped over there, do it! Jamielyn is such a sweetie, and her blog is super fun!). We hope you enjoy it! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We don't know about you, but one of our favorite things to do is decorate for Christmas, and we absolutely thrive on challenging ourselves to come up with decorations that are new and different each year. Last year, we tried our hand at creating ornaments out of slices of wood, and since we loved them so much, we decided to create a piece of holiday art with them!
Here's what you'll need to make your own:
Not pictured: Liquid Nails, Grommets and Grommeter, Washi TapeStep 1: Wrap your foam core in wrapping paper. We found this fun newspaper/book page wrapping paper in the dollar bin at Target. Score! You could use spray adhesive, but we found that wrapping it worked just as well, with less mess!
To get perfect corners without bunching, fold the corner in towards the center of your foam core, pull tight, and then fold the sides over the top. Tape down in place.
Step 2: Add grommets to the top corners of the foam core. Don't know how to add grommets? We've got you covered and can teach you. This step isn't necessary (you could hot glue your ribbon to the back), but we think it adds just the right amount of glam to our art piece.
Step 3: Figure out the arrangement of your wood slices. We cut our birch logs with a chop saw about a 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick. We found our birch wood in our backyards, but usually Michael's sells these if you don't live in the boonies like we do. Then, we just laid them out on our foam core and decided which arrangement we liked best. No special scientific method needed! (We try really hard to limit the amount of math we have to do for projects. Hehe.)
Step 4: Attach your wood slices to your"canvas". We wanted to make sure that the wood slices would stick immediately, so we used hot glue around the outside. Then to make sure the wood slices stayed permanently, we put a dab of liquid nails in the middle. It never hurts to be extra careful, right?
Step 5: Thread your ribbon through the grommets. Leave enough length so that it hangs at the height you want it. Cut the ends so they look cute.
Step 6: Add some detailing. We wanted to really make the canvas pop, so we added a strip of red Washi tape along the bottom of the canvas. It helps carry the red from the ribbon above through the entire canvas.
Hang up your canvas and start singing Christmas carols!
Yup, we're ready. Bring it on, Christmas!
So, that's two wood projects in 2 days! Are you feeling the wood love like we are? What new twists are you doing to your holiday decor?
It's Friday. I should do all sorts of things in the house to 'make it ready' for the weekend. The only thing I've done is vacuum the stairs and hallway and started the washing machine. And now, instead, I'm sitting here, planning for Christmas candy and what food to make.
I'm sort of like the cats. They should be out hunting for all the mice around here. Instead they're lying flat in front of the fire place. They're bad influence, that's what they are.
And by the way, I should blog a little too, I've done that too little the past days. So that's what I'll do. For a little while. And also play Farmville on Facebook. Yes.
I love this drawing. It reminds me of Astrid Lindgren's Christmas. No mobiles, no TV, no stress, just Christmas and what it's all about. Cosy.
This is our Christmas tree this year. In fact, it's our first tree together what so ever and we love it! There's no gifts underneath it yet, but that will change this morning. We were a bit afraid that the cats would go nuts about them, not to mention the tree itself. I actually notice in the photo that one of the decorations already has landed on the floor. But other than that they have been surprisingly well behaved. I catch Maja now and the boxing on them and she looks at me with irritation when I tell her no. Cute.
I wish you all a merry, merry Christmas and thank you so much for following my blog this year, and for all the nice comments!
'Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping on your nose, Yuletide carols being sung by a choir, And folks dressed up like Eskimos.
Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe, Help to make the season bright. Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow, Will find it hard to sleep tonight.
They know that Santa's on his way; He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh. And every mother's child is going to spy, To see if reindeer really know how to fly.
And so I'm offering this simple phrase, To kids from one to ninety-two, Although its been said many times, many ways, A very Merry Christmas to you '
One of our blogging icons Shelley from The House of Smiths had a great idea that we're totally borrowing. We SO appreciate all of YOU-our readers- and believe it or not, we think of you guys as our really BIG group of friends! I don't know about you, but we send our friends and family Christmas Cards… hint, hint… We'd LOVE to receive your Christmas Card! It doesn't matter if we receive 1 or 1 million (a girl can dream right?!?) we'll be so excited with each card that arrives!
We're planning to feature some of the cards here on the blog and show you how we're displaying them! If you don't want your card going public, just make a note of that on the envelope. We can't wait to see you and your awesome families coming to a mailbox near us! Since we don't have all of your addresses, we wanted to share our cards here with you! So even though it's online, consider it our personal cards, just for you! The Jackson Family:
The Mangin Family:
2 very different cards, same Christmas message! We hope you and your family are already enjoying this awesome Christmas Season & we can't wait to see your cards!!
Let's face it, with Halloween on one end and Christmas on the other, Thanksgiving often gets a raw deal. I know that when the holiday season is in full force, being intentional with projects and decor gets really hard. I find it so easy to scoot right by Thanksgiving, without a second thought, and dive right into Christmas stuff, so I decided to tackle a project that would keep my family centered and focused on being grateful throughout November. A Thankful Tree that can be reused every year!
Here's what you'll need to make your own:
Canvas (mine is 18in x 24in)
1/2 yard-3/4 yard of fabric
Spray Adhesive
Spraypaint
Mod podge (not pictured)
Baby clothespins (not pictured)
Step 1: Spraypaint the canvas in your color choice. If you want to cut back on some serious blinding glare, use a satin paint for a more matte look.
Step 2: Locate your tree image (there are tons of free clipart images listed in Google images) and enlarge it to fit your canvas. We love the engineer prints from Staples and use them all the time. Step 3: Use a sharp-edge razor to cut the tree out. Don't worry about all the little limbs, and focus on the larger ones. This seemed super daunting, but surprisingly went quickly and smoothly. I accidentally cut a branch that I wanted to keep on (doh!) but was easily able to use tape to fix it.
Step 4: Lay your image down on the backside of the fabric and trace it with a pen.
Step 5: Spray the fabric tree with spray starch and iron it to make it stiff. This makes cutting it out with scissors a piece of cake. Step 6: Center the tree on the canvas. Starting at the trunk, lift small sections and lightly spray with adhesive. Smooth out all of the bubbles from the center out to the edges. A little spray adhesive may get on the canvas where you don't need it, but that's ok. We'll be taking care of that later.
Step 7: Place stencils on your canvas and stencil away! I used Martha Stewart's self-adhering stencils which are awesome because you don't have to worry about them moving around while you stencil. (Insider secret: This project was originally posted on U-Create, so there was a deadline involved. I was actually stenciling this bad boy in the car in between a shift at work and tennis practice. Pure craziness, I tell you #cantwasteevenoneminute.)
Step 8: Mod Podge the entire canvas starting at the center of the tree and working out to the edges. This will seal the tree and make it more resistant to wear and fading. And remember that spray adhesive I mentioned before? The Mod Podge takes care of hiding that, too. Score!
It's scary at first, but dries clear!
Step 9: Spraypaint the clothespins and adhere them to the tree with hot glue.
Step 10: Print out our fun"thankful" labels on card stock (download them here) and cut them out using scissors. Have your family write what they're thankful on each of the tags and then clip them to the canvas.
Voila! You're done and are left with an adorable, re-useable canvas that will help your family focus on what's really important in the next two weeks. Plus, it's super cute, so it's a win-win!
So, that's it! I love that I can use this every year. I plan on writing the year on the back of each tag and keeping them to look through each year. I'm hoping my son won't say that he's most thankful for Cinnamon Toast Crunch every year. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aannnnnd since we've officially welcomed the holiday season here on the blog, we wanted to share something exciting with you! When we were looking around for cool Christmas vinyl options to share with you, we found very few that were modern and stylish. So, since we had several requests for the vinyl phrase we used on the front door last week, we decided to create a few just for you! A limited number of Be Merry Christmas decals are now for sale in our Etsy shop at a very reasonable price- only $8!! That's a whole lot cheaper than buying a new wreath, people. And we have a couple more coming this week, so be on the lookout. Get yours now!
We interrupt this regularly schedule DIY program for an important announcement (I've always wanted to use that phrase somewhere!): We have some incredible sponsors who provide loads of amazing products just waiting to be purchased for one-of-a-kind Christmas presents! I've broken them down into categories for you… Gift-Giving
Ok, you may remember me talking about the amazing art prints from Red Letter Words, but did you know Dee also offers adorable greeting cards and candles? Not only that, but messages printed on the greeting cards are so meaningful and thoughtful- perfect as a stocking stuffer, a gift for a friend, a teacher and the list goes on and on. Get 15% off until December 15th with the code MERRY15. Order by December 19th for Christmas delivery. (Excludes custom prints and the print of the month)----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Every year I try to give my neighbors a little gift, and this 1-2-3 Dip! Gift set from Pampered Chef is perfect! I am such a sucker for chips and dip. I pretty much could live on it. And if you don't have neighbors, buy a few as hostess gifts (they'll be sure to get you an invitation to next year's party!: ) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok, Jane sent us a few of her 100% soy candles to try, and I can.not.get.enough. of the Christmas pine scent. I've been burning it around the clock since I got it, and the beautiful thing is, that because it's soy, it's long-lasting! Order a few of these as gifts, or just go ahead and buy a stash for yourself! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How about this adorable Littles Carry-All Caddy in the Winter Wonderland pattern from Thirty-One Gifts for teachers in your (or your kid's) lives? Fill it with a mug, some good chocolate and a gift card to Starbucks and you're set! It comes in 10 different patterns, so you'll be sure to find something for everyone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Entertaining
Planning a holiday party? Spread some Festive Cheer with this cocktail idea from Garnish. Goodness, could their stuff be any more darling? I could literally spend all my party budget on the goodies from Garnish- who needs food anyway? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I came across this super-cute idea to use scrapbook paper as a charger on a holiday table, and I'm in love! You could totally use this fabulous paper from Moo & Puppy and alternate the patterns underneath the plates for coordinated, but not identical place settings! {Swoon}
Use the code HOUSEWIVES20 for 20% off of your order. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I love Dream Dinners. I really do. And they are total life-savers if you are hosting a holiday party or dinner. So many of the meals can be easily turned into appetizers, like this Coconut Shrimp with Sweet & Sour dipping sauce. Make your holidays stress-free with ready-to-cook meals. Use the codeDDNC201110 for 10% off your first order. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the Home
Well, looky what I found on Craigslist. A $15 chair that would be absolutely stunning if reupholstered in some new fabric! Jet Upholstery could do that in heartbeat, and guess what? You can save 25% off any fabric order when you mention RHBC. Now go! That chair won't last long (especially because I can't keep my eyes off of it!) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In our winnings from Crafting with the Stars, we both got to choose stencils from Royal Design Studio. They are the best place to get designer decorative stencils and tools. Monica chose this Morrocan Stencil- Chez Sheik:
And I'm getting this lovely Large Fabric Damask stencil:
We both have big plans for our stencils and come on, you know you have an area in your house that's just dying to be stenciled. Am I right? Head over to Royal Design Studio to be totally inspired. Use the coupon code RHBC10 for 10% off your order! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Giving Back
We are often so focused on buying gifts at this time of year, but really, it's also a great time to give back. Head on over to Scout & Nimble to see how you can be a part of her awesome iniative to do just that. Also, did you see this ah-ma-zing rug she just got?
So jealous. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ok, that's it! No excuses for lame gifts this year, people!; )
Happy December, everyone! If you've been following us then you know that our 3rd appearance on The Nate Berkus Show airs today! If you're new here as a result of the Nate Show, welcome! We're so glad you're here. We honestly still get a little giddy when we think about Nate calling us his best DIYer's, and are hoping all of this is not some crazy dream. No matter how often we get called back to the show (fingers crossed they ask us again!), it is still so surreal. But, we can't.get.enough. We're going to give a little glimpse of the two day room transformations, and our time in NYC for the live taping. Plus, we have a fun announcement, so read on! Behind the Scenes The first part of the process is getting miked, which was stinkin' hilarious to me this time. Monica's outfit created all sorts of problems for our sound guy, Matt.
Case in point. Hehe. Tell me that doesn't make you giggle. Then the filming started with an interview with Jesse, the big shot producer (which did not make it onto the show, but we thought we were really funny. Obviously, they did not.: )
Love this picture! And this cutie is Jesse:
Adorable, right? (Sidenote: he is our age and so successful! Kinda made us feel like underachievers.)
Dean, cameraman #1, was on our very first shoot with the show, and is phenomenal. Just sayin'. Eventually, we got to do our ridiculously silly and goofy smooth and athletic run out to take a peek at Nate's Crate.
The rest is history, as they say. Anyway, we're so excited to show you the rooms we decorated for Christmas for the show. Of course, Nate pulled another switcheroo on us (see our first house swap here), and I had to decorate Monica's family room, and she had to Christmas-ify my basement den. Switching houses totally puts us out of our element because we have to find all their DIY supplies to use without their guidance. Plus, it's a lot more pressure to decorate someone else's house! We couldn't use any of our existing Christmas decorations and could pretty much use only what was in the crate, although we could shop the house. But the end results turned out pretty good, if we do say so ourselves.: ) Ready for some before and afters? Monica's Family Room
Jessica's Basement Den
Wheeeeeee! Don't they look amazing? There are soooooo many projects we want to share from these two makeovers- way too many for one post- so we'd like to invite you to:
Beginning tomorrow we'll be breaking down each of the projects from our room makeovers. We'll be sharing loads of ideas for Christmas decor that are easy and cheap- anyone can do them! You don't want to miss it, so come back with pens and paper in hand.: ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ok, so back to Nate…we headed into NYC in mid-November for another live taping. This is super fun for us, especially watching all fun, crazy stuff that goes on behind the scenes. When we arrived, we headed up to our green room to get settled in and make ourselves look presentable.
Yes, this is another pose-in-the-mirror shot. We're sorry. We won't do it again.
Thank goodness for the wonderful makeup ladies. Each time they do our makeup differently, but every time it's great!
We kind of coordinated without planning it. Great minds…
Our green room didn't stand a chance against us make-a-mess-of-everything girls.
I was so hungry that I needed two plates full of food. (Sadly, this is not abnormal.)
Oh, wait, here's another mirror shot.
And another. Oops! She's cute, though, so that kind of makes up for it, doesn't it?
Once the show was over, we met up with Ed: the sweetest, most personable, down-to-earth, extremely successful producer on earth. I can't say enough nice things about him, so I won't even try. But, we love him. Then it was off to see the sights!
I can't believe we toted some of our projects around Times Square. We are such dorks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, that's it in a nutshell! We're seriously hoping to be asked on the show again, and if we are, we will be pulling out all the stops to get a picture with Mr. Nate himself. (We're coming for you, Nate!; ) Please don't forget to stop by tomorrow for Monica's easy handwritten lamp shade transformation. Thanks so much for all of your support! Have a great day!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome, Moo & Puppy, our newest sponsor! Moo & Puppy is a modern digital paper shop, and their stuff is seriously amazing. We created our 12 Days of Nate Show DIYs header with paper from her shop (Brewster Red & Teal). You should totally go check it out, and use the code HOUSEWIVES20 for a 20% discount on your order.
