it's almost here...

We have almost everything wrapped for everyone on our list, and Bailey is so excited she actually clawed open one of the presents twice already. Although the focus of Christmas isn't on the presents, I love the fun that comes with wrapping things up and giving them to those you love most.

I'm taking a little blogging break for the holidays, but have a few fun posts lined up between now and the new year. Have a wonderful Christmas!

his + hers: holiday wear

I missed posting this Monday (how busy is this week?!), but here's my his+ hers, inspired by what we'll be wearing for the holidays. We have three different family gatherings Christmas weekend, so I always like to pick something special for us to wear.

While out shopping last weekend we found some much needed dress clothes for Q, including a cute green sweater & collar shirt (both on sale) that he'll be wearing. And I'll be wearing a dark dress, heels & tights. What do you wear for the holidays? Brooke shared a fun his+hers yesterday too, so be sure to check it out here.

His: 1 gingham collar shirt, 2 v-neck sweater, 3 oxford shoes, 4 leather belt
Hers: 1 dotted dress, 2 over-the-knee socks, 3 drop-disc earrings, 4 black heels

weekend links...

We're having a busy-fun weekend trying to fit in as much as possible before Christmas next week. Q just went out to do some "top secret" shopping so I thought I'd share a few links before getting back to my to-do list...

Mariah's having 12 Days of Christmas on Size too Small (I got to join in here).
A hand made toggle coat! wow.
A simple + sweet Christmas tree.
My husband knows I would love this chair.
We loved this movie and want to see this one.
A great military cause to support this Christmas.
Holiday treats we're giving away this year: yum + yum.

no-sew shade diy

I've been meaning to share this super easy shade we made earlier this fall. It's so simple to make (if I could pull it off, anyone can). We have an odd sized kitchen window that needed a custom sized shade, and I'd been procrastinating making one myself. Then I stumbled across this DIY for making shades out of mini blinds and so we tried it. It worked. It didn't require sewing and only took 30 minutes. It was awesome.

If you'd like to make one, I'd refer to the full DIY instructions to guide you. In summary, here's what we did: 1. purchased mini blinds ($3.99 Target) & fabric (Ikea), 2. laid out blinds and removed all but three slats, 3. folded over edges of fabric and glued in place with tacky glue, and 4. glued blinds onto fabric and let dry.

All accomplished while watching a Saturday night movie. I'm sure my neighbors are glad they no longer have to watch me sing while doing dishes.

mock party: decorating with berries

(images: Andrea Dozier Photography)

Before we started putting together our mock Christmas party, here's what we started with: a simple $9 bouquet of berries from the market. They were so beautiful on their own that Andrea took a few photos before we started snipping off berries & leaves and arranging them in bottles, attaching them to ornaments, and garnishing our apple centerpiece. More to come!

PS. after the photoshoot, these guys lasted for a long time (even though I'm forgetful about refreshing the water)...definitely worth their money.

gift picks: (no. 4) hooray for girlfriends

It took me about 10 minutes to pull these items together because it's pretty much my own wish list (Q, I hope you're reading). It's fun to fill little totes or pouches with homemade goodies, jewelry, classic books, or comfy slippers for girlfriends. And if I know them really well, art makes the perfect, personal gift.

[1 "a christmas carol" book, 2 velvet lined slippers, 3 baggu reusable tote, 4 nob hill painting by alkeemi, 5 tiny triangle studs, 6 handmade zip bag, 7 radiance lip shimmer, 8 field notes]

see no. 1-3 here: foodies, crafters, & the guys.

mock party: christmas

Mock Party is a little series Andrea Dozier & I put together for the holidays (see our first part for halloween right here), to share fun, simple ideas for re-using what you have from one party to the next. Here are just a few ideas we put together for Christmas...







We reused these basics from the last party: plain tableware, white candlesticks, muslin table runner, + white napkins. We swapped out the doily garland for silver ornaments suspended from the ceiling, and made a few different centerpieces using apples, garden herbs, and a bouquet of berries from the market.

(All images: Andrea Dozier Photography)

gift picks: (no.3) hooray for guys

Guys* are challenging to shop for! Especially if you're trying to focus on handmade gifts. It's hard to find/make things that they'll actually use, but it IS possible (like the etsy tie & cuff links for my bro). I try to balance handmade with practical & fun, and also think that getting gifts such as tools is a great way to encourage handmade projects of their own.

[1 star wars visual dictionary, 2 lego storm trooper hand carved stamp (love this!), 3 corded drill, 4 black dot skinny tie, 5 cook with jamie cookbook, 6 oak wood cufflinks, 7 surround sound gamer headphones, 8 rite in the rain notebooks]

PS. Q uses those all-weather notebooks for the military and I love to "borrow" them.

*speaking of guys - happy birthday, DAD!

his+hers: ornaments

His + Hers: childhood ornaments.

These are two of our favorites - Q's little nutcracker he made out of a clothespin (hilarious & cute), and a tiny porcelain bear I was given when I was born. I also included an "ours" - the first ornament we were given as a married couple (there is a history behind the pig in his family).

PS. Here are a few other good his+hers posts check out: Brooke's, Mary's, Cassi's, and Mallory's (if I'm missing yours just let me know!).

crow watch & giveaway

Remember when I blogged about those cute Crow watches I liked? Well, their PR team kindly sent me one of them as a thank you gift, and as much as I love it, I don't accept gifts in return for blogging so I'm offering it to one of you readers!

Before parting with it, I just had to try it on and take a few of these pictures...I like that it's simple, over-sized, waterproof, and unisex (perfect for casual wear & outdoor stuff in the summer). I even had my brother try it on and I think he secretly liked it even though he tries to pretend we don't have the same "fashion" sense. :-)

If you'd like to win this watch for yourself or someone you know, just comment on this post before Friday (multiple entries allowed for tweeting or blogging about it). I'm so happy to give some blog love here to Crow as well as send this watch off to a fellow blog friend - good luck!

*update: the winner of the CROW watch is Gigi, please contact me to claim it (or I'll draw once more). thanks! The (second) winner of the watch is Stacey Sargent.

black, white & red all over

A few of these have made the blog rounds already, but here are some things I've bookmarked and like too much not to share:

Hand-lettered Christmas stamps (from Ampersandity)

White + silver Christmas decor (photo by virginia macdonald)

Le Premier Noel (via design sponge)

Little Black Kitten (I want one!) (via lovely clusters)

A sweet advent Calendar

holiday mittens

(images: dobbin mews holiday shop)

I'm not the only one who thought these would make the most adorable handmade Christmas gift for friends who just had babies. They're sold out already, save for the little yellow ones.

branches & baubles

This display from Ballard Designs is so pretty with the huge bucket full of branches & baubles. I was waiting for those tiny glass ornaments to go on sale and they already have! We keep it fairly simple with ornaments: assorted silver ones from our wedding, keepsake ones from friends & family, and a little collection of colorful glass baubles handed down from my parents. I'd love to add these to the collection and keep them in the family for years to come.

his + hers

His + Hers: shoes in our closet.

Does this look familiar? He has basically one pair of shoes in the closet (his big combat boots), and I have a slew of them (mostly flats, thank you). Of course we keep our go-to shoes in the mudroom, so these are our extras. Although my collection is nothing like this, I still can't win the debate over who hogs closet space the most.

(See more his+hers here, and follow Brooke's over here).

oh christmas tree

Last weekend we got our tree & decorations up, and the stump works perfectly. Q salvaged it from a huge piece of lumber at his parent's house. We brought it home (it's super heavy, by the way), and he drilled a hole in it and added a few coats of varnish. We set it on a piece of protective cardboard and then wrapped faux sheepskin rugs over top.

If the tree looks crooked in these photos - that's just because it is. After putting it up, I also realized a 7 foot tree looks tiny in our living room! And I miss the smell of a big, real tree. So next year we might try a real one again, and put this one upstairs. I guess I'm becoming that lady who has multiple trees (and cats). Have a lovely weekend.

PS. a few Christmas-y links:
-picking the perfect tree
-fireplace full of candles
-making peppermint bark
-a festive holiday mix.

gift picks: (no.2) hooray for crafters

I only have a few people on my list in this category, but they're among my favorite to shop/make things for, because they always appreciate handmade gifts. I especially love Natalie's bunting stamp and Wakako's masking tape that you can either give as a gift or use to make & embellish gifts.

[1 bunting stamp; 2 trusted sentiments pencils; 3 dotted gold notebook; 4 cobra vintage eyeglasses; 5 vintage-inspired icicle twists; 6 mt masking tape; 7 paper garland]

see no.1 for foodies, here.

first snow...

This morning we had our first snow - just a light dusting, the perfect start to December. I immediately thought of this painting I've had bookmarked of Christmastime in the city (the speckled snow looks so pretty). Have you had snow yet where you are?