Happy Holidays

Well friends, I am ducking out early this year. I want to kick off the holiday season by spending as much time with my family and friends as possible.

I can't wait to drink big cups of hot chocolate by the fire, watch every Christmas movie on Hallmark and Lifetime, meet up with old friends coming home for the holidays, eat so much food that you just have to take a nap, make snow angels, and so much more.

Wishing you and yours the happiest of holiday seasons!

{image via}

Rustic Sleigh

I had to run to Target this weekend to buy a small little container for a school project, and I had high hopes of finding what I needed in the dollar section.  I found exactly what I was looking for and then of course something else too.  While this wasn't $1, it was only $2.50 so I was just as happy!  It was a wonderful rustic sleigh.  I thought it would be great filled with various ornaments.  However, when I got back to my apartment I realized, I didn't have any ornaments so in went some Hershey's hugs and kisses.

The next day, I went to the dollar store and bought 36 ornaments for just $3.  I was very pleased with myself.  I love silver and gold but wanted a third color as well so I got the red batch too.

Then I simply placed them in the sleigh, trying to get an even mix of plain and sparkled ornaments.  I love that I now have another more natural element on the table in addition to the pine cones.

And for a grand total of $5. 50 and some ornaments to spare for other decorating, there you have it.  Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! Can't wait to see what you've been up to decorating!

I'm linking up with Funky Junk Interiors and At the Picket Fence:

Holiday Candles

What a busy, busy weekend!  I got so see my brother K play in his first hockey scrimmage, say goodbye to my sister who is off to Portland for a month (good luck!), hang out with boyfriend B, his parents, and mine, and go to the Packer game with two wonderful uncles and an equally wonderful cousin (Thanks Uncle B).  Looking forward to a long Thanksgiving break where I get to see the rest of my extended family.

In the mean time, I have discovered some wonderful ways to spruce up your candles for the quickly approaching holiday season.  As I showed you here, my lovely roommate bought some garland to add some holiday decor to our candles on the coffee table.  I had originally been thinking about working some glitter into the mix; however, luckily I had J to come up with this instead because I just don't think I would have been happy after dipping my candles in glitter.  One of those it seemed like a good idea at the time projects.  Usually I would try to do some of this on my own, but I just can't seem to find enough time for everything in my life right now.  So instead of making pretty things, I'm finding pretty things.  Here's what I would like to do if there were 30 hours in a day:

 via

 via

via

Each of these could add some much needed texture to a mantle, coffee table, end table...you get the picture.  What do you do to spice up your candles for the holiday?

Holiday Decorating

Now I realize I'm kind of skipping over a thing called Thanksgiving, but let's get serious, I'm in my 5th and final year of college, which means my aunt still makes the amazing Turkey dinner.  Thinking about it just makes me hungry.  And, well, it's no secret that my roommate and I love Christmas so we may have gotten ahead of ourselves on this one.  Our amazing Christmas tree is already up and lighting up our apartment.  I'll save that picture for later as it received mixed reviews on a thing called Facebook.

This morning, my decorating-loving-friend S and I went to Pottery Barn's class on How to Decorate for the Holidays.  Truth be told, I didn't learn anything too mind-blowing, but it was still fun to sit in all of their wonderful chairs and ottomans for an hour.  Things to highlight:

1. Mercury glass = staple piece

2. Repurpose items. Turn them upside down, on their sides, whatever it takes to make it different to you.

3. Mix elements of nature with some more refined elements.

4. Use what you have just reorganize.  This one is a bit more difficult for a college student, as I had no decorations.

5. This one I did love: hang an ornament from a lamp...

 I added a Christmas element to my bedroom because it was lacking the holiday spirit.

Before this class, I had some ideas of my own.  Here's what I decorated our table with: 

I filled a vase with scented pinecones and then twigs I got at Michaels.  Originally I was going to get my own twigs from outside my apartment and spray paint them, but then I realized time is just not something I have a lot of this semester.  After the Pottery Barn class, I picked up these new candle holders and candles.  I liked that the holders were the same size but that I could mess around with the candle sizes.  

My next project: redecorate the art we have about the couch.  I'll post a step-by-step post later this week!

Before

 After.   

My apologies that it's not at the same angle.  There is this large tree in the corner of our room now with really pretty lights and ornaments on it. 

Last project: cover the coffee table book.  Yes book. Solo. It's lonely, and I fully intend to find it some friends soon.  My roommate J found the wonderful garland to put around the candles, and I love it.  She is also the mother of four wonderful little birdies.  Just call her Mama J.

 What decorating tips do you have for the holiday season?

Linking up with A Thoughtful Place: