Christmas Decor!

I love decorating at Christmas time.

This year I changed it up a bit and tried a few new things. 

Many thanks to Martha Stewart and pinterest.

The mantle - (past: garland with lights) Today: red, white and silver and throw in some cute glass holders from C&B.

The Tree- same as last year ++ a few new ornaments! 

The Entryway - garland and lights - love. I would normally line this table with holiday cards and it would just get too cluttered.

Now I put the Christmas cards here! I love it!!! I used a piece of ribbon and attached it to the back of the wreath, then I pulled the tail down under the basement door and taped it. I used clothes pins to hang the cards off of the ribbon!

Last but not least the kitchen window. I added two strapping reindeer with matching ribbon scarves (leftover from other projects) and a tall cranberry christmas tree.

pinterest

I am a big fan of Pinterest. I found out about this online pinning tool a while ago from a friend who loves to be crafty. I am always looking for DIY projects, recipes, etc. To find inspiration I just look at pinterest. If you have not checked it out - head over there now!

I found this cute idea to make your own coasters out of tiles from Home Depot. I thought it was the cutest idea and would be a great little hostess or housewarming gift. I made some of them this week to give to a few family members. I think they turned out pretty great. I also think there is some room for improvement - backing of the tile - but overall I am pleased. Here are a few pictures of the completed project.

next up - shelving for the guest bedroom :)

whoops

On Tuesday night i got a text message from the fiancé saying not to use the garbage disposal - it is broken. i was out to dinner with a friend...so i did not really think i'd be using it anyways...but good to know. turns out the fiancé dropped a super strong magnet into the drain and it had stuck to the garbage disposal. i mean this magnet is like super strength. we did not touch the sink that night because it was too late to deal with it. so on Wednesday night we tried everything to get that darn magnet out of the disposal. it was seriously stuck. not moving. so we decided we should try to take it off the sink, open it up and remove the magnet. we got out our trusty home depot DIY book and looked up how to install the disposal. We followed the instructions backwards hence trying to take off the disposal. We were successful in getting it off the sink considering it is seriously secure. we pried open the garbage disposal hoping that we could remove the magnet and put it back together. We realized that when we opened up the disposal we tore the seal/rubber gasket that keeps it together so that it doesn't leak. well crap...that sucks. we for sure then had to buy a new disposal. In the meantime I had called my dad to get some advice in getting the disposal off the sink. The man knows everything and has pretty much jerry-rigged or completely fixed tons of stuff at my parent’s house. by the time the fiancé left to purchase the new disposal -9:30 PM…my mom and dad showed up to support the fix.  Dad was able to remove the rest of the bracket and drain which was connected to the sink. He cleaned the sink drain and prepared it for the new one. The fiancé arrived with a new disposal. Seriously it took maybe 20 minutes for the fiancé and dad to hook it up. It was super simple I probably could have done it. But I am glad I didn't have to!

Some lessons learned

•          Don’t drop magnets (or any foreign object) into the the sink / drain
•          Buy Home Depots DIY book – it is orange and 19.99. 
•          Marry a man that is great at fixing things!
•          Thank Dad for his willingness to help! I know plumbing issues are his absolute favorite.

Oh Peony!

My mom has these amazing Peony plants in her backyard.

My brother gave them to her for Mother's Day a few years ago.

I am not sure how I failed to know this because Peonies are my favorite flower.

I really wanted them for the wedding and reception.

But they are not in season in July.

Bummer!

Yesterday while she was picking me lettuce out of their garden,

she said I could take a few with me for my kitchen table!

I was super excited!

Magic of the Season

The magic of the Christmas season is starting to make its presence at our home. The tree is decorated, the stockings are hung. The smell of cinnamon and fir trees surrounds us. Winter is finally here with roaring winds and cold temperatures. I love this time of year and I just can't get enough. 

Here are a few pics of the tree and new stockings. And yes, I purchased monogrammed stockings for the pups.



Be Our Guest

Hello!!! Yes, I am still alive. I have just been too lazy to blog. With all of this wedding stuff and summer wrapping up...I have failed as a blogger. You'd think that I would have things to share since I am planning a wedding...well that will come.

Recently, I have found myself justifying making purchases because they are "for the wedding". I am usually pretty frugal but recently that has not been the case. I figured since we may have out of town guests for different wedding activities, I felt the need to update the bedding in the guest room. I have been stalking PB again...for this one duvet to go on sale. Alas - it went on sale last week and it arrived this week. Little did I remember that not only did I need to update the duvet, but I also need a new bed skirt and sheets. That will happen this weekend. When we moved into our house 3 years ago...I purchased a $24.99 bed in a bag from Target. It was a great find that got me through. But honestly, it was the worst looking thing ever. I am ready for the change.  I hope it is put to use...come on over - i'll even make you breakfast!

I suggested to The Fiancé that it is now time to paint the 2 guest rooms and bath. He said - yeah that would be a great project for our holiday break. Well, I was thinking more along the lines of in the next month - maybe a random weekend when we have nothing going on. He agreed! Yipppee. I cannot wait to get painting and transform the guest rooms into something FANTASTIC. Below is a picture of the bedding – and I sort of want to copy the aesthetic of the room. We shall see…

Who wants to be our first guest!!?!?!