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Hello friends! I've been sick as a dog, spending as much time as I can in bed resting, but I'm stopping in briefly today to post a few pictures of the holiday decor I've added to the shelves in our dining room / office. Everything we added to this space was either re-purposed from past years, or it was free... One of my favorite parts about the holiday updates on these shelves were the "chalkboard" printouts from online.  I just took the prints that were previously in these frames and swapped them out.  So easy, and it cost me nothing - my favorite kind of update! I also took the faux holly berry sprigs that had been in our living room last year , and cut the stems short, putting the berry branches in a few small pots we had on hand.  Another super easy, free addition, and it added instant holiday cheer to the shelves. The faux potted amaryllis was a score from Target last year, and is livening up our pretty little bar cart. This is not a "Christmas" upd...

December is almost half way through (CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!), and after getting our tree decorated last weekend, let's give it a moment in the spotlight... Pretty, right?? I feel like there are two types of Christmas tree decorators... the traditionalists, and the theme decorators. Myself, I'm a traditionalist - my favorite part about decorating the tree is to hang all the sentimental ornaments I've gotten year after year and reminisce (much to Kris' chagrin) all about when I got them, and the stories behind each... Mixed in with all the sentimental ones, I've got colorful globes, and glittery ribbon woven throughout.  I had big hopes this year to swap out the gold ribbon for a fun black and white stripe, but it was impossible to find.  So gold ribbon it was.  At least I upgraded from my sheer ribbon last year to a big, chunky glitter ribbon.  It really stands out and sparkles so much at night when the lights are on. This year, the tree is a bit different from years p...

I cheated... but just a little!! I'm linking up today with Michaela at  Michaela Noelle Designs  for a fun craft link up party! There have been some AMAZING ideas posted already, and while I had grand plans to post up a fun paper Christmas Tree project, there have not been enough hours in my day.  Eh, you can't win them all... so I've contributed to the link up with my ornament garland from last year that has held up SO WELL. Last year it stood alone in the hallway, but this year, it's a part of the winter wonderland I posted about last week! Go take a look at some of the amazing ideas and projects!!  Some of them totally doable, and some I know are outside of my talent level... A few favorites already?? This super charming  Swedish Felt Christmas Tree  from Southern Distinctions.... I'm obsessed with Sarah's blog, so it's no surprise that I loved her  feather garland ... I just love how it catches the light and sort of glows... And this felt wreath ...

Woot woot!!  The hallway is ready for the holidays!! I tackled this area of our house last night, and I'm REALLY happy with how it turned out!!  I'd bought this deer head a while back when Target's "Stag Head" collection came out, and while he's been living on our bookshelves for the last month or so, he's made himself right at home in this little winter wonderland scene! We (sadly) don't have a mantle in our apartment, so I like to decorate this area the same way I'd decorate a holiday mantle.  This year, it's a snowy woodland scene... This table has actually been in our living room for the last year or so, acting as the drop spot for keys, mail, etc, but since we had to make space in the living room for our Christmas tree, this table had to move back into the hallway. Initially, I wasn't a huge fan of having the table in the hallway - our apartment is pretty small, so to me it felt more cramped when you walked down the hallway.  The table...

Whelp it's been a rude awakening being back at work so far... I was just getting used to the life of leisure, and then 7:30 came around this morning VERY early.  Despite my ongoing depression of being back at work this week, we've started decorating for the holidays which is very fun... and by fun... I mean hard work.  For the most part our house is a HUGE mess - boxes everywhere, tissue paper galore, and a very fragrant, very busy bare tree in the middle of it. I'm still in the process of tracking down all the boxes of ornaments, lights, and garlands, so for now, the only thing that isn't a complete mess is this little shelf in our dining room... Just one - the rest of them have been cleared off, and the dining room table is a mis-mash of it's former contents as I contemplate what I want to put up for the holidays. I don't dare show you what the rest of our living room and dining room look like right now... it's bad. Better photos and more information on ho...

Let me preface this post by saying, yes, I am fully aware that we haven't celebrated Thanksgiving yet...  But let me also just say, Thanksgiving is the latest it's ever been... EVER... so since Thanksgiving is so excruciatingly late, I figured it couldn't hurt anyone to hang a few harmless wreaths in our living room over the weekend.... I LOVE boxwood wreaths. Possibly more than any other wreath.  They are fresh and simple, and need no adornment, which around the holiday season - when the motto is "the more lights, tinsel, and general bedazzlement, the better" - a simple wreath is subtly festive. In my case, I went with four subtly festive boxwood wreaths... for $10 each, how could I say no?! I decided to hang them in each of the windows of our living room... I absolutely LOVE LOOVVEEE LOOOVVVVVEEEEEE them. The best part about boxwoods is that they dry so well.  These windows get direct sunlight all day long - pretty much from about 9am until 4pm, but boxwoods kee...

Gold is in, in a big way - gold jewelery, watches, brass hardware, and gilded picture frames - it's everywhere!  Gold is the perfect transitional color for the holidays, and can take you from Thanksgiving seamlessly into Christmas (and beyond if you ask me). I'm a big fan of transitional decor - things that feel like the season ... not specifically the holiday, so I've pulled together some of my favorite gold accessories to incorporate into your seasonal decor, for a little glitz and glam that doesn't scream "Santa Claus" Enjoy! Stag Head:  Ok... so he's not gold... but I couldn't resist!!  How cute would he be with a boxwood wreath around his neck... OR... a gold ornament wreath (in keeping with the gold theme here)... post holidays he could transition into a jaunty scarf...  Right?! Jewelry Box:  I need this.  My jewelry has taken over an entire dresser drawer and it's just mayhem.  I can never find anything, so this jewelry box (or a set of seve...