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Are you guys ready for some holiday house updates????????? Let's dive right in! The fireplace is the center of our living room, and an obvious focal point to decorate for the holidays.  I was so excited to be able to string up garlands, and doll it up this year since our old apartment didn't have a central focal point in the living room.  Everything was centered around our TV which was practical, but not the most attractive option. As stoked as I was to decorate the fireplace, I REALLLLLLYYYYYYY wish that it had a mantle.  If you look closely, you'll notice that it's a flat facade, surrounded by a piece of crown molding, so there's no spot for long beautiful taper candles, leaning art, or cool decorative accents like that on top of it. I've spent many hours scheming about how to create a mantle here, but with the fireplace being completely surrounded on all sides by a slab of mirror, it just won't work... unless I dare risk 7 years bad luck by breaking it......

I'm in the process of photographing and posting some of the holiday decor we've got up in our house, but wanted to share where I was pulling my inspiration from this year... Source Green and gold baby! I'm loving the look of the overabundance of greens in the forms of wreaths, greenery in vases, swags of greens and garlands on stairwells (which we don't have), across fireplaces (which we DO have), and everywhere in-between. Source If it's crusted in gold, or glitter, or both, chances are I want it. I just think that the combination of the greenery with all the gold is just so pretty with all the twinkle lights, and I think it adds a bit of glam to what could otherwise really be a rustic, woodsy look. Source Source I mean how amazing is that tree, and that entryway, and that staircase, and that garland?!?!  My future house in the Hamptons will look JUST like this at the holidays :-) Source THAT DOG!!!!  What a muffin, although, clearly this is the most well behaved d...

Let me preface this post by saying, I'm not a big Valentine's day girl - the hoopla of it all is overwhelming, and the pricey set menu's at every single restaurant make me want to stay in... which is what we do every year.  We make dinner together, and cozy up with some wine.  The one thing I do like about this day though is the conscious effort everyone makes to say I love you. With everything going on I haven't given much thought to Valentine's day this year - no fun crafts, and I haven't even gotten my cards in the mail (sorry mom and dad!)... but for whatever reason, I woke up today in the celebrating mood. And what better way to feel a little festive for perhaps the most over-hyped, over-rated holiday than to dress a little special?? I have a little bounce in my step after putting on a VERY similar outfit to the one below... a full red skirt (with pockets... LOVE), a silky floral blouse, some fun kick-y booties and my beloved pink coat.  Mine is from Jcrew,...

It's 5:00 somewhere... am I right??  Today I'm participating in the link up party at  The Lovely Cupboard , where there is bound to be quite a few yummy cocktail recipes abound! After getting our new bar cart, I went wild at BevMo, so we are stocked to the gills with delicious holiday beverage accouterments.... everything from brandied cherries (these are just AMAZING in a manhattan), to flavored syrups, whiskey, vodka, mixers, and LOTS of champagne...  To keep things feeling festive, I've devised three holiday cocktails to perpetuate that warm feeling of holiday cheer (or is that warm feeling from taste-testing three different cocktails in the afternoon...) The hard part about this post wasn't coming up with three cocktails, but, actually limiting myself to just three!!  I had a little too much fun with this one! The first cocktail up, is the Rose "merry" and Cranberry Cooler ... ya like that name?? I, for one, LOVE mixing savory and sweet flavors, and the ro...

Source With all the planning that goes into the production of today, it's so easy to forget what Thanksgiving is all about - it's about giving thanks. Simple. There are so many blessings in my life to be thankful for, but at the top of that list is family, friends, and our good health.  To another healthful, happy year. Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving. xoxo

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...