It's time

Tuesday, December 27, 2011




















































Welcome back everyone, from what I hope was a well spent holiday weekend. I took a much needed break from the internet world for the holidays. The only exception is I couldn't take me eyes away from Insta.gram. Everyone was posting such beautiful & fun photos of their Christmas adventures. I got online for the first time last night, it seemed as if the cyber world was slowly waking up from the weekend break we all needed. I hope you are feeling as refreshed and inspired as I am.

Image Source {1}

A Few of My Favorites

Monday, December 26, 2011


































I hope you all had a lovely Christmas! Here are a few of my favorite gifts! I'm loving all the texture & color!

What was your favorite gift that you gave or received?

Our Little Christmas

Thursday, December 22, 2011



This holiday season has been filled with so many special moments & this week has already seen so much love & happiness. I love this time of year & the way it makes me feel. I love the time spent with family, the joy we find in giving & all the delicious food we eat! I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful life.

I want to wish you all a happy & blessed Christmas. Enjoy your time with the ones you love. And make sure to eat way too much food!

Thanks to my big Brother for putting together this video for me!

I will be taking a break from blogging for the next couple of days. I will see you back here on Tuesday!

Holly Berries: Winter Christmas Floral

Tuesday, December 20, 2011













































































After this weekend things finally began to feel like Christmas. And I can't believe it is only a couple of days! (Yay!) This year has been such a new & different experience for me. I have spent every one of my Christmas's with my parents. My Mother has a real knack for ringing in the Christmas spirit. The tree comes up right after Thanksgiving & is always lit. We spend time together shopping, watching Christmas movies & putting together neighbor gifts. We spend every Sunday night celebrating advent & eating lot of treats. It's exactly what Christmas is to me.

This year is my first year away from my parents. It has been hard to try & reign in on that Christmassy feeling. I decorated the house right after Thanksgiving, watched a lot of Christmas movies & spent time on preparing gifts for family & friends. But it still didn't feel like the same old Christmas I was used to. I'm sure as time goes by, I will figure out new traditions that will help make my season feel like Christmas.

How do you create the Christmas feeling in your home? I sure could use some tips!

Pretty Packages

Monday, December 19, 2011






































I've seen a lot of really cool gift wrapping inspirations this year! There are so many fun ideas, but I didn't have a lot of time to spend, nor money. I thrifted a dress, shirt and yard of fabric that I used to fancy up my boxes!

How are you wrapping your gifts this year? Any fun ideas?

Find some inspiration from some of my favorite bloggers here.

Keep Warm

Friday, December 16, 2011












































Well there is still no snow here in Salt Lake, which translates into Christmas really creeping up on me.  I can't believe its next weekend! I feel like I have so much more to do & so many more Christmas activities I want to enjoy before it's here. So my plan for the weekend is to really let the Christmas spirit soak in! Saturday I will be taking my cute husband on a surprise Christmas date... I haven't ever surprised him like this before. I'm really excited! The rest of the weekend will be spent finishing up making & wrapping Christmas gifts & spending time with family & friends.

What are your plans for the weekend? I hope it's enjoyable, calm & holidayicious.

A Cup of Cheer

Thursday, December 15, 2011




































I am a hot drink connoisseur. I drink hot chocolate, tea & (mostly) coffee by the gallon. Hot drinks are the best part of winter! The other day, I was making myself a cup of caramel hot cocoa & I realized, I don't have one, not one stylish mug or tea cup. All I have are the teacups I got with my china set,  a cute Mr. & Mrs. teacup set from Disneyland & a few mugs I got from the dollar store.

After shopping around, here are some of my favorites, which one do you like best?

I'd love to know whats your favorite between the three? Hot cocoa, tea or coffee?

I want to try this & this drink recipe in my new mug.

You can find these teacups & mugs here {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}

Santa Baby

Wednesday, December 14, 2011












































Doesn't she look fabulous?

Image Source {1}

Holiday Gathering Inspiration: Mad Men

Tuesday, December 13, 2011








































Try this out for your holiday party theme. Mad Men. There is a strict 1950's dress code, Polaroid cameras, a record player playing all the old fashion Christmas favorites & of course a glamorous bar.

Image Sources: {12, 3}

Austed Wedding

Monday, December 12, 2011




















































I love going to weddings & seeing the bride & grooms style & personality really shine. After meeting with Sierra & Collin, I was excited about the direction they wanted to take the floral. They both share a love for winter, the outdoors & camping. This was the central theme for their wedding & I really wanted the floral to mirror this. Because they were trying to keep floral on a strict budget, we only did a bridal bouquet, boutonnieres & corsages. I had a wonderful time working with this darling couple!

A Not-So-Weekend

Friday, December 9, 2011



































I will be so relieved after this weekend, well after Monday. It's sad that I am not looking forward to this weekend like I look forward to every other one. I have so much to do & I don't deal well with stress. I started out this weekend last night. I spent the night arranging flowers for a wedding this morning (post coming next week). Afterward I went straight to my first final. I will be spending the remainder of my weekend stretching myself thin with studying, getting caught up on housework I haven't done in about a month (it's scary!) & holiday parties. Monday will ring in my last final & the official start to my holiday! Then I will be free to spend my time however I like.

I can't wait to read a book that I actually want to read. To spend my weekends with my husband, family & friends instead of doing homework. Actually get housework done & stay caught up on it, like I usually do. Focus more attention on blogging. Work on a more crafts & projects.

Oh & did I mention I am graduating with my AAS degree this semester? I am then taking spring semester off to prepare my portfolio for admission. That's probably why I feel so relieved to be done.

I hope you have a less stressful weekend than me! Cheers.

Image Source {1}

Songs for Your Holiday

Thursday, December 8, 2011









































Star of Wonder - Sufjan Stevens
No Christmas for Me - Zee Avi
Frosty the Snowman - Fiona Apple
Christmas Waltz - She & Him
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Copeland
It's Christmas - Coconut Records
Carol of the Bells - Bird & The Bee
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - The Honey Trees
Zat You Santa Claus? - Ingrid Lucia
Sleigh Ride - Squirrel Nut Zippers
I Saw Three Ships - Sufjan Stevens
It's Only Christmas - As Tall As Lions
Blue Christmas - Dustin Kensrue
Christmas With The Jews - Elizabeth & The Catapult
Angels We Have Heard On High - Future of Forestry
Go Tell It On The Mountain - Seabird
The Winter Song - Eisley
Do You Hear What I Hear - Copeland
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Slow Club

Image Source {1}

Scarf Weather: Collar Edition

Wednesday, December 7, 2011




























































I'm loving this trend right now! Collars have the same appeal as jewelry because they make dressing up fun! You can mix &  match quick as a flash.

Personally I'd go with The Girly Girl or The Eye Catcher. Which girl are you?

You can shop all of these collars & more here.

Image Sources {1, 2}

Feast & Friends

Tuesday, December 6, 2011



































































































I've been dreaming of hosting my own dinner party at my home for quite sometime. With the spirit of Christmas in the air, I couldn't help feeling like it was the perfect time. With a very limited budget, I planned a dinner party for my husband & a couple of our closest friends. This is a staging of how our table will be decorated.

The total cost of the decor was just under $20.

Here's how I did it:

1. Try to use things you already own.   I have a lot of wood serve ware, so that was a big part of my inspiration. I have also a great collection of vintage hand painted ornaments. I knew I wanted to incorporate these as well. I also used pine from my backyard & ornaments from my tree.  Things I didn't have, I asked around & borrowed many things from my family.

2. Go thrifting often. Since I have been planning this dinner party, I have been in search of the perfect table setting. I eventually had all the pieces I needed, including dinner plates, tumblers & serve ware. But it took a while.

3. Use decor you might not think should belong on a table. I think this makes the table setting exciting & gives it your personal flare!

I know I have a lot to learn about table setting & decor, but I had a lot of fun planning this, finding the material & putting my own personal taste into it.

How are you celebrating the holiday season? However it is, I hope it is picture perfect!

Have Yourself

Friday, December 2, 2011















































I hope you all have an excellent first December weekend! What are your plans? I am not quite sure what this weekend holds in store for me besides a few things. I will be stylizing a photo shoot tomorrow. Cramming for finals next week. And Drew & I will finally decorate our tree! It's been up for a week, it's about time.

Here is a really great DIY project you might want to try this weekend.

Or if you want to get some Holiday shopping done this weekend:
Here is an awesome Etsy shop.
I really want this.
If you are looking for jewelery, this is one of my favorite online shops.

A stimulating read.

Or if you want to look at something pretty, check out this photostream.

Enjoy the weekend friends!!



Image Source: {1}

A Week.

Thursday, December 1, 2011




































The past week has been crazy. After spending the weekend in New Mexico & enjoying a break with family & friends. Reality hit on Sunday, just how much I have to get done in the next 2 weeks. Firstly, it's finals, which my Professor's have decided to stretch out over the course of 3 weeks. I am the get things done & over with kind of girl! So 3 weeks seems endless! I have projects, assignments & tests to get through. But I can see the finish line of a day dedicated to myself! Wish me luck.

But on a happier note! This has been a fantastic couple months so far. I've been able to really push myself creatively. Although blogging can be stressful at times, the past two months of hard work have really paid off. The best reward has been the growth I've seen within myself. It makes me happy being able to see improvement in my own work! I just want to keep pushing myself to see where I can get.