Not going away anytime soon (Part II)

Ahhhh these patterns make me so happy!  I love that there are designs and colors that aren't too "girly" depending how you pair them- so I was able to use the decorative tape for both guys and gals.

These tapes were perfect for labeling gifts that were mailed this last Christmas, replacing tags/ribbons/bows that could be smashed or separated.  On the green cards above, the recipients peeled back the tape to reveal the gift certificates behind the white paper.

For the sister-in-law (and maybe myself too)

Let's continue with homemade projects inspired by other blogs:

Source of inspiration: Pugly Pixel Glitter Magnets

I basically followed the same steps, but I finished with a clear nail polish coating to keep the glitter from getting everywhere.  Well, everywhere but the table I was working on...

I actually found most of the supplies (magnets, larger clip magnets, glitter) on a convenient stop at Wal-Mart on our way back into town the weekend before Christmas.  I already had good ol' Aleene's Original Tacky Glue and cupcake liners on hand.

Good-bye Christmas

Well, it's done. All of the Christmas festivity has left our house. Last night I was finally able to watch a whole Christmas movie as I took down each ornament, unwound the lights from the tree, and packed each branch away in our many Sterilite containers. Oh and the stockings and banister decorations all came down as well.

Unfortunately, I was unable to actually put together my planned outfit, so this is what my night looked like:


Not too shabby. I ordered the movie from Amazon, courtesy of my aunt. My sister-in-law gave me similar red Husker sweatpants for Christmas, and the monkey slippers (from my in-laws years ago) probably need to retire- but they're just so cozy!

Until next year...

Festive trimmings- for me and the tree

I've said for the last few days, "I think I'll take down the Christmas tree tomorrow." It still hasn't happened, and I've figured out why- I need to assemble my outfit! So, because I didn't trim my tree in the correct attire, I will wear something festive when taking it down.

Classic Little Black Silk Taffeta Cocktail Dress
Pointed Toe Tapestry Heels
Knitted Clutch Purse
Beaded Cluster Bracelet
Vintage Christmas Poinsettia Brooch
Vintage Yellow Gold Ring

and- because you can't find everything on etsy, Cinnasnap nailpolish from Target

p.s. this took much longer than it should have

Lone wrapped gift

So I did a cute wrapping theme this year of black and white with red- but of course I only took one picture. I also created some creative tags for some of the gifts, but do I have evidence?


Oh my this Christmas just absolutely flew by! I don't feel Christmas was here long enough at all- so I plan on keeping my Christmas tree and decorations up a little longer. I'll let you know when they come down. I ordered some Christmas movies through Amazon, so it will at least be until the movies arrive and I can watch one or two. But for now I will relish the decorations and plug in the tree lights at night.

Okay I just have to sneak this in

Why I will start wearing dresses more often

Ben planned our Valentine's evening. I came home to spinach and artichoke dip and chips and oh yes flowers. I sneaked upstairs and shimmied into a dress while he finished up cooking dinner: steak and homemade herb butter; sauteed asparagus and mushroom gnocchi. Delicious!!

I started clearing some dishes and was stopped by my Valentine. "Honey, don't worry about the dishes. You have a dress on!" Best. Valentine's. Ever.

Ben had a(nother) test coming up, so he studied and I kept him company while watching one of my favorite movies. And then...we went to the gym. Am I bragging? Maybe. Only because 1) we enjoyed the time we spent together and 2) it is a goal of ours to start working out again, so here's hoping I can post again about working out!

A little bit of this, that

I didn't do such a great job of decorating our little house in Fremont. This year I am starting to build my collection of decorating items for each holiday. What? I am starting to decorate for February and we're still in January? Yeah I'm turning into one of those people. Here are a few items I put out this weekend.




I think it's a fun mix: Tenderheart Treasure items from my mother-in-law; a (pink!) tea set from my sister-in-law; awesome round placemats from my dear friend Amber; serving dishes from Aunt Judy; oh and the cupcake towel to me and from me!

A little eclectic, yes, but I love all the styles and I have this year to experiment. I still have another idea I want to execute, but just maybe I will wait until February.

All because I like tea, part 2

Continuing from yesterday's post, I had planned to do a "Christmas Countdown" for my Facebook profile. It was going to be a fun mini-project that showcased some favorite details about the Christmas season. Unfortunately, due to family health issues, I only counted down from 14 to 8 days til Christmas.


The other goal was to use the design for our Christmas postcard. I won't get into the details, but after a few frustrating e-mails and phone calls with an online printer I will no longer do business with, we ended up using a generic layout from Walgreens. Not ideal, but it was quick and easy.

Here is what you would have received:

All because I like tea

I was so excited to purchase some new flavors of tea online from Teavana. Of course I saw the company has a fan page on Facebook. I liked the profile picture they had at the time:

www.facebook.com/teavana

Besides the design elements and the distressed look, I liked the shape of the picture, which allows the photo to take up more room on your Facebook page. This inspired me to do a Christmas Countdown series with the same size/shape:

...and also a birthday tribute to my Twin:

The weather outside is frightful

The doting wife of a dental student...

Yesterday was an awful day to be outside. Luckily it was Saturday, I didn't have to be anywhere, and Ben and I stayed holed up all day. He made me caramel buns for breakfast and he also made a delicious dinner. We spent the evening on the couch; he studied while I flipped through magazines and flipped between "White Christmas" and "Cupcake Wars." I don't know how the topic came up, but Ben wanted a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Being the loving wife I am, I hopped right up, found a recipe, and made one for him (and me too of course). What a lucky guy...

Pretties

We went to Ben's Dental School Christmas party last night at the Embassy Suites downtown Lincoln. After eating and before the entertainment, we walked around the lobby area for a little bit. The multiple Christmas trees they decorated were classy. Ben's eyes caught their regular lighting, though--so he shouldn't have been surprised (or embarrassed) when I whipped out my camera.

Ta-Da!

I was thrilled to get the Christmas tree up. I thoroughly enjoyed the process as I watched a movie and took my time. Amber and I went to a class a year ago; the "teacher" was a florist who also was paid to decorate trees for businesses and in people's homes. She had quite a few good tips, but mainly it was all about the lights--you have to make sure your lights go all the way to the middle or inside of the tree.

I took several pictures of the tree, utilizing my tripod and playing with the exposure settings. My playtime was not quite as adventurous as Andrew's, but this was my favorite shot, as it shows the glow from the integrated lights quite accurately.

800 ISO f5.0 1/4

My kitchen helper

Well, Thanksgiving is officially over. We had our fifth, and last, gathering last night. I needed to make the family macaroni and cheese casserole as soon as I got home from work in order to make it on time to Fremont.

Ben had the day off and prepared the kitchen for me so I was all ready to go as soon as I walked in the door:

It's beginning to look a little like Christmas...

All of us ladies were pretty inspired after seeing the Crook House Museum decorated for the holidays. Jan, Irma and I had to visit Hobby Lobby after the Tea so Jan could find some tassels and medallions. I had already purchased the pearl/gold sprays there earlier in the week (50% off!).

So, yes, I still have Thanksgiving/Fall decorations up...but I wanted to get a little bit of a head start on some of the Christmas festivities. What can I say? I was inspired!

Project time!

More fall elements

I know several people who have set up their Christmas trees already, but I do have a few fall decorations I want to enjoy first. Most of them are decorate our dining room. I love rich browns, reds and other deep colors; they also happen to be perfect colors for fall!

The first turkey and the pumpkin element were part of the "loot" I found at our last trip to Tender Heart Treasures.

I stocked up on tea last week, when I thought I was getting sick. I love having all different flavors for whatever mood I am in. Sipping hot tea during dreary and snowy weather can make for a cozier fall/winter.

Hello October!

We have had great October weather so far...can't believe Halloween is almost here and it's not freezing yet!

I found this door decoration at Tender Heart Treasures in Omaha, which my mother-in-law introduced me to. We love that place! You can also shop online, but if you think I pay full-price, you're mistaken. The outlet store has better deals, and I rarely pay retail.

Save the Date

This was a quickly designed postcard. The Save the Date went home with the kids at the Omaha Conservatory of Music Institute (OCMI). Yeah, that was back in July. Yeah, I'm just posting it now.