"Crafty" Wrapping

I recently happened upon the Crafts Department on Martha Stewart's website. She had the cutest wrapping idea I have ever seen.

All the creator did was cut strips of colored paper, temporarily tape on a letter template, and then use a straight edge to cute out the tops and sides, folding along the bottoms. She layered the loops within each other to create one of the cutest "bows" I have ever seen!

I can't wait to try this!



The picture inspired me and I played with some craft paper and pretty ($1) ribbon for a few of my presents. But, I am definitely trying the idea above for a few as well! Can't wait to show you all how it turns out.



As a side note, this little guy is finally cold! It is getting down to the 20s this week in Florida. Can you believe that!? We can't! Especially since we will be getting our new heating and air conditioner FRIDAY...just a little late for the cold front that is coming in TODAY.



Oh, and did I forget to mention that one of our windows (the only one that hasn't been replaced) almost fell out of the wall last week!? That will (thankfully) be replaced today. Well, we will all have to bundle and huddle together for warmth for the next few days. Wish us luck!



Stay warm this week.

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Getting Crafty--Ribbon Trees!

If you know me, I am the least"crafty" person you know, in every sense of the word! But, this project was so easy, even I could handle it!!

First, I bought three of my favorite Christmasy ribbons. You could pick any color scheme here, whatever goes with the theme of your home!



Then, I picked up some styrofoam trees in all different sizes. I didn't actually use the middle sized one for a lack of ribbon, but of course, any size works!



Then, I looped the ribbon and pinned it in rows starting from the bottom, alternating colors. I used straight pins and it was super easy. I just tried to overlap each row so that you couldn't see the pins or the tops of the ribbons.

I think they turned out great! Just as a hint, covering the top is difficult. I used a cute Christmas skewer and stuck it straight down through the top of my small tree, and let the ribbons just fall over the sides of the big one. There is definitely a lot of ways to do this!



They sit right over our stocking and go perfectly with our decor!



This project cost me a total of $10 for two trees! I bought dollar ribbon and used coupons on my trees.

Hope you all have a great weekend! Get crafty!

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Misc. Monday & a Christmas Cookie Recipe

1. I am officially on the countdown. We have 7 school days left until Winter vacation! These next two weeks at school are CRAZY and jam-packed with events, wish me luck!

2. I have my first serious "evaluation" this Friday and I am a bit nervous. Hopefully everything will come back positive.

3. Florida has been freezing lately! My mattress warmer is getting lots of use at night as we do not have heat that works. Good thing we live in Florida...I don't think we could get by without working heat anywhere else in the U.S.!

4. I am getting into the mood of making Christmas cookies. I made this recipe earlier in the week and they are almost gone! Yikes!

Cookless Candy:

-16 ounces of mixed salted nuts
-3-4 cups corn flakes
-32 ounce package chocolate chips
-12 ounce pakcages of butterscotch chips
-3/4 cup of peanut butter

Step 1: Mix chocolate, butterscotch, and peanut butter over a double boiler
Step 2: Stir in 3-4 cups of corn flakes (to your liking) and the entire can of nuts
Step 3: Spoon mixture out onto a parchment lined baking sheet
Step 4: Cool cookies in the fridge/freezer for 10-20 minutes until hard
Step 5: Store in an airtight container and enjoy!

Hope you all are having a great Monday!

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Fa la la la la la la la la....

I've been "decking the halls" around here this week, gearing up for the holiday season! This year I decided to go the minimalistic route and not put as much out. I just put out my favorite things and kept the others in the box until I feel the need to have more out.

The only new accessory this season is this gorgeous wreath. I fell in love with it in the Ballard catalog and made it my only purchase for Christmas this year. I am even more infatuated with the red door now that I have the green wreath to go with it! A green wreath just didn't look right on a green door.



My mom bought us these sweet stockings two years ago and I love them just as much now as I did then. They say, "peace" and "hope". Perfect for the holiday season. The cute stocking holders are from Target last year.


I love my dancing Gator towel. How cute is he? And doesn't every Gator fan need a Gator out for every season? I think so. I had some skewers that have "ho, ho, ho" on them that I put in a small bud vase to display.



I received this ornament as a gift last year and thought it was so festive that I needed to display it.



This snowman has a tea light inside to make him "glow" at night.



I made this wreath last year from a tutorial I found on a blog. I used a hanger and Christmas ornaments. So easy!




Hope you all have a fabulous, joy-filled, day!

Julianne

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Clyde wishes you Happy Holidays!!

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Our 2010 Christmas Card

I love how it turned out this year! We actually used a picture from Clyde's pet blessing. My sweet kitty Lola only made it on the "love" portion, but she wouldn't have been quite as willing as Clyde to have her picture taken.

We used Snapfish and I can't wait for them to arrive.




Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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A little late

Well, I have been meaning to show this adorable picture of my mom and I's pups in their Halloween outfits, but have just lost track of time over the last few weeks!

They're still just as cute!

Yes, those are pirate scarves...arrrrgggh!

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Thanksgiving Tablescaping

I am starting to "tablescape" for Thanksgiving. I will have ten people at my house and I am so excited to finally have my "grown up" party.

I picked up ten of these beauties and will use them with ivory napkins and off-white dinner place settings. I plan to make some really neat place mats that I saw in Real Simple this month. Should be a fun project that I will share later!


I found this etsy shop where she so wonderfully custom made me 5 gold tree place cards and...


5 gold leaf place cards. They came out beautifully. I couldn't have asked for anything more perfect, or easy!


I also started my centerpieces. These are very non-traditional. But, I plated these sweet red and orange flowers. They look like the picture below when blooming nicely. I plan to tie a pretty ribbon on the pots, maybe even a fun stencil and have each guest (or pair) take one home!





I feel like I am off to a good start but I still need to work on some type of place mat and/or table runner. I am open to any fun ideas from you crafty ladies!

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New Art

I don't know if you all know about The Graphic's Fairy, but you MUST pay her site a visit as soon as possible. I found some great (and free!) art off her printable website that I will be using around the house!

I found this print from Endless Crafting. I love how simple it is, yet such a great reminder. It sits on a little table in our bedroom.




This print is from the Graphic's Fairy. I love how it gives a pop of color on this darker shelf.



I recently invested in some shelving...finally! I have been waiting to find the perfect shelving for beside our red china cabinet. I found these at Ballard and got four, two, two foot shelves, and two, three foot shelves. I will put one of each on both sides. I seriously can't wait to start decorating. And, a lot of my prints are going to be free from The Graphic's Fairy! She is AWESOME I tell you!



Do you love finding new places to display fun items? What are some of your favorite pieces?

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"I love this city!"

I think I heard those words about 10 times over the weekend. The hubs and I traveled to Nashville to visit my brother who is in his senior year at Vanderbilt University. The Gators were playing Vandy, so it was a perfect excuse to visit!



It was so nice to go to dinner and visit with him and his girlfriend. We had never met her and she was such a sweetheart. They are definitely GREAT hosts!



Danny even got to visit Dave Ramsey's office which just about made his trip. It's the little things, right?



We had so much fun, but the highlight of the weekend was the Dueling Piano Bar on Saturday night. I know just where we will have to go when we are in town for my friend's Bachelorette party in January!

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Espresso

Some of you asked about the espresso maker my parents got my hubs for Christmas. He has been wanting one for the last six months and he is the type who talks a big game and never follows through. So, I did it for him! There was a one day sale at Bloomingdales this past weekend and this (normally $350) espresso maker was on sale for $200!

We went with Nespresso which is supposed to be the best. This is the Nespresso Citiz Automatic. It makes an espresso in just one minute! It uses a 19 bar pressure pump to ensure maximum extraction of flavor.

The best part is that you buy these little "pods" which are completely recyclable.

I think he is going to love it. We found the cutest cups on sale for $1 a piece that will work great with the machine! Regular coffee cups are somewhat too tall, so you will need some short, fat ones.

He is going to be so excited, I can hardly wait! I love giving presents that I know the other person will love, even more than I love receiving them.

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Misc. Monday...a little late

1. Ya'll I have to say, I am completely overwhelmed right now! We have been gone the past three weekends and will continue to be out of town for the next three. We have been to Gator games, weddings, and my parent's house in Orlando. We are headed to Nashville (where my baby brother goes to college), and New Orleans to watch Danny's brother play his final home game for Tulane. I couldn't be more excited, but it sure does make the weekday pass quickly with far too much to get done in FAR too little time!!!

2. Now that I have shared too much in just one number...I will move on. I got to talk to my best friend about her amazing honeymoon in Grenada and just wished my hubby and I could go back to ours...even if that meant starting over again.

3. I did some Christmas shopping while I was in Orlando and got my hubby an Espresso maker. HE has been pining for one and since he does not check this blog, I know I'm safe :) After about 3 espressos I felt like I could conquer the world.



4. Our first trimester report cards are due BEFORE I leave on Friday! 42 report card comments and grades to finalize. I die...



5. I hit up Pier1 today for their fall sale and snagged some AWESOME accessories. I bought three hurricane lanterns with "iron" fall foliage wrapped around them, and gorgeous napkin rings for Thanksgiving.

6. I also swooped by Tuesday Morning and found the perfect runner for my dining table. They have a huge sale on their Waverly patterns this week. You can't beat a matching runner and pot holder/oven mit for $15!



7. I have started tutoring after school and let me tell you, this is where the money is for teachers! I couldn't be any happier that I am most busy right before the holidays.

8. I am going through such a weird point in my life where I wonder if I will ever be a mother. Not because I am infertile or of any strange issue between the hubs and I, but simply because I just don't know if I can do it, or if I am made for it, or if I would like it, and the list goes on...

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Wedding Recap

We had such an awesome weekend celebrating Ryan and Allan's wedding. Here a few snapshots from the weekend:

Ryan and her mom...beautiful sunset party to start off the weekend.




Allan and his parents



Ry and Allan with Allan's grandparents. His grandmother has 14 children, yes people, 14!



Gorgeous couple


Getting ready for the big moment! I had quite the hair crisis that I will not to continue to dwell on. Needless to say, it turned out nicely.


Beautiful bride and her even more beautiful Nonni.



Danny and I enjoying the party

Cutting the delicious cake. There were more layers than I can remember: Strawberries and Creme, German Chocolate, and I think an Almond layer were three I can remember.






It was such a beautiful wedding. I was thrilled to be a part of it and now they are off to Grenada to enjoy their honeymoon! I can't wait to see them when they return.

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Wedding Weekend

This past week has been a crazy one. The Rays (baseball team here in Tampa) almost made it to the ALCS, but were defeated by the Texas Rangers. It was still fun and probably the best seats we have ever had for a game in that stadium!



We also got impromptu tickets to the Gator homecoming game, which I will say nothing about, other than, I really loved my dress.




My best friend is getting married this weekend. She has been dating her hubby-to-be since their Freshmen year, when we first became friends as well. Allan is an incredible man and I am so happy for the two of them. The festivities start Thursday and I couldn't be more excited!

I mean, how cute are they?!



I'm off to start writing a speech for Friday night...honestly, there is so much to say, both inappropriate and not...however will I choose?

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New Looks

Fall is here and I have done a little decorating. But, my favorite thing I did this year was invest in some very cheap candles and a "candle ring" for Fall.

The mercury glasses here I got at Michaels for $2 each! They are being sold in PB catalogs and Ballard Design for $5-10 each. I just filled them with red tea lights and they smell like cinnamon...yum. The middle candle I do not light as I am not sure how the gold would do, but I love that I can keep it for Christmas too and just change out that ring around the candle with the pumpkins on it. I am sure I will find one that is Christmas-themed when the time comes. All this cost me $8.



I also bought a bench for our laundry room. I love that we can come in and put our bags on it and it won't interfere with our clothes that are possibly hanging to dry. When we have little ones, all their backpacks etc. can go here well out of the way (and out of sight)!







That is just a little bit of what is new around here. What is new in your home?

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