White After Labor Day

Loving these pants and this top.

All from J.Crew (of course)

Christmas Decor Revealed

The majority of my Christmas decorating is complete. Here's a look.

The Wreath. My sister and I made this wreath. Well I designed it and she actually made it. I mixed lots of old ornaments and came up with this combo of matte gold, silver, purple, green, brown and white. The wreath turned out so gorgeous that I decided to change my original silver and white color scheme to match the wreath.

The Centerpieces. I filled a white platter with snow filler and then topped it with a candle and extra ornaments. Then I filled my mercury glass hurricane with extra ornaments. For my kitchen I filled a glass canister with cookie cutters and white ornaments. I paired the canister with an oversized mercury glass ornament and small Kate Spade votive.

Wall Hanging. I spray painted this old frame white. I removed the inside of the frame. I then tied small ornaments creating this little swag and hung it inside the frame. So cute!

The Tree. This is still a work in progress because my mom is making my tree skirt. I used clusters of ornaments to decorate the tree and then supplemented with my favorite mercury glass ornaments.

Mint & Gray

Love this outfit!

All from J.Crew

More Christmas Ideas

A good friend of mine, Hope, asked for some more Christmas decorating ideas. Since she is one of my dearest friends I am happy to oblige. Here are some of my ideas that have inspired me this year...

Unique Color Schemes. I love the pink!

1. Hang clusters of ornaments on your tree. Gather groups of glass ornaments and finish off with ribbon.

2. Small tree as a centerpiece.

3. Decorate with extra ornaments.

4. Hang wreaths in the house.

5. Decorate with flowers besides the typical Christmas flowers.

6. Decorate unexpected areas of the house.

7. Use lanterns.

Hope asked for specific help with centerpieces. I searched and searched and these are my favorite ideas.

1. Beautiful grouping of candleholders with snow, mini ornaments, etc.

2. Branches decorated with ornaments

3. Grouping of silver candlesticks

4. Cake Stand filled with antique ornaments.

5. Christmas Carnation Ball. A cluster of these on a platter would be beautiful or just one on a buffet.

Gifts displayed in unique ways. Most of slave over gift wrapping so why shouldn't these be part of our decorations.

Think outside of the Christmas Tree Box. I love this cluster of silver trees or try a tabletop tree!

Pics from Country Living, Making It Lovely, Southern Living, Martha Stewart, Pottery Barn, Domino

Holiday Gift Wrap

Happy Black Friday! If you are like me you are out shopping.

On a side note, I love wrapping Christmas gifts. I usually opt for paper that I can use year round if I have extra. I love simple solid paper with a cute embellishment. Here are some cute ideas I found online.

Also if you want to find a use for that extra paper, check out this wreath below. How cute would this be to make with scraps from holiday paper.

Ideas from (from top to bottom): Better Homes and Gardens, Calla Magazine, Real Simple, Country Living, Paper from Kates Paperie and Gift Tag from Tiny Prints

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday!

Chris and I are getting up early to run to burn off the desserts and macaroni and cheese we will eat later. After that I will watch the parade. I especially love the broadway shows. Then we head to my grandmother's for Thanksgiving dinner. Hope your day is wonderful!

My Wreath

My sister has started making these gorgeous wreathes out of ornaments. I dug through my boxes of old ornaments, purchased a few and then she and I sat down and made a wreath for my wall. Actually she made it and I supervised and kept her dog from eating the ornaments. Don't you love it?

I will try to have some better pics when I reveal all of our Christmas decor. It's nighttime so I had to use my flash but I had to get this post up because I was so excited!

Paint Your Wagon

Painting as been a huge part of our renovation. I honestly could never see a paint brush again and I would be fine with that. Nevertheless I so have some experience painting and here is what we did and what we use in our house.

1. Ralph Lauren Paint. I really like their paint colors. The colors are unique and perfect. They also have subtle differences between shades that can make a world of difference. You can see the paint colors we used above. We used Coastal Beige in the common areas of the house, Hopsack in our bedroom, Orion Gray in our kitchen and Picket Fence White for the trim in Interior Satin. For the walls we used Interior Eggshell, which is the RL equivalent of flat.

2. Shur Line painting tools. They sell large paint pads to use instead of rollers which really cut down on having to do a second coat.

3. FrogTape. I saw this on television and decided to give it a try. Normal painting tape has a lot of bleed through. FrogTape cuts down on that. I do have to say that it doesn't work miracles so if you are working with uneven surfaces (horse hair plaster for instance!) there still will be some bleedthrough but if it's a flat surface this stuff is great.

Those are our painting tips!

I Need A Break

Thank goodness that today is a start of my 5 day holiday weekend. The blackberry is put away and it's all about Christmas decorations, baking and shopping with lots of blogging mixed in. Some holiday projects are forthcoming!

Don't you just love that room?

Mac & Cheese

I love this recipe. I adapted it from Martha Stewart's lighter mac and cheese recipe.

MAC AND CHEESE

Ingredients

1 Box Macaroni

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

5 Slices White Bread

3 Tablespoons Butter

6 Cups Milk, Cream or Half and Half

5 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour

Cayenne Pepper

Thyme

Salt

Pepper

2 Cups Shredded Extra Sharp Cheddar

1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

For Bread Crumbs: Place the bread slices in a good processor and pulse until just crumbs. In a small saucepan heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Once melted add it to the bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring water to a boil and add macaroni. Cook until al dente.

Meanwhile, combine flour and 1/2 cup of milk in a small bowl. Whisk until combined and set aside. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt the remaining butter. Once melted add the remaining milk (cream or half and half) and the flour mixture. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low setting and cook whisking frequently. Cook until the sauce thickens, 5-8 minutes. The cooking time will be longer if you use a lowfat milk and shorter if you use cream. Add the cheese, cayenne pepper and thyme. Stir until cheese melted.

In a large bowl combine the macaroni and sauce. Pour into a 9x13 casserole dish. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Thankful for You

Kelly at Fabulous K had a fabulous idea. Since it's Thanksgiving and we are all thinking about what we are thankful for it's a great time to let our blog friends and visitors know how thankful we are for them. I am so thankful for each of you for stopping by my blog and I adore all of the comments I receive. My blog is less than a year old and I am always amazed at how much it has grown thanks to all of you.

Please leave a comment and let me know that you stopped by and so I can be sure to stop by your blog as well or if you don't have a blog, I would love to meet you. This is especially for those of you that haven't left comments because I would love to know that you are here. Again, I appreciate all of you so much and I can't wait to meet those of you I haven't met already!

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Tuesday!

Nighty Night

Anthropologie has the cutest PJs I have ever seen!

Christmas for the Cook

I bought the new issue of the Food Network Magazine and they had a great gift guide. Here are some of their ideas....

1. Salt and Pepper Shakers from Dabney Lee at Home

2. Cupcake Tea Towel from Elsewares

3. Wine Bucket from Dabney Lee at Home

4. Sandwich & Soup Plate from Uncommon Goods

I love these ideas for the cooks in your life...

La Cucina is a beautiful cookbooks that is the Italian equivalent of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. For the serious cook though, no pictures just page after page of Italian dishes. I Know How to Cook is an encyclopedia of French cooking. How to be a Domestic Goddess is my favorite cookbook and I love getting my friends favorite cookbooks. The Market List is from Sugar Paper and such a cute idea.

These are some of my favorites. The dining measuring spoons, dew drop coffee spoons and flower measuring cups are from Anthropologie. The Reisenthal market tote, damask beverage tote, sushi set and ornaments are from Sur La Table. The Coffee print is from Keep Calm Gallery.

Delish!

Starbucks Caramel Brulee Latte. Christmas and New Years in a cup with a bit of French holiday thrown in. (and no mom it's not on my diet)

Favorite Blogger Awards

I have lots of favorites this week. As for my favorite bloggers this week....

1. La Belle Vie: I love this hallway!

2. Two Ellie: I love Paula's sweet entryway

3. High Heeled Foot in the Door: Camilla framed this adorable french notebooks. So cute.

4. Concrete and Honey: Gorgeous pictures!

5. Ink Obsession Designs: A do it yourself letterpress machine!

As for my favorite site this week, I found tons of inspiration on Real Simple. These are my two favorites.

I also love the December Issue of Elle Decor. This is my favorite room. I could stare at this picture forever appreciating the amazing design.

My Pen and My Mission of Transformation

I have recently thought about writing so I am going to give it a try here. Here goes and be honest! If I suck I would like to know now.

{Keep Calm Gallery}

A Detour and My Indecent Exposure

You can milk anything with nipples… Meet the Parents

I drive down I-85 on a damp May morning. Being a young prosecutor, I was frequently sent to various parts of the State for conferences, seminars, trainings, etc. and I have two words for you, “Open Bar.” Unfortunately, this training was during the day so no free pineapple and vodkas for me. I was particularly excited that morning because the three weeks of running were starting to pay off and I could finally fit into this fitted cream colored shirt I had bought a few months prior at Banana Republic. After I bought it, it was far too tight to wear and this morning it fit and the buttons didn’t pull. I quickly glanced at myself in the bathroom mirror before heading out.

I pulled up to the hotel where the seminar was taking place and like most lectures, the room we were in was a perfect candidate for a meat locker so I pulled on a black cardigan before grabbing the incredibly large notebook out of my backseat and heading into the hotel. I took my seat and pulled out my work issued Blackberry to email my husband about being able to fit into this shirt. He didn’t respond to share my enthusiasm, which he says is because he’s working and I think is because he’s a skinny bitch.

After a few long hours passed mainly by playing brick breaker on my blackberry, I headed out to lunch. Given that my coworker had totally punked out and bailed on the seminar I was alone. A heavy downpour had come and gone while I was inside and a new thick humidity known only to South Carolinians hung in the air. I quickly pulled off my cardigan and got in the car. I drove down to a sandwich place and went through a drive thru to get a sandwich. After eating my sandwich in the car and catching up on my work emails, I went to Barnes and Noble to browse and pass the remaining forty five minutes. I walked down the cookbook aisle to find a woman in business wear sitting cross legged in the floor surrounded by vegan cookbooks. She sees me round the corner and quickly scooches to the side. I don’t care how healthy it is I will never adopt a lifestyle, which will result in my being known as a skinny bitch and ofcourse it’s the lack of dairy, I mean no butter, no cheese, no milk that equals no cupcakes. At least not good ones because a gluten free, flour free, sugar free cupcake isn’t a cupcake it’s a dietary supplement. I breeze past the Angels and Demons display complete with Gargoyles and pictures of Tom Hanks surrounded by cardinals. I head to the biography section stopping to exchange an email or two. I scan for a hardback with argyle socks on the cover and quickly snatch up a copy for a friend’s birthday. I then head to the card section and debate over cards. I read a handful of cards and finally pick up a gorgeous letter pressed card only to flip it around and see the price tag and scoff. I know Jenny and this card is likely to end up jumbled in paperwork on her desk so I put it back and opt for a cute gift enclosure. I check my watch and head to the restroom.

I walk to the back of the store and head to the restroom. I walk to the sink and wash my hands when I look up and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My eyes grow wide and I gasp. I find myself staring at myself in the mirror shocked that I have been walking around a store for a half hour like this. I realize that not only can you see through my cream colored shirt you can also see through my white bra underneath. I stand there dumbfounded, mouth agape, wide eyed and staring at my nipples, which are totally visible. The white bra underneath I had found during a trip to the Victoria’s Secret annual sale the week prior. The bra was on sale and a perfect fit so I had thrown it on this morning. The bra was cotton and a little see through when I put it on but I had no idea it was that transparent.

I devised a quick plan of attack. I stepped outside of the restroom and grabbed the book that I had laid on the table outside for unpaid merchandise. I clutched the book to my chest like Laura Ingles on her way home from school. I walked right to the front of the store and stood in line. I adjusted the book against my chest and suddenly felt that everyone was staring at my exposed nipples. The woman in front of me swayed while the salesperson was busy with an individual complaining. She continuously turns around and smiles. I force a smirk and go back to adjusting the hardback book against my chest. If she asks me what I am buying I can’t refuse because she will think I am buying porn, which is totally gross and why God invented Amazon.com. If you think the possibility of having a conversation with a stranger in line is odd, you’ve never lived in the South. It’s entirely acceptable to strike up conversation with a total stranger in line around you. Hell if you are in line long enough you might exchange email addresses and a zucchini bread recipe. I then realize that I am going to have to hand the book to the clerk so I can pay for it. Dammit. Within a few seconds I am summoned to a cashier. She smiles widely and I smile back trying to devise how I am not going to commit a felony while purchasing this book. I hand her the book and quickly swing my purse to sit on the counter in front of me. I bless God for my 5’2 stature and the fact that my purse totally hides “the girls” from view. I pay being careful to keep my purse pressed against my chest. I take the purchase, smile and press it against my chest again. I walk to the car careful to keep my unintentional peep show for showing to the patrons walking past me. I begin to snicker in horror that I honestly had exposed myself to an entire Barnes and Noble.

The horror sets in again when I realize that I have been in a room full of cops, lawyers and judges. Did I really show my nips to a room full of men I have to refer to as “Your Honor”. I begin to relax when I remember I had a cardigan on and I think it covered me. I go back to class quickly pulling my cardigan on and grab my blackberry out of my bag. I quickly emailed a friend to inform her of my faux pas. Within a few minutes, I receive an email back that goes as follows:

Hehehe. Don’t you know that you look at yourself in the mirror before you leave the house in the morning and ask two questions, 1. Do I have a VPL? And 2. Am I exposing my breasts?

Truer words were never spoken.

Sleeping Lofts, Not Just For College Anymore

I love these ultra modern cleaned lined spaces with sleeping lofts. How low maintenance and fun are these?

I would totally want to build a fort up there.

Pics from Apartment Therapy, Houzz & Chicago Interior Design, Planet Pink n Green