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Monday, December 23, 2013

A Christmas Eve Brunch

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We are having a Christmas Eve brunch at my house this year.
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It’s an intimate gathering, so I decorated the table in the breakfast nook.
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The plates are Kate Spade Donner Road and feature a handsome reindeer motif.
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I found the Joyeux Noël burlap placemats on One Kings Lane and the bells are real vintage weathered brass sleigh bells.
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I hot glued bottle brush trees to the tops of guests’ gifts.
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The fresh greens came from my backyard.  I’ll leave you with several more photos.
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The menu?  Breakfast pizza!!!  Believe me, it’s yummy!
Blessings,
Kim

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Gift Wrapping Frenzy & Homemade Gift Tags

Hi everyone.  It’s getting very close to Christmas and down the home stretch for gift wrapping.
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I love to gather my favorite ribbons and trims before I begin wrapping.  I use old yarn spools to wrap new ribbon around.
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This year I stuck mostly with red and white.
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I used an old wood cutlery tray to corral everything.
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Did anybody happen to see these awesome wooden spools of ribbon at TJ Maxx?
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There’s 3 different ribbons/cords on each and they revolve independently of each other.

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I decided to put a spin on my holiday tags this year by adding Bible verses that were related to gift-giving.
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I printed them out on my computer, used shaped scissors to cut them out, then glued them to the backs of cards I already had.
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I still enjoy my ritual of turning on Christmas music and wrapping away.
Do you have all your gift wrapping complete?
Blessings,
Kim

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Nature-Inspired Gifts

Want a gift idea that would please just about anyone?  Go for nature-inspired gifts. 
A birdhouse covered in birdseed is a good idea for anyone in the family.  It gives the recipient something to watch outside their window on a cold winter day while helping our feathered friends.  Even the kids enjoy this one.
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I paired it with a glass cardinal ornament to make the present memorable for years to come.  You can find these birdhouses at Gardener’s Supply.
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Another nature-inspired gift is a flower bulb in a French champagne bucket.  Mine is already blooming, but you could include the bulbs for the recipient to plant for themselves.
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I found these cool paperwhite ornaments at One Kings Lane to add to the gift, too.
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You can see my hometown city below through the window!
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The only problem is not wanting to keep them for yourself!
Merry Christmas,
Kim

Friday, December 20, 2013

Last Minute Holiday Gift Ideas With Vintage Finds


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Do you love vintage gifts as much as I do?
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Do you love homemade gifts?
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One of my favorite things to do is to combine them for ONE great gift!
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I don’t normally care for milk glass very much, but the pieces with reticulated or open lace edges make wonderful presentation pieces when laced with beautiful ribbon.
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I’ve been picking up these cute smaller versions of a fruit or banana compote because I knew they would work well for my gift of homemade cocoa and marshmallows.

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You can find them in almost any antique mall and many examples exist on ebay.
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It was fun to add the ribbon.
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I used different cellophane bags to hold my homemade cocoa mix and homemade marshmallows.
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I tied up some peppermint sticks and added them to the gift.
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I love these chocolates on a stick but decided not to include them in the overall gift.
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So get out there antiquing this weekend and stock up on some great presentation pieces for home-baked goodies!  It’s much better than fighting the crowds at the mall!
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This quote from The Grinch comes to mind when I think of giving gifts from the heart:
“He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.  Maybe Christmas, he thought…doesn’t come from a store.  Maybe Christmas, perhaps…means a little bit more!”
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Happy gifting to everyone,
Kim

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Best Deal Of The Season (A Steal At $39.99)

Hello everyone!  Yesterday I posted about my version of a cable knit Nordic theme in the family room using several cable knit patterned items HERE.

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I’d like to share with you today my best find for the shopping/gifting season. I know there’s lots of good deals out there, but seems like every year I run across one that’s really special and I think takes the cake.

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They seem to happen best when I’m not looking for anything in particular and nope, I don’t do Black Friday.

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For me this year, it’s these great Ralph Lauren cable knit throws that I found at TJ Maxx. They’re beautifully boxed for gifting, 100% cotton and come in several colors.  I found them when I ran into the store for some wrapping. Hubby was waiting and I didn’t have a lot of time, but I decided to pick the red one up because it fit with  my family room holiday décor.  By the time we went to dinner, I told my husband I should have bought the two ivory ones they had, too.  I then looked them up on my I-phone and I couldn’t find any priced below $99.00!  Macy’s put them on sale a few days later, ON SALE 1/2 price for $79.99!  I knew I had to go back to pick up the rest.  I couldn’t get them off my mind during dinner.

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Guess what? They were all sold.  Someone had come in and bought all of them by the next morning. 

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Luckily, my mom was shopping in Lexington the next week and found 2 more at Home Goods and 1 more at Marshall’s.

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Guess what everybody is getting for Christmas?

What’s been your “deal of the season”?

Blessings,

Kim

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

New For Me: A Cable Knit Christmas

I’m sticking with my simple Christmas décor this year and decided to use plain red and white in the family room.  I decided not use the large custom mantle swag with Della Robbia fruit and huge ribbons/bows again this year. Don’t’ get me wrong…the swag and fru-fru stuff is beautiful but I’m in desperate need for a change.

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Here’s what I already had that sparked the decorating change and I just decided to go with it!  I  bought these cable knit cone trees at Target a couple years ago and have had the silver deer a long time.

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I love my two cable knit pattern ceramic vases from Target.  So I kept thinking what can I do with cable knit?  Voilà! I wanted the family room to be warm and inviting with festive touches that can carry on through winter.  So here is my version of a Nordic theme.

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I’m crazy about this cute  advent garland that I found at TJ Maxx.  The little knitted bags are numbered.

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This is one of two deer that I spray painted white last year.

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  I created a vignette on the coffee table using an old painted tool box.

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I filled it with candles, fresh greenery, and small packages.

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I found this little piece of French pottery used to make cheese.  It makes a cool little candle stand.

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I found this Santa sack at TJ Maxx.

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Pottery Barn has these great cable knit pattern candles in their holiday décor and I couldn’t resist getting them.

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I added two throws to the back of the sofa plus the reindeer pillow from PB.

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All in all I think my cable knit Nordic theme came together quite nicely in the family room.

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I guess today is officially one week until Christmas!  All of the planning is done, presents are wrapped and now it’s time to sit back and enjoy!

Blessings,

Kim

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