Clock Decor for New Years

With Christmas officially over it's time to think about ushering in the New Year. I'm not really sure what we are going to do for New Years, but I really want to start some new great traditions with the family. As I was looking for inspiration I found this countdown with clocks decor over at Martha Stewart, and loved this idea. I can't think of a better way to countdown to midnight than on a beautiful display of a collection of clocks.

A Rainy Wedding

It's been a little while since I posted anything, but with the busy holiday season blogging kinda fell to the wayside. I feel like I have so much to share and catch up on though, but we will take it one step at a time. I felt particularly inspired to share these gorgeous wedding images today I found over at A Cup of Joe, maybe because my sister-in-law is getting married I'm constantly on the lookout for wedding inspiration right now. Regardless of the reason, I find these images absolutely beautiful and thought you might enjoy them too!

Just All Kinds of Perfect

I absolutely love this image I found on Daydream Lily and just had to share it here too! I have to agree it is "all kinds of wonderful," on so many levels. It was taken for OUMA Clothing by Steph DeSage. Gorgeous, simply gorgeous! I think I've found another seller to add to my favorites on etsy.

Stockings Hung with Care

I haven't yet hung our Christmas stockings, and while I didn't think it was a big deal, my little princess is stressing out about it. Last night she told me that we really need to hang our stockings our Santa won't be able to find them. I tried to explain that we had plenty of time and I promised we'd get them out before Christmas, but apparently that isn't enough. She then added, "They must be hung by the fire with care!" I love her...she is so spunky and sweet. So in honor of her new stocking fetish, and for a little motivation to get mine out, I bring you stocking inspiration brought to you from The Inspired Room.

And these just go to show that stockings don't have to be hung by the fire at all, there are quite a few other creative spaces for them.

Holiday Table

I'm loving this holiday table featured over at Hostess with the Mostess today. She listed some Holiday Entertaining Tips on a Budget, she always has such great stuff.  Definitely worth checking out if you plan on doing any holiday entertaining this season. Now  back to the table, it would look simply fabulous with my holiday decor, plus it looks pretty simple to recreate the look yourself!

Natural Christmas Ornaments

I've been seeing these gorgeous ornaments around quite a few blogs lately, but I couldn't resist sharing them here as well. These beautiful little bulbs are from Land-Rich, and would look stunning on the Christmas tree.

This Made My Day

I couldn't help smiling when I saw this post over at the Adopt a 'Do. These really are some strange Christmas hairstyles. I don't know where she found them or who would actually wear them for that matter, but I love it! I thought I'd share some of my favorites, because they really do make me happy for some reason...

and my personal favorite...

Advent Calendars

I'm really getting excited for Christmas already. I really want to make Christmas simply magical for my little ones so I'm constantly thinking of traditions we can start as a family. One of my favorite traditions out there is the advent calendar. I know it's already December 3, but I really can't decide on what exactly I want to do. There are so many incredible options out there, literally for every budget and style. I really need to make up my mind quickly or we will completely miss out on one this year.

Almost every year Pottery Barn comes out with a couple of advents. I'm loving this one!

I also love these garland advents from Garnet Hill. They always have some great options.

Now if you are in the market for a luxury calendar, this beauty costs just over $1,000. Sigh. A little more than I can afford, but it is gorgeous. If you have the budget for it, it can be found over at FAO Schwartz.

I fell in love with a train advent calendar awhile ago that was also quite expensive, and I couldn't find it now. But I did find the great little wooden train advent on a cute little Swiss family's blog. It got me thinking that if I could find a simple wooden train like this (with lots of cars), I could totally paint it to match my decor and it would be perfect!

Now once you find the perfect calendar, what do you put in it?  Well there is always the traditional little toys or candy, but there are a ton of other options here too. Jordan Ferney over at Oh Happy Day! has listed a bunch of activities that they do with the family to get in the Christmas spirit. Go check them out, you are bound to find some that will work for your family, or at least it will get you thinking of your own ideas. Another option I heard about was putting the title of a Holiday picture book in each day on the calendar, and then reading that story together. I love this idea, but don't have that many Christmas stories yet. I'll have to start building my collection! So many choices! I'd love to hear what your family does.

Bound with a Bow Hat

The cold weather has officially arrived here, and my little princess was in desperate need of a cute new little hat.  This is what we came up with. It's very simple to make, just basic crochet with a little ribbon added. For those who would like one for themselves, I'll try to give you an idea of what I did below.

MATERIALS

I used 1 skein of roving yarn, but I'm sure another chunky yarn would work. Not sure exactly how much I used but less than 1 skein.

U.S. J or K Hook

Ribbon of your choice

ABBREVIATIONS (nothing too unusual here)

ch-chain

sc-single crochet

dc-double crochet

fpdc- front post double crochet

bpdc-back post double crochet

[ ]-total number of stitches there should be in round

sts-stitches

PATTERN

I start crocheting in the round by using the Amigurumi Double Ring. (Click for a tutorial on how to do one.)

SC 6 stitches into the loop and pull tight. Join Round and Ch 2.

Rnd 1: Work 2 DC in each stitch around [12 sts] Join Round and Ch 2

Rnd 2: Work 2 DC in next stitch than 1 DC in next* Repeat around. [18 sts] Join round and Ch 2.

Rnd 3: Work 2 DC in next stitch than 1 DC in next 2 stitches* Repeat around. [24 sts] Join round and Ch 2.

Rnd 4: Work 2 DC in next stitch than 1 DC in next 3 stitches* Repeat around. [30 sts] Join round and Ch 2.

Rnd 5: Work 2 DC in next stitch than 1 DC in next 4 stitches* Repeat around. [36 sts] Join round and Ch 2.

(Now this is where I stopped increasing, but if you need a larger size you could keep increasing in this manner until you reach the circumference you need. Just make sure the stitch count is increased by 6 every round.)

Rnd 6-9: Work 1 DC in every stitch around. Join Round and Ch 2.

(If you need to make your hat longer continue working this until you have the length you need.)

Rnd 10: Ch 1 skip next stitch than FPDC in next, Ch 1 skip next stitch than BPDC in next.* Repeat around. Join round. Ch 1 (This is where we will weave in the ribbon.) 

Rnd 11- Work 1 SC in each stitch and around each ch.* Repeat around. Bind off.  Weave in ends.

Weave the ribbon behind your FPDC's and in front of your BPDC's and tie a bow. Make sure you don't tie the ribbon too tight or the hat won't fit! If you can't try it on when tying the ribbon be extra generous, because you can always trim it down later.

If you have any questions or something doesn't make sense, feel free to ask me. I'm happy to help! Hope you enjoy and please share what you make!

Fabian Perez

Last night I was looking for some inspiration for Thanksgiving table settings. I planned on sharing with you my favorite finds, but I didn't find anything I completely loved. Let's face it though, my table probably won't look that spectacular anyways, even if I had found some divine inspiration. Someday it will, we're just not there yet. Who knows, if I find something worth sharing I will, but I'm not promising anything. Anyways, after giving up my search I decided it would be much more worthwhile to look at something else, and somehow that landed me at the portfolio of Fabian Perez. I know I'm pretty random, but you gotta love his paintings. They are absolutely stunning, and I had a hard time picking just a few to share. So in lieu of Thanksgiving tables, I give you the much more impressive paintings of Fabian Perez to feast your eyes on. Enjoy!

 

 

Seeking That Perfect Shade of Red

Red lips are HOT right now. Seriously, I'm seeing them everywhere. They seem to be a make-up must on everyone's list for Fall's top trends. Really, I don't think red lips ever go out of style. Red is classic, bold, beautiful, and super sexy. It's strong yet feminine. Red lips demand to be noticed. That little red lipstick can be a girl's best friend, but can be awfully intimidating. Unfortunately, I have yet to find my perfect shade. I've looked and even experimented a little, but they've always been a little off. I'm always afraid to buy a new red lipstick that may end up in the cosmetic graveyard at the back of my drawer barely even used. Well that fear ends today, I am bound and determined to find my match in the red lipstick world.

I found this on Sephora (and luckily they tell you exactly how to do it, and what they used.) I think it looks very promising.

On my search for the perfect red lipstick, I stumbled across this photo. It was love at first sight, but I couldn't find where it belonged. I really want to recreate this look though! It reminds of all those vintage beauties and their perfectly shaded ruby pouts. Wish me luck!

I Do Believe in Fairies...I Do! I Do!

I recently made a charming, but totally unexpected little discovery...a mysterious miniature door. I was a little curious to say the least, and after some searching found that it probably belonged to an urban fairy. I quickly came across the work of Jonathan B. Wright, who found these little doors popping up all over his hometown and has kindly compiled all of his observations and research for us curious folk. Now it's no secret that my daughter and I adore fairies, and who wouldn't want to happen upon a magical fairy dwelling? As I walk around my house, I am seeing all sorts of places that are begging for fairy inhabitants. I really hope some fairy friends discover them soon!

Anthropologie-aholic Annonymous

Hello. My name is Katie, and I'm a catalog-aholic. I really can't help it, especially around this time of year when there are so many and they are all so inticing. This time it's Anthropologie. I'm obsessed with this store...and their new catalog. They really are just brilliant, and I swoon everytime I shop there (whether it's on the web, in the store, or even just the catalog.) Trust me, I look often, so often in fact you really could call it an addiction. I'm sure it's no surprise, but I'm loving their newest catalog. The effect of the snow falling in indoors is almost bewitching. I mean seriously stunning! So creative!

Some Crewcuts Love!

Can I just tell you how much I LOVE Crewcuts?! No, seriously I love them! I spend an unhealthy amount of time drooling over every single catalog I get from J. Crew, but I get especially excited when I see that it's a Crewcuts. If my budget allowed it, I would buy every single item on every single page and maybe one of their super talanted stylists to pick out our clothes every morning. Okay, so I know that will never happen, but a girl can dream. It's not just about the clothes and accessories for me either, the photography is usually so creative and I always find some inspiration. It is truly a form of art. Take a look at some of the photos from their past couple of catalogs, and tell me you don't think they're fabulous.

 

 

 

Wreath Wrap-up

There seems to be a trend lately in the blogoshpere with wreaths (and not just any wreaths--wreaths you can make yourself!) I love wreaths and have a different one for every season. I think they make my front door much more inviting and welcoming. My problem--I don't have one for winter! The time of year when I want my front door to look especially inviting and festive, and also the time of year when my piggybank seems rather empty. Finding a beautiful wreath isn't complicated, but for some reason actually purchasing one is for me. I feel guilty spending money on something like a wreath with the holiday season fast approaching. I feel like I should be spending that money on a gift for a loved one, or I think of all these people who are struggling to meet their most basic needs, and all of a sudden spendng that money on a wreath seems frivolous. (Please tell me that I'm not the only one who has these sorts of thoughts while shopping.) Well now I can have my wreath with a clean conscience because of all of the DIY wreath inspiration I've seen lately.

I found this monogram wreath over at Desin*Sponge. I'm loving all the possibilities with this!

I found the instructions for this festive little beauty over at the CB2 blog.

Holly over at Decor8 did such a wonderful job with her yarn wreath, and I totally want one of my own.

I've completely fallen for this book page wreath, and Lindsay has posted such a fabulous tutorial on her blog Living with Lindsay.

Thank you all you super talented and creative people for the inspiration and the instructions to go along with it! Now I just need to figure out which wreath I'm going to make. Do you think it's too much to make all of them and just switch them out every week, or maybe I can hang one in every room? Hmmm...I'm so bad at making decisions.

Storybird

Have you seen the new website called Storybird? It is absolutely fabulous and has quickly become a family favorite. It is no secret that I love children books and illustrators, and now Storybird allows us to create our own stories using the gorgeous work of different illustrators. We can also log on and read stories that others have created. It is still in beta so they are still working on some features, like being able to print your stories. I  could spend hours on there just browsing the gorgeous art of the different illustrators, and my creative kids love the idea of making their own stories and being able to share them with friends and family. What a great resource this could be for educators and families everywhere!

 

I can't wait to see how the website continues to grow and develop. It's great to see all these budding little authors and what they create!

Happy Halloween!

Here's my little Ladybug and Dragon just in time for tonight...

I think their costumes turned out pretty cute! (I realize I'm a little biased though.) Hope everyone has a great night!