Guest Post: Merry Christmas

Christmas is quickly approaching, and in the midst of the holiday madness, I moved from Georgia to Florida. Things have been crazy to say the least, but posts should be returning to normal after the holidays. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones. Below is Tyler's Christmas guest post, Enjoy!!

Christmas is my most favorite time of the year.  I'm one of those people who have no issue with Hobby Lobby setting out their seasonal decor in June - I even get excited for Christmas when it's 90 degrees out.

So when the Yuletide finally gets here, I feel very festive and can't wait to start decorating.  To me, nothing replaces a real tree (the smell is amazing).  However, this year we got a fake tree so that we could keep it up and enjoy it a little longer (we found it on sale at Target).

I wanted to go with a little less traditional color scheme and in came the white, silver and black.  Most of my ornaments were purchased at HomeGoods and Target.  Otherwise, a few came from some specialty shops throughout the year. My tree topper came from West Elm and I love that it makes such a statement.

For my mantle, I wanted to go with a simple design.  I found the three trees at Target and used apothecary jars that I already had and pinecones from around my yard.

For my stairs, I used garland and wreaths I ordered on sale from Christmas Central.  I used black ribbon to coincide with the black ornaments.  I love that it isn't a typical Christmas color, but still looks festive.

I hope you all have a beautiful holiday!

Getting into the Holiday “Spirits”

Becca never ceases to amaze me with her endlessly creative projects. Drink up, y'all!

After relentlessly searching the Internet for “decanter labels” and “decanter tags” and coming up with meager results, I took it upon myself (and my creative boyfriend, Justin) to make them ourselves. I knew I wanted a rectangular shape and bronze/gold color. My first thought was to find really small picture frames to use as the label holder. Luckily, it is the perfect time of year as there were many small ornament frames to choose from. I was excited to find what I wanted at Michael’s; although, they were larger than I would have liked. But at $3.33 each, I couldn’t pass them up. As you can see, they had a red ribbon but I wanted to change it out with something more interesting so I purchased a 36” inch chain for $8 from Michael’s.

For the next step, Justin designed and printed labels with some direction from me J. Even if you don’t have access to a graphic designer, you can print templates online or even hand write the labels to add a more personal touch.

I cut out the labels to the correct size and inserted them into the frames. I then cut off the red ribbon and cut the chain to the desired length. It is important to measure the length of the chain, so you know exactly where you want the label to fall. I actually purchased a jewelry connector kit that I ended up not needing since there was already a small connector on the frame. Because of this, I was able to hook the chain to the existing small ring connector and hang the label from each decanter.

I’ve been collecting interesting decanter bottles for sometime now and am happy to have finally filled them up with good spirits and label them properly. Now our friends and guests can easily concoct their favorite drink at our bar cart. Cheers and happy holidays!

Tuesday Ten: Christmas Decor

Christmas is one of my favorite times of year. From quiet nights in front of the tree to elaborate holiday parties, Christmas is the season for cheer. I love the feeling I get when I walk into a room that's all lit up with Christmas character, so today's Tuesday Ten features a few of my very favorite ideas for incorporating a little sparkle into your holiday decor. Enjoy!

1. Add sparkle. Think outside the tree when stringing your lights this year. Lining a mirror can be a great way to add a little ambiance, or a string of lights around the fireplace can set the stage for cozy evenings.

2. Think Thrift. Don't spend a fortune on decor. Pinterest can be an amazing resource for ideas and thrift stores can help bring those ideas to life on a budget. I got a group of these Christmas trees at a thrift store last summer for a quarter each. Some quick spray paint and they make an awesome centerpiece. Same goes for old candlesticks, bottles or ornaments.

3. Get Crafty. Draw a Christmas tree on contractor's paper and just add ornaments, or string your favorite old holiday cards together for a quick take on garland.

4. Bring the outside in. Spray painting twigs and berries can be a great and inexpensive way to incorporate a little nature into your home for the holidays. This can be especially nice if you use a fake tree. Or pick up a real wreath to hang indoors so you still get that yummy Christmas smell.

4. Set the table. Even if you head to someone else's house for Christmas dinner, setting your table can be a fun way to fancy things up. Or if you host a holiday party at your place, go all out with a festive table setting. Your guests will love that you went the extra mile.

Most importantly, soak up this special time of year by spending it with family and friends and making memories that will last a lifetime. Happy December, y'all!