a perfectly adequate Christmas letter

Back in 2006, mere days before Christmas, I burst into fits of laughter while sitting at the kitchen table with my mom reading the newspaper. Garrison Keillor, an incredible wordsmith  in my opinion, crafted an article for his column that I continue to read each Christmas. Never have I seen someone so perfectly describe the pathetic nature of people's unabashed bragging in their Christmas letter. I'm not one for writing Christmas letters, but if I would, I think I would take a page out of Garrison Keillor's book.

{a perfectly adequate christmas letter}

{my little family}

cookie factory

In a fleeting moment of insanity, I agreed to take on the task of making 90+ cookies this weekend for a cookie exchange. Do I generally eat loads of cookies? No. Do I have use for 90 cookies? No. Did I commit to making an obscene amount of baked goods? But of course.

{lemon crinkle cookie}

I settled on a drop cookie with hopes of making the process as simple as possible (don't even think I would consider making something like cream wafers for the lot). This particular recipe, the Lemon Crinkle Cookie, was award-winning, so I didn't hesitate for a minute in choosing it. 

Admittedly, I am not much of a fan of chocolate. And since each and every other holiday cookie is bathed in chocolate, I decided to shake things up a bit and go with a citrus cookie. An extra perk was also the fresh scent that lingered in my kitchen while baking them. It was completely nostalgic and reminded me of times of yesteryear where I would bake molasses cookies with my grandma (however, she never cared to use measuring cups those times).

Four batches later, I had the finished product. The perfect combination of citrus and sweet with a melt-in-your-mouth chewy texture. Enough cookies to give out with leftovers to freeze for Christmas day. Next up: Christmas dinner.

making scents of it all

I like a good party. I always have. Probably because I could befriend most anyone even at the age of six. So it goes without saying that when it comes to being gifted, I just happen to have the gift of gab. During the holidays I always manage to have some sort of gathering, so this year I started to piece together my plans for hosting a winter solstice gathering.

When winter arrives I can't help but get hung up on simple touches that make my abode feel more festive when I have guests over. However, having a holiday bash doesn't mean you need to hire a gourmet chef or professional decorator. I'm a firm believer that you don't have to break the bank to prep your place for guests. Have everyone bring their own beverages and an appetizer to share. That way you will have a spread of treats without hours of prep time on your part.

A common mistake made when entertaining is the perceived notion of needing an abode covered in holiday scents. Some overcompensate by doing a veritable crop-dusting of room spray around the house to ensure that every square inch is scented. Like I said, mistake. You don't want your guests to have to wear gas masks to get through a cloud of holiday scents, so take it easy on the room spray.

{via simmering pot recipes}

A more subtle and more natural approach is to make a simmering pot of wonderful spices. Its as easy as filling a pot with water and some of your favorite spices, then let it simmer all day. There really is no wrong way to mix ingredients together -- the success is in finding what mixture works best for you. An extra perk is that it can also humidify your room during dry winter months.

Another small touch is to switch out your bathroom soap and candles around the house to holiday scents. My go-to scent for years now has been Frasier Fir by Thymes. It is the most authentic-smelling holiday candle/soap collection I have found to date. I also appreciate that their products are locally made and are essential oil-based.

{via thymes}

Now to tackle the uphill battle that is my holiday shopping list.

let's get coniferous

In the interest of keeping in the holiday spirit, I can't help but write about my fervent appreciation for pine cones when it comes to holiday decor. Santa and snowmen aside, nothing says 'deck the halls' like the reproductive system of coniferous trees.

My living space is limited, so I opted to decorate sans tree and incorporate other pine-laden elements. I used a full garland wrapped in white lights for my turquoise buffet, the focal point of the room.  The garland was softened with champagne-colored glass beads and a textured taffeta ribbon embellished with small rosettes.

Adding ribbon to garland can be a delicate task. When adding ribbon to a garland it's key to remember to sporadically gather and tuck around the pine cones in an effort to keep a balanced look. Once finished, I slapped some lights on the windows, tossed some ornaments here and there and bada bing bada boom I was set.



Although my style tends to gravitate more towards an eclectic look, I certainly have an appreciation for clean lines in holiday decor as well. This week I stumbled upon another DIY pine cone garland of interest with cleaner lines that would look stunning in any locale.

This garland, for example, is a simple garland made of ribbon, screw hooks and pine cones (I have been known to take the same approach in making pine cone earrings, but that is a whole other post). Screw the hooks into the pine cone and attach where you see fit. Simple, elegant and thrifty. And if you really wanted to shake things up, add paint or glitter.

{via twig and thistle}

 Pine cones can also look tasteful hung by a ribbon from pine garland. An easy way to dress up a window, banister or mantel. These little guys are so versatile that you can de-glitz them from the holidays and transition into winter decor. You're sure to get some 'oohs' and 'ahhs'!

calling all temps

I can hear it now, a collective cheer from all the renters out there. Those of us who are relegated to living with boorishly white walls. Those of us who delight in not having a mortgage.

Today I stumbled upon the most brilliant idea. Removable wallpaper. The folks at Sherwin Williams are ahead of the times with their "Easychange Wallpaper." I wasn't particularly enthralled with all patterns, but there are several good picks after sifting through the duds.

The wallpaper comes prepped with a removeable adhesive which can simply be removed by grabbing the corners and pulling it down. No mess, no re-painting, no sweat!

Now if only I were taller.

via {oh happy day}

.

It's a wrap

I have never actually divulged how many scarves I own (perhaps I never will). I've collected some in my travels and others for their yummy textures. Knitted, crocheted, woven and sewn - I think I have the whole gamut covered.

I found this iron bust form at an antique sale last year near my hometown. It is a small shop only open one weekend a month, so it always a treat to head there to hunt for unique treasures. Since finding this gem I have used it to collect scarves and belts in my room - truly functional decor.

And in the "aspire to make the most badass scarf" category I found this crocheted scarf which absolutely made me drool. Winter project perhaps?

{crocheted scarf}

autumn glam

Now that I have packed away my ghosts and goblins for another year, I've found myself in that awkward seasonal decor rut (you know the one). It's that time of year where big box stores have an identity crisis, unable to decide whether or not they're committing to fall or Christmas decor. Acorns are mixed with holly, and somehow I manage to escape those aisles confused, feeling a little bah humbug and covered in glitter.

This year I decided to change up my approach to fall decor (my favorite season of all). Being that I live in a one bedroom apartment, there was no need for oversized decor to pollute my abode. So I took a different spin on things. This year I settled on making glitter pumpkins.

To begin, I grabbed some small pumpkins in the produce aisle at my local grocery store and swung by a craft store to pick up seasonal-colored glitter (I can't recall if and when I have purchased glitter previously...it had to have been during the puff paint days of yesteryear). I was prepped.

So here's what you'll need:

• Small pumkins
• Glitter in assorted fall colors. I used the stuff I used to use in elementary school. You can use a finer grade, but I wasn't really in to making couture pumpkins.
• Rubber cement (or any glue of the like)

Clean the pumpkins so they are free of debris. Brush rubber cement on the pumpkins and sprinkle glitter to complete your look. Another tip to enhance your pumkins is to mix different colors of glitter together to add dimension to your grouping (I mixed red and yellow since I could not find orange glitter). Let dry overnight.

These sparkly gems are rather versatile in how you can use them to add some spice to your home decor. Let them stand alone or in a group. Place them in a bowl on the counter or as a centerpiece, or group them around candles or picture frames. As an accent piece or a gift, I've found adding a little glitter to your home is a thrifty and sparkly way to celebrate the holidays.