A Little Picture and Christmas Wishes

In getting everything ready for Christmas, I almost forgot to show you my little bit of a green Christmas this year as I promised! I'm going to warn you in advance, it isn't much or anything special, but I tried my best and a promise is a promise, right? ; )

This is my little dining room with its little sprinkle of greenery. : ) Just picture lots more wreaths and you'll have an idea of what the rest of my little cottage (that's how I think of my apartment, hehe) looks like at Christmastime. If it's possible, I think the green stands out more in person. My camera is awfully old and the lighting is certainly not great, so I think I'm going to blame that. ; )

How's all your preparations going? I'm almost finished everything for Christmas, I just have to wrap the last of my presents which next to decorating is truthfully one of my favourite Christmas chores to do, so I don't mind at all. I always like making presents look pretty and I always wrap presents while watching Christmas movies and tonight I think I'm going to finish up while watching Griswold's Family Christmas for the 900th time. I'm sorry if you're woken up by the sound of paper crunching and/or huge belly laughs, I'll try to be quiet. : )

I hope you have a delightful holiday!! I hope you have a wonderful start to your New Year and I'll be back soon with my favourite dresses of 2012.

Bye for now and best wishes again for the Merriest Christmas.

xoxo

Just Because

Hello lovelies,

Popping in with a quickie-post today.  I saw these while doing some online Christmas shopping the other day and just couldn't help myself from sharing.  How cute would these be stacked together in a vignette.  These bad boys are definitely on my Christmas wish list.  You can find them here if you're as enamoured as I am.

How is your Christmas shopping going?  Finding more for yourself than for others?  That's always a problem for me :)

Tata for now.
xoxo.

Guest Bath: Getting Moody

Top o' the morning to ya, or if you're reading this in the afternoon or the wee hours, or any other time of day...hello to you too ;)

Since moving in to our new house a little over 7 months ago, the boy and I have been working slowly but surely, little by little to make it our home.  In the New Year we are hoping to tackle our guest bath and master bath.  The master bath was somewhat redone recently - the shower and floors are wonderful, but the rest of the room leaves a lot less to be desired.  The guest bath on the other hand, is just plain awful.  Straight out of the 80's, has never been renovated - which I am actually excited about, because that means we can do whatever our little hearts desire to it.

When we first moved in, the walls were painted this hideous beigey-pink colour (kinda like smoked salmon, if I had to describe it).  The first thing we've done to the room so far is slapped on some moody blue paint.  I really like the colour in there and I think it'll really pop next to some white subway tile in the shower and white hectagonal tiles on the floor.

Because I'm a planner, I whipped up this mood board so I could get started mentally on what we were going to do in this bathroom next year.

1. Accessories - I already have these flower vases from CB2 and I think they're absolutely hilarious and perfect for a guest bath.  I really like these hand towels from West Elm and I think they work really well with the blue and white, nautical sort of vibe I've got going on here.  The art is Picasso's "The Blue Nude", which I have always loved.  I found a great price for a framed print here.  Add some sweet little baskets to hold soaps, Q-tips and other bathroom goodies and we're off to the races.

2. Wall Colour - It's not often that you see a blue bathroom.  That being said, we painted the guest room a month or two after we moved in with some leftover paint from painting our man cave in the basement on a whim, and I think I love it.  We used Dulux Lifemaster Zero VOC paint, which we've used all over the house.  It's a really pretty but manly blue that works really well with the little bits of nautical I've thrown in to the moodboard.

3.  I really love this vanity from Home Depot.  I was hoping that we might be able to makeover the old 80's vanity to something like this, but the old vanity is about 2' too short for us(...we be tall) and a hole is rusting into the bottom of the porcelain sink, so a replace is probably the best option.

4. Hexagonal floor tile .... my fav thing ever.  This is what I'm hoping for, but something similar would also work, budget is always key.

5. We will obviously be replacing the toilet with a brand spankin' new one.  Again, the old toilet is a little too short for us, not that we use the guest bathroom very often, but we do want our guests to be comfortable on the porcelain throne.

6. In our home inspection report, the inspector mentioned that we should re-grout the tile in the shower.  The tile isn't terrible, but I would love to replace it with some classic subway tile.  I would also love to have a wood tub surround similar to this from Better Homes and Gardens.  Finish it off with this awesomely hilarious shower curtain, and I'll have my guests laughing and showering in no time.

7. To finish the room off and allow our guests to get ready in the morning after a sleepover, this mirror from Restoration Hardware would be amazing! Unfortunately, we can't afford over $600 for a mirror, so I will try my hand at DIYing something similar. 

So that's the plan for the guest bathroom.  How about you?  Any renos (mini or gut jobs) in anyones future?  I'd love to hear about it.

Tata for now.
xoxo.

Holiday Gift Guide: For Him

Ho ho ho!  Getting in the holiday spirit today with another holiday gift guide.

I always have the hardest time finding things for him, so I thought I'd try to make the arduous task of shopping for the men in your life a little easier with this round-up.  I have already purchase a few of these items for the boy, and I find the easiest things for stockings are socks, undies, toques and gloves and possibly some bacon floss.

Hope it helps :)

1. Bacon Floss - Urban Outfitters
2. Walking Dead Season 1 and 2 - Amazon
3. Below Zero Socks - Marks Work Wearhouse
4. Flask - J Crew
5. Beanie - Urban Outfitters
6. Dewalt Hammerdrill - Home Depot
7. Flannel PJ Pants - J Crew
8. Leather Gloves - Nordstrom
9. Plaid Scarf - Old Navy
10. Printed Boxers - Old Navy

Tata for now. xoxo.

PSStttt......to see my other holiday gift guides, check these out below:

Holiday Gift Guide - Under 50
Holiday Gift Guide - DIY Gifts
Holiday Gift Guide - Under 25

Kilts are so last year

Hello lovelies,

Okay, I'll admit it.  Something I have always loved, which was usually reserved for grandfathers and fathers alike, are fair isle knitted sweaters.  No longer frumpy and classified as the "ugly Christmas sweater", Fair Isle is a knitting technique and is named after a very small island in Scotland, where it originated. 

Wanna get in on the trend?  Here are some of my favourites.


1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

If you know how to knit and you're feeling ambitious, why not get started on making one for your friend, sister, mom, dad or dog.  If you don't know how to knit and are feeling overly ambitious, check out here for a tutorial on fair isle knitting.

What are your thoughts on the fair isle knitting technique?  Am I crazy in loving the "ugly Christmas sweater"?  Do tell.

Tata for now.
xoxo.

Holiday Gift Guide: Under 50

Hello all,

I'm back with another holiday gift guide.  This one is perfect for girl friends, sisters or any other girl in your life that you want to surprise with something special.  Under $50 was an easy one to compile....there's just so much awesome goodies out there under the fifty dollar mark, below are just some of my favourites.  Anyone needing a gift idea for lil ol' me - take a gander ;)

1. Blue Dress - ModCloth - $35.99

2. Andy Warhol Photo Booth nail polish collection- Nars Cosmetics - $40.00

3. Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed - Chapters Indigo - $28.71

4. Owl Cookie Jar - Anthropologie - $47.60

5. Leopard Print Oxfords - Gap - $49.95

6. Embellished Clutch - Urban Outfitters - $49.00

7. Deena & Ozzy Tote - Urban Outfitters - $49.00

8. Leopard Print Scarf - Banana Republic - $49.50

9. Geometric Print Sweater - SheInside - $45.00

10. Leopard Print Belt - Banana Republic - $49.50

11. Lucite Tray - CB2 - $44.95

12. Blue Suede Shoes - Urban Outfitters - $49.00

13. Arrow Necklace - Stella and Dot - $49.00

Are you getting excited for Christmas?  Have you finished all your shopping yet or just getting started?

Tata for now.

xoxo.

Pssttt......To see my previous holiday gift guides:

Holiday Gift Guide: DIY Gifts
Holiday Gift Guide: Under 25

Crown of Thorns

Ever since the last post I wrote about all of those Christmas wreaths, I’m afraid all I’ve been able to think about are wreaths.  Driving to work in the morning? Thinking about wreaths. Charting at the nursing station? Thinking about wreaths. Making supper? Thinking about wreaths. Going to sleep? You get the idea. : ) So I thought, maybe I better just show you one more which I think is real pretty… : ) This one is white not green, but I think it still counts as evolving decorating-wise because it is both more modern and less feminine than I usually go for... ; )

Being made of antlers it is still a holiday wreath, but it is so understated that I also like it as a year-round decoration inside to add a little country/rugged touch. Plus, it is made of resin instead of real antlers so it is animal friendly. : )

Restoration Hardware's Weathered Antler Wreath in White

Possible Christmas decorating idea from Pinterest...

Or year-round decorating idea (also from Pinterest)...

The Restoration Hardware one is the loveliest one I think, but it isn't cheap at almost $200. Therefore, if you like the look of antler wreaths (like me), but can't afford paying $200 (like me), and are good at making things (unlike me, hehe), there are lots of how-tos on Pinterest, so you can easily make a pretty one at home, too. : )

X's and O's. : )