My Favorite Things: Cherished Christmas Decorations

No I haven’t finished my Christmas shopping this year. So stop asking me—the pressure is just too much!

I kid, I kid. Although I do feel the pressure weighing down on me when I talk to people who finished their Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving. I haven’t even started mine! I have, however, finished writing my Christmas cards (mailing them is a whole other ballgame) and decorating the house (with lots of help from the husband). So to celebrate this triumphant achievement, I thought I’d share my favorite holiday decorations with all of my readers.

What I love best about the Christmas decor parading around my house is that it’s an eclectic mix of modern pieces my husband and I personally chose as newlyweds and vintage pieces passed down from my childhood. Here are my absolute favorites. Enjoy!

{Our mantel decor was hand-picked from thrifty shops like Hobby Lobby and Target. One stocking for me, one for A.J. and one for Alex, of course.}

{A.J. and I picked these stocking holders up at one of our go-to-stores a couple years back: Target.}

{Our Christmas tree is decorated with a mixture of Hobby Lobby ornaments and vintage ornaments.}

{One of my all-time favorite ornaments is this red rocking horse, dated for the year that I was born. I’m so happy that I have something like this in my Christmas collection to pass down to my future children.}

{I don’t really know the history behind this ornament, but I remember  insisting that I hang it on our tree each year. I adored the cute little horse and his bearded, Hershey’s chocolate delivery man.}

{This adorable reindeer is ready to greet our guests. I loved putting this dashing deer together. It was like a mini-puzzle I got to solve each and every year.}

{This copy of The Night Before Christmas was published in 1972. It has been passed down through a couple generations and I plan to do the same. Until I have little tykes to read this classic story to, its vintage pages will adorn my fireplace.}

What are your most cherished Christmas decorations? Tell me all about them in the comments section below!

What I’m Craving: Anthropologie Bowls

I have been enamored with these bowls ever since I stumbled upon their existence on anthropologie.com. Like a nut, I would visit the website every so often just to say hi. I wanted to buy them online but I couldn’t justify spending the money on shipping when there is a perfectly good Anthropologie in Kansas City, which is just a 45-minute drive away.

Unfortunately, I never go to that part of the city, so my obsession lingered. That is until last month when Anthropologie offered free shipping on all of their online purchases. Score!

Now I am the proud owner of my very own set of Anthropologie bowls, and I just love them. (I love them so much that I don’t want to use them!) The designs are beautiful and the colors are very vibrant.

When I received my Anthropologie package I was very excited to unwrap the bowls from their heavy bubble-wrapping—it was like Christmas in September. I planned to use these bowls to serve bulgur salads, soups, cereal and more. But once I started to unwrap, I found that I kept unwrapping. And then I unwrapped some more. I unwrapped until the size of each bowl was less than half the size of its bubble-wrapped predecessor.

Now I have to figure out what to do with these adorably tiny pieces of dinnerware. These bowls, which are 2 1/4 inches high and 4 1/2 inches in diameter, are not soup bowls. They are dessert bowls at best.

What do you think? Should I use them as purely decorative knickknacks? Use them to hold my best bracelets on my dresser? Or use them to serve summer sorbets (a little late for that now, I guess) and other delicious desserts?

Daydreaming of Back-to-School Supplies

Kanrocksas signified the end of the summer for me. For others, the end of summer means back-to-school supplies. For me it means … cool weather. Yup. That’s about it. Ooh, and boots.

Now that I’m an adult, I don’t have the first day of school to either look forward to or dread, depending on my mood. And the thing I miss most? School supplies.

I miss shopping for back-to-school supplies. I miss it dearly. I miss flipping through all the endless folder and notebook possibilities and choosing my six favorites (one for each class—one Lisa Frank folder required), picking a binder that coordinates, stocking up on colorful pens and pencils (Yikes!) and convincing my mom that I needed a few extra supplies not found on the school-approved list. (Colored glue anyone?)

So I’ve decided, why let only the school-bound have all the fun? Even though my office buys me all the (boring) office supplies I need, here are my dream back-to-school supplies.

1. Safari Sunset book keeper by Vera Bradley, $15. www.verabradley.com

2. Drift Wood Fabric Covered Journal from Barnes & Noble, $14.96. www.bn.com

3. Moustache Clips by Paper Source, $4.95. www.paper-source.com

4. Classic Tile Page Flags by Paper Source, $5.95. www.paper-source.com

5. Julep sticky-note pads by Smock, $18. www.smockpaper.com

6. Greenroom Composition Notebooks from Target, $3.99. www.target.com

7. Romeo & Juliet Pencil Set from Etsy, $6. www.etsy.com/shop/bouncingballcreation

8. Greenroom Recycled Expanding 7-Pocket File from Target, $7.99. www.target.com

9. Pencil Cup in Ikat Chevron by SusyJack, $9.50. www.susyjack.bigcartel.com

10. Very Berry Paisley notebook by Vera Bradley, $16. www.verabradley.com

11. Pilot Needlepoint Precise V5 Rolling Ball Pens from Target. www.target.com

What I’m Inspired By: Pinterest

I have a new love in my life and its name is Pinterest. If you have no idea what that is, you’re in for a treat.

Pinterest, a virtual inspiration board, allows you to “pin” and organize your favorite finds on the Internet. Sifting through modcloth.com and come across a dress you want to save for later? Pin it. Reading your favorite blogs and happen upon a DIY project you want to try? Pin it. Looking for dinner recipes and chance upon a delicious Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcake recipe you want to bookmark for the future? Pin it! (Seriously, these cupcakes look delicious.)

The best part about this website is that you can follow your friends and browse boards, insuring inspiration every time you log on. And for a blogger like myself, I’m always on the lookout for inspiration.

I’ve created a handful of pin boards, some of which include Styles I Love, For the Kitchen and For the Home. Check them out and make your own. Don’t feel limited to fashion, cooking or home decor boards. You can create any kind you want.

Here are some of my favorite finds that I never would have discovered had it not been for Pinterest.

{These look easy and fabulous. See my pin here.}

{I love this sparkly skirt. Especially paired with a cream button-up blouse. See my pin here.}

{To the left, office inspiration. To the right, I love this idea! I need to re-organize my own dresser, and this is adorable. See my pins here, and here.}

{Watermelon Daiquiris? Yes please! I think I’ll make these for my upcoming bbq. See my pin here.}

{Adding memories throughout the year and then reading them on New Year’s Eve. What a cute idea! See my pin here.}

To join Pinterest, request an invitation from a friend or from Pinterest itself. It took me less than a week to receive my invitation from the website and less than a few minutes to get started. I recommend trying it. If you do, please follow my pins. And if the mood strikes, pin some of my blogs to share with your friends!

What I’m Craving: Apothecary Jars

I have been in love with apothecary jars ever since I saw them being used on dessert tables in one of my favorite blogs, Hostess with Mostess. Now I’m the proud owner of my very first one! When some of my girlfriends and I got together this weekend to exchange late Secret Santas, kimberlyloc gave me this awesome jar from Pier 1 Imports. Now I just have to buy the complete set for myself.

And what will I do with this stylish glass jar, you may ask? It will make a gorgeous display in my dining room (once my husband and I get it all fixed up). I can fill it with pebbles, corks, lemons, limes, buttons, seashells … the possibilities seem endless. I can also feature them on my very own dessert table the next time I host a party. They’re picture perfect for storing yummy treats.

Are you a fan of apothecary jars? What would you/what do you keep in yours?

Cheers!