Decorating for the Holidays

It's hard to believe that it is already December! Where has the time gone?!?  This year has been amazing and I certainly know that I have a million things to be thankful for. Between getting engaged to the love of my life and buying my first home, 2016 has been a year full of surprises!

The holidays call for lots of decorating, wrapping, parties, and cocktails. Everything I LOVE! I wanted to share a couple of my Christmas decorating tips/ideas that hopefully will help generate your own creative ideas.

Faux Flowers & Ribbon: Attacking the Christmas tree decorating can be a task and it's expensive,  especially if you don't have a large collection of ornaments. I suggest using faux flowers and wired ribbon to decorate your tree. Both tree accessories are great fillers and you can get them on super sale at Michaels. This year, I went with a PINK theme, as expected. I used faux pink poinsettias, roses and gold leaves and ribbon.

Mistletoe: Although you should hang mistletoe in a walkway where you can easily steal smooches from your beau, it is sometimes annoying to have it in an area where you constantly bump into it. Instead, tie it to the bottom of a chandelier. I tied mine on the chandelier over our dinner table and it looks great! No holes in the wall, which makes everyone happy! 

Railing & Mantles: Get yourself some pine roping. I promise it will "Christmasfy" your mantles and rails. Plus, it's cheap. I got 30' of rope for $15. Add some lights/candles and viola! I also love filling clear glass containers and/or large mason jars with pine cones, which will add a festive flair to any mantle or side table. Between the pine roping, real Christmas tree and cinnamon pine cones, my house currently smells like an amazing holiday candle from Yankee that has been burning non-stop for days. I LOVE IT!

Wrapping: Once you've picked a theme, whether it be traditional or blush/gold/green (my favorite combo), try to coordinate your wrapping paper and ribbon accordingly. To me, presentation goes a long way. I love the over-the-top bows and crazy patterned paper. It can be somewhat pricey, so I always buy wrapping paper after the holidays are over to stock up for the next year. 

In going through my old photo albums, I found pictures from last year of my apartment and family home decorated for Christmas! Hopefully these give you even more decorating inspiration. :)

Snail Mail

With the Holidays right around the corner, I'm sure that you will be writing and sending a number of cards to friends and family. Why not make them beautiful?!? I'm a firm believer that all mail should be thoughtful and I tend to put a lot of effort into anything I send. Unique stamps, colorful envelopes/liners and calligraphy go a lonnnnng way. Although some people may throw it out, I'm one of those crazy paper ladies that hangs on to letters FOREVER. I guess I like to reminisce.

Although these envelope liners look super fancy, they are very easy to make and will dress up your letters in minutes. You better find a local Paper Source and a pen pal fast because these liners are AMAZING!

Details:
All products used in this post are from Paper Source. :)
- Tape runner
- Envelope liner template kit

1. Grab some envelopes and papers to use for the liners. 
2. Trace around the envelope liner template on the back of the paper you selected for your liner.
3. Cut. 
4. Insert your liner into the envelope and run your tape runner along the back edges of the liner's top flap. 
5. Fold the envelope flap down (like you are sealing the envelope). This will allow for the liner to adhere to the back of the flap. 

You now have the prettiest mail in town!

In case you were searching for gifts for your pen pal or that overly "organized" friend, here are some of my favorite desk accessories!

ONE. TWO. THREE. FOUR.

Sip & Craft with Jefferson Lane and 116 King

I am SOOOOOO excited to finally share a collaboration and DIY event with 116 King Pop-Up Shop and the Skinny Dip Nantucket. The new pop-up shop in Alexandria officially opened its doors on November 10th and I couldn't be more pumped about it! The store is absolutely darling and offers a diverse array of products for men and women with a focus on up-and-coming designers with New England ties. Some of the amazing brands they carry, to name a few, include Artemis (unique handmade loafers and smoking shoes), Crab and Cleek (cutest tote bags - I actually own a couple), and High Cotton Ties.


Sara Rossi, one of the co-founders of the Skinny Dip Nantucket, certainly has an eye for style! Not only is she a fashionista, given she started her own bag company (Beau & Ro), but she also has some great tips for styling your home on a budget!

"Here are a few of my favorite cost-saving tips that I’ve learned over the years: 

• COWHIDE RUGS: Go directly to a leather store to buy cowhide rugs, they’re at least half the price than buying through a retailer!
• FLOWERS: Don’t be afraid of faux flowers. Brands like NDI create high-end stunning silk flowers that look so real, and the best part is… they never die! 
• FRAMING: Framing a large photo or piece of art with a custom frame can be so expensive.  Instead, go to the framer and ask to see their secondhand, pre-made or unused frames. It’ll be less than a custom frame and they can cut the mat to make your photo fit perfectly."

• Sara Rossi 

The DIY class will be held at the 116 King store on December 10th from 4-6 PM. We will be making agate napkin ring holders and leather tassel key chains, my two favorite projects. These are perfect gifts for the holidays and you don't need to be an expert DIYer to participate. I cannot wait to share an evening of crafting with you!  Oh, and did I mention that festive cocktails will be served? Get ready. It's going to be amazing! Sign-up for the class here!

Pomegranate Martini

I don't know about you guys, but these past couple of weeks for me have been exhausting and grueling. And, because of that, I figured that we could all use a cocktail, or two.  Enjoy this Bond style martini shaken, not stirred. If you try the recipe, let me know! I promise there is a whole lot of festive flavor in this cocktail and it won't disappoint!

1/3 cup of POM Juice
1/2 lime, squeezed
2 shots of vodka
2 shots of orange liqueur
Rosemary for garnish

Combine POM, vodka, lime juice, and orange liqueur in a shaker. Shake. Pour. Garnish. Serve. It's that easy! :)

Details: Martini Glasses. Cocktail Shaker.

Tassel Table Runner

Hi guys! It has been awhile! Life and work have kept me busy, but I'm so excited to finally share another DIY with you. This is by far one of my favorite DIY projects. Katie Kime fabric + tassels = AMAZING. Picking what color tassels to make, aside from relearning how to use a sewing machine,  was probably the hardest thing about this project. I literally want to make the same table runner with tassels in like 20 other colors. I'M OBSESSED. Clearly.

I hope you love this DIY as much as I do! Every tablsescape could use a trendy runner, so you better get on it. Happy crafting!

Materials:

1. Fabric of your choice - I used Katie Kime's Seeing Spots in black
2. Scissors
3. Ruler
4. Iron
5. Sewing machine
6. DMC embroidery floss (4 of each color) - I used DMC colors 3839 (purple) and 954 (green)
7. Large sewing needle 
8. Sewing pins
9. Comb 
10. Index card or small piece of cardboard - The width of your index card or piece of cardboard will determine how long your tassel is. Size accordingly.

Tassel Details: 
- Cut two 12" pieces of floss. One will be used to tie the top tassel knot and the other will be used to wrap around the top to create the tassel head.
- Using your index card or small piece of cardboard, wrap the floss around and around until there is none left.  Make sure to end your winding on the same side that you started from. That will be the bottom of the tassel.
- Take one 12" piece of floss and slide it under the wrapped floss. Tie a knot at the top end of the tassel.
- Slide your tassel off of the index card/cardboard. Take your other 12" piece of floss and tie about .5" down from the top. This is your tassel head. Once you have your knot, take one side of the string and wrap it 3 more times. This will create a more defined tassel head. Tie again and trim off excess string.
 - Find the middle of the tassel bottom and cut in half. Trim and fluff the fibers with a comb.

Table Runner Details: 
- Measure and cut your fabric to a desired length and width. Make sure to leave .5" extra on each side.
- Fold over and iron .5" of fabric on each side and secure with sewing pins.
- Sip and sew. Wine helps.
- Thread the large floss needle with your tassels and sew them onto the finished runner.

THAT'S IT! Now you have a great conversation piece that was made with love in the good ol' USA.