[ having a ball ]

ONE OF THE easiest way to add some glitz and sparkle for the holidays is decorating with ball ornaments. They can be fancy vintage ones or cheap ones from the dollar store  - it's how you display them that makes them shine.

lisa

[4, 6, 12, 13 Style at Home; 1, 3, 7, 8, 15 House and Home; 

2, 5, 9, 10, 11, 14, 16, 17 Better Homes and Gardens; 18 via Remodelista]

[ puppy love ]

ANYONE WHO knows me knows that I'm a huge puppy fan and when I came across this pic, I couldn't help but smile at those 2 adorable fluffballs posing on that sofa. By the way, isn't it a gorgeous light-filled room?

lisa

[little emma english home]

[ wooden you love this? ]

WITH ALL THE snow we've been getting lately, I can't help but think of warm, cozy spaces and to me, nothing says cozy like the use of wood - rustic, natural, weathered or stained.

Our place has quite a pale colour scheme, but our ceilings are all tongue and groove pine and as much as I disliked all the pine when we first moved in, I'm actually kinda liking the wood up there now (ssshhhh.. don't tell my guy that!). I think having painted all the trim and the kitchen cabinets (post on that still to come), it cut down on the amount of wood which is now making me appreciate the ceiling all the more. So whether your look is Hamptons cottage or Vermont cabin, here are some other spaces that ooze cozy...

lisa

[me and alice; 2, 8 elle decor; 3, 7 chic coles; 4, 9 mairie claire maison; 

better homes and gardens; sarah richardson] 

And thanks to Meeling over at The Hairy Peach for presenting me with the Stylish Blogger Award! I'm tickled pink! :)

[ white Christmas ]

ALTHOUGH I DO love the fun mix of colours for the holidays, I still find myself drawn to simple white interiors where holiday decorating consists of white, glass and silver. To me, this room is perfect for the holidays - just enough glitz and sparkle.

lisa

[style at home]

[ charming homemade gifts ]

WITH THE HOLIDAY season upon us, there are more and more parties to go to where you'll want to bring a little something to spread some holiday cheer. Wine is always a great stand-by but here are a few other fun ideas.

Hostess gifts don't need to be elaborate - I love beautifully presented homemade gifts - they're thoughtful and as an added bonus, they're great if you're a little tight on cash (especially at this time of year!).


wrap mini trees in a pretty piece of fabric with a homemade tag

make some pretty teas using squares of cheesecloth with tea leaves bundled inside. add some cute little strings and label the inside lid of the box

give a jar of homemade jam or chutney bundled with a pretty tea towel, spreader and mini baguettes

bake a pie and "wrap" it in a bamboo steamer

A little effort can turn a simple gift into a charming one that shows that you really care. Wouldn't you love to receive any one of these? Happy gifting!

lisa

[ random thoughts ]

I ALWAYS get a laugh from other bloggers' random thought posts and Alexandra over at Coco Coterie posted some today and left me a comment to join in so here are my random thoughts for today:

1.  I love the smell of dryer sheets when I'm doing laundry

2.  why is it that there's a power outage every time I'm out here at our place in the woods alone?

3.  thank goodness the broom reaches through the window to brush snow off our satellite dish

4.  if I won the lottery, would I still eat Kraft Dinner mac & cheese? you betcha

5.  my husband thinks I'm obsessed with handbags and cute sneakers - I think he's right and I'm ok with that

6.  I miss the smell of my dog when she's back from the groomer in her little furry bodysuit

7.  bikini underwear isn't flattering on my body

8.  I need to work on my abs and butt (then maybe bikini underwear would be flattering on my body)

9.  I love the sound of sand crackling through the vacuum

10.  wouldn't it be cool if you could vacuum leaves too?

11.  how long does Bailey's stay fresh once opened in the fridge?

12.  why am I not just drinking it before it goes bad?

13.  I really need a haircut

Well there you have it - random thoughts swimming around in my brain. Feel free to post some of your own! Have a great Thursday!

lisa

[ a sprinkling of Christmas ]

NOW THAT the Christmas tree is up and sparkling in its corner, I've been adding a few little Christmas touches around the room. I like to keep things fairly simple and in keeping with our pale colour scheme and make a few little switcheroos with our everyday accessories.

a big white bowl that normally sits on our island is filled with ornaments...

our big star over the fireplace gets some icy sparkle with mercury glass balls and branches...

a simple golden wreath is hung with sheer ribbon over the doors...

the TV armoire is embellished with a little wreath that is actually a candle ring...

a simple mercury glass vase with beaded branches adds sparkle behind the sofa...

the starfish and hurricane of shells gets swapped out for little beaded balls and a pretty aqua glass ornament...

one cushion gets flipped and our orange striped cushions are switched for solid green ones...

and as for outside, its a simple wreath with white ribbon for the door and the pot of birch branches gets some added pine boughs and glitter branches...

And that's it! Nothing too over-the-top but just enough glitz to say "Christmas".

Thanks for all the awesome comments about our tree! Hope you're enjoying adding some holiday cheer to your home too!

lisa

[ trimming the tree ]

WITH ALL THE snow we got on Friday, it really got me into the Christmas spirit! Time to put up the tree!

A couple of years ago we bought a big 9' pre-lit tree which saves a lot of time when you don't have to untangle strings of lights. The downside is that it's so heavy we can barely lift it and we've never managed to get it to fit back into its box so it's stored in various chunks in the basement. So it's always a bit of a wrestling match to get it up the stairs with the bins of decorations. whew!

Putting up the tree is by far my favourite part of the holiday prep. For years I've been picking up an ornament anytime we travel, as well as finding a couple of really special ones each year. Unwrapping each one brings back so many lovely memories.

And speaking of all that snow, in addition to the foot we got on Friday, we woke up to another 6-8 inches! No wonder I was thinking Christmas! More decorating to come...

lisa