Merry Christmas,
from our family to yours!
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Friday, December 23, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
London Calling.
Well hey there. It's been a while.
There are so many things to share. So many things to talk about, so many pictures to show.
But we're just going to jump right back into this, how does that sound?
It's the 22nd of December, Christmas is in just three days. Snow is gently falling from the Oklahoma sky (a Christmas miracle) and we are completely in the spirit of the season. And a big part of that? Well, that would be our Christmas present.
You see, Jon and I don't buy each other Christmas presents, aside from the odd stocking stuffer, and a pair of pajamas for Christmas Eve. Instead, we like to buy one big thing (usually to pimp out the house - yes I did just say "pimp out"), together. The first year of our marriage we bought a memory foam queen mattress (heaven). Last year we got ourselves a fantastic Nikon D3100 (love it). This year, we are getting ready to move - so we couldn't think of anything we wanted to buy, seeing as though we have no idea what our house will be like when we get there.
So instead, we snuck away. On a trip. A much needed vacation (we haven't been on one since our honeymoon, two and a half years ago). A year of pilot training had worn us both thin and we needed to get away. Relax. Unplug.
Therefore, while telling as few people as possible, we snuck to The United Kingdom. We flew Space Available (another topic for another day, but basically - FREE flight) to Mildenhall RAF in Mildenhall, England. And it was amazing.
We did not know if there would be a flight for us until the morning of our departure. I guess you get what you pay for there. We had packed our bags the night before, making sure to pack up the right stuff for England OR Colorado (our backup plan). We went to bed, with visions of KC-135's dancing in our head, and woke up at 6am to call McConnell AFB with bated breath.
They had a flight. We had 6 hours. We had to get there, to get our name on the list, so we would get priority. And we did it.
(Note: Space Available and our journey to/fro England is a much longer tale, which I will divulge at a later time. Need to save room for all the pictures of the queen in this post.)
We arrived at a picturesque Air Force Base, Mildenhall, at 8am, waited for customs to clear, sans passport (J, seriously. No passport. I grabbed his passport on the way out of the door in Oklahoma, and realized it was expired. Luckily, active duty military members enjoy certain perks. Like getting into the UK without a passport).
We walked around base with our packs on (very european traveler) and rolling along our dockers suitcase (very American tourist). After a quick jolt of coffee, some free internet (used to book a hotel in London), and some travel advice from a Mildenhall worker, we took an expensive cab into Mildenhall Village to the bus station.
The bus wasn't due for another 25 minutes, so we popped into the grocery store across the street to find some food. Didn't find any, but I found my dream slippers. I have, no joke, been looking for a pair of slippers just like these ALL fall/winter in America with no luck. The first store I walked into in England, a grocery store, had them. It's a sign! We didn't find any food.
We hopped on a bus to some airport, where we caught another bus to Victoria station in London. I attempted to navigate us around the streets on foot - which lasted 2 minutes. Hailed a cab who taught us tipping customs, insisted we must visit San Francisco and insisted not to visit LA, and drove us around in a few circles to get the fee round £10.
We checked into our tiny - but nice - European hotel room, showered, dressed, and went out in search of food (not before asking for shampoo and soap - which was in the shower - and the free wifi password - "I'm sorry sir, we don't have free wifi").
We found a right cozy pub to grab a pint (J) and a hard cider (me) and a bit to eat (sausage platter and hummus). It was amazing. Whoever said the British food was rubbish was wrong. Let me tell you. Although, take that with a grain of salt, because the person telling you this is a fan of any restaurant with a cheeseburger on the menu.
After sustenance, we went for a walk to Hyde Park to take in the Winter Carnival, which both smelled better and housed more well kept people than American fairs. We were ridiculously proud of our lack of jetlag as we made it back to the hotel by 10 for bed.
Woke up at 11, hello jetlag. We shot out of bed and into clothes since this was our one full day in London and we had a lot to do. Grabbed breakfast at a small cafe around the corner (J had beans and steak and kidney pie, I had a tomato, mozzarella, and basil sandwich, and J's fries) and hit the double decker bus tour 'round Tourist London.
We got off almost immediately at Piccadilly circus, where did a little souvineer shopping, but didn't buy anything just then, because we thought there must be something better. Hopped on another double decker tour bus to ride for a short while, got off 4 stops later at Buckingham Palace. (!!!!! This is where the excitement REALLY started to hit me.)
Before visiting Harry and Her Majesty the Queen, we stopped just around the corner in the Queen's Gallery Shop for a souvineer or two, and bought some this time, because they were much better. A Christmas ornament, English tea, and two fantastic postcards (oil painting replicas of men on horses. My favorite, seriously).
Next it was on to Buckingham Palace, took a million pictures, smiled like only a Prince Harry and British Monarchy loving American can. Unfortunately the queen wasn't in just yet. She must not have gotten the message we'd be popping by for tea.
Next up on our busy day in London, we walked ourselves through St. James park because we could see The Eye - and we had tickets. It took a bit to get there, but that was alright because we got to see Big Ben up close and personal, Westminster Abbey (yes I pictured exactly where Kate got out and waved) and the houses of Parliament on the way.
That was neat. It was definitely very traditional, but SO cool to be there, where so many kings and queens have been before. We only saw a tiny portion on the church (probably only as far as David beckham and Posh Spice saw at the Royal Wedding) and got scolded for taking a photo on or way out. Whoops!
We decided to walk down the mall to pay visit to the queen again before we caught our bus back. That is when we realized the busses stopped at 5pm. Our bus would drop us only at Trafalgar Square. Not Hyde park, which was much closer to the hotel. So we were forced off by the River Thames to find out own way home.
Back down the mall towards the palace, hello your highness. This was the time to test our sense of direction on the winding streets of London. The walk took about three times as long as it should have before I realized the maps at the bus stops don't point north.
So after walking in dizzing circles, we found Zara, or as I like to call it, the most magical place south of Hogwarts. They shut off the music shortly after we walked in, which meant "Get the ruddy hell out, it's the end of the day." So we left without buying anything (which was only okay because there is a Zara in Edinburgh).
On the way back to the hotel (again) we found a pub for our rumbling stomachs and dry throats (fried pickles to start, a burger for J and fish & chips for me, and toffee pudding for dessert. And not to mention my new favorite drink - a ginger fizz). Made it back to the hotel with no help from the bus tour map, and passed out from utter exhaustion.
The next morning we woke up at 6:45, as there was no way jetlag was claiming two mornings. Breakfast was at a French cafe, Paul (side note, I have never had more mozzarella and tomato sandwiches in my life, but am addicted now - I've had 3 since I've been home), and tried fruitlessly to access on the Internet. We were changing cities that night, after all. Since that didn't happen, we were forced to grab a coffee at Cafe Nero so we could use their wifi to book a hotel in Scotland and check times for a train.
Headed out for the bus tour, determined to get our moneys worth after the appalling effort we did yesterday (what can we say, we're much better walkers than riders). Again, we rode to Piccadilly, grabbed the souvineers that weren't good enough yesterday, and hopped on the big tour. Rode it for 2 hours and ran to the next stop when they decided to take a break while switching drivers. The next bus still wasn't there so we ran a little further before hopping in a cab (check out was noon, at this point it was about 11:52 and we were still miles from the hotel). We, thankfully, walked into our hotel with 2 seconds to spare before checkout, and thanked our lucky stars that we packed the previous night.
After checking out and grabbing a photo, we hoofed it to the tour bus with to large backpacks and a rolling suitcase. Got to the stop we thought we could change lines, and turned out the line that ran to Kings Cross wasnt running. Sweet. We hopped on a different line, got off to a short walk to Kings Cross. Short wasn't as short as we'd hoped with pinched toes (me), but we made it.
We went to buy tickets and found out we'd pulled a major muggle move by assuming Kings Cross would be the best way to Scotland. It wasn't. We had to walk about halfway back the way we'd just come to Euston Station and ran to the train (not without stopping for a Brie, tomato, and basil baguette first). The train was exactly what I expected, but smaller than I had hoped. And of course, it didn't help that we didn't realize there was a BIG luggage rack at the front of the car. We sat in our tiny seats with our huge backpacks for half the trip to Scotland.
Phew.
And that was England. Next up, Scotland!
There are so many things to share. So many things to talk about, so many pictures to show.
But we're just going to jump right back into this, how does that sound?
It's the 22nd of December, Christmas is in just three days. Snow is gently falling from the Oklahoma sky (a Christmas miracle) and we are completely in the spirit of the season. And a big part of that? Well, that would be our Christmas present.
You see, Jon and I don't buy each other Christmas presents, aside from the odd stocking stuffer, and a pair of pajamas for Christmas Eve. Instead, we like to buy one big thing (usually to pimp out the house - yes I did just say "pimp out"), together. The first year of our marriage we bought a memory foam queen mattress (heaven). Last year we got ourselves a fantastic Nikon D3100 (love it). This year, we are getting ready to move - so we couldn't think of anything we wanted to buy, seeing as though we have no idea what our house will be like when we get there.
So instead, we snuck away. On a trip. A much needed vacation (we haven't been on one since our honeymoon, two and a half years ago). A year of pilot training had worn us both thin and we needed to get away. Relax. Unplug.
Therefore, while telling as few people as possible, we snuck to The United Kingdom. We flew Space Available (another topic for another day, but basically - FREE flight) to Mildenhall RAF in Mildenhall, England. And it was amazing.
We did not know if there would be a flight for us until the morning of our departure. I guess you get what you pay for there. We had packed our bags the night before, making sure to pack up the right stuff for England OR Colorado (our backup plan). We went to bed, with visions of KC-135's dancing in our head, and woke up at 6am to call McConnell AFB with bated breath.
They had a flight. We had 6 hours. We had to get there, to get our name on the list, so we would get priority. And we did it.
(Note: Space Available and our journey to/fro England is a much longer tale, which I will divulge at a later time. Need to save room for all the pictures of the queen in this post.)
We arrived at a picturesque Air Force Base, Mildenhall, at 8am, waited for customs to clear, sans passport (J, seriously. No passport. I grabbed his passport on the way out of the door in Oklahoma, and realized it was expired. Luckily, active duty military members enjoy certain perks. Like getting into the UK without a passport).
We walked around base with our packs on (very european traveler) and rolling along our dockers suitcase (very American tourist). After a quick jolt of coffee, some free internet (used to book a hotel in London), and some travel advice from a Mildenhall worker, we took an expensive cab into Mildenhall Village to the bus station.
The bus wasn't due for another 25 minutes, so we popped into the grocery store across the street to find some food. Didn't find any, but I found my dream slippers. I have, no joke, been looking for a pair of slippers just like these ALL fall/winter in America with no luck. The first store I walked into in England, a grocery store, had them. It's a sign! We didn't find any food.
We hopped on a bus to some airport, where we caught another bus to Victoria station in London. I attempted to navigate us around the streets on foot - which lasted 2 minutes. Hailed a cab who taught us tipping customs, insisted we must visit San Francisco and insisted not to visit LA, and drove us around in a few circles to get the fee round £10.
We checked into our tiny - but nice - European hotel room, showered, dressed, and went out in search of food (not before asking for shampoo and soap - which was in the shower - and the free wifi password - "I'm sorry sir, we don't have free wifi").
We found a right cozy pub to grab a pint (J) and a hard cider (me) and a bit to eat (sausage platter and hummus). It was amazing. Whoever said the British food was rubbish was wrong. Let me tell you. Although, take that with a grain of salt, because the person telling you this is a fan of any restaurant with a cheeseburger on the menu.
After sustenance, we went for a walk to Hyde Park to take in the Winter Carnival, which both smelled better and housed more well kept people than American fairs. We were ridiculously proud of our lack of jetlag as we made it back to the hotel by 10 for bed.
Woke up at 11, hello jetlag. We shot out of bed and into clothes since this was our one full day in London and we had a lot to do. Grabbed breakfast at a small cafe around the corner (J had beans and steak and kidney pie, I had a tomato, mozzarella, and basil sandwich, and J's fries) and hit the double decker bus tour 'round Tourist London.
Picadilly Circus
We jumped on The London Eye just in time to see the city all light up. It was a gorgeous 28 minutes, absolutely stunning. Tried to find a public restroom (didn't happen - we had heard that, but who knew it was SO true!), headed to Westminster Abbey just in time for evening prayer.
We decided to walk down the mall to pay visit to the queen again before we caught our bus back. That is when we realized the busses stopped at 5pm. Our bus would drop us only at Trafalgar Square. Not Hyde park, which was much closer to the hotel. So we were forced off by the River Thames to find out own way home.
Back down the mall towards the palace, hello your highness. This was the time to test our sense of direction on the winding streets of London. The walk took about three times as long as it should have before I realized the maps at the bus stops don't point north.
So after walking in dizzing circles, we found Zara, or as I like to call it, the most magical place south of Hogwarts. They shut off the music shortly after we walked in, which meant "Get the ruddy hell out, it's the end of the day." So we left without buying anything (which was only okay because there is a Zara in Edinburgh).
On the way back to the hotel (again) we found a pub for our rumbling stomachs and dry throats (fried pickles to start, a burger for J and fish & chips for me, and toffee pudding for dessert. And not to mention my new favorite drink - a ginger fizz). Made it back to the hotel with no help from the bus tour map, and passed out from utter exhaustion.
The next morning we woke up at 6:45, as there was no way jetlag was claiming two mornings. Breakfast was at a French cafe, Paul (side note, I have never had more mozzarella and tomato sandwiches in my life, but am addicted now - I've had 3 since I've been home), and tried fruitlessly to access on the Internet. We were changing cities that night, after all. Since that didn't happen, we were forced to grab a coffee at Cafe Nero so we could use their wifi to book a hotel in Scotland and check times for a train.
Headed out for the bus tour, determined to get our moneys worth after the appalling effort we did yesterday (what can we say, we're much better walkers than riders). Again, we rode to Piccadilly, grabbed the souvineers that weren't good enough yesterday, and hopped on the big tour. Rode it for 2 hours and ran to the next stop when they decided to take a break while switching drivers. The next bus still wasn't there so we ran a little further before hopping in a cab (check out was noon, at this point it was about 11:52 and we were still miles from the hotel). We, thankfully, walked into our hotel with 2 seconds to spare before checkout, and thanked our lucky stars that we packed the previous night.
After checking out and grabbing a photo, we hoofed it to the tour bus with to large backpacks and a rolling suitcase. Got to the stop we thought we could change lines, and turned out the line that ran to Kings Cross wasnt running. Sweet. We hopped on a different line, got off to a short walk to Kings Cross. Short wasn't as short as we'd hoped with pinched toes (me), but we made it.
We went to buy tickets and found out we'd pulled a major muggle move by assuming Kings Cross would be the best way to Scotland. It wasn't. We had to walk about halfway back the way we'd just come to Euston Station and ran to the train (not without stopping for a Brie, tomato, and basil baguette first). The train was exactly what I expected, but smaller than I had hoped. And of course, it didn't help that we didn't realize there was a BIG luggage rack at the front of the car. We sat in our tiny seats with our huge backpacks for half the trip to Scotland.
Phew.
Friday, May 27, 2011
The Last Fabulous Friday of May
Memorial Weekend is upon us. Camping, swimming, BBQ-ing, and remembering will all be had this weekend by the Recors. I'll try to take some pictures whilst doing these things for a little show and tell session next week. But for now, I'll say farewell & have wonderful weekend! Stay Safe!
Weekly "Work" Round-up...
a New York City wedding film to die for
a fun, fun, fun rehearsal dinner + wedding in Idaho
a cute as American Pie inspiration shoot in Rhode Island
a sweet New York Army wedding
an adorable Pennsylvania affair
a bout of spring inspiration from Chicaco
an Austin charmer
an amazing fête in Colorado
a New Jersey DIY affair
a summery California wedding
a pretty in pink soiree in Virginia
a fun, fun, fun rehearsal dinner + wedding in Idaho
a cute as American Pie inspiration shoot in Rhode Island
a sweet New York Army wedding
an adorable Pennsylvania affair
a bout of spring inspiration from Chicaco
an Austin charmer
an amazing fête in Colorado
a New Jersey DIY affair
a summery California wedding
a pretty in pink soiree in Virginia
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
I LOVE Love!
Well, I hope everyone had a great Valentines Day. I did. My husband got home early (think 7:35pm) and we enjoyed a hot dish of stir fried veggies and fish with rice and split J's V Day gift from me... Coke in a glass bottle.
I don't know if its the blog world I've emersed myself into, or if its the industry in which I work, but I was a bit more excited for the love day than usual this year. I'm usually of the "If you love someone, everyday should be a Valentines Day" boat, but this year the thought of spending time making cookies from scratch, picking out that perfect bottle of Coca Cola, and cuddling up with my husband was exciting for me.
Because yes, if you love someone, you should show them that you do every single day. Why would you save all your love for one day? But sometimes it's nice to have that one day to dedicate to love. Because no matter how much we say it, it's always nice to hear.
I'm not saying you have to break the bank. Shoot, I bought my husband two $1 bottles of pop. There are so many ways to celebrate love than spending money. Sometimes it's just nice to know there is love in the world. So I wore red yesterday in honor of love.
PS I love all of you loyal readers for reading my droning on about love, and other things. If this post was just another Valentines Day mush to you, Happy 364 Full Days Without Valentines Day to you!
I don't know if its the blog world I've emersed myself into, or if its the industry in which I work, but I was a bit more excited for the love day than usual this year. I'm usually of the "If you love someone, everyday should be a Valentines Day" boat, but this year the thought of spending time making cookies from scratch, picking out that perfect bottle of Coca Cola, and cuddling up with my husband was exciting for me.
Because yes, if you love someone, you should show them that you do every single day. Why would you save all your love for one day? But sometimes it's nice to have that one day to dedicate to love. Because no matter how much we say it, it's always nice to hear.
I'm not saying you have to break the bank. Shoot, I bought my husband two $1 bottles of pop. There are so many ways to celebrate love than spending money. Sometimes it's just nice to know there is love in the world. So I wore red yesterday in honor of love.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Oh Happy [Boxing] Day!
I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday filled with laughter and cheer, warmth (and snow), and lots of delicious food. We did. Everything but the snow. No white Christmas in Oklahoma this year. But we did have lots of laughter, cheer, and surf and turf! Before I'm ready to close the book on Christmas 2010, I'll give you a little show of what our Cowboy Christmas was like.
I love Christmas :-) Only 364 more days until Christmas! Or better yet... only 36 more days until my birthday! I should start my birthday list now...
Because you were so patient and did not pressure me at all into telling my great, exciting news (except for you, Michelle) I am ready to share. Drum roll please....
I got my dream job.
Yes, my dream job. What is that, you ask? I work for The Little Black Book. Which is a part of
I love Christmas :-) Only 364 more days until Christmas! Or better yet... only 36 more days until my birthday! I should start my birthday list now...
Because you were so patient and did not pressure me at all into telling my great, exciting news (except for you, Michelle) I am ready to share. Drum roll please....
I got my dream job.
Yes, my dream job. What is that, you ask? I work for The Little Black Book. Which is a part of
For those of you who don't know what that is, I will explain. It is the ultimate wedding resource for brides. Filled with amazing real weddings, beautiful wedding inspiration, and the most current bridal trends. It is the blog I visit every day. It is the first thing bookmarked at the top of my Mozilla page. In short, it is a wedding blog. But not just any wedding blog, the wedding blog.
I do not say all this because I am now an employee. I would have told you this two weeks ago, before I even applied for the job. I would have told you this two years ago, before I was even married. So now you can see why I am so excited to be working for this company.
I am a Research Colleague for The Little Black Book, the part of Style Me Pretty which works with vendors. We have vendor relationships all over the country, and it is only growing. This means I get to work with and talk to (on a daily basis) people who love weddings as much as I do. People whose livelyhood depend on weddings. In short, people just like me.
I work from home, which means I can take this job with us wherever we get stationed. Born in New York, raised in Michigan, educated in Colorado, and now in Oklahoma, I am a person who is bound to be moving a lot. The Air Force pretty much guarantees it that way. And with the wedding industry being based on the relationships you make, being a successful wedding planner was going to have to wait until we separated from the USAF. But now, I get to take my job with me. I get to stay with The Little Black Book wherever I go. I get to work from home, and stay current ahead of the curve in the industry I love.
So there you have it. There is my wonderful news. I have my dream job.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Shouting it from the Tabletops!
Just a quick post to let you know I got some amazing news today. Amazing. Like shout-it-from-the-rooftops amazing news. So amazing, I jumped out of my seat. But you're going to have to wait to hear it. I've got to pinch myself a few more times before I am ready to make this announcement. Please be patient!
And because it is Christmas Eve Eve Eve (as my mom would say) I wanted to continue with the Christmas Showdown. Or the Ho Ho Ho Down (since we are in the dust bowl). Either way, I an here today with another little holiday vignette. In the form of a dining room table.
We have no fireplace. Or staircase. So the stockings were hung on the back of the chairs as a temporary location while we were unpacking all our Christmas goodies. I was going to think of a "better" place for them. But I actually kind of like them there. Call me crazy.
As for the centerpiece (Thank you Grandma!) Jon and I received this beautiful piece from my grandma as a Christmas present. It works so well with the rest of our Christmas Simple Decor, and it brings a pretty pop of color to the dining room. Around the flowers are some of our wedding candles as well as lots of flowerettes made of the same fabric as our stockings!
Are you ready for Christmas?? I'm just about there. Santa and I are working together for the last of J's stocking stuffers. Do you do stockings? This year, like last year, J and I are getting one big present for ourselves (this year it is a Nikon D3100!!). This means all we get to pick out for each other is whatever Santa puts into our stockings. So stockings are always fun for me. :-) Oh yeah, I'm not pregnant, that is not my news!
And because it is Christmas Eve Eve Eve (as my mom would say) I wanted to continue with the Christmas Showdown. Or the Ho Ho Ho Down (since we are in the dust bowl). Either way, I an here today with another little holiday vignette. In the form of a dining room table.
We have no fireplace. Or staircase. So the stockings were hung on the back of the chairs as a temporary location while we were unpacking all our Christmas goodies. I was going to think of a "better" place for them. But I actually kind of like them there. Call me crazy.
As for the centerpiece (Thank you Grandma!) Jon and I received this beautiful piece from my grandma as a Christmas present. It works so well with the rest of our Christmas Simple Decor, and it brings a pretty pop of color to the dining room. Around the flowers are some of our wedding candles as well as lots of flowerettes made of the same fabric as our stockings!
Are you ready for Christmas?? I'm just about there. Santa and I are working together for the last of J's stocking stuffers. Do you do stockings? This year, like last year, J and I are getting one big present for ourselves (this year it is a Nikon D3100!!). This means all we get to pick out for each other is whatever Santa puts into our stockings. So stockings are always fun for me. :-) Oh yeah, I'm not pregnant, that is not my news!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Lay Down Your Sweet Head.
Moving right along with our minimal Christmas decor. As you probably know by now, I love to have a feeling of the season in my decor, but I don't want to change everything in my house to make sure there is a Santa head on it. Who knows, maybe one day my decorating sense will change and I will want a Santa head on everything. But for now I don't.
Which is why, when I decided to cover up the nautical pillows on the couch, I did not decide to go with fleece snowmen and real, glittery Rudolf noses. No, instead I went subtle. Subtle Christmas colors, in two non-traditionally Christmas patterns: floral and striped (of course). And thus, my couch went from looking like it belongs in Seaside, FL...
To warming us with its Christmas Cheer!
The pillow covering project actually started as a sewing lesson for my good friend Jill (don't ask me why she thinks I am an expert at sewing. She also thinks I am an amazing yoga-ist. Yes, it's a word.). She had bought a sewing machine from our favorite thrift store and wanted to see if it worked, all whilst adding a little holiday cheer to her couches.
Long story short, her sewing machine did not work, so it was more a lesson of how to use Mallory's sewing machine, which turned into, how to watch Mallory, and trying when she makes me, make a pillow. I love that girl.
So two of the pillows have zippers so I can reuse the pillow cases next year. And because I had originally only planned on using the flower fabric for one pillow, and was going to have a seam in the back if I used it for a second (which I did, we all know I break all rules of crafting. Martha would hate me), I did not use a zipper for the final pillow, but instead, made it like an envelope. I really don't know what the method I used is technically called, but you know the kind... Where the back overlaps by a few inches, but there is a big whole in the middle? Like a pillow sham.
And that was it! Now our couch is festive as well. And subtly so, just the way I like it. Do you like it subtle? Or are you a loud and proud Christmas fiend? I find myself going back and forth, year after year. This year I'm minimalistic. Maybe it's because I'm a little birdy (cheap cheap). What do you think?
Which is why, when I decided to cover up the nautical pillows on the couch, I did not decide to go with fleece snowmen and real, glittery Rudolf noses. No, instead I went subtle. Subtle Christmas colors, in two non-traditionally Christmas patterns: floral and striped (of course). And thus, my couch went from looking like it belongs in Seaside, FL...
To warming us with its Christmas Cheer!
The pillow covering project actually started as a sewing lesson for my good friend Jill (don't ask me why she thinks I am an expert at sewing. She also thinks I am an amazing yoga-ist. Yes, it's a word.). She had bought a sewing machine from our favorite thrift store and wanted to see if it worked, all whilst adding a little holiday cheer to her couches.
Long story short, her sewing machine did not work, so it was more a lesson of how to use Mallory's sewing machine, which turned into, how to watch Mallory, and trying when she makes me, make a pillow. I love that girl.
So two of the pillows have zippers so I can reuse the pillow cases next year. And because I had originally only planned on using the flower fabric for one pillow, and was going to have a seam in the back if I used it for a second (which I did, we all know I break all rules of crafting. Martha would hate me), I did not use a zipper for the final pillow, but instead, made it like an envelope. I really don't know what the method I used is technically called, but you know the kind... Where the back overlaps by a few inches, but there is a big whole in the middle? Like a pillow sham.
And that was it! Now our couch is festive as well. And subtly so, just the way I like it. Do you like it subtle? Or are you a loud and proud Christmas fiend? I find myself going back and forth, year after year. This year I'm minimalistic. Maybe it's because I'm a little birdy (cheap cheap). What do you think?
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Christmas Vignettes
UGH. Do you ever find something so inspiring, so unique and so awe inspiring, you just want to give up everything and move to Canada??
You may remember the (unexpected) splash of navy and white I had hanging above the couch before the holiday season. It did not fit in. While I love navy and white, when it comes to Christmas, I subscribe to the green, gold, red, and white color scheme. So with a spare bit of fabric (a hint for tomorrows post) and a vintage 'Twas the Night Before Christmas book (I scored from the thrift store for 78 cents!) I used frames I already had and created a little visual vignette for your viewing pleasure.
And I know what you're thinking.
That looks awesome Mallory! You rock! I love your house and your style! Come to my house and decorate! What are in those frames?
Why thank you for wondering! I cut up the old St. Nick book and framed them in dollar store frames (which, in spite of the following pictures, are all the same color).
So, if you consider that the fabric would have just been thrown into the scrap drawer (as it was meant for a different project), plus I had all 7 frames on hand, I spent 78 cents on this arrangement. Not bad, eh? What cheap and luxe holiday decor have you been working on lately? Impressed with the 78 cent price tag? Or maybe you have me beat, 52 cents, anyone?
I'm slowly coming out of my dreams of Canadian Christmases on the water, and even more slowly coming back to the reality of my Oklahoma Christmas on base.
Don't get me wrong. I love my house. I do. I get amazing natural light. Its the perfect size. And it is filled with the ones I love most.
I especially love my house all decked out in Christmas decor. For those of you who know how I roll, you know I'm not a crazy seasonal decorator. Now, that being said, I want you to know it is Christmastime when you enter my house. So I've hung the stockings on the back of the dining room chairs with care, dressed the tree with love and red, covered up the nautical pillows, and added a few little touches here and there. Today we will focus on one of the "little touches."
You may remember the (unexpected) splash of navy and white I had hanging above the couch before the holiday season. It did not fit in. While I love navy and white, when it comes to Christmas, I subscribe to the green, gold, red, and white color scheme. So with a spare bit of fabric (a hint for tomorrows post) and a vintage 'Twas the Night Before Christmas book (I scored from the thrift store for 78 cents!) I used frames I already had and created a little visual vignette for your viewing pleasure.
And I know what you're thinking.
That looks awesome Mallory! You rock! I love your house and your style! Come to my house and decorate! What are in those frames?
Why thank you for wondering! I cut up the old St. Nick book and framed them in dollar store frames (which, in spite of the following pictures, are all the same color).
So, if you consider that the fabric would have just been thrown into the scrap drawer (as it was meant for a different project), plus I had all 7 frames on hand, I spent 78 cents on this arrangement. Not bad, eh? What cheap and luxe holiday decor have you been working on lately? Impressed with the 78 cent price tag? Or maybe you have me beat, 52 cents, anyone?
Monday, December 13, 2010
Oh Christmas Tree
J and I went two weekends ago (I know, I know, I've been holding out) to cut down our tree. We drove down to Edmond, OK to the Sorghum Mill Christmas Tree Farm to pick our our tree. We walked around for about an hour, seeing all different kinds of trees. We saw tall, skinny trees, short, fat trees, twirly Dr. Seuss-esque trees, and little baby trees (that weren't ready for chopping just yet). We found our tree pretty early on, but continued to look around to make sure it was indeed the best tree available. And boy was it.
This little baby stands about 6 and a half feet tall, is as big around as he is tall (almost), and he is a little front heavy. Sort of reminds me of Jo's description of Professor Slughorn...
Source
We brought our little tree home and got to dressing him. White lights, red, gold, and green balls, and a select few special ornaments. The burlap sack at the base makes Calvin's favorite hunting spot all that much more comfortable.
(I know that picture of Calvin is under our fake tree. But believe me, he does it under this one too).
My favorite thing about the tree is how is sparkles through the window at night. Since we are the Grinch and Scrouge, and haven't put up ANY lights outside, it's nice to show that we are at least a little festive.
And Duke is working very hard not to knock into it while he chases his tail.
So there you have it! What does your Christmas tree look like? Are you a themed Christmas person? All one color, one theme? Or do you like the modge podge of homemade ornaments with crazy colored lights? Maybe you prefer a fake silver tree? Anyway you look at it, a Christmas tree all decked out in the window is the best way to start the festive feelings, at least in my opinion.
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