It's almost here.

It's Christmas Eve tomorrow, which blows my mind. I'm beginning to learn that the older you get, the faster time flies. It was almost painful watching the weeks slip away, approaching the holiday with greater momentum. I felt like I was in one of those dreams where you're trying to hurry, but your limbs are numb and you feel like you're swimming in tar.
I had lofty dreams of turning my home into a scene from the Nutcracker. The romantic, sparkling Christmas that children spend sleepless nights awaiting, but it didn't happen. Things came up, we got busy, and we had errands to run, dammit. No time for frivolity.
Trent and I did manage to carve some time out to get cinnamon scented pine cones, a tiny, modest tree, and a few other Christmas-like things, and it made me feel so much closer to that dream. We even managed to snag an elusive package of ginger snap cookie mix, and Trent baked them for us one night while I slept on the couch. That is a memory that will stay with me forever from Christmas this year. The smell of cinnamon and gingerbread, the twinkling of colorful lights on our tiny tree, and the white noise of a Christmas movie playing in the background. It was small, but oh so wonderful.
Tomorrow we're doing some last minute Christmas shopping, then we'll head over to my mother's house to watch Little Women (Hello, Elizabeth Taylor), and eat pecan pie in front of a toasty fire. I absolutely cannot wait.

Photo and acorns by Stacy Winters

Laurel Denise Day Planner

For remembering school assignment due dates, yoga class schedules, and other dates I tend to forget (family member's birthdays...).

Post inspired by Abby

{image credits: Oh So Beautiful Paper}

Asa Dahlback

http://dahlbackdesign.blogspot.com/

Nura P

These illustrations are completely inspiring. I love the simplicity and the way she completely embraces the imperfections. I find that when I draw, I'm repelled by the mistakes that my unsteady hands make. The subtle color draws me into the picture.

From NuraP's Flickr &
Even Cleveland

Look, Charlie, let's face it.

I absolutely love Christmas time. I am not Christian, but I really do love the tradition of the holiday. I have memories of sitting in front of a roaring fire until my back got too hot to stand. My dad's homemade hot chocolate and watching Bing Crosby and Fred Estaire in White Christmas and Natalie Wood in Miracle on 34th Street and James Stuart in It's a Wonderful Life. My mom always decorated our home with lights and garlands, and I thought our Christmas tree was so magical.
I had dreams of recreating these things in my own home now, but it's proving to be a difficult task. So far, the only Christmas-y thing in our home is a card I made to display in our living room. I wanted silvery decorations and the smell of pine and cinnamon wafting through the air, but every weekend that it gets closer to Christmas, it seems more of a chore to hunt these things down. Trent and I finally gave up on the idea of a real tree in our home due to the cost, mess, and transportation issues. We're opting for a Charlie Brown Christmas tree like the one above. It's so much cleaner and cheaper than a real Christmas tree, and let's face it- it's adorable.
I may not be able to manage the picture perfect catalog Christmas this year, but I'll always have the vintage Christmas movies, hot chocolate and the love of my life to fill me with the feeling of Christmas.

Mia

After searching for months for the perfect living room rug, I finally found what I was looking for. Something visually stimulating and cozy at the same time. It is also very much in our price range. $200 for an 8'x5' rug. Especially 100% wool. I found so many cute, well designed rugs that were synthetic, which is a deal-breaker for me. I need something comfortable in the room where we as a couple spend so much time.
The quest for living room furniture has been difficult, but incredibly satisfying. I made a vow to myself a long time ago that I wouldn't settle for anything that I didn't absolutely love. This applies to clothes and shoes as well. Necessities are the exception. If I don't gasp when I see it and beg my boyfriend for permission, then I don't buy it. This is both a blessing and a curse. The curse being that it takes forever to build up the home of my dreams, and the blessing being that I live in the home of my dreams.
It took us three months to find the couch we wanted, and another two months to find the perfect sideboard. We also had to factor in the cost. I like to stay away from Ikea as much as possible for the large things, because I believe there are so many second-hand treasures to be found. Ikea is fantastic for the little things like kitchenware, hardware, and lighting. They are very cheap in that respect.
I'm also incredibly lucky that I live with a man who loves my taste in decor. I think it's quite possible that #1, he doesn't really care about those kind of things, and #2, that anything that makes me smile makes him happy too. That's how wonderful he is.
I read Apartment Therapy religiously, and a reader's comment about the vast amount of rugs that Home Decorators Outlet had led me to their site where I shuffled through hundreds of rugs until I found this very one. It was a tossup between the Dwell Studio for Target rug and the Mia rug, but those sexy 60's colors won me over.

My House Party

I'm obsessed with the architecture of these tiny plant greenhouses. I've got a shadow box that is dying to be filled, and I think these little houses are right for the job.
I'm struggling with the idea of having a christmas tree with no ornaments this year. It's my first real christmas in my own home, and I grew up used to having festive decorations during the holidays. I would rather adorn my pine tree with twinkle lights than buy a package of mass produced ornaments that merely take up space. If I could, I would buy 30 of thee tiny houses to adorn my tree. They're definitely my style.

Myhouseparty
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