Holiday Decor

Christmas is my favorite time of year so I thought I'd blog about Christmas decor. I've collected some ideas to share with you here.

A Swedish style Christmas with blue and yellow ornaments via Country Living. I love the little straw horse.

{photo by Country Living}

A trio of little Christmas trees via Country Living. You could also fill the bottom of the tub up until almost the top with soil or rocks and then have a layer of cranberries hiding the pots completely.

{photo by Country Living}

For a festive idea for the space above your mantel hang a wreath inside of a frame like this one from Country Living.

{photo by Country Living}

A Star Wreath by Martha Stewart. I think this would be a great alternative to a traditional wreath and it doesn't need to be dressed up since it is already a unique shape. Martha even give you DIY instructions for the wreath.

{photo by Martha Stewart}

But my favorite wreath of all is this cushion moss wreath from Martha Stewart. And because it is moss this wreath could be up year round!

{photo by Martha Stewart}

A curtain of snowflakes by Martha Stewart made from stiffened doilies. They are so delicate and lovely!

{photo by Martha Stewart}

Light up your mantle with glowing balls of Christmas lights in bottomless hurricane lamps via Real Simple.

{photo by Real Simple}

And *ring* in the new year with an alarm clock party via Martha Stewart!

{photo by Martha Stewart}

Christmas wish list

Christmas is almost here so I've collected some things that would make great gifts.

My favorite place to look for something special is on Etsy.com. They have so many unique things listed on there--from ornaments to jewelry to art prints, and almost all of it is handmade or vintage so you know you are getting a unique item.

Golden Leaf necklace (the stone can be changed) by madebysam for $33.50. This would make a great gift for a girlfriend or a wife...hint hint...

{photo by madebysam}

Do What You Love What You Do art print (without frame) by letterhappy for $10. For those of us who need a little reminder to follow our dreams.

{photo by letterhappy}

Vintage Map Cufflinks (you get to pick if you want square or round and you can pick the location of the map) by Bellamodaartist for $34. These would be great for the men in our lives (and as groomsmen gifts!).

{photo by Bellamodaartist}

SURevolution Frangipani Server Set from Pottery Barn for $39. This would be a great hostess gift if you were going to a fancy party, or a great gift for the entertainer in your family.

{photo by Pottery Barn}

Hanging Bud Vase Ornament from Pottery Barn, set of 4 for $34. Fill these with her favorite flowers for double credit.

{photo by Pottery Barn}

Monogrammed mugs from Anthropologie for $6. I'd pair this with some nice tea or coffee and biscotti.

{photo by Anthropologie}

Message in a Bottle from Anthropologie for $7.95. How romantic is this? Fill it with sweet notes for your lover.

{photo by Anthropologie}

Matryoshka Doll Measuring Cups from Urban Outfitters for $12. I love these! The nesting dolls are so cute and will save space because the cups nest inside each other.

{photo by Urban Outfitters}

Laboratory Flower Vases from Urban Outfitters for $14. Again, put her (or his) favorite flowers in these with a little bow around it and serve her breakfast in bed with this on the breakfast tray.

{photo by Urban Outfitters}

Gramercy Park Hotel wedding

I would consider having my wedding in New York and making all of our family and friends travel there just so I could have a reception in this room:

{photo from Best Brooklyn Weddings}

Isn't it beautiful? It's at the Gramercy Park Hotel and would be my ideal location if I were getting married in New York.

{photo from Best Brooklyn Weddings}

And I found this real wedding on 100 Layer Cake...beautiful!

{photo from 100 Layer Cake}

I'm trying to figure out if I could somehow do this in a room in my home... maybe the dining room? It would be great if the light bulbs were connected to a dimmer so that to dim the room you could turn a knob and fewer and fewer lights would be lit up, or if you wanted it brighter more bulbs would light up. I'm no electrician, but I think that this must be possible. Now if only I can convince my husband that this is a good idea...

We're married!

My fiancé and I got married at Paradise Cove on October 10, 2009. The wedding was beautiful, right on the beach with just us and our immediate families there. We are also planning a bigger wedding in May to celebrate with all of our family and friends. I don't have pictures from the photographer yet, but when I do I'll post them.

Instead I thought I'd post some of our engagement photos that were taken by the talented Mary Hawblitzel at the Santa Monica Pier. We had a lot of fun taking the photos/enjoying the carnival! I must say it was a little weird taking pictures in front of people, I don't know how models do it!

Probably my favorite photo of us ever because it really shows our personalities:

{all photos by Mary Hawblitzel}

Maroon Bells

On the Fourth of July my fiancé, one of our friends, and I went on a backpacking trip to the Maroon Bells in Aspen, Colorado. The whole trip was beautiful, and I would recommend it to everyone. It was about a 28 mile loop and you go over four passes, all of which are above 12,400 feet. I think this hike was much easier than Paria Canyon, maybe because you have such a variance in views, whereas in Paria you can only see a few hundred feet ahead of you at a time.

We started out with a little rain and on day two we had to pitch our tent quickly to wait out a thunder storm (we were right below one of the passes, but didn't want to go up obviously with the lighting and thunder). One of the storms was actually a hail storm right over the other side of the mountain but we totally missed it since we were on the other side!

All in all the hike was beautiful and a great way to spend celebrating the Fourth of July!

Crater Lake, day one...it was rainy that day.

Onward to west maroon trail

It started to clear up a little after we started on our hike

Behind Crater Lake...day two.

Even though it was July as you can see there was still a lot of snow we had to deal with.

The view from the first pass--West Maroon Pass.

On the other side of the pass, between West Maroon Pass and Frigid Air Pass, I think you can also get here through Crested Butte.

"Skiing" down the other side of Frigid Air Pass after we had waited out a thunder and lighting storm.

Day three at Fravert Basin. There are a lot of bears here and when we were playing cards we were making a bunch of noise and people ran down the trail with a first aid kit because they thought we were being attacked by bears. At least we knew they cared!

Fravert Basin...beautiful

Going up Trail Rider Pass. This one was tough because there were a lot of false summits. We even celebrated and ate our lunch at a lake thinking we were at the top when we realized we weren't even close.

Down the other side of Trail Rider. I had a little freak out trying not to slip down the mountainside on the ice and it took me WAY too long to get across the snow!

Snowmass Lake, beautiful isn't it?

The view between Trail Rider Pass and Buckskin Pass.

Log bridge we crossed. We had already crossed about three or four rivers by just wading through the icy water. The bridge was a welcome sight.

The Maroon Bells and a beaver made lake.

Day four on our way up to Buckskin Pass, just enjoying the view.

The view from Buckskin Pass.

On the other side of Buckskin

And we're done! I literally ran the last couple of miles with my huge pack on so I could get this shot of the Maroon Bells without clouds covering them. It was worth it.

{All photos by me}