Say Merry Christmas With A DIY Personalized Mug

First off, Merry Christmas!  I hope you all are enjoying some quality time with your families.  After all that has happened it's these little things, time spent with family and friends, that seem so important.  So cuddle up, stay up a little later and cherish every moment.

This quick and simple DIY gift is perfect for the coffee lover in your family or any last minute gift giving.

I know I'm not the first one to venture into sharpie drawing craziness (my neighbor made some adorable stick figure mugs for her Mom), but I thought I'd share this easy DIY gift idea, anyhoo.

Hang Your Stockings By The Fire...Or Not!

Christmas stockings conjure thoughts of joy and cheer as soon as you see them, making them a great and easy addition to holiday decor. Tradition touts, "Hang your stockings by the chimney with care." But luckily, those without a fireplace or mantel — or those wanting to break with tradition — have many options for hanging up their stockings this holiday season.  

From a branch.   Use a natural element, like a branch or a piece of driftwood, in your holiday decor by mounting it on your wall like Jaime from CraftyScrappyHappy has done here. Stockings can be hung using colorful ribbon.

On a ladder. Whether your style is modern or rustic, you can find a ladder for either and everything in between. Haven't been able to find the perfect ladder? Make your own, as Jenn has done here.

For the entire list of unique places to hang your stockings which features bloggers like the two amazing ladies above, plus even more suggestions in the comments section, check out my latest Houzz Ideabook.

10 Unusual Places for Christmas Stockings

Are you sans mantle?  Where do you hang your stockings?

Why Patience & Persistence Pay Off When Decorating on A Budget

Sometimes decorating on a budget is tough.  You either have a sparse space because you're saving up for the perfect furniture and decor or you've purchased temporary stuff that works...for now.  It's tempting to purchase inexpensive and sometimes low-quality items just so your room isn't bare - because nothing is more daunting than a bare room, but it tends to be a method I try to avoid.  Perhaps it's my picky personality, but once I set my sights on something no temporary replacement will ever do. Plus it just seems like a bit of a waste since you're just going to replace it down the road.  Don't get me wrong, I definitely do use temporary fixes from time to time but I try really hard not to. 

Our living room is no exception.  With only two east facing windows, our living room is the darkest room in the house.  It's a place where I spend LOTS of time writing, watching the ol' boob tube and getting my fill of house porn.  The switch for the overhead light is WAY across the room plus there's no convenient side table to place my coffee cup, so you can imagine the inconvenience that I have had to endure on a daily basis.  I've been on the hunt for a floor lamp and a small side table to remedy this bothersome situation for what seems like ages.  I was looking for styles similar to this, this, this, or this but you know....for a lot less money!  Those are each beautiful lighting options but YIKES!  I can't even imagine spending that much on a lamp.

Holiday Traditions and The Best Caramels EVER

With the holiday season fully upon us and the smell of evergreen and hot toddies in the air, it has me waxing nostalgic.  There are so many wonderful memories that remind me of this special time of year with my family.

Our little Christmas went a little something like this:

As soon as the last drumstick was eaten our Christmas traditions would begin, we'd all gather around and watch the greatest of all holiday movies - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  In the weeks leading up to Christmas we'd make my Nana's secret recipe (Betty Crocker) caramels, which we'd give out to friends and family in hopes that they'd follow in our 10 pound holiday gain.  We'd spend nights sledding down our black diamond hill and sharing hot buttered rum with Meme (our other grandma).  My mom would purchase 100s of holiday cards only to forget to send them and in true procrastinator spirit - we'd decorate the tree a week before.

And finally, Christmas Eve would arrive - we'd snuggle up and listen to Mom read "The Night Before Christmas" with holiday music in the background, play some cards and then around 6 pm we'd all run to one of our rooms (because on Christmas Eve we all slept together) so Christmas morning would come early.  We'd lay there too excited to sleep dreaming about all the surprises we'd find under the tree the next day - and usually, I'd try to get the secrets out of my younger siblings.  We'd wake up to my Dad's blueberry muffins baking in the oven and drag ourselves sleepily to the sofa and sit sheepishly waiting for our gifts because even on the greatest of holidays and in the comfort of our own home - we're all incredibly shy.

Shop 'Til You Drop

Well folks, I've finally done it.  Last Friday I opened up my Etsy shop!  I can't even begin to describe how nervous, excited - and just a wee bit terrified - I am.  But with 1 million other shops, I'm sure a few of you know what I'm talking about.

The shop is pretty sparse right now.  There's a few prints, a set of cork trivets and the Octopus Triptych.

I hope to have quite a few more items up in the near future, but for now I'm reveling in the fact that I FINALLY opened up shop.  I don't know how long I've thought about doing it, but just haven't taken the plunge.

So what about you guys?  Have shops of your own?  How do you get your items in front of the masses? 

Maximizing Storage By Utilizing The Space Above The Fridge

Our love for open shelving is overflowing.  In addition to the two shelves in our kitchen, which hold our white dinnerware and glass storage jars, we've added two more above the fridge.  Every extra bit of storage is needed with a couple of clutter-hounds like us and utilizing the space above the fridge was a no-brainer.

The top of the fridge typically looks like this - an eyesore if ever there was.  I removed everything and gave it a good cleaning which is something that tends to get overlooked.  Do you guys regularly wipe down the top of your fridge?

Kitchen Door Trim...Finally!

Back a few weeks ago, when we were replacing windows in the bathroom and mudroom, I finally tackled a project that we've been needing to finish.  While the boys were framing the new window openings, I stole the nail gun for a couple projects - putting trim on the open shelving and putting the trim back up in our doorways.

The trim has been off since we started our kitchen remodel.  I can't really say why it's taken us so long to put it back up, probably just laziness.  I mean swinging a hammer is really hard work.  With access to a nail gun I finally had the motivation to get 'er done.  Unfortunately I have few photos of the process, but it went a little something like this...