DIY {FREE} garland

Thanks to Susan's post last year {here}, I learned to go to Lowe's or Home Depot to pick up *free* tree trimmings to use in my home during the holidays. I picked up a bunch last weekend and used the trimmings in various spots inside my home {if you check back on Monday you'll get to tour my home all dressed up for the holidays, thanks to Jen Rizzo's home tour!}

With the leftover trimmings I wanted to make a fresh garland for my front porch.

With a glass of wine, scissors and wire in hand I set up shop on the back porch after work last night. Clipping the greens and securing the ends using the wire.

Voila~ it ended up being the perfect length! I added a strand of clear lights and secured some large pine cones to the garland to thicken it up a bit. I also wrapped some thick twine around it to add texture and secure it to the pillars.
Free, quick, easy and instant gratification! It smells SO yummy. Now if it stays put for another 30 days I'll be even happier. ☺

xo~

Tricia

In the spirit

It's a chilly Monday morning here in Houston and we are all decked out and ready for Christmas!

We spent Thanksgiving day with close friends and family, making it an all day celebration. The rest of the weekend was spent replacing our Christmas tree and decking the halls. Now it's time to shop and get the gifts wrapped!

How was your holiday weekend? Any die hard black Friday shoppers out there? I don't have the guts to face those crowds on Friday...I'll stick to cyber-Monday.

xo~

T

Giving thanks...

...for physical health, education, spirituality and creativity~

...for a peace and love filled home, family and opportunities~

...for dear friends, great bosses, blue skies and a green haired angel to brighten my days~

...for wine, the desire to see the world, and a soul mate in which to share it all~
...and for YOU~ thank you for sharing your time, your thoughts and your self.

**Gobble, gobble**
xo~
Tricia

Feeling crafty

I've had a surge of creativity over the past week. I haven't much to show for it, but the juices are flowing nonetheless.

We did manage to sneak in some crafting time last week, in between homework and a big school project. We started with these cute fabric owl ornaments.

You can go here for the owl tutorial and pattern.

We always spend a lot of time cutting out paper snowflakes this time of year, to make up for the lack of real snowflakes down here in the South. I found a great tutorial on these 3D snowflakes which are too cute and don't leave behind the scrappy mess that typical snowflakes do. Paper snowflake tutorial here.

We are just practicing and getting warmed up for some more crafts in the coming weeks. Last year I was knee deep in creating linen and burlap ornaments {here}.

This year I'd like to stick with something that my little helper can work on too, as she's quite the artist {and she loves doing projects with mom}. ☺

I spend a lot of time here during the season, pulling vintage clip art and images for gift wrap and crafts. Karen has the greatest stuff, including the simple burlap texture image below, which I added the 'noel' to via picnik.

Pinterest has been a great 'DIY' source for me so far this year. Below are a few things I'm hoping to try in the coming weeks:

Source: craftster.org via Tricia on Pinterest

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Source: Uploaded by user via Tricia on Pinterest

Are you feeling inspired and/or crafty yet while getting in gear for the holidays? Please share any great sources for inspiration and things you've made in prep for the holidays.

xo~
Tricia

A step ahead....

Although I've been playing it like I'm coasting along, not giving a thought to the quickly approaching holidays, I've actually gotten some big prep~work out of the way.
Thanks to this efficient and oh so talented friend, our holiday cards are ready to go. We have our holiday card address labels uploaded and ready to print. Our holiday photo stamps have arrived, along with our wine labels and gift labels {photo collage below is the collection used for everything this year}. I'm sticking with black and white gift wrap this year with some butcher paper wrap mixed in. I'll use the bright green tulle ribbon and some red and natural twine as well.
One set of paperwhite bulbs were planted this week and are hidden away in a dark spot. I'll plant another set next week just to make sure I have fresh blooms right at Christmas.
And thanks to my fashion savvy hubby {and a quick business trip to London last week} I have my holiday party outfits hanging and ready to go! Lots of sparkle and shine...
....and some slither for Thanksgiving day.


Pulling the gift wrap and holiday outfits together excites me...but the thought of pulling out the countless boxes of Christmas decor kind of makes me nauseous. ☺

We always start the day after Thanksgiving and it usually takes most of the weekend to get it all set how we like it. The inside stuff is always fun once I'm in the groove. I'm always in charge of wrapping the tree trunks with lights and hubby handles all of the electrical stuff.

How about you guys....are you getting in gear? Will you put most of your decor up next weekend or is that too soon for you?

xo~
Tricia

Still life

I had to run home during lunch today.

With a million things on my mind and a storm starting to brew outside, yet the minute I walked into my little home I felt at peace. No noise, no clutter, muted tones surrounding me and the last bit of sunlight filtering in before the rain storm.

This house was filled with kids and people all weekend. Friday evening cocktails with family visiting from out of state.

7 year old giggling girl sleepovers both nights. A dinner party with new friends on Saturday night. And more family festivities on Sunday afternoon.

There were kids shoes strewn all over, cupcake wrappers on the counters, cracker crumbs on the floor. Cheese platters in the living room, opened wine bottles in the dining room and dirty dinner plates lining the kitchen counters. A house full of people.

Adult conversation could be heard inside the house, while the sound of laughing and cheering kids could be heard out back. A house full of life.

Today my house is clean, organized, and the only sound is that of birds chirping outside. When I return back home this evening it will be just the 3 of us. A house full of love.

There's something about an empty house in the middle of a weekday. It's almost as if the house is resting, rejuvenating itself after a full weekend. Like you walked in unexpected and caught it taking a snooze.

Like me, it's as if my house is taking a few slow and steady deep breaths.

Could it possibly know that within the next week things will be changing?

Everyday accessories will be packed up and replaced with holiday decor. The traffic will steadily increase as out of town guests arrive and depart. Packages will be snuck inside and hidden away, the fridge will slowly fill with goodies, outlets and timers will be at their maximum capacity and our wine collection will gradually dwindle.

Well, for today~ I'm holding on to the peace and quiet. I'm enjoying the feeling of a slight stir coming on, just off in the distance.

xo~
Tricia

....blog, what blog???

oh yeah, MY blog, the one I've been neglecting this past week.

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I'm here floating about with not much going on. Just enjoying the calm.

Source: google.ca via Kim on Pinterest

I'm certain I'll have something of interest to share with you soon.

Source: Uploaded by user via Tricia on Pinterest

But for now, I think I'll keep kicking back and lurking around your blogs.

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After all, I find YOU much more interesting and inspiring than my own silly self. :)

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Cheers~
T

{blanche:white}

I have been suffering some major design withdrawal lately. Is it just me, or is everything feeling pretty stale out there? The real estate market has slowed and I've pinned every awe-inspiring space that I can find on pinterest.

Before we start seeing holiday decor take over the blog world, I'm going to soak up every bit of this drool~worthy, non holiday~ish home.

Enjoy!

Antique grain sacks and white walls everywhere.

Sparkly chandys in every room with floor to ceiling windows. Tufted linen and stacks of design books.
Chippy, peely paint, mismatched chairs and antique mirrors.

Open shelving in the kitchen with a skirted sink and petite chandy. Collection of milk glass on display.

Claw footed tub, fireplace in master/bath, painted wood floors, exposed ceiling beams and white shutters.

All so romantic and dreamy to me. Nothing beats dreamy spaces in far away places....ah.

Happy Monday all!

xo~
Tricia

source

favorites

Recently I've been plowing through countless family photos for our holiday card and wine labels etc. While looking at hundreds of pictures it was fun to see which photos still jump out at me, while others could easily just be deleted. Although I've shared many of these photos on the blog over the past couple of years, I thought I'd put some of my favorites together into one post....one llllooonnngggg, bbbbooorrrriiinngg, post. Excited aren't ya?!

Ha~ enjoy. These aren't in any order and most were taken with the old Nikon.

Lake Como, Italy Paris



New York


Napa Valley, Ca

Myrtle Beach, SC

Odense, Denmark

London

Roissy, France

London

Argegno, Italy

Paris

London

Lake Lugano, Switzerland

Paris

Argegno, Italy

Paris
Destin, Florida

Cancun, Mexico

Calgary, BC

Norfolk, MA

Lake Como, Italy

New York

London

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Hope you're all enjoying the calm before the storm. Halloween is past us and in the next week or so we'll be full force into Thanksgiving plans and you know what happens after that point~ utter, glorious, holiday chaos!

Happy Friday.
xo~
Tricia