Holiday Weekend Round Up

The long four day weekend was a much needed break for this blogger. How about you? Did you catch up on a few episodes of your favorite TV show? Or finish that novel that you’ve been putting off for weeks?

As for me, I took a day long trip to Monterey with the hubby. We tasted wine, kept warm in the last rays of sun on the beach and discovered new stores filled with inspiration and creativity.

I’m excited to share our little adventure with you. Let’s start at the beginning…

Holiday Shopping

As I stepped inside, colorful baubbles, fragrant French soaps and whimsical bird cages hung from the ceiling beckoning me in. Tancredi & Morgen, a country store in Carmel wowed me with each eye popping scene. I wish I could have shown you everything. It really was a sight to see. I loved this display with bright Christmas ornaments resting in a bed of moss and housed in an aquarium. It’s a modern twist on holiday decor.

I wish this store was open. I took a peek inside and its chandeliers and jars and drawers made me wish I had stopped by sooner. You can check out there website here.

Holiday Wrapping

I started wrapping one of my Christmas gifts over the weekend. Using the holiday wrapping paper I got for free from the ASPCA, along with a new shoelace and a pair of bookmarks from my wedding, I created a unique look I’m hoping the receiver will be happy to receive.

Beachside Wonder

We ended the evening under the stars. Can you see the moon in the last photo?

Sweet Ways to Say Thanks

Can you believe Thanksgiving is tomorrow?! That means the holiday season is well on its way. And Christmas is just around the corner. Just for today I’d say let’s pause, take a deep breath and appreciate all that’s good in our lives, before busyness and the hectic holiday sets in.

While you’re basking in a few minutes of peace and relaxation, take a look at these sweet ways to say thank you this Thanksgiving.

Then, drop me a note and tell me what you’re doing tomorrow. Cooking your usual 15 pound turkey? Or are you the side dish girl? Thanks guys and Happy Thanksgiving!

Paper-Source is one of my favorite stores for ideas & inspiration. And I love the simplicity of their letterpress thank you cards. The great thing is that they are pretty easy to DIY. Just cut out rectangle shapes in craft paper or use index cards and write “I am thankful for…” on one side. Guests can use colorful pens to fill in their own words of gratitude and appreciation.

This adorable banner found on Etsy is both playful and fun. Perfect for mixing things up on Thanksgiving.

Wood block printed forest scenes adds a bit of whimsy on Anthropologie’s Woodland Card Set. I’d love to say thank you on these!

Weekend Round Up: Flowers & Table Makeover

How’d you guys spend your weekend?

For me, it was all about shaking things up with a bunch of flowers here and a touch of white paint there. November’s end got me in the mood for sprucing and tidying things up and that means decluttering, repainting and and adding flowers to my living room. I even transformed things here at Not2shabby. Notice the Christmas decor?

What’d I do? I got a bunch of hydrangeas at our local farmer’s market for 2 bucks and split it 5 ways. I’m loving how they look adding a lil pretty to every corner of our house.

Then, I took a cream colored scarf a friend gave me and used it as a table runner. Here’s our dining room table, 3 full vases of hydrangeas and 2 digit spice jars (‘08 for the year we got married) from Anthropologie later:

I also moved things around on our entertainment center. Oh how I love adding fresh flowers to everything!

I’m also starting on my next painting project. Here’s the before…You’re going to have to wait for the after.

And here’s what I’m using temporarily instead of my table. I actually like the fresh, easy look of using stools instead of a table to hold books and a lamp.

What about you? Any craft ideas or holiday projects you started on this chilly weekend?

Easy Thanksgiving Decor

Yesterday, I went out on a mission: How to revamp my dining room table with easy, inexpensive decor for Thanksgiving. My first thought was using cranberries to fill up two glass vases. After finding out it’d cost me $6.99 for a bunch of real cranberries and $4.99 for fake ones, I decided I needed a new idea in a jiffy.

Luckily, I found something at Michael’s that I thought might do the trick: Little glass autumn leaves. For $3.99, it was still a bit expensive but the sign said it was on sale. I took my chances and went to the register. Imagine my surprise when the cashier said the total was “43 cents!” I could have kissed her.

A decrease in income recently made me think I wouldn’t be able to afford Thanksgiving decor. But luckily I waited until the last minute for those great last minute deals!

I poured those lil’ glass jewels into 2 glass vases I already owned (originally under ten bucks from Urban Outfitters).

Then, I repurposed my Halloween decor-2 glittery pumpkins and a few frames with orange and black craft paper-and voila! I’d say not bad for 43 cents!

Inspiring Thanksgiving Decor

It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Do you know where your turkey is?

Well I haven’t gotten into the Thanksgiving spirit yet. In fact, while I nibble on last bits of Halloween candy, they’re already starting with the Christmas music!

In the meantime while I mourn the end of another holiday, check out my photo list of dreamy Thanksgiving tablescapes and holiday decor.

HGTV goes for glitz and glamour with a hint of dreamy chocolate.

Martha’s camp goes modern with fall colors.

And over at my favorite bloggers John & Sherry’s YoungHouseLove, they’ve easily transformed what was once a spooky Halloween console into an autumn dream.

Real Simple’s also got a real simple way to dress up your table for under $50.

Wallet-Friendly Holiday Ideas

Being frugal is not only trendy this holiday season but it is necessary.  With an unstable economy putting everyone at financial risk, we could all benefit from tightening our wallets a bit and focusing on what’s really important.  That means spreading love and appreciation without necessary spending a lot of dough.  Here are a few tips to keep you navigate through the holidays wallet happy and have you feeling merry this Christmas.

Swap Gifts

As a kid you couldn’t get enough of them, but as an adult shopping for a multitude of gifts in a sea of seasonal shoppers is tolerable at best.  To eliminate the stress of shopping and ease up on holiday spending, plan on doing a gift exchange.  Get together with friends and relatives and put their name in a Santa Claus hat.  The name they pick determines whom they are buying a gift for.  Buying one gift instead of five is a great way to save money but still get involved with the gift giving part of the holiday season.  For extra credit: You can also do a Secret Santa gift exchange where not knowing who’s getting your gift is part of the fun!

Memories vs. Gifts

Presents are nice to receive but memories last a lifetime.  Instead of exchanging gifts with your best friends or your significant other, why not spend time with them instead?  Leave the kids at home and catch up over dinner or coffee.  This type of gift is much more meaningful, less expensive and the value?  It’s priceless.

Giving Back

A great way to celebrate the holidays is by giving to others.  Share the real meaning of the season by teaching your kids to do the same.  Instead of buying your kids a ton of unnecessary gifts, ask them to choose one toy or book for a child who is less fortunate than them.

Although your finances may be tight this Christmas there are a variety of ways you can participate in the season without spending a fortune.  The key is to focus on spending more time with friends and family making memories and spending less on unnecessary and extravagant gifts.  Follow these tips and you will be on your way to experiencing a holiday season that’s rich with love, not in things.

Chalk It Up to Great Art

Maybe cause it’s reminiscent of little kid days but I’m always excited to find new ways to use chalkboards in our daily grown up lives. While roaming around one of my favorite inspirational stores Anthropologie, I was enamored when I saw their newest interior design. A wall filled with chalkboard paint and drawings mimicking an adorably creative kitchen.

I also fell in love when I saw these photos of a coffee table finished with chalkboard paint in Pottery Barn’s Workspaces book I got for $9.99 at Barnes & Nobles.

Isn’t it amazing what you can do with a bit of chalkboard paint?

Another great one from Martha Stewart. Love this personalized wall calendar!

Holiday Gift Idea #2: DIY Necklace

With a bunch of pendants leftover from my last 5 minute craft idea, I decided to put together another quick holiday craft.

Materials: 1 circular pendant with green recycle symbol, metal twine, 1 square pendant with the word create on it and 1 jump ring.

How I did it: I used the metal twine that attached one of the pendants to its cardboard backing and threaded it through both pendants and a jump ring. Lastly, I threaded through the jump ring with an old necklace chain I hardly used. That’s it! A fast DIY craft and easy holiday gift idea all in one.

Inexpensive & Eco-friendly Holiday Ideas

In a past post, fellow freelance writer Raechel asked if I had any ideas for inexpensive holiday gifts. Thanks to her comment I’ve been working hard on thinking up creative DIY and eco-friendly ideas for this season and will be posting new ideas from now until Christmas.

First up, repurposed packaging and DIY kits. I am a self-confessed pack-rat. Every time I order an online gift or get a free gift from a minimum purchase, I keep the packaging. You never know when you might need a bag or a container to hold your next party gift. Over the years, I’ve collected a load of canisters, cute drawstring sacks and purses worthy of repurposing a spanking new present. And it’s fine time to use them. If you have been saving those containers, bust them out and repurpose them as unique and eco-friendly wrapping. While any gift is more than just its packaging, who wouldn’t appreciate a heartfelt gift wrapped in beautiful tins rather than a cardboard box and cheap wrapping paper?

Here’s a holiday DIY gift kit that’s great for eco-friendly pals alike:

Take your favorite glass jar (like I did with Burt’s Bees hand cream) and transform it into a soy candle. Find out how to do it here. Then make a mirrored compact with an old Altoid tin. See how I did it here. I’d also splurge on a few rolls of holiday lip balm, tiny moisturizer and maybe a pair of earrings and stick them in. Find a cute drawstring bag or a repurposed container and place your soy candle, Altoid tin, and a tiny notebook like the one I have here from Paper-Source. And that’s it! Your DIY holiday gift is beautifully repurposed, wallet-friendly, eco-friendly and ready to go!

How to Make Soy Candles

Well I did it! I stayed up late last night to try my hand at soy candle making. Seeing as the holiday season is slowly creeping up on us, I decided to start thinking up ways to get in the giving spirit without spending too much $.

Making soy candles are inexpensive to make and surprisingly simple once you get the hang of it. But since I’m no Martha Stewart, I have to say, the experience was also pretty humbling.

I started off with two glass jars I had been dying to reuse. One was a tiny container (2 oz) filled with Burt’s Bees hand cream that I bought knowing that one day I’d repurpose it. The other was a hexagon-shaped jar that recently housed my favorite Trader Joe’s mixed olive bruschetta.

I spent most of the night washing the labels off of the olive dip jar (I decided the Burt’s Bees one was too cute to remove). Man did that sticker stick. I scrubbed for what seemed like hours, but was probably 5 minutes. After I washed and dried the two containers, I grabbed the microwaveable soy wax flakes I bought from Michael’s (@ 1 pound for $8.95, which probably is enough for another 2 0r 3 more candles). I filled a glass measuring cup up to the brim and nuked it for 1 min and a half. (One cup of melted soy wax ended up being just enough to fill the Burt’s Bees container.)

Meanwhile, I attempted (key word being ATTEMPTED!) to follow Martha’s scented soy votive candle instructions to a tee and threaded the braided wick I got through a metal wick tab (both bought from Michael’s). Then, like she said I lighted another candle and used the melted wax to cement it to the bottom. I tied the other end of the wick to an old fondue skewer I had to keep it in place. Then, I poured the melted soy wax into the jar (when it’s totally melted it looks clear as water) and with it a few drops of rose oil I had on hand.  After the mixture dried, I untied the wick and cut it to about 1/4 an inch. It was smooth going for that one. Who knew disaster was just around the corner?

I started the 2nd candle in the same way. But this time, my microwave started making weird noises-like it was about to explode. After reheating the soy flakes several times, I think I finally overheated it. Instead of sticking my fingers in my ears and praying to God every time I pushed start, I finally opted to use the stove top instead. Again I threaded the braided wick through the metal wick tab and tied the other end to the skewer. In my weariness, however, I decided to pour the liquid wax into the jar directly from the pot I melted it in. Martha, however, says to use a funnel. While my glass measuring cup with a spout worked, I had forgotten all sense and reason, and the result was that I not only knocked over the skewer, but the braided wick came out of the wick tab. So now I was sticking my fingers in hot wax trying to get the metal tab out of the wax.

To tell you the truth, fatigue and a semi-burnt finger made me decide to leave that metal tab in. I took a short-cut and stuck the braided wick in without anything to anchor it. This one is definitely a do over. I can see the metal tab underneath the bottom and the wick is off-centered. Oh the shame!

In the end, this project took a lot longer than I thought. But I think with more practice, I just might be able to pull it off before Christmas. We’ll see…

Note: If I can do this, anyone can! Just make sure to put down some old newspapers under everything (I ended up getting wax on my table) and you might want to use the stove top instead of the microwave.