I'm dreaming of a white {and blue, and silver, and cream} christmas... Mantel

As soon as I saw Layla's mantel linky party today. I ran around my house like a mad woman snatching up anything to put together my Christmas mantel to showcase. I have been stalling putting one together and what better motivation then a great linky party! Here it is in all it's thrown together glory. I'm even surprised to say this, but I spent zilch, free-ninety-nine, nada, $0.00 dollars on this project! Everything you see I had already from previous Christmases, stuff around my house, and craft projects. The project took me about 2 hours to complete because I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so you don't want to know how many times I started and restarted this mantel. Tell me what you think! Thanks for visiting :)

You can also check out my fall mantel and hearth here.

Also linking to Linda's Christmas Open House

You're my inspiration

I follow quite a few people in blog-land, they all truly inspire me to not only be a better blogger but to make my house a home. Here are my top three blogs I really recommend checking out!


1) The nesting place- the nester, {as she likes to be called} is a fun, quirky mom who enjoys shopping her house for decorating ideas and finds cheap and inexpensive ways to bring beauty to her home through window "mistreatments" as she calls them, or thrift store finds. She is also notorious for rearranging furniture to bring new life to the items she already owns. Her motto is "it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful".   




2) Three men and a lady- Michelle has a fun blog that showcases her natural design & d.i.y. skills, through headboard tutorials, craigslist furniture finds, and drool worthy house tours. She also sprinkles in fun activities and photos of her family {especially her two cute little boys}, that makes her blog not only fun to read but brings ohhs and aahhs with every click of the mouse.




3) Young house love- follow John, Sherry, baby Clara, and Burger {the dog} through their love addiction to their first home. They have a fresh, relaxed, and modern style that is a breath of fresh air. Their blog is chalked full of giveaways, tutorials, house tours, d.i.y projects, and so much more! It has been so fun reading along and getting to "know" them. 




*Honorable Mentions- House of Smiths,  Miss Mustard Seed, and, Centsational Girl.

Loaded Garlic Bread

Loaded Garlic Bread

{makes: 24 pieces Prep: 10 minutes 

microwave: 4 minutes cook: 2 minutes

Bake: at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes}

6 slices of bacon, cut into 4 pieces

8 Tbsp. (1stick) butter

6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 loaf crusty Italian bread, cut into 24 slices, about 1/2 inch thick

3/4 lb. mozzarella cheese, cut into 2 pieces, each cut into 12 slices.

1} Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 2 large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray

2} Place bacon on a microwave safe plate lined with paper towels cover with another paper towel.Microwave high for 4 minutes or until slightly crisp. Drain off fat and set aside. when cool enough to handle, cut into thin strips.

3} Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from heat.

4} Place bread on baking sheets. Spoon on butter and garlic. Top each with a slice of cheese. Sprinkle with bacon. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. for 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bacon is crispy. Cool slightly.

*Tip: to make a lazy day version of this recipe, I buy garlic bread from the grocery store that's already buttered and flavored. I then just add bacon and cheese and pop it in the oven. It's delicious, saves time, and is a great game-day appetizer. 

Sunday Stroll

My weekly finds of wonderful decorating inspirations and ideas. Enjoy!




This week: The best of Etsy

Pumpkin Cookies

My sister in-law makes these delicious pumpkin cookies every year around Thanksgiving time. They are an easy alternative to pumpkin pie. Perfect for this holiday season.




                                    Pumpkin Cookies


1 package of yellow cake mix
1 cup Libbey's canned pumpkin mixture
1/4 cup of butter
2 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice


                                       Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. milk


Bake at 375f, for 10-12 minutes. 
Enjoy!
What special recipes do you make during this holiday season?

Happy Thanksgiving

willingworkers.com

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, with lots of goodies and laughter shared among family and friends. This year I am thankful for so many things, but most of all my wonderful family who bring such joy into my life. Thank you, life without you would be dull and incomplete!

The winged one

I occasionally search craigslist hoping to come across great deals and gotta haves. One day I came across a wing back chair for sale in my little town for $40! Of course I had to snatch it up, a few hours later I brought this little lovely home.

I can't wait to slipcover it or reupholster it, I havent decided which. Here are some of my inspirations for my wing back chair.

tweetfeed.com

homedecorators.com

townandcountryeventrentals.com

designwonderland.net

Wordless Wednesday

Christmas Decorations {open,open,open!}

As you can imagine I'm chopping at the bit to get our Christmas tree up this year, but my hubs is incident on waiting until AFTER Thanksgiving. Mainly, because he doesn't want to be the family who has their house already decorated for Christmas the day after Halloween is over {I see nothing wrong with this}. So I will find other activities to keep my mind preoccupied until Friday, November 26th. Then I'm busting out the Christmas decorations! 

Sunday Stroll

My weekly finds of wonderful decorating inspirations and ideas. Enjoy!




This week: Thanksgiving Decor

crateandbarrel

marthastewart

zgallerie

ballarddesigns

celebrations.com

chinesewishlanterns.com

potterybarn

marthastewart

zgallerie

zgallerie

zgallerie

Wordless Wednesday

Everett: 10 months

Oh Ballard, how I love/hate/love/hate, you. Let me count the ways.

Ballard Designs

I have a love/hate relationship with Ballard Designs. I love almost everything in their stinking magazine! I hate that everything costs an arm and a leg! I find myself more often then not swooning over the gorgeous room displays, page after page after page. And just when I think I'VE GOT TO HAVE THAT!!!! I look for the price and my jaw hits the floor. I mean, I get that it is considered a higher end home decor catalog like Pottery Barn, or Crate and Barrel. But come on, help a sista out! $900 for an accent chair, or $300 for a decorative mirror? I don't think so. 


   Dear Ballard, you've left me no choice. I will find great steals deals at second hand and clearance stores, and recreate the looks I love from your catalog for pennies on the dollar. You know what they say, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and this is no exception. I love/ hate you and your furniture. 
Sincerely, Little Miss Vintage.




Here are a few pictures of my upcoming projects I hope to knock off from Ballard Designs. I'll be sure to keep you updated on the progress!

the wreath, not the candlesticks.

Sunday Stroll

My weekly finds of wonderful decorating inspirations and ideas. Enjoy!


This Week: recycled materials

Going GREEN is really 'in' right now, but don't think you have to sacrifice style and taste to be kind to the environment. Here are just a few examples of how to bring chic, stylish, and earth-friendly design into your home.

*All images are obtained from Etsy or Viva Terra.