TGIF

today i'm laying low. i'm feelin a bit under the weather and there are lots of things on my to-do list. this weekend will be busy with photoshoots, an early morning shopping trip to target for their collaboration w/ nieman marcus, the luminary walk, and a concert. okay, so it's mostly fun stuff but i'm just not super enthused about it right now since i feel like my head is full of helium. anyways... here's what we got for you next week.

gift guide | her

for the girl who has everything.

reuseable tote, Better Life Bags | scarf, livefashionABLE | yoga mat cover, Effie Handmade | iphone case, zenokleather | bathbombs, Sweet Bath Confections



gift guide | Him

i can't be the only one in the world who thinks guys are hard to buy for. here's a little cheat-sheet for never-fail gifts for the difficult guy in your life.

shave kit, Dirty Deeds Soap | luggage tag, harlex | slippers, Wooly Baby | portable speaker, ampoids | bottle opener, Michelle Lisa Treasure

holiday playlist

christmas music puts me in the holiday spirit. literally, i get goosebumps when i hear Oh Holy Night. my holiday music taste is fairly varied, so i thought i would put together my must-listen list of holiday songs. the it's-not-christmas-til-i've heard-this-song playlist.

CONFESSION: i've been listening to this playlist since november 1st. don't judge me! i just love holiday music.

what holiday songs do you love? any you think i should add to my playlist? let me know in the comments!

image

gift wrap DIY | vintage inspired

today we have our second DIY gift wrap! you've seen Monica around the blog before in other DIY posts and she was my roomie at the Influence Conference back in October. when she sent me a photo of some vintage wrapping paper, i knew i was going to love her DIY.

supplies                          cost
kraft paper                        $12-$15; but Monica had everything in her closet so it didn't cost her a dime
tissue paper
spray adhesive                 time
clear sealer                       15-20 minutes, depending on how much coloring you do
ink pads
sponges

steps
1. Search "vintage christmas paper" on your favorite search engine. Download the image and size to paper. 
2. Attach tissue paper to cardstock and print your image in grayscale. Cut the tissue paper off the cardstock.
3. Now comes the hard decision. You can leave your tissue paper in grayscale or you can use your ink pads and sponge to add color to the tissue paper. Either way, it's gonna look awesome.
4. Once the ink had dried (2 minutes), tear out the exact image from the paper you want to use on your gift.
5. Spray the image with the acrylic sealer to insure the ink doesn't smudge.
6. While you wait for it to dry, wrap the gift with the kraft paper.
7. Place your image on a piece of scrap paper, face down and spray your adhesive across the image. Then carefully turn it onto the package. We like the image to bend over the edges a bit. Tie it up with a bit of ribbon or twine and slide on your gift tag.

Monica used this printable gift tag by EatDrinkChic.

I love how creative you can get with the colors and patterns on this one, yet the gifts still look similar.

live fashionABLE on Cyber Monday!

had to let yall know that livefashionABLE will have free shipping on Cyber Monday! and make sure you take a look at their new pattern, Selam. I'm loving the cobalt + charcoal color!

reminder

that is all. :)

My Memories | Digital Scrapbooking Software Giveaway

cardstock, photos, tape dispenser's, buttons, ribbon, grommets, stickers, felt, ric rac... in piles around me. literally, in piles. it's how i spent hours and hours of my life in late high school and college.

scrapbooking.

yes, i was one of those. the granny type, addicted to paper and embellishments and vellum with quotes and stickers and... to say i have a lot of money in my six full scrapbooks would be an understatement. they are like little pieces of my heart. i consider them works of art.

and then it got to be too much. a lot of time and a lot of money. supplies that take up too much room. so i just stopped. and now the past four years of my life have not been documented into one of those pretty books and that thought just makes me sad. but i just wasn't ready to reinvest in all of that.

then i found My Memories, a digital scrapbooking software with some really fun packages and themes. but my favorite thing about my memory suite is how it's also completely customizable. scrapbooking made easy. all of my photos are already downloaded to my computer, so it's just a matter of downloading the software, selecting a theme/template, and adding your photos.

here's one i started with our honeymoon photos.

this software is really the easiest scrapbook software i've come across, and it makes me WANT to play on it.

their selection of templates is really incredible too.  another totally awesome thing that i hadn't expected was the option to add video or sound to create a custom slideshow. now i can add the videos i took on the honeymoon, add it to a slide and create a slideshow to run on the computer when we have family over for the holidays. (this is next on my to-do list!)

next cool thing? you can order photo gifts right from their site! want a mousepad of your super cute puppy? well they can make you one. they can also put that cute puppy face on an apron, a phone case, or a luggage tag. WHATEVER YOU WANT.

. . .



now for the best part of this post...... drumroll please!....

My Memories wants to give one of you lucky ducks the My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software for FREE!

there are a few easy ways to enter, just fill out the prompts below! giveaway will end on november 30th at midnight!

can't wait and want to get started? i don't blame you. just follow this link and use my code: STMMMS69667 to get an extra $10 off the download + $10 to use in the store! (that's like finding a free 20 dollar bill!)
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e55cb13/

paint roller stamp... ?!

found a new product. i've fallen in love again.
i really enjoy how that happens on a daily basis.

purchase on The Painted House. learn more about them here.
images via The Painted House.

gift wrap DIY | Anthro-inspired

today we are kicking off a DIY series of holiday wrapping paper. this DIY is Anthropologie-inspired, and you can check out the original here.

supplies :                                                                                craft time :   

-white tissue paper, $1 for 25 sheets at the dollar store            10 minutes               

-baker's twine, $2 at TJ Maxx

-pom-pom balls, $2 at Hobby Lobby                                     total cost :

-hot glue gun                                                                            $5

-scissors

steps :

-wrap your present in the tissue paper and tie it up with baker's twine however you like

-use your hot glue gun to attach the pom-poms. i did 5 of the six sides so the bottom can sit flat.

-add your gift tag (this year, i'm using these printables with the gitter clothes pins i sell here)

TADA!

i love this whimsical look

when it starts getting chilly

three bird nest / manda's mittens / crochetlings / melodyjoy1983 / colorstore2011 / evas studio

Rachel Zoe wrapping paper

WRAPPING PRESENTS!

one of my favorite things to do this time of year is to bundle up the little packages i've purchased and decorate them up right purdy. starting next week i have some really fun DIY's coming your way from a few different crafters. we were inspired to recreate looks in less expensive, more personalized ways and i can't wait to share those with you.

but today i HAD to share these Rachel Zoe papers that are currently up on One Kings Lane. the sale only runs until Saturday the 17th so GO GET YOU SOME. fer real. don't have a OKL account? don't worry, you can do that here too.

wild forest
printed snake
watercolor cheetah

feeling blessed

“I moved to the city to live with my uncle and go to a better school, but he died and left me by myself. I got into prostitution because I was all alone and had no money. Everything was dark. I was abused and wanted to die, and prayed for God to take me out of this life. // I’ve never looked back at leaving because I am so happy now. I have found motivation to have my own business one day, and I want my son to grow and be in a good place. I am so grateful to everyone who has helped me get this point.”

^ that amazing woman made the beautiful scarf i get to wear today. around my neck, keeping me warm on this chilly morning, i have a bit of this woman's heart.

because i was able to purchase this scarf, i'm helping her reach her dreams. not sure about you, but i find that pretty amazing.

that's what livefashionABLE is all about.


{quote via the livefashionABLE website}

his + hers | office space

after seeing images floating around pinterest of his and hers office space within one room, i knew i wanted to pull together some stylish pieces to help ya'll recreate this in your home. here's what we got:

love the idea of face-to-face desks and this ikea desk would work perfectly. the desk chairs are from pottery barn, hers in antique white and his in espresso. a task light is necessary at any desk. both from ikea, hers has a fabric shade, and his a brushed metal finish. every desk needs a phone, even if it's just for looks. i adore these from pottery barn. desk calendars - and paper products in general, are my weakness, as i've mentioned plenty. his is simple from Ruff House Art and for her a watercolor by Susan Windsor. to hold up his favorite books, gear bookends from anthropologie. for her a pair of playful elephants. to fit in with the whimsical animals on her desk, an owl holds her pens. his industrial feel is topped off with a besom holder for his supplies.

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***

on a completely different topic, i want to announce the Splendid Actually Shop giveaway winner!..... MzWSmith you are our winner! i will be contacting you through email so keep your eyes open for that.

psalm 23

such calming and comforting words. what verse do you tend to go to to be reminded of God's guidance?

home sweet home

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follow friday links

a little photo collage of my morning...

that was fun, no? anyway

AND here are some links i loved this week...

 

Rellas Bellas Knitting Project for Mocha Club

 

Floral & Frayed featured me!

I'm just partial to this because she made a pretty design with my photos :)

 

Coconut Robot and her little one for fashionABLE

 

the Glitter Guide's travel style

 

radiant republic's boot favorites

 

Emily Henderson's update to Oh Joy's living room

 

 

hope your weekend is full of happiness

 

too by blu dot

whada ya think of the Too by Blu Dot items at Target? these are some of my fav furniture pieces. they also have decor items and table settings that are purdy rad.check out the line raght herr: target

mini fashionistas

aren't they too adorable?

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shopping list

emails from Kate Spade always make me smile, and there was no difference when i received their latest newsletter last night. a few things to add to the christmas wishlist...

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

voting

one of my friends shared these tips on facebook this morning. i couldn't help but make it look pretty for the bloggy.

a SPLENDID SHOP giveaway

hello my lovely bloggy friends. today, i'm feeling incredibly blessed for the creative outlet i have in this little piece of the web and the awesome people i've met through blogging. so i'm hosting a giveaway from my shop! yayyyy!

prize:

one set of 10 glitter clothes pins and one soft clutch with your choice of interior fabric color.

to win:
if i'm not browsing pinterest or my favorite blogs, i love to curl up with a cup of tea and a book. what do you like to do at the end of a long day to unwind? tell me in the comments below!

*for an extra chance to win retweet this phrase,"i'm entering to win a prize from @thecourt_ney's Splendid Shop over on her blog! http://www.splendidactually.com/2012/11/a-splendid-shop-giveaway.html", then come back here and leave an additional comment.

details:
the giveaway will end on November 12th at midnight EST. winner will be selected at random and posted later that week.

color palettes

other than the mega project, it's pretty rare that i share about work that i'm doing for my big girl job. but i thought today i would share two color palettes that i put together for a client. this is a healthcare group with a large, outdated building. the two options are very similar in materials but one is warm and one is cool. which do you prefer?

 

 recognition brown? ...

or analyzing olive?

 

 

i'll be meeting with the client next week and i'm eager to see which route they want to go. then i'll get to really get into the nitty-gritty to get the final palette together.

 

recognition brown or analyzing olive

 

let me know which palette you prefer in the comments below!



i'm a fan

sorry, i had to. there's just so many fan puns.

decorating with vintage, retro fans has become a huge trend lately. here are some of my favorite ways to use them in your house.

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