Holiday Shopping

This year I have been unreasonably excited to get a Christmas tree. I started burning my Yankee cedar forest candle a month ago, and have been listening to Sufjan's new Silver & Gold Christmas album nonstop. I just love merriment! And bright! And bells & holly & mittens & tinsel!

In lieu of getting that Christmas tree just yet (because, well... they aren't for sale just yet and I am not about to sneak onto someone's yard and chop it down with an axe) I decided to decorate my corner of Erabellum. The whole shop is full of holiday wonderment and gifts galore. A great place to find one-of-a-kind local gifts for everyone on your list.

Custom and pre-etched drinking, wine, and pub glasses.

Vintage linens and blankets.

Fresh lavender and woodsy pine scented lotions and bath potions.

Great jewelry.

Sweet little potted plants.

Oodles of antique furniture.

Carved wooden bowls.

Vintage clothing.

More more more!

..oh and those Say Ooh glitter-dipped feathers up top are for sale too ;)

Haaaaappy Holidays. Remember, this season is not about gifts, it's about love, and showing your family & friends how very deerly you care for them. One needn't buy presents for that, but they do happen to be fun nonetheless!

A Frightful Evening

Twas a cold, dark night on a spoooooky street... but we were merry and bright in a warm & cozy home! I would not go so far as to say my favourite holiday is Halloween, but there's nothing I love more than dressing up in costume! I do try to find a way to dress up in costume to some capacity for most holidays, but it's fun to see everyone dress up on a cool autumn night.

Rebekka and Manley had a sweet gathering of their dearest friends over for a fancy feast, warm drinks, and bellows of laughter. The house was decorated (no, those cobwebs are not authentic, Rebekka cleans daily and diligentl; her house is always smelling of lavender & basil), cute and creepy cards were placed in front of each dish on the expansive table of treats, and we all slipped a little bit into character. As Mrs. Claus, I showed up with a plate of cookies (you have to make your own until Christmas Eve, and then Santa really doesn't share with me), a zombie chased folk around, and the dalmation puppy nuzzled noses with the children. The extent of my crafting was tying vintage red velvet bows on everything, bringing Christmas cheer, so all the party details are attributed to Miss Cruella herself. How did you celebrate? Did you dress scary, clever, or dreamy?

Christmas! Week 5

Carols and hymns, a favourite part of Christmas. There is something so special about going to a midnight mass, singing sweet songs with a room full of strangers, the loving warmth that ensues, then walking out to a quiet, dark, frosty night. Only to snuggle up in bed and wake up to yet another magical day of celebration! I thought that surely deserved a banner.

4 sleeps til Christmas. Fa lalalala, lala, lala!

Christmas! Week 4

Happy Monday! It is also happy birthday, so I didn't get as many holiday decorations done over the weekend as I would have liked. Nonetheless! Santa appeared at my door... with a TREE! A wonderfully smelling, sappy little fir. He also brought a darling vintage deer ornament, which is fast friends with the other two deer ornaments I found at the antique mall. Couple in some red velvety bows, a makeshift lace treeskirt, and my trusty antlers, and find the perfect little Christmas corner. Then, I filled some glass ornaments with twine and hung them between my french doors and doilies.

Though I scoured for mistletoe, to no avail. So! I made some. It sure seems to do the trick.

13 sleeps til Christmas!

Christmas! Week 3

Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming! And my humble home is slowly getting in the spirit. This weekend, the beau and I made stockings. When my parents were newlyweds, they made adorable felt sneaker and heel stockings. It's a fond memory of the holiday spirit fireplace-we-never-had. Danny and I sewed dark burlap together and trimmed them with native fringe (and lace!). We like to think of ourselves as "Buck" and "Doe", so we made silhouettes from some felt and glued them on for each of us. A sweet gold "made with love" heart and some jingle bells give each stocking just enough holiday cheer. Hope your stockings are full of goodies this winter season!

Just 20 sleeps until Christmas.

Christmas! Week 2

Also, the first week of Advent. Ah, what a lovely (albeit chilly) time of year. I spent Thanksgiving weekend in Texas with the beau's family, and tho the cranberry relish I made for them was unfortunately confiscated by airport security, this bit of holiday cheer was not. I simply found some vintage fabric, embroidered some cursive, and spray painted a hoop gold. Ta-da!

Christmas! Week 1

It's that time of year! I have filled my home with wondrous woodsy candles from Anthropologie, sprigs picked from a cotton field in Alabama, and red velvet bows. I'm slowly introducing winter decorations and Christmas baked treats. Each Monday morning, I'll be sharing with you a new creation I've made for the Christmas season. If only my time allowed for my aspirations, as I've seen oh-so-many crafts and goodies I'm dying to create.One delightful aspect of Christmas from my childhood was the ANTICIPATION! Who am I kidding, to this day I adore surprises and anticipation, I just do not readily admit it. I'd make a paper chain every year. One of the designers at the publishing house where I work designed this cute reindeer chain. Perfect for me, right?! I cannot tell you how many dozens of tiny antlers I have cut out. 34 sleeps til Christmas!

I spent last night whipping up an absolutely delicious cranberry relish. I plan to take it to my boyfriend's family for Thanksgiving in a few days, and make another batch for Christmas gifts. Though it sounds wonderful to pair with turkey (potentially with tofurkey but honestly I never get one), Hannah has many other great suggestions for it if you visit Nothing But Delicious for the recipe.

Are you making any decorations for Christmas? Do you carry on traditions from your childhood?

Home is Where the Heart Is

...and my heart is in my chest so I suppose everywhere I go truly does feel like home to me. I've only been gone from Nashville for two weeks and while I miss the good people and good dancing and my wonderful life there, I'm really enjoying my little journey.

The Market in Nolita went well, disregarding the awful timing of a nor-easter snow storm. My car got stuck twice, and it took a little over an hour to drive about 2.5 miles over the Brooklyn Bridge. It was absolutely freezing, I was tired and hungry, and not many people showed due to weather, but it was worth it. I hope to return in the spring! Aside from that, my trip was very inspiring and I caught up on some well-needed sleep (due to some rigorous Bikram in Union Square). Also, I ate a lot of yummy vegan food.

My time in Buffalo has been full of movies, hot drinks, sewing, cuddling, puppy bites, mom-time, Best Fitness, friendly snow, and some of the following:





I will have lots of new work to share with y'all soon! $280 and 4 weeks from now I should have my old Nikon back... sob sob.

Ode to Betsey

I've been in NYC. Walking lots, seeing friends, getting kicked in the butt by bikram yoga on a daily basis, finding inspiration in big and small places, handstitching lace in places like the Roebling Tea Room (amazing), and umm, of course. Shopping. Fortunately I have Christmas as an excuse, so I can just buy for other people. Today tho, I did buy for myself at the Betsey Johnson sample sale in Times Sq. When the girl who rang me out realised it was to be my FIRST Betsey dress (or 3), she almost had a heartattack and we bonded for about 10 minutes, and she told everyone in the room how exciting it was that it was my first. And that she was honoured to ring me out. And then everyone told the tales of their first Betsey dresses. It was kindof magical.

I mean, sigh... I would get married in something like this. (Not the ones I bought)




Speaking of... why is Betsey Johnson not designing WEDDING CAKES?! Or at least cupcakes. Her cupcakes would probably be the prettiest ones in the world. (PS Google image search "gourmet cupcakes" and find the picture of Tori Spelling... hehe)

Timbre

I am so blessed to have such a network of creative friends in Nashville. One of my favourite musicians, Timbre Cierpke plays the harp and sings like a siren from The Odyssey. Every year, she plays a Christmas concert with her family. The first one I went to, I teared up. Not even kidding.

She is playing tonight with her family and a choir. A ridiculously low $5 at the door, The Anchor, 7:30pm. This year, local vendors will set up for a holiday market. I'll be there with Say Ooh all night. It will be a great chance to do some holiday shopping and support local crafters/ artists/ bakers/ what have you.. but the most exciting part will be the music.