CHARITY COOKIE EXCHANGE

I'm loving this idea for a new kind of holiday cookie exchange, from Better Homes and Gardens...

Invite your friends to share their holiday cookies, each representing a charity, and vote with cash for the winner.

Get friends excited about the upcoming event by sending out cookie-themed invitations. I love these invitations that include a cookie spatula! Add a cookie spatula or a cookie cutter (you can find both at the dollar store) for a low cost wow-factor.

Label every cookie with a number, so that voters can keep track of which cookie is which. Create a voting station and have each partygoer vote for their favorite cookie by putting cash in that cookie's numbered envelope. The winner donates all the cash to her charity of choice.

Provide boxes lined with parchment paper for guests to fill with cookies to take home at the end of the party. Some other packaging items you could add are tags, labels, ribbons, or twine. Don't forget scissors and tape!

Serve some festive cocktails and finger foods, and you've got yourself a party! Why not make philanthropy a part of your next holiday celebration?

CHRISTMAS SWEETS

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is the baking. I'm loving these ideas from Sweet and Saucy Shop.

 chocolate cupcakes with peppermint buttercream and bark topping

 snowflakes decorated with sanding sugar

brownie pops wrapped with baker's twine

LOVE THE YOU YOU LOVE

 

Photo Credit: Gabe Aceves

“Later that day I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous.”

-Carrie, Sex and the City

THE OFFICE OF THE TOOTHFAIRY

Now this is just too cute.

Details from the website:

Kit Details: The Official Tooth Fairy Kit contains one letterpress Certificate of Record for filing with your local Tooth Fairy and one reusable silkscreened cloth deposit bag for your first and all subsequent transactions. The offical certificate keeps record of name, age, tooth lost, method of extraction and compensation information.

Official Filing Instructions: Simply place tooth in the attached envelope and insert your completed certificate in the deposit bag. Place the full bag under your pillow. The tooth fairy will collect the Certificate of Record and place your compensation in the deposit bag. 

This is sure to up the street cred of the toothfairy. Find it at http://www.officeofthetoothfairy.com/

A WINTER ICE SKATING PARTY

Check out this beautifully simple and perfectly planned winter birthday party via one of my favorite blogs for stylish party ideas: The Sweetest Occasion

 

 

Complete with a bonfire and hot chocolate to keep warm! Those lights over the "rink" are just the perfect finishing touch.

The weather forecast says it will be 20 degrees in Blacksburg next week. How many bottles of water poured over an empty field do you think it would take to make an ice skating rink?

Nesting

As I was reading Simplified Bee yesterday, I learned of this amazing little website. Nesting is an all-in-one resource for decorating living spaces where kids, pets or life in general make high performance (read: stain resistant) products essential. Created by a DC interior designer and new mom, Nesting offers both furnishings and design services.

Unfortunately it is WAY out of our price range. $10,000 for a sectional? No thank you. I couldn't even afford one of the dog beds. Too bad. One day, when Derek and I are filthy rich, the products from Nesting will fill our home so that Kaiah can sleep where ever she wants.

Decorating with Color: Turquoise

Turquoise is the perfect color to decorate with all around the home. This blue-green is calming, reflective, and speaks to a luxurious getaway. Use pops of turquoise in a neutral space, or lots of different shades for a monochromatic look.

Paired with mirrored surfaces and stainless steel, turquoise creates a sophisticated, chic room that's just a little bit vintage.

How about a turquoise front door? I'll take one.

Here are a few of my favorite turquoise products...

KitchenAid Stand Mixer from Macy's

Xhilaration Pillow from Target

Round Pintuck Floor Pillow from Urban Outfitters

Tier Cascade Chandelier from Urban Outfitters

Ponzio Table Lamp from Crate & Barrel

HGTV Green Home 2010

This year's HGTV Green Home is an absolute dream. No really. This IS my dream.

Modern farmhouse? Check.
Wrap around porch? Check.
White kitchen and dark wood floors? Check and check.
Sunlight pouring in? Check.
Industrial details mixed with southern charm? Let's just get to the pictures already and you'll see for yourself!

I'm all ready to move in!

Nice Package

Nice Package is the cutest little shop with everything you need to create a pretty package.
Here are a few of the items I have in my shopping cart...

{Baker's Twine Spools}

{Mini Wooden Clothespins}

{Melon Sorbet Twine}

{Pink Gift Boxes}

{Pink Cotton Twine}

"Hello, I Live Here"

Recall this scene from Sex and the City?



That just about sums up how I felt when I saw this breathtakingly beautiful Sonoma Ranch by Walker-Warner Architects. The low profile, the light-filled rooms and all the white and wood equal my dream house.