2015 in Review

It was this time last year when the blog dream really blossomed and started to become a reality. My sweet, sweet guy gifted me with the laptop that I use today to edit photos and write these posts. And on the other end, my mom gifted me with a brand new DSLR camera. It’s as if they were both pushing me towards what they knew I always wanted to do. They believed in me enough to invest in my dream and it was time that I believed in it too.

Armed with the tools that enabled me to chase after my dreams, I had no excuse not to try.

So here I am…almost one year later and even though I hit a few bumps along the way, I’m still chasing after it. I’ve come a long way but still I still have so much to learn.

Has my blog been as successful as I want it to be? No. Do I have as many readers as I had hoped I’d have? Not even close. But that’s OK. This blogging business is a beast. I never knew just how intense it was or how much there is to know about growing, promoting, or maintaining a successful blog / brand. It’s insane. But I’m eager to learn.

As 2015 comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to recap the past 12 months and share some of my favorite posts and projects from 2015.

Ready for the trip down memory lane?

January was my first foray into the blogosphere and you saw me organize our entryway closet. It was a #hotmess but I’m proud to say that the organizational systems I installed almost a year ago are still going strong and this post almost a year later is proof.

Things picked up speed in February when I debated some entryway options to piggy back off the recent entryway closet makeover, I showed you how I make my bed like the hotels do, and tackled another organizational project when I tackled our coffee table drawers.

In March I shared a few quick and simple ways to update your gallery wall frames, shared a yummy recipe for Jamaican Jerk skewers, and turned a garden stool into a use able end table.

April had me really inspired and you saw me share how I turned some cheap-o Ikea curtains into a pair of pom-pom trimmed beauties. I also turned some souvenir paper coasters from a Vegas trip into a set of coasters that are hit with everyone who stops by.

Things slowed down in May after finding out that we were pregnant and preparing for a Hawaiian vacation but I still managed to squeeze in a quick little project for dollar store vases.

After returning from Hawaii in June, I tackled a fun and easy update for a mirror turned bar tray and let you guys in on a few minor changes going on in the living room.

July saw Part 2 of those living room changes and then pregnancy set in and I needed some time off to adjust to all the life changes.

Behind the scenes – August was such a happy month. We had our gender reveal party and announced to our friends and family that we were expecting identical twin girls! It felt so good to let that cat out of the bag after so many months of keeping such a big secret!

September wasn’t as happy. At 22 weeks we lost our girls and took the next little bit to recover from all we had just been through.

In November, I re-emerged and so did the blog. Blogging and pouring my heart and energy into creative and positive outlets has really helped ease the pain. With Thanksgiving just around the corner I shared 10 yummy recipes to try this year, made the easiest pillow covers ever, finally shared about our loss and how we’re coping, and shared a few quick and super simple home hacks here and here.

With December closing out the year the entryway finally got a re-do and this time I think I got it right! After I showed you how to make the easiest pillows ever last month I shared how to make the easiest console table too.  You saw holiday home tour and the perfect New Year’s cocktail for cheersing (I totally just made up a word).

Whew! I think that about does it. At times it doesn’t always feel like I’m accomplishing a whole lot over here but when you compile it all in one place, it makes me feel a tad bit better.

So after all that…what can I say about 2015?

It taught me so much. Mainly about the depths of and the capacity to love.

And how excruciatingly painful loss is.

But I’m more resilient than I ever knew I could be.

So many of my feelings about 2015 center solely on our loss on September 21^st. It’s a day I will never forget and one that has forever changed me. Perhaps my feelings about 2015 are biased because of that event but so much before that day seems so insignificant now. I loved 2015 but I hated it too.

My girls were born.

And then they died.

It’s a heavy memory to carry but one I will always be proud to call my own. 2015 did a number on me.

Here’s to a better 2016! I’m looking forward to the future, growing this blog, and chasing my dreams.

No matter how much I’ve lost this past year, I’ve gained so much more because of it.

Cheers, my friends! See you next year!!

Holiday Scents for Your Home

Welcome back to Day 3 of my 12 Days of Christmas blog series! How are you enjoying it so far?

One of the BEST things about the holidays – in my opinion – are the smells. Think pine, cinnamon, freshly baked cookies. How much better can it really get? Not much. If blogs had scratch n sniff around the holidays, you better believe I’d wear out my scratching finger.

There’s nothing more welcoming and cozy than walking into a house and being greeted by the sweet smell of cookies or the bright and earthy smell of a freshly chopped tree. Living in a state that doesn’t often get as cold as most would associate with the holiday season, these classic smells are a surefire way to get you into the spirit of the season in no time. To me, this is what Christmas smells like and I ain’t mad at it.

I’ve incorporated a few of these beloved holiday scents into my home this year and today I’m sharing how you can too.  So grab a cup of cocoa and we’ll scratch n sniff together!

For the last many years we’ve rocked the fake tree and while it isn’t messy, it’s cost effective, what it does lack is the smell. Why can’t they make a pine scented Christmas tree?! Or do they?! (Googling now)

Every year I usually try out a few pine-scented candles but they always ended up smelling like old men’s cologne. #thanksbutnothanks. This year though, I totally found a winner. I snuck in to Target on Black Friday at like 3pm – way after all the crazies left – and perused the aisles looking at all the Black Friday merchandise that was left over. I was casually strolling down the home décor aisles when I spotted a sign as I passed by notating that all candles were 50% off. Picture me, beep, beeping my way back down the aisle in reverse to check out the options. This is when I found the Nordic Pine candle for 50% off and decided to give it a try. Let me just say that I won’t ever use another pine scented candle again. Again! We’re only half way through December and I’m already half way through my second candle – it’s that good and I burn it that much. 

I use this candle on my coffee table in our glass hurricane and when someone walks in the door and smells the fresh pine scent, it totally makes up for having a fake tree.

Besides candles, one of the other ways to make your home smell Christmas-y is with a stove top simmers. This is a set it – and forget it type of project. I just fill a pot with water, throw in a few ingredients, and put it on the stove to simmer. A stove top simmer is great to put on if you’re hosting a gathering but I do it on the weekends too. Every once in a while you’ll want to check the water level and add to it as necessary but I’ll even use the same mixture a few days in a row. It’ll look all gross and nasty at the end but it’ll fill your whole house with a continual fragrance that just gets better and better.

Here are a few of my all time favorite Christmas-time concoctions:

Orange and Cranberry

Throw in some sliced oranges, a handful of cranberries, 2-3 cinnamon sticks, and a little drizzle of vanilla extract for the perfectly spicy-sweet holiday scent.

Lemon and Rosemary

The combination of sliced lemons, rosemary, vanilla extract, and cloves is the perfect concoction for a super fresh and clean scent, The addition of cloves gives it that holiday kick!

Apples and Cinnamon

This scent is my go-to holiday scent. Sliced apples, 2-3 cinnamon sticks, and some evergreen branches all mix together for traditional blend of holiday yumminess. You can't go wrong with this mix!

Any 4 of these options will fill your home with the most glorious holiday scent and put you right in the holiday spirit. I hope you try one of these suggestions and if you do, be sure to let me know how much you love it!

Be sure to come back tomorrow for another holiday topic- it's a good one - gift wrapping ideas!

3 Ways to Decorate with FREE Greenery

Welcome back to Day 2 of my 12 Days of Christmas blog series! Today I'm talking about the best thing ever - FREE holiday decor! Are you sold yet?

 

This time of year I love decorating with greenery. It's brings so much movement and life into a room and especially now, it's seasonally appropriate. We stopped by our local home improvement store where they were selling Christmas trees and asked for any stray branches they had leftover from trimming up the trees. The employees kindly pointed us to a designated bin and we left with an armful of branches without having to bust out the wallet. How great is that?

 

When we brought the branches home I filled the tub with some cold water and let the branches soak for about an hour before I got to work. Ready to see what I came up with? Let's take a look!

 

Make a Door Swag

 

This little project couldn't be easier. I took 3-4 branches, trimmed them up, and bound them together at the top with a little electrical tape. Add a big sparkly bow with long tails and call it done.

 

 

Create a Centerpiece

 

Layer a bed of evergreen branches in the center of your table, mix in a few candles, and sprinkle a few jingle bells all around for a festive and free centerpiece to your holiday table!

 

 

Fill Out Your Fake Tree

 

Snip off longer sections of branches and pop them in all around your tree to instantly fill it out. Nothing is prettier than a full and lush tree! Adding the real evergreen branches brings in a added dimension and layer and no one will ever know the difference! Can you?

 

 

With just a handful of free branches from our local home improvement store, I was able to decorate 3 different areas around our home and I still had some to spare! I hope this little tip and my few examples will show you that decorating - especially for the holidays - doesn't have to break the bank because sometimes the best things in life are free!

 

2015 Christmas Home Tour

This time of year is always so much fun and everyone’s favorite. For me, it’s been a little bitter sweet and filled with mixed emotions. All though their due date was in January, our girls most definitely would’ve made their grand entrance some time in December had we made it full term so I imagine this time of year will always bring reminders of that. Although they can’t be here with us to see the magic of the season unfold in person, we know they’re always close in our hearts and that’s reason enough to celebrate this time of year just as we always would.

I didn’t put much thought into this year’s décor. There’s no theme other than deciding to do an all-white tree. Much of what we used this year is the same items we’ve used in years past, just pared down…if that’s possible to do while decorating for Christmas. I have four giant bins of Christmas décor and found that I used the contents of maybe two of those bins. This tells me it’s time to purge what isn’t being used.

But enough chit-chat…let’s dive head first into our “traditional” Christmas décor around the apartment.

Our entryway received a subtle nod to the season with a couple holiday print throws for a festive touch. I’d love to find an old pair of ice skates to hang here as well.

The view of the tree is the first thing you see as you walk in through the front door.

To the left of the tree we have our TV and media cabinet in the nook. Without a traditional mantel, I hang our stockings from the cabinet using black 3M Command Hooks (every renter’s best friend). Works like a charm!

Our friend Anthony the antelope who lives above the TV got into the holiday spirit as well with a scrap piece of fabric tied around his neck as a scarf.

The coffee table got a dose of Christmas cheer too with a red runner, a pine scented (the best!) candle, and some season appropriate vase filler.

The couch wall received the most holiday décor. I swapped out the pair of black couch pillows for smaller red ones that read “Merry & Bright” and a wreath hung up by some candy cane ribbon replaces the round mirror. Excuse my horrible bow tying skills – I was running out of steam by the end!

The long console table behind the couch (tutorial coming soon!) has a few bottle brush trees I picked up at Target this year which I paired with some red glass ones I already had. The only other change I made to the table was to change out the books on the right for more seasonally appropriate colors. One of the things I love most about decorating is the ability to shop your own home, using what you have but giving it a twist to achieve the look you’re after – like giving the antelope a scarf, using the same hurricane candle holder but popping in a seasonally scented candle and vase filler, swapping out the mirror for a wreath, or using books in the right color pallet – all things I had on hand but helped sprinkle the festive touches throughout!

Directly across from the couch is the focal point of the entire room…the TREE!

We purchased a new 7 ft. Slim tree from Michaels this year for $40 and at first I wasn’t sure I’d like it but now I LOVE it! It’s perfect when you’re limited on space just like us!

I loaded it up and just love how it turned out. Our tree was already pre-lit but that didn’t stop me from adding two strands of round globe lights. I love the mix of the different lights and on the smaller tree I think it really pops!

I also spotted this snowball garland at Target and added two strands of that as well. Think beyond regular ornaments for tree décor – anything is fair game!

From there I added a lot of floral picks I got on major sale at Michaels and just a few actual ornaments I already had on hand –  white glittery ones (because glitter is always better) and some clear ones for another added layer without taking away from everything else.

I set up a wrapping station using a glass vase which neatly corals my wrapping paper rolls, ribbons, tape, and scissors all while doubling as festive décor along-side the tree. While rifling through my wrapping paper stash I noticed an abundance of red & white paper so I just went with it. The red chevron and hounds tooth paper I found at the Dollar Store last year!

The last stop on our Christmas home tour is the kitchen. I added a few hot chocolate supplies – cocoa mix, marshmallows, and chocolate chips in mason jars to our bar tray. We just dump our hot chocolate concoctions to our sweater adorned mugs and fill with steaming hot water via the Keurig. Nothing better than a yummy cup of hot chocolate to cuddle up with on the couch!

That’s all the Christmas I have to share with you from our little corner of the world – hope you enjoyed the tour and get a little inspiration to deck your halls this holiday season!