Christmas Home Tour Part II

As promised, here are the remaining parts of our home that I spruced-up for the holidays. Today we're touring our second floor which means you'll get a peek at a few rooms not yet seen! You can see the downstairs from earlier this week. 

One of my goals is to have a little holiday something in every room - even the bathrooms! I have a few holiday tea towels, and I've layered them over fluffier versions in the bathroom for a little festive fun there. This is a Jack-and-Jill bathroom, so there's another tea towel opposite of this one which means you can get a glimpse from each door as you enter. Cute cute. 

This is one of our three guest rooms and happens to be the most finished. I added a sweet hand-hooked pillow from World Market to the bed along with a series of bottle brush trees from Homegoods that I had left over from a photoshoot from a few years ago. Even that tiny bit of holiday decor transforms the room! 

Finally, the festivities continue in our master bedroom. I grew up with a tree with colored lights, so I always wanted to have two trees: one with colored lights and one with white lights. This tree in our bedroom has all of the ornaments I've collected from swaps, students, and travels over the years. I especially love the one of our first married Christmas card. 

I also have a few little vignettes set-up. How sweet is this Santa? I saw him at Target and had to have him. The little piece of artwork of the Holy Family by Kendall Kirk Singleton rounds-out the decor. 

Thanks for hopping over to see our holiday home! 

Christmas Home Tour Part I

I just love this time of year, don't y'all? This year is perhaps a little more exciting for me than previous years because it's the first year in our house for the holidays since we renovated. Not only does that mean we're working with different room layouts and color schemes, but we're also working with some new places to set-up our decor. It has been super fun but not without a few challenges. 

In fact, we kicked off the season back in October when we bought our faux tree from Home Depot. During our renovation, we tossed our other trees (yes, I have multiple), so I wanted to be on top of things. I insisted that we grab it before they all sold out. Last week when we went to put it up, we discovered that it was enormous...as in, it took up our entire dining room. I was not only disappointed but concerned because the tree selection goes downhill fast. Thankfully, I was able to find a suitable replacement, for $100 less that I might like 100x better. Win win! 

Of course, I've added a few new items - mostly tree decor like navy striped ribbon & faux magnolias (which are a little trick... ;) - but I've also just enjoyed using what we already have in a new way. In today's post, you'll get a peek at our holiday decor, but you'll also get to see a few of the other rooms in the house that I've almost completed. There's a pinch of Christmas in just about every space, and I hope the tour helps you get a better idea of the house in general. Enjoy!

Confession: my living room/dining room is far from done. We're missing an additional rug under the dining table (eventually going for a layered look!). We definitely need some art above the dining room tables. I have about 8 pillows picked out for our sectional that I haven't had the funds to buy yet. But, I love how FULL the room looks right now. 

I went with a navy, white, red, silver, and gold theme this year. Mostly because that's what I had. Both garlands are from Frontgate, and the one over the mantle is battery operated on a timer, so I never have to turn it off or on. Brilliant. 

My mom and grandmother started a Department 56 Dickens Christmas Village for me when I was in college, and then my MIL generously gifted me a few more pieces a few years ago. I was an English major in college, and A Christmas Carol is one of my all-time favorite stories. This village is a little homage to my love for reading. I hope to keep expanding it over the years starting with pieces directly related to the story. 

Also seen in the living room is my Fontanini nativity set, my wedding gift from my grandmother. I have a special affinity for nativities, and I am hoping to start a collection of those as well. You'll see my second nativity later in the tour. 

The dining room is next. I have big plans for my dining room table, but since I work there every day (long story), I have to keep it functional. The mercury glass trees are from Target many years ago, and I sprinkled in a few votives and some scraps that fell off of our Christmas card garland. 

For our Christmas cards this year, I hung garland around the door to our kitchen. As we get a card, I'm punching it with a hole and tying it to the garland with navy blue satin ribbon. I'll keep the ribbon to reuse next year and get new fresh garland. I'm pretty proud of myself. 

The bar cart gets festive, too...because where else in your home is more worthy than some Christmas spirit than the bar?! The red Santa wine glasses were a gift from an annual Christmas swap from my friends from teaching. We do it every year, and I'm so glad I snagged these a few years ago! I also have a pretty dish from Vietri from my MIL along with some cute cocktail napkins and a felt tree. 

Since this is getting a little long-winded, I'm going to break the tour in half. Come back later to see the upstairs! 

Christmas Comfort Food: Garlic Cheese & Sweet Tea

Growing up, my dad had this rule: we didn't travel for Christmas. Everyone, every year, was welcome at our house which often meant we had a tiny house filled to the brim with people - mostly, my immediate family of five and my grandparents, my Nana & PopPop. They would either come a few days before Christmas or Christmas day and bring loads of gifts and a cooler full of annual Christmas treats. 

Nana always made a few things: chocolate candy with marshmallows (which I never loved...shhhhh...don't tell anyone), homemade spicy snack mix, and my favorite: garlic cheese. We would immediately dig into the cheese with any crackers we happened to have on hand and of course, pour a tall glass of sweet tea on the side. Eventually, Christmas became synonymous with garlic cheese. 

My Nana passed away earlier this year, and this will be our first Christmas officially sans garlic cheese. So, I set out to try the recipe for myself. I had worked it up in my head as though it was going to be this crazy involved recipe that I'd never be able to accomplish. Well, it turns out that it's not complicated at all. I'm not sure I've mastered her flavor profiles - you know how grandmother's are "just a pinch of this or that" without any exact measuring. Ironically, I cook the same way, so I can't complain too much.  

This garlic cheese is perfect to have on hand in your fridge, especially in the coming days and weeks leading up to Christmas. I like to keep snacks like this on hand for any unexpected guests. I also make sure to have a variety of beverages on hand, too. One of the best beverages I've discovered is Southern Breeze's Cold Brew Tea. 

They're perfect because in just under 5 minutes, you can have freshly brewed sweet tea without the hassle of boiling any water. You simply steep a single serve, zero calorie (!!!) tea bag in cold water and let it sit for a few minutes. While you're waiting for the tea, you can assemble a festive platter of the garlic cheese and a bowl everything crackers for a quick visit with friends or family who pop-by. 

I wanted to share the recipe for garlic cheese with you today. It really is so simple, and I hope you give it a try! Happy holidays and happy snacking!

Garlic Cheese Log

makes 2 logs

You will need:

- 1 lb sharp cheddar

- 1 block of cream cheese, softened

- 2 cloves of garlic, minced 

- 2 tsp red pepper

- black pepper to taste

- paprika 

To prepare:

1. Set-out cream cheese to soften. 

2. Shred block of sharp cheddar using a food processor and cheese grater attachment. If you don't have a food processor, you can grate by hand. 

3. Once cheese is grated, remove cheese and set aside. Swap your attachments in your food processor back to the regular blade. 

4. Add half of the cheese back to food processor. Add half of the block of cream cheese and pulse. 

5. Repeat step 4, leaving original mixture in processor. 

6. Add garlic, red pepper, and pepper.  Pulse one final time. 

7. Remove cheese mixture and shape into 2 equal sized logs. 

8. Pour paprika on a plate (or other flat surface) and roll logs in paprika until covered completely. 

9. Wrap cheese in parchment or saran-wrap and refrigerate. 

Note: Get creative with your roll - you can roll in pecans or even curry powder!

Enjoy! 

This post is sponsored by Southern Breeze Sweet Tea. All opinions are my own.

Holiday Favorites 2017: Holiday Baubles

I am so excited to have several holiday gatherings coming up over the next few weeks. Whether I'm imbibing in a cocktail with friends or sipping champagne with my husband's coworkers, there are definitely some fun opportunities to get spruced-up. 

All of the major stores always have the most fun holiday baubles. I rarely allow myself to indulge in them, but I can't help but notice how cute they all are...and how affordable, too! Below I've rounded up a few of my favorite holiday jewels. The majority of these shops have sales going on now, so if you see something you like, scoot over to their site to see if there's a code to make them even cheaper! Sparkle and shine your way through the holiday season. 

Holiday Favorites 2017: Holiday Pajamas

Instead of presenting typical gift guides this year, I thought I'd bring a little something different for you guys: holiday favorites. I always have such a great time seeing all of the fun stuff that the different shops release especially for the holidays, but I rarely buy any of them! So this year, I thought it would be fun to showcase those items...and maybe it will inspire all of us to add one or two to our carts. 

Up first: holiday pajamas! I love that all of the shops bring out special holiday pajamas for this time of year. We do new pjs on Christmas Eve as our one early present, so here's a little inspo for anyone else who has that tradition (or is looking to start it!).

Shop Local ATL: Gifts Under $50

The next installment of Shop Local ATL is here, and today, we're stepping it up and looking at gifts $50 and under. I'm confident that any of these items would bring huge smiles to the recipient's face. There are items here great for your mom, your child's favorite teacher, and even your boss. Don't forget to check out gifts under $25 for even more ideas! 

1. Home is Where the Heart is Print ($50): While Georgia is seen here, Idlewilde Co. has every state in their shop which makes this gift fantastic for even those out of state. I can even see it doubling as a housewarming or hostess gift. Have a college student out of state? Get one of these framed for their dorm room. The possibilities are endless! 

2. Tulip and Bear Candle ($28): Who doesn't need a luxury candle in their life? Candles are one of my favorite gifts to give and receive because I rarely, if ever, buy them for myself. Tulip and Bear is owned by Margaret Hunter, a lady boss who saw a hobby and raised it into a stellar business. 

3. Honeycomb Studio White Turtle Doves ($45): These handmade porcelain turtle doves come as a single, but the song goes "TWO turtle doves," guys. Honeycomb Studio's things are stunning, and I love the little touches of gold almost every piece has. Dig through the shop for even more gift ideas. 

4. Osmia Organics Body Duo Spa Series ($35): Everyone needs to treat themselves after the holidays, and what better way to do that than with an all-natural body spa set. A salt scrub and a moisturizing lotion? Heavenly. 

5. Dear Keaton Striped Hand Towel Set ($38): I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for beautiful hand towels. They are a classic gift, but if you want to spruce them up, add your favorite hand soap too for a fabulous collection. 

Shop Local ATL: Gifts Under $25

Attention! Gift guides are officially here, y'all! I wanted to get them out to you this week, so you could get in on all of the sale action this weekend. Keep your eyes peeled for deals happening all weekend long from Black Friday to Small Business Saturday to Cyber Monday. It really is a great time to save on some of your favorite items. 

This year's gift guides are focused on shopping local. While most of the products I'll feature are from the Atlanta area, you're able to shop online if you see something you love. Additionally, I've divided gifts into dollar amounts this year instead of categories. That way, if you know the dollar amount you want to spend, you'll find exactly what you need. 

While I only have three gift guides planned, let me know if you want to see gifts for a different dollar amount (dirty Santa, anyone?) or a specific category. I'm happy to either point you in the right direction, or create what you might need. If you're traveling this week, do so safely, and enjoy the official start to the holidays! 

1. ATL Enamel Pin ($8) - Help your recipient represent ATL everywhere she goes. 

2. Gold Arrow Cheese Markers ($25) - A gift for the cheese connoisseur if I ever saw one, these markers are reasonably priced and a great present for the cheese lovers or hostesses in your life. 

3. Saphir Cream Polish ($20) - As a premiere shoe polish brand, Saphir makes a fantastic stocking stuffer for the guy in your life. I can actually see this being a fun office present, too. Who doesn't need to shine their leather shoes?

4. The Dessert Place Cream Cheese Brownies ($24.99) - I love the idea of shipping these Cream Cheese Brownies from The Dessert Place to wherever you'll be spending the holidays. It can be a hostess present that arrives ahead of all of the company and gives the hosts something to place on a pretty platter. 

5. Lou Lou Silk Tassel Earrings ($18) - These delicate tassel earrings can be worn casually with stripes or elegantly with an LBD. Perfect for girlfriends. 

Sending Good Cheer: Holiday Cards with Minted

I think we can all agree that snail mail peaks during the holiday season. I giddily check my mailbox daily awaiting holiday cards from friends and family, and I love pulling out the envelopes one at a time savoring each detail. The details are what make holiday cards so special. If you're anything like me, you've painstakingly poured over your holiday cards making sure every little thing is perfect. 

For the past two years, my holiday card choices have been made even easier with Minted. Minted's user-friendly design marketplace makes choosing a card an incredible experience. I often play with several designs before choosing one, and the site makes it easy to make designs completely my own. One of my favorite parts of Minted's holiday card collections is their foil designs (like this one). I am a sucker for anything that sparkles, so the shimmer of the foil designs makes me swoon. If foil isn't your thing, take a peek at Minted's other collections; they have everything including letter press which makes for a luxe card sure to impress. 

And to further show just how fabulous Minted is, all holiday cards are available with matching envelopes and recipient addressing this year. That means no stressing about messing up envelopes. All you need to do is stuff your cards, stick a stamp on them, and send them off! 

Since Hunter and I got married on December 1st, I decided a few years ago to send New Years cards instead of Christmas cards. Not only does this give us ample time to take a quality picture (you know, because we waited all year to take one), but it takes the holiday cheer through the new year. I love that we send one of the final cards that people receive as an extra special piece of mail at the end of the year. I'm still debating on which design we'll ultimately choose, but check out some of the front runners below. 

In the meantime, head over to Minted and start designing your own holiday cards! I'd love to hear which designs you're loving in the comments. 

This post was written in partnership with Minted. While I will receive a Minted credit for this post, I've used Minted for years, and it is truly a company I adore. 

Whipped Cream Stars

Have you ever seen those adorable marshmallows that are in cute little shapes sitting so delicately in a blogger's hot chocolate? And then you've looked up homemade marshmallow recipes and thought to yourself, "no thanks."? Yeah, me too. But something about those little shapes always had me curious, so I started to research. It turns out that you can create the same cute marshmallow effect with whipped cream...and personally, whipped cream sounds oh so much more delectable than a cutesy marshmallow, amiright?

These hot cocoa whipped cream stars are so simple! You can use store bought whipped cream, or create your own whipped cream like I did. Whipped cream is super easy to make, especially if you have a stand mixer, but if you're in a pinch, the frozen stuff works just fine! 

I started by whipping my cream. Next, I added just a dash of water to my whipped cream (about 1/4 cup). While it seems counterintuitive to whip cream and then melt it with water, never fear: the water helps the whipped cream freeze faster & mold better. You'll see! Stir in your water and then spread the whipped cream mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet. A festive spatula makes the process so much more fun. This spatula actually came in a tea towel set from Hallmark. This set makes a fantastic last minute gift because it comes with an adorable snowman towel to go with it. Coming in at just under $15, it's a fabulous price point, too. 

You want your whipped cream to be relatively flat, and thick enough to cut through. Mine ended up being about an inch or so thick. 

Pop that cookie sheet in the freeze for 3-4 hours and wait patiently for the finished product. After the time has passed, pull out your cookie sheet (you might want to use a potholder because that metal is crazy cold). Next, find a cute cookie cutter like the star used here, and carefully cut into the whipped cream. It will be frozen solid and a bit hard to cut through, so be careful not to wiggle too much and break your star. 

Finally, add your star to a cute coffee mug (like mine from Hallmark) full of hot chocolate and voila! a darling little topping for your hot cocoa. Take a peek at the video below for a quick visual overview of this project from start to finish. It's easy as pie! 

And if you're in the market for fantastic hot cocoa, might I recommend this set? 

How to Host a Gift Wrapping Party + a Giveaway

I love a good excuse to get friends together for the holidays, but a party that is productive, too? Now that's my kind of gathering. A few weeks ago, I invited a few of my friends to my house for a gift wrapping party. We wrapped Christmas presents, snacked on holiday cookies and pastries, sipped cocktails, and laughed our way through wrapping a few gifts. 

It all started with a beautiful spread of containers from Coton Colors. Coton Colors specializes in colorful, hand-crafted and seasonal pottery. Their pieces are stunning, beautifully made, and are honestly just plain happy. Each piece makes me smile. While Coton Colors are absolutely perfect to use as serving pieces, I thought it would be fun to mix-up their traditional pieces and use my collection as vessels for our gift wrapping essentials. The cake stand served as a spot for all of our ribbon and twine, while Christmas dishes were filled with everything from washi tape to ornamental gift accessories. My St. Nick serving platter was the perfect place for Karen Adams Designs enclosure cards. Of course no party is complete without snacks, and I decked out my Happy Everything platter with festive sweets for the occasion. 

Using kitchen items for corralling gift wrap necessities is a great way to have your pieces serve double duty. Plus, it gives you an excuse to pull-out those festive dishes more than once during the season. Coton Colors has a fabulous selection of entertaining pieces that you'll use again and again (find retailers here). 

To host your own gift wrap party, make sure you provide a bevy of wrapping materials to help your guests get creative. Spreading a wide selection of Karen Adams Designs enclosure cards inspired guests to choose wrapping that would fit the color scheme of the cards. I love the idea of using enclosure cards instead of the traditional sticker gift tags. Cards are so much more personal, plus these from Karen Adams Designs have the faintest hint of sparkle making them glisten under the tree. 

And let's not forget the wrapping paper. Besides providing my guests with some fun paper, I also added reusable gift wrap from Lilywrap to the mix. Lilywrap is incredibly easy to use and makes wrapping nearly everything that much easier...you don't even need a box! My friends had a blast playing with Lilywrap and using it to wrap everything from candles to bottles.

Hosting a gift wrapping party is a great way to bring friends together. Pop on a Christmas movie in the background (we watched Home Alone 2), play some holiday music, prepare a festive cocktail (like Just Peachy Ginger Punch), and get your wrap on!

And now the fun part (as if it could get any better!): Coton Colors is giving away a Happy Everything Mini Platter & a Spruced Up Tree Attachment. Head to my Instagram for all of the details on how to enter!

Special thanks to Coton Colors for providing me with the gorgeous serving pieces seen in this post, Karen Adams Designs for the incredible gift tags and enclosure cards, and Lilywrap for the reusable wrapping that I'll be decking my halls with all season long. 

Products found in this post include:

- Taper in cobble
- Topper in white 

- Very Merry bowls 

- Happy Everything platter

- Spruced Up Tree Mini attachment
- Just Peachy Ginger Peach Punch

- Tis the Season enclosure cards

- White Christmas enclosure cards

- Holiday Cheer enclosure cards 

- Merry gift tag

- Cheers gift tag 

- Green Chevron wrap 

- Red Lattice wrap 

- Red Dots wrap