Tree hunting + my favorite coat

My family went Christmas tree shopping this past weekend. I have wonderful memories of choosing a tree with my dad as a child. We always had a real tree, and even if it wasn’t perfect, it was perfect for us. The smell of fresh pine in the house is unbeatable. I have considered getting a faux tree in recent years (lasts forever, no mess!) but I wanted to share these memories with my little ones too.

A captured moment with my babies. Note the pupper looking for a tree to pee on!

We found a tree lot in the cutest little neighborhood near our home. It’s always an adventure going anywhere with two little ones. Add in a curious pup who who gets very excited out in public and there is never a dull moment. When he lifted his leg to pee on a Frasier Fur, we knew that was our tree and we got out of there quickly! When we got home, we lit a fire in the fireplace, put on some Christmas music and set up the tree. It isn’t the most coordinated tree in terms of decorations, but the kids love it. Especially my daughter! She is at an age when we can’t have any breakable ornaments on the bottom of the tree or she will take them all down. These stages of life always bring new adventures and there is nothing more joyful than watching these two grow and become their own little people.

It has been quite warm out in recent weeks – almost too warm for a winter coat, but on occasion I have been known to choose style over function! I wore my favorite J.Crew Chateau Parka anyway. You have probably seen this coat before, as it is popular with fashion bloggers and other admirable women (Joanna Gaines!). I saw it a few years ago and couldn’t pass it up when it went on sale.

It really is the perfect winter coat. It is warm, comfortable and pretty. You can dress it up or down and the faux fur on the hood is easily removable. I get compliments every time I wear it. It tends to sell out in a lot of sizes, but luckily, J.Crew brings it back every year. Happy shopping!

p.s. This post is NOT sponsored! I just really love this coat!

All Things Pink and Girly ~ Cyber Monday Favorites

11 / 27 / 1711 / 29 / 17

I love to shop, especially during the holidays. Beauty and energy are everywhere! I did do some Black Friday shopping at the mall, but I found even more to love online for Cyber Monday. Many retailers even extend their cyber sales past Monday and have offers through the holiday season, but why not check some things off the list now? This post is not sponsored in any way – these are just some of my favorite finds, gifts for others or gifts for yourself! 🙂

I am a big fan of neutrals in fashion and home decor. I have been looking for a new work bag and coming up empty. There are some really nice options out there for really high prices and none that had all the features I wanted. I wanted something classy and structured with a zip top that could hold my laptop and had pockets for everything else I need when I travel for work. It also absolutely had to have a crossbody strap. Enter the Caroline Leather Bag from Mark and Graham for 25% off on Cyber Monday. They have the most darling bags and accessories and you can get most of it personalized. This bag is seriously gorgeous. It has all the features I wanted, plus I had my initials monogrammed on it for an extra special touch. I hope it is delivered before my trip next week!

As the title states, I love pink and I love girly details like ruffles. This Ruffled Crewneck from J.Crew was a must, and at 40% off, I could not pass it up. It is even prettier in person than in the picture!

How gorgeous is this Peony Wallpaper from AccentuWall on Etsy? I stumbled upon it at a 25% discount for Cyber Monday and I can not wait to apply it on the far wall in my home office. It is peel and stick, so hopefully pretty forgiving when I apply it to the wall. I have worked with peel and stick wallpaper before and it isn’t as easy as it seems, but it is worth the effort! I’ll document how it goes on a future post.

Now for some gifting ideas. These GAP Dreamwell Satin Pajamas will make a perfect gift for a girl friend. They were 50% off on Cyber Monday plus an extra 10% off for cardholders. I have a GAP card and used some of my points to purchase these for a steal.

Paper Source 17 Month Ombre Custom Planner

Last but not least, another perfect gift idea. Paper Source is a go-to for all things pretty and crafty. I seriously wish I could just live in that store. They had an extended Cyber Monday sale that went into Tuesday and I found this lovely planner (that you can have customized!) was 30% off plus an extra 10% off. They also have matching journals, stationery, and many other customized gifts. The customization is the perfect personal touch and you can’t go wrong with pink!

Gratitude, New Traditions, and Thanksgiving Crafts

11 / 23 / 1711 / 29 / 17

I am so grateful for the Thanksgiving traditions my parents shared as I was growing up and I looked forward to celebrating Thanksgiving every year. My parents hosted as many as twenty people at our house for a home cooked turkey feast. I never realized until I became an adult how much work it was to prepare, manage and clean up, especially for my mom. I will forever be grateful to her and my dad for giving us such wonderful memories. After dinner, we would take a walk in the cold, dark night and come home to a cozy fire in the fireplace.

Now that I am an adult (!!!), I have my own family, and I am happy to start new traditions with my children. We are the new hosts of Thanksgiving dinner and every other year host either my family or my husband’s family. I am beyond grateful for my husband’s ability to cook an amazing turkey, complete with gravy and stuffing. This year a few of us took a walk before dinner. It was sunny and unseasonably warm. The quiet in the neighborhood was almost eerie, but breathing in the fresh air and feeling the sun and the breeze always brings me peace.

I often have all kinds of creative ideas for decorating but don’t make the time for it. This year I decided to go for it and do a romantic Thanksgiving tablescape, much of it crafted from things around the house. My problem is I can’t often find quite the styles or colors I want, and often decor costs more than it needs to, so I just make it myself. I wanted white pumpkin place cards, but the stores didn’t have quite what I was looking for at the price point I wanted, so I purchased some yellow pumpkins, spray painted them white, added gold to the stem, and tied on a gold leaf and name cards which I printed out on brown paper and then cut into shapes. I think they turned out really pretty!

The Happy Thanksgiving banner was inspired by others I had seen in stores and on Pinterest, but they always cost too much ($15 for a paper sign? no thank you!) so I made my own. I cut out the flags from brown paper, drew the letters on with markers, added some tiny wooden clothespins which I embellished with gold glitter and voila! A lovely Thanksgiving banner.

The base for the middle of the table is just a picture frame from Home Goods with a piece of paper in it instead of a photo. And don’t underestimate the dollar store! Those white salad plates with gold trim were $1 each and add a perfect touch. You would never know.

Lastly, the flowers. I could not for the life of me find the color combinations I needed at the flower shop so some of the flowers are real, and some are fake. Oh, and note to self: don’t go to the craft shop the day before Thanksgiving expecting to actually find fall themed decor – all they had was Christmas stuff! Regardless, I think it turned out really pretty and I’m already looking forward to decorating for Christmas.