North Pole burlap pillow

I had seen a similar pillow at Christmas time last year and I figured if I still liked it a year later, then I definitely liked it enough to make a copy-cat version. I made a stencil of the wording using my silhouette machine, and filled it in with a black sharpie. The reason that I didn't use paint was because I didn't have any vinyl. I just made the stencil using card stock and paint tends to bleed around the edges when it is not completely stuck to the material. I actually really liked the look of the Sharpie lettering. It was really pretty simple. The hardest part was spacing the words and keeping the lines straight. The best part of the project is that the only thing it costs me was a little time. I already had all the supplies on hand. Now I have about 5 other Christmas pillow designs that I want to make but probably won't get around to.

Holiday Decor Preview

We finally got the downstairs painted, just in time to decorate for Christmas. Since the walls are now beautifully neutral, I decided this year's holiday decor would be too. I'm just so over red and green. I took a rustic glam approach with silvers, golds, and plenty of natural elements. I still have a few projects left before the Christmas decorations will be complete, including our stockings. Since I now have a pretty awesome camera on my iphone 4s and a photo app that I am in love with, I have been playing around with different effects. I will post more in depth about my dining room tablescape, pillows, etc. But for now, here are some shots from around the house.

tree trimmed with burlap ribbon and a rattan star

living room (now painted Bennington Gray)

new cowhide rug

lanterns filled with cotton, moss, and mini ornaments

The mini bar with a few festive touches

curly willow with silver mini ornaments

The unfinished mantle...stockings coming soon

I have a slight obsession with mercury glass

Kitchen buffet and hutch

Rattan Star (the larger version of my tree topper)

My fancy reindeer (about 4 feet tall)

still haven't added the mistletoe (trying to figure out how to get it out of a really tall tree)

rustic glam dining room tablescape

cotton place cards

jingle bells

Wedding Sneak Peak

My best friend's wedding that I have been preparing for, took place last weekend. I have to say that I did not quite anticipate the difficulty of planning and designing the event, while also being her maid of honor. I definitely could have used a few more of me. Overall, it turned out wonderfully. The rain stopped just in time for a truly magical evening. The ultimate goal was to make the bride happy and she said it was her "dream wedding come true". I thought I would share a few pictures that I have until she gets the pictures back from her wedding photographer. 

photography credits to Jennifer Oetting Photography

Going Green

Monogrammed Tote

This past week has been crazy busy. I have barely had time to read any blog posts, much less write one. We are on a countdown of 32 days until my best friend's wedding and most of my days have been devoted to making sure all of the details are falling into place. Although the thought of having just a month left to everything is somewhat stressful, I absolutely love it. I love spending time with her and being part of such an exciting time in her life. I also love the wedding planning and design part in general, which seems to be leading somewhere in itself. More on that later. 

One of the projects that I just finished is part of the bride's gifts to her bridesmaids. We found these roomy burlap totes at Hobby Lobby for only $9.99 each (You could use a 40% coupon and get one for $5.99). Since she is filling them with all kinds of goodies, she didn't want to spend the money to get the bags embroidered with each girl's initials. Instead, I stenciled the monograms on each bag with fuschia (her wedding color) acrylic paint. As maid of honor, I got to make one for myself as well, and I'm so glad because I love the result! Of course, you can never go wrong with monograms and burlap.