Merry Christmas 2021
2021. Wow. What do we say about this year? Been there. Done that. Don’t need a repeat. Yeah, that works. 2021 has been like a jar of mixed nuts. The label said, “Now with 20% more!” which you’d think would be a good thing. Unfortunately, that jar is mainly filled with nuts you don’t like and you have to dig hard to find the one type of nut you do enjoy because of course, they short-changed you on that nut to save money. It’s nuts. *sigh* I’m telling you this so that you know my bad attitude feelings regarding 2021 left me befuddled as to how to write a sendoff…
Christmas Trees in Every Bedroom
It feels very self-indulgent to disclose that we have Christmas trees in every bedroom of our house this year. There are only three bedrooms, but still. To borrow a term from my kids, that sounds very extra! My kids have each had a small faux Christmas tree in their bedrooms since they started bringing home those precious popsicle stick ornaments from preschool. That means for the past 10 years during the month of December I have tucked my kids in at night and thought, “Wow. Falling asleep to the warm glow of a Christmas tree is magical.” It’s the best nightlight ever! That also means I have been wanting a…
Snowflake-Themed Christmas Tree
I’m thrilled you are here today to check out my snowflake-themed Christmas tree. How did a snowflake-themed Christmas tree come about? Well, it went a little something like this: No one: Absolutely No One: Me: I have six tiny doilies that could look like snowflakes if I squint. Do you know what that means? Time for a snowstorm to hit this Christmas tree! And that’s how my brain works. I’m not a minimalist, but the majority of the time I skew more minimalist than maximalist in my decorating style. However, you can toss that rule out the window and stomp on it a few times when it comes to me…
Christmas Mantel with Copper Accents
Another day and a new Christmas mantel to show you! One old house perk is having multiple fireplaces to decorate for the holidays. Today’s Christmas mantel with copper accents is in our primary bedroom. It feels so indulgent having a bedroom with a fireplace, even a non-working fireplace like this one. It especially feels indulgent having this bedroom fireplace knowing that I’m not reliant on it to heat this part of the house. Although, I do think about the 100 plus years where someone had to shlep firewood up and down the stairs to fuel this fireplace. Can you imagine all the dirt that would track in? I’m sure putting…
12 Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas
I hear supply chains are constricted, so here are 12 handmade holiday gift ideas to consider making for your friends and family this year. The best part is some of these gift ideas are DIY cheats meaning not totally handmade from scratch. They just have a handmade, personal touch. That totally counts! Ready? Let the inspiration flow: Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas: Game Boards Board games are often popular gifts. How about making a handmade checkers board or chessboard? You could keep it a little easier and make a Tic Tac Toe board too. If you’re interested in vintage wood checkers to go with your game board, you can find them on…
Kraft Paper Snowflake Mantel for the Holidays
I hope you’re sitting in a warm, cozy place while you check out my Kraft Paper Snowflake Mantel! I had a jolly good time making all 33 snowflakes on this Kraft Paper Snowflake Mantel. Yes, I counted. “Jolly good time” makes it sound like it was a party. I haven’t been to one of those in…well, we don’t need to count everything in this blog post. That would be depressing. Perhaps it is better to say I was in the mood to create something with my hands, so spending several hours making 33 kraft paper snowflakes was satisfying. Plus, I enjoy making something that looks way more complicated than it…
2021 Holiday Gift Guide for Tweens and Teens
Shopping for tweens and teens this holiday season? They can be tough to shop for any time of the year and especially without breaking the bank! I’ve heard this is not the year to procrastinate on shopping, so here’s my Holiday Gift Guide For Tweens and Teens that are tween and teen-approved. Yep, I informally polled my kids and their friends, and here is the consensus of what tweens and teens want this holiday season. Kidding. There wasn’t consensus. Everyone mainly wants something different. Then there is REALITY because this mom knows what her kids can actually handle and what she’s willing to spend. For reference: I have a boy in…
8 Fresh Ways to Repurpose a Piano
As a pianist, it pains me to say this, but it can be hard and expensive to get rid of an old piano and you might need fresh ways to repurpose a piano. I truly wish everyone had the space for a piano and wanted to learn to play, but I also understand why this instrument can be a burden to move, maintain, and learn to play. We own a baby grand piano that I hope to pass down to my kids one day, but we unexpectedly became the owners of an old upright piano too. When we purchased our current home, the previous owners left their piano in the…
Christmas 2020
We are down to the last few days before Christmas 2020. How are you feeling about Christmas during a pandemic? Less stress? More stress? Excitement? Relief? Anticipation? Indifference? Gratitude? Do you feel the magic of the season this year? The hope for the future? Are you making new traditions with your loved ones? Are you keeping old traditions alive? Do the answers to these questions change by the hour? I’d be surprised if they didn’t! One thing is for certain. Christmas 2020 is one we won’t soon forget. It boggles my mind how blissfully unaware we were this time last year of all the ways our lives would change in 2020. That ignorance sure was bliss, wasn’t it? It makes me wonder how our lives will forever…
Festive Tradition: Kids’ Christmas Trees
One of our favorite festive Christmas traditions is the kids’ Christmas trees that they have in their bedrooms this time of year. A Christmas tree in my bedroom is something that I always thought would be fun as a kid. Shoot, I think it would be fun to have a tree in my bedroom now! Maybe next year. I started this tradition when the kids were around five years old and gave them each a tiny tabletop tree. It didn’t take long for their ornament collection to outgrow the size of the tabletop trees and a couple of years ago I upgraded them to 4-ft trees. Another festive Christmas tradition we have is that I gift…
