{Real} Little House :: Amanda & Blair's Christmas Decorations

My sweet friend, Amanda & her boyfriend Blair live in an adorable condo in Dallas. She asked me a couple weeks back to help her with her Christmas decor (remember the preview?) Amanda did a little thrift shopping & gathered some craft supplies but a good majority of the items we used were items around her house & items she gathered while walking her little dog, Winston. I'm totally in love with the way these turned out!

Enjoy!

{The dried flowers are the toss bouquet Amanda caught at my wedding! :)}

What special touches have you added to your home for holiday decor? I'd love to see your ideas! 

Found it on Pinterest, Vol. 1 :: DIY Mercury Glass, Part 1

So, how many things do you pin on Pinterest and say to yourself "I could do that", and then how many have you actually done?? Well, I have vowed to myself I will try at least one new crafty task a month... so this month... mercury glass.

My good friend, Nicole is getting married in May 2012 and I am styling her wedding. Her overall look is  'vintage glam' with lots of metallic elements so naturally we have envisioned lots and lots of mercury glass. Well of course, thanks to Pinterest, we decided it would be less expensive to make our own. We've learned two lessons:

1) Everything looks easy on the Internet
2) This is not less expensive than buying your own (at least this particular method, jury is still out on the concept in general, so stand by for other methods in Part 2 of this post).

So I'm going to briefly take you through our journey. We used the technique from this lovely blog. Let me just start out by saying ours look nothing like hers. If they did, we would not have labelled this attempt as a giant FAIL. I blame it on impatience. However, we are not giving up! We are trying a new technique next weekend. Until then, here is our journey via not-so-great photos from my Palm (hence why they are so small... sorry).

We started out with clear glass, variety of textures & shapes from Hobby Lobby:

We used these materials, a spray bottle of water, looking glass spray paint, and gold & black craft paint applied by Q-tips:

The first coat while drying looks a bit like this:

The curvy one turned out 'okay' although fairly opaque and not very antiqued looking. But the pieces with textured glass were a disaster:

These little votives looked so good - and then we put a candle in them and lit them and then they totally looked like an after school craft project :(

 Until next weekend...

Has anyone else tried this? Any helpful hints you can add??

Mood Board :: Tangerine Tango, Part 2

What pairs well with tangerine?? Here's just a few options - I can't get enough of this 2012 color of the year!

{Orange Jeans, Bedroom, Entryway, Table Setting}

{Bedroom, Living Room, Fashion Forward, Tablescape}

{Ring, Centerpiece, Dining Set, Ombre, Tablescape}

{Banquette, Bedroom, Runway, Window Seat}

Happy Friday, Lovelies! xoxo

Mood Board :: Tangerine Tango, Part 1

Pantone's 2012 Color of the Year is... Tangerine Tango! You can read the press release here if you don't want to take my word for it :)

What?! Two posts in one day? Well, yesterday was kind of lame so I'm making up for it. This is a two parter - today you get a delicious board of tangerine goodness and tomorrow, 4 mini boards on perfect colors to mix in with this awesome orange hue!

Until tomorrow...

All images found via Pinterest. I claim none of these images as my own. If you feel as though your image needs credit please contact me! 

Little Beagle's Blog :: Christmas Gifts for Your Pups!

Well, Lexie's taking over again! She's picked put some great canine wish list items for your four legged babies :)

*****
DYI Pet gifts ideas:

BAKING
These yummy looking homemade treats are perfect poochie stocking stuffers!

Cleo’s Pumpkin Dog Biscuits via Simmer 'till Done

2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons dry milk
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/2 cups brown rice flour 
1 teaspoon dried parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.

In large bowl, whisk together eggs and pumpkin to smooth. Stir in dry milk, sea salt, and dried parsley (if using, optional). Add brown rice flour gradually, combining with spatula or hands to form a stiff, dry dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface (can use the brown rice flour) and if dough is still rough, briefly knead and press to combine.

Roll dough between 1/4 – 1/2″ – depending on your dog’s chew preferences, ask first – and use biscuit or other shape cutter to punch shapes, gathering and re-rolling scraps as you go. Place shapes on cookie sheet, no greasing or paper necessary. If desired, press fork pattern on biscuits before baking, a quick up-and-down movement with fork, lightly pressing down halfway through dough. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully turn biscuits over, then bake additional 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely on rack before feeding to dog.

Makes up to 75 small (1″) biscuits or 50 medium biscuits

MAKING

Pet ID Tags using a downloadable template via Martha Stewart (Mommy & I's hero). Find the template & directions here. 

BIY (Buy it Yourself) Pet Gift Ideas: 

If you are too busy of a doggie mommy for baking & making here are some awesome little gifts some other talented human made for you!

L.L. Bean's Premium Dog Couch - Who needs to be crowded on the couch with your Mommy & Daddy when you can have your very own?!

Hand-stamped metal ID tags via FetchAPassionTags

Wagwear gum rubber chew toy in 4 scents: Chocolate, Pistachio, Cashew & Peanut Butter

4-piece sushi squeak toy set from Nip & Bones. 

All of these sites have other great ideas too - and for the kitty's in your life, if you are more of a feline lover :)

Happy Hoooowwwlidays!!!

WOOF!

Recipe Corner :: Salted Caramels

Under the weather today so this recipe corner will be short & sweet (literally :))! These tasty little guys would make perfect holiday gifts!

The how-to & recipe is here!

I found this recipe via FoodGawker. (Not a website I recommend if you are trying to diet, btw ;)  

Trendy Tuesday :: Monograms

It's a classic concept turned trendy ... loving all the things getting monogrammed these days!

{Pillows, IPhone Cover, Place Setting, Framed Letter}

{Napkins, Gift Boxes, Key Necklace, Notecards}

{Favors, Tray, Lounge Chair, Ties}

{Window Covering, Bins, Invitation Suite}