Thursday, December 5, 2013

Gifts for Home


So far, I've bought Christmas gifts for my son, nieces, and one for a sassy girlfriend of mine, and that's it.  If you're looking for a gift for the home decor lover or hostess, here are my picks.  Enjoy!














































Softest Throw Blanket (you can have this monogrammed too)

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On Honey We're Healthy: I'm sharing my healthy beef burrito and fresh pico de gallo recipe





Autumn Statement 2013

Today is Autumn Statement day, when the Chancellor of the Exchequer (George Osborne) outlines spending plans and related matters for the coming years.

By happenstance, Iain Duncan Smith has slipped out a statement that the Universal Credit programme may not meet its 2017 deadline. Ironically, in September, IDS had told MPs that the 2017 deadline remained in place.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Eight Banks Fined For Rate Rigging

As per the BBC, the European Commission has fined eight banks a total of 1.7bn euros for forming illegal cartels to rig interest rates.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Christmas Decor in the Kitchen


You can easily spread Christmas cheer throughout your home, into the kitchen, by adding just a few decorative items, things you probably already own.  When I finally invested in a Le Cruset dutch oven a few years ago, I purposely bought red because I thought it would look so good during the holidays.  And it does! :) Even if you don't have any red pots or pans, you might have some colorful bowls or dishes you could incorporate into your decor.  










The red tray was moved out of my son's room temporarily to add more pops of color.  I found the cookie jar and wreath at Hobby Lobby.  I hung the wreath with an adhesive hook and figured I can take the wreath down while cooking if I need to.  Flowers or poinsettia plants would be great too. 














The towels are from Target and were hanging in our bathroom last year.  You don't have to keep putting things in their same ole place- have fun moving them around!  The red timer is perfect here too and gets a lot of use.  










The olive oil and balsamic vinegar are sitting on a wood tray with a sprig of faux berries.  Easy and pretty. 










And our thankful tree was exchanged for faux pine branches and berries from Hobby Lobby.  I used a foam block inside the urn to keep the branches positioned where I wanted them and to give them more height. 










I'm decorating our open kitchen shelving too, but I'm not quite finished with it.  Do you extend your holiday decor into the kitchen too?





Don't forget to link up your holiday mantels on Wednesday at Ten June & Our Fifth House.










You can see our "mantel" this year HERE.





And thank you to Kate (Centsational Girl) for including me in her Holiday Gift Guide this year and to Kristen (The Hunted Interior) for having me participate in her Ornament Round-up feature.  





On Honey We're Healthy: I'm sharing my favorite healthy hair product that helped repair my damaged hair. 








Sunday, December 1, 2013

Snowy Aqua & Mint Mantel


Being December and all, I think it's time to officially welcome Christmas into my home! I'm doing different colors schemes in different areas of our house this year, and the dining room is getting decked out in aqua, mint, white, silver and gold. 










The mint inspiration came from a new snowflake pillow that I paired with a white faux fur pillow inside our HomeGoods basket.










Since I recently made the "The most wonderful time of the year" art in a similar color, I decided to bring it into the room.  










I used items I already had in my house, but included two new items from Hobby Lobby: the NOEL letters and the reindeer.










I considered painting the letters like I did for my LOVE art, but decided I liked them the way they were sold.  The natural color balances out the bright aqua and mint. 










The reindeer did get a coat of silver and gold spray paint.  I also sprinkled silver glitter on him. You can find inexpensive reindeers here, herehere, here, and here.










Years ago, I bought a bunch of faux snow from Pottery Barn during an after-Christmas sale for just a couple of dollars and I reuse it year after year.  It's one of my favorite discount buys.  










Filling a large bowl with colorful ornaments is about the easiest way to add a festive decorative touch to your home.  I like to add larger ornaments on the bottom, then layer in smaller ornaments to fill in the gaps.  This mini tree is a favorite of mine because it's got gold tipped branches and a burlap wrapped base.  I added in some snowflake ornaments for added bling.










I've had the silver lanterns for a couple of year now and really like the simple shape and how the door opens so I can fill them.  It would probably be better if the top came off because it's a little tricky to get the ornaments and snow in then, quickly shut the door before it falls out!





Have you started your Christmas decorating yet?  You can link up your mantels to our Holiday Cheer Link Party on Wednesday!





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On Honey We're Healthy:  I'm sharing my secret for healthy hair.