Snowy Days

Excited to annouce a new segment I'll be posting about from time to time. I'm a girl who loves fashion, so I thought it was important to include a little fashion in my blog. I want to show you how to style outfits, and feel glamorous in whatever you have on. Speaking of glamour this first post is all about glamour, gold, and icy weather. My boys asked if I was dressed like a Disney princess, I had envisioned that I was dressed for a romantic carriage ride through the snow with my husband. :)

Details for my outfit:

Skirt: purchased from Shabbyapple I fell in love with this skirt the moment I saw it online. My advice is if you are in between sizes, then I would size up. I think it runs a tad small.

Scarf: Target

Ear muffs: JC Penny has them

Lace top: You can find a similar one at H&M

I layered a white button down shirt underneath it, because it was freezing out. 

Thank you to my husband for helping me with this photo shoot, and braving the cold to take photos. 

I hope you feel inspired to get dressed up this holiday season. There is no better time of year to dress your best, and glam it up, then the holidays.

XO~Gretchen

Thanksgiving Table Setting

So when you think of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner table setting, what do you think of? Maybe pumpkins, mums, plates with turkeys on them, maybe some burlap? Well I wanted to design a table setting with a different twist on those themes. So I set out to design a table with eclectic elements that I already had, with the theme, "You mean the world to me." Thanksgiving is about getting together with those you love. It shouldn't be a stressful time spent looking everywhere for the perfect plates, or table cloth, how about instead you look around and use what you have, and make it special. I admit, I do have an issue collecting plates, but I generally choose ones that can be used any time of the year. I buy them in groups of six or eight. I can't always find more than six, and that's ok because I don't mind mixing from time to time. Here is my table setting, all I need are my guest. Hope you feel inspired to create an eclectic table setting, and have family and friends over to celebrate during this holiday season. Details throughout the post.

 I found the table runner fabric at Hobby Lobby. I love the wood grain design on the fabric. I think it's perfect for this time of the year, because it makes me think of stacks of wood and our fireplace. I simply glued the pom poms on the end of the table runner, and it finished it off. You can create your own table runner by simply measuring the length of your table, then getting that amount of fabric. I folded the fabric in half, long ways, sewed it up the side, then added the trim on each end. Super easy and cost effective. This is a great way to really customize your table setting.

I found the place cards in the Holiday section at Target. They are meant to be chalkboard place cards, so you can use chalk to customize them, but I chose to use a pretty gold pen instead, since I have a reoccurring gold them throughout.

The bird dishes were found at Homegoods, I was bummed that I could only find four of them. The bee dishes and tea cups are from Anthropologie. They both have a great selection of dishes and cups, and check the sale room, sometimes you can get a great deal.

The napkins were made from fabric I picked up from Hobby Lobby. I loved the design and the mustard color. I feel like they also help to make the table setting feel more autumnal. 

My cousin Natalie painted on the globe, and I love that it says "You are my whole world." I think that phrase sets the tone for your dinner. I added vintage vases, tins, and books to add a little fun and whimsy to the table. 

 You can find paper straws just about anywhere now. These gold and white ones are from Target.

There you have it. I hope you feel inspired to host a gathering at your nest for the ones that mean the most in your life. Look inside those cabinets, think outside of the box, and know that what is most important is spending time with loved ones. 

Thanksgiving Wreath

Hi everyone, hope you are having a wonderful November so far. I can't believe that Thanksgiving is just around the corner. This fall is just flying by. Today I am going to show you how to make an easy burlap wreath for your front door. Thanksgiving is such a short holiday season to decorate, but I wanted to have something on my front door, so I came up with this design.

Here is a list of the supplies you will need. I found mine all locally at Dee's Crafts.

A green wire wreath

Roll of mesh burlap 

Extra accent ribbon of your choice

Wire

Chalkboard

Chalk

So the first thing I did was to look up a video on how to make a burlap wreath. There are tons on You Tube. 

Dees craft even has a great You Tube channel of their own.

Next, grab your burlap, and wire and wrap it around and secure it. 

The wreath is set up to have three separate openings. There is a reason for this, so that you can feed three separate loops through each of the openings. I just kind of bunched and looped.

You will continue to do this, and because the burlap is so thick, it stays secured between the wire. Work your way around the entire wreath. I was able to complete this task in about 15 minutes. The end result looks like this.

You can go back and fluff the wreath after you are finished. 

The next step I did was to add the wired ribbon.

I chose the pillow ticking ribbon, because I love how it reminds me of Fall. I added the aqua burlap ribbon, because it coordinates with my front door. :) And of course I love aqua. 

I cut the ribbon in strips and then folded it half, securing the middle section with wire. I was then able to tie the wire around the wreath, and tuck it in.

I trimmed each of the points, so each ribbon piece looked finished. 

Next, I added the chalkboard, which I found at Dee's Craft. I used some wire to tie it in the wreath.

Finally I added my chalk doodle. I chose to write, "Give Thanks." Such a simple phrase, but a wonderful reminder.

There you have it! This wreath is great for this transitional time between Halloween and Christmas. Sometimes Thanksgiving decor gets overlooked. You could also use this wreath other times of the year, just simply erase your board and create something season appropriate. 

Thanks so much for stopping by. I am truly thankful for you, and hope you found a little inspiration for your nest.

Until next time....

XO~Gretchen