Books I read in 2011!

My goal in 2011 was to read read read...and I did just that!!

I put a * next to some of my favorites!

Heart of the Matter

Cold Tangerines *

Room  *

Bittersweet

The Help **

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table

As Husbands Go

My Life From Scratch

Chasing Harry Winston

A Vintage Affair * 

Red Hook Road *

Cinderella (As If You Didn't Already Know the Story)

Last Night at Chateau Marmont

The Swan House *

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt  **

Three Cups of Tea

Thumbelina, Tiny Runaway Bride

Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives *

One Day

Debt-Free U

Three Weissmanns of Westport

Water for Elephant

What Alice Forgot *

Crazy Sexy Diet *

The China Study **

The Kind Diet

Rob Lowe : Stories I only tell my friends

The Cookbook Collector

The Beauty Detox Solution

Clean Start

The Hunger Games *

Catching Fire (The second Hunger Games) *

The Luxe *

Envy: A Luxe Novel *

Rumors: A Luxe Novel *

Splendor: A Luxe Novel *

A sweet gift exchange~

I have a group of wonderful friends that I have met via the Internet...truly special lovely ladies!

A few of us did a small gift exchange this year.  My friend Catie came up with the idea of an "Altoid Tin" exchange...where we would empty a tin and then we each put our own twist on it!

Lisa created this darling "evening out survival kit" for me!

It is covered in faux leather, a gold toggle clasp, and the darling flower on top!

Inside she tucked in a mini Altoid tin and a Burt's Bees lipstick in Guava!!

I LOVE Burt's Bees!!

 but seriously...can you stand the mirror inside??  She trimmed it out with gold ric rac...so cute!!

There are SO many ways you could take this idea!

I will share the tin I made for my friend Denise a little later because she hasn't opened hers yet :)

Deck the Halls {Around the House}

~kitchen~

~family room~

~living room~

~piano~

~foyer~

~entry~

Deck the Halls {The Library/Office}

So, if you remember back in this post....I "renamed" our office "the library"
Well, when I stumbled on this photo last week, I knew I must make a book tree somewhere in my home~

So, this is what I created in our little library/office
If I had the space to do big tree like the inspiration pic...I WOULD!

Lucy and I did a little craft project one night, and made the paper chains and snowflakes
I love how they POP against the chocolate brown of the walls~
(pretty obvious I love color and pattern :)

Usually during the holidays, when it comes time to wrapping presents I hole up in my bedroom on the floor, but this year I decided to make a small wrapping station

I love having everything right there at the ready!

I put my favorite papers in a metal tub and I am ready!

 

"brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things"

Deck the Halls {Outside}

As much fun as I have decorating inside...I love decorating outside too!

This year our outdoor table didn't get covered like it normally does, so I decided it was in need of a little vignette
It is so fun looking out the window and seeing this on my table, instead of a tarp!

It seems every year I do something different on my porch

The past couple of years I have kept it pretty simply, so this year I wanted it to feel "lived in" like an outdoor room

On my wreaths I used some vintage webbing that a friend sent to me, and wrote Merry and Christmas on each of them

We have had the sled since our boys were very small, so a few packages were the perfect touch

We didn't do alot of lights on our house this year, so this little tree and the snowflake lights give just the right amount of twinkle

My wooden book stack sits on my bench all year long, so a little leopard ribbon and a snip of boxwood dress it up!

I LOVE having my boxwood urns out year-round, but every fall I add in the branches to give them height, and then for the Holidays I like tucking greens around the base

Thanks for stopping by!

Hot Cocoa Station 2011~

Every year I love creating a Hot Cocoa Station for my family
My kids love that everything they need is out and ready to be enjoyed!

The Santa mugs are ready and waiting...HO HO HO!
I started collecting these a couple of years ago.  I look for them at thrift stores, and really love the ones I find that have someone's name painted on the bottom...it warms my heart to think someone sat and handpainted his jolly little face.