House of Hydrangeas

Here is the "after" of our very first tree!  I took one picture with the flash and one without. I received this ornament last year from two of my dearest friends after Jon and I got engaged, and every time I look at it, I smile.  October 10, 2009 will always be a special day for us, and I love that we have an ornament to commemorate it.  This ornament is the first gift I ever gave Jon.  We decided to not get each other gifts the first Christmas we were together because we'd only been dating a little while, but when I saw this airplane ornament, I couldn't resist.  He never had a tree so he kept it hung on his dresser mirror.  This is the first time it's ever been hung on a tree. I added in pinecones for a more rustic look.  I love the contrast of the glitter and mercury glass with the rough, natural elements. We don't have a fireplace, so I hung our stockings on our long mirror.  I asked to keep the excess branches trimmed from the bottom of...

Jon and I made a trip to Lowe's and picked out our very first tree.  As you can see, Jon had a great time going through and pulling out all of the trees I wanted to see.  :) It didn't take us long to find a winner, and I was ecstatic.  We brought home a 7' fraser fir. I had heard a great idea from a friend to keep the bottom part of the tree trunk that gets cut off after you buy it and make an ornament out of it.  I'm not sure what I want to put it on it, if anything, but I think it will be cool to look at it in the years to come and always be able to remember our first tree.  So we loaded up the tree and the excess pieces trimmed from the bottom of it (these are a great to add around your house for free decor) and headed home. I had already moved the bookcase that was in the corner of the living room to make a space for the tree. I knew I wanted it to be in our view if we were sitting on the couch (our usual hangout) that way we could enjoy it as much as p...

Frances Elkins Loop Chair Unfortunately, even the replicas aren't in my budget.  But I can still swoon. Mecox Gardens Driftwood Chandeliers  Another thing too expensive for my wallet but oh so beautiful. Ballard Designs Braided Jute Rug  Jute rugs are great because they can be used in some many different rooms and with so many different styles.  And this one is on sale! Pottery Barn Grand Chenille Throw I'm not sure if it's my passion for herringbone patterns or softness that has me craving this one. Pottery Barn Antique Silver Pitchers These make me want to go look at antique stores. I have the salt and pepper shakers and ice scoop in this collection and I love them. Pottery Barn Mercury Glass Lamp Can you tell I just got sent the new Pottery Barn catalog? :)  I think I would buy anything made out of mercury glass, but I love the shape of these lamps too. *Fun fact from Pottery Barn that you'll enjoy if you're a nerd like me - "Mercury g...

I am almost done with my ornament wreath that I learned how to make from Eddie Ross .   You should check out his tutorial.  It's super simple and very inexpensive, not to mention the end result looks fabulous. I need to purchase a few more ornaments from the thrift store, and mine will be complete.  I'm going with a gold and cream color scheme.  And since all of my ornaments came from the thrift store, most of them are older and already have an antiqued look.  The total cost of the project will be around $12! Here's an example.

Jon and I got back from our 10 day trip through Texas onto Alabama and back to Oklahoma.  We stopped in Dallas for a few days before we headed to Alabama for Thanksgiving. While in Dallas, we celebrated sweet little Gabbi's first birthday.  It was a great party for all...especially Gabbi, who had the best time ripping the wrapping paper off of her gifts.  She even made little grunt noises.  It was too cute. We headed out to Alabama on Monday morning and had a pretty pleasant drive aside from one stop on the interstate where Remington got to enjoy the scenery for a bit. My sister and I experienced our first Iron Bowl married to Auburn men.  Even though we lost, it was still a good game, and no one killed each other while watching.  :)  Here we are sporting our crimson.  Roll tide! I was in the organizing/purging mood (as usual) and convinced my sister to help me clean out my mom's attic.  Although it was a full day of work, we enjoyed ...

Happy 7 month anniversary to us!   We're enjoying it by spending time with friends and family in Alabama this Thanksgiving week.  We have so much to be thankful for this year and always, and to celebrate that, we're going to start a new tradition--a journal of thanksgiving.  In this journal, we'll write what we're thankful for on this Thanksgiving.  And each Thanksgiving after, we'll add to it.  I think it's a necessary and important to stop and realize just how blessed we all are.  And in years to come, we'll be able to look back on the pages of this book and remember all of our many blessings. Happy early Thanksgiving to you all!

Tomorrow Jon and I are going to our good friends' little girl's 1st birthday in Dallas.  It is a garden themed party, and I've heard about and seen some of the decorations and party ideas and know it will be absolutely adorable affair.   Birthdays are a big deal.  It's amazing to see just how much a child can grow in a year.  The people of marthastewart.com must have thought they same thing because they came up with this great idea.   Use a scrapbook or album to hold pictures of your child posing on his/her birthday each year.   The kids can decorate their own signs showing the age they're turning (except when they're really young of course).  Eventually, you'll have a book full of photos documenting their birthdays and growth over the years.  It is recommended that you have your child stand so you can noticeably see their growth.  It's such a cute tradition and easy to do keepsake! I'll definitely be making one for my kids in the future!