Christmas Presents that I'm Loving!

This year I was really having a hard time picking out actual things to tell my family to get me for Christmas. Really, just going back to NC to visit with everyone is all that I was really looking forward to! B and I opened up presents before we left for Christmas. We knew we were going to be coming back with more than we took so it was just easier for us to open at home in Austin.

O N E
Clarisonic Mia 2. Need I say more? I love that it pulses to alert you of when to move on to the next part of your face. Genius. It makes my face feels SO smooth. Oh, and light pink in color doesn't hurt either.

T W O
I bought this for myself. I mean it is the holy grail of kitchen appliances right?! Any great recipes you have, shoot them my way. I am TRYING to stay away from baking because #newyearbetterweight.

T H R E E
I have been wanting a Twine & Twig necklace for QUITE some time. They are not cheap in the least bit, but I just LOVE the way they mix up an outfit. I wore it the other day to a doctor's appointment and got SO many compliments. It's just different & that's why I love it so much. Thanks Santa for hooking a girl up! I also got a set of stackable bracelets. I had asked for a necklace that was pretty neutral in color and my mom Santa knocked it out of the park.

F O U R
THIS wine decanter. OMG yes! B and I used it the other night to drink our anniversary bottle of wine. Oh you know just 2 months late. We have been #busy. I added this onto my list for my in-laws, and they gifted it to me. I LOVE IT. B calls it a "beaker." Whatever, it's beautiful & I'm obsessed. And you have to pour a whole bottle into it...WINNING.

F I V E
This Kelly Wynne bag! It is so stunning. I have worn it for dressy occasions and then also very casually. The inside is a beautiful hunter green. I am obsessed.

S I X
And who doesn't love gift cards? Nordstrom, Sephora, and Starbucks. Happy happy girl! I may have already used up my whole Nordstrom gift card.

Did any of y'all get anything special? Would love to hear what y'all got or what you're putting your gift cards towards!

Christmas Recap!

HELLO WORLD! We just got back in town last night from our Christmas stay in the mountains. We had lots of fun with my parents, grandparents, sister & brother in law. Lots of beer drank; lots of good food consumed; and LOTS of laughs. Lord have mercy, the laughs. I'll let the pictures do the talking. These are all iPhone pictures so excuse the quality on some.

 

These crazies are always down for a visit...even if that means driving 2hrs to see us. We are so thankful for them! 

Christmas at the original Mast General Store in Valle Crucis.

My sister and I at my parents' home in Boone!

  

My sister and her husband, Chris, and their golden Hank. Isn't Hank so cute?! I love his face. 

Christmas day!

Hat: Target

And of course Gopher wasn't left out on Christmas presents. My mom got him this super cute kerchief with his name on it. You can order one for you pup here.

We had a great time and as always the time went too quickly! We are already planning how to get ourselves back for another visit...if we don't move back before then. ;)

Austin Workshops: Flower Arrangement

Good Morning friends! Today I thought I'd share with y'all a recent workshop I took here in Austin at the cutest little shop you ever did see. Last Friday, I attended a Flower Arrangement workshop hosted at The Paper Craft Pantry in East Austin. Pei is the owner here, and y'all she is the sweetest. She is so warm and inviting and her shop is AWESOME. Think, white, bright, industrial, and awesome stationary/paper products you could ever imagine. Her shop front is easy to find with a cute mural and mint green door. You can't miss it.

The class was taught by Katy Stuart who owns Gatherer Floral Co & it was so awesome. She told us that it was her first workshop she has ever taught, and she knocked it out of the park in my personal opinion. One of the things I really loved about Katy is her "floral style" if you will. It's sprawling and so natural looking. The flowers & greenery she had chosen for us to work with were not necessarily what I would have picked up thinking they would look good together. I mean what do I know?! But they came together SOOO beautifully.

She started out showing us how to start our arrangement, and we followed along with our own arrangements. Everyone's turned out different, and they were all so beautiful. We all had the same flowers to choose from, but it goes to show you how they can look just so different. Below you can see my finished product. I am so happy with the way it turned out.

The Paper Craft Pantry hosts lots of different workshops from calligraphy, abstract painting, brush lettering, hand lettering, macrame, etc. You can check out the workshops here. This was my third workshop here and I really do enjoy them. It's a chance to try something new and perhaps find something you can continue. For me, the arrangement obsession will probably continue. Ha!

Also, if you need flowers, Katy is your girl. Just take a look at her Instagram. Really, all of it is beautiful and just so dreamy. 

You can find the The Paper Craft Pantry on Instagram [@thepapercraftpantry] & Facebook [The Paper Craft Pantry]. Gatherer Floral Co can be found on Instagram [@gathererfloralco] & Facebook [Gatherer Floral Co].

After women, flowers are the most divine creations.  -Christian Dior

Five on Friday: Festive Earrings

Hi Friends! I wanted to share with y'all some festive holiday earrings I am currently loving. I am either a pearl stud wearing girl, silver or gold hoops, or some big earrings. I personally love tassel earrings because they are just FUN. They can always kick up a rather boring outfit and take it to the next level. Go big or go home. I find that Baublebar is a great place to find fancy earrings at a decent price!

[one]
BaubleBar Gem Pinata Tassel Earrings: These are so pretty. They are currently sold out but have a list you can get on once they come back in stock. I think these are SO pretty & would make for great NYE outfit accessories.

[two]
Another Baublebar find. These are actually on my Christmas list. They have several different colors. The gray ombre is on my list because I am a lover of neutral...can you blame me? They will go with EVERYTHING.

[three]
These Flamenco drops??? Um, yes please. Give me the ice blue. There are no other words!

[four]
Black, gold, and druzy. Need I say more? I don't know what it is about druzy but I am obsessed. And black and gold are two of my favorite colors so this is a winner in my book. Glam central. They also come in other colors as well.

[five]
And to get away from the black obsession, these Artemis Tassel Drops in yellow are really pretty. I think in the summertime with tan skin they would REALLY pop. They are pretty long and the yellow pretty bright so you'd want to keep your outfit fairly simple.

As you can see my tassel obsession runs deep. I also have these in the color Emerald.  Has anyone tried the ear jackets? I'm not sure how those would look on me...maybe a small one? Have you tried them? What are some other great online shops for jewelry that you love? I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!!

Merry Merry Christmas!

I wanted to share with y'all our Christmas cards this year since most everyone has now gotten them. We went with Minted this year & I really just love them. They make it so easy to design your cards & they offer free addressing. Um that's an easy decision! It's never too late to order for Christmas. You can also do a Happy New Years card which I think is a great way to still send something out in the mail that is fun for your recipients especially if you are running a bit behind. No one will ever know!! Since I can't send my readers one, here it is. Merry Christmas from our home to yours. We hope yours is merry & bright and that you always remember the true reason of the Season.