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Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas! I hope everyones holiday weekend is full of family, friends, laughter, and good food (plus a few festive cocktails never hurts either!).
I plan on taking it a bit easy on the blogging front for the next week or so, but I'll be popping in from time to time... and I'll be back to normal posting after the New Year! Happy Holidays to all!
Black & Grey has always been a favorite combination of mine - you can't really go wrong putting the two together, and I find that I wear black & grey together all the time. This simple outfit & kitchen are pretty fantastic in my book.
On an unrelated note, I don't know about you guys, but the last couple of weeks have been completely bonkers busy, and I'm bummed I haven't been able to stick to my normal blog schedule. I'm hoping to get back to regular posting soon!
These cookies have quickly become my absolute favorite Christmas cookie (or, to be honest, my any-time-of-year favorite cookie). The recipe is courtesy of Elise (she's been making them for years), and they're simply the best holiday cookies ever... in short, they're tender, chewy, peppermint goodness.
I made them for a holiday party this weekend, and am sure I'll be making them again soon - they're just too delicious (and cute) to pass up!
Santa Hat Peppermint Cookies
Yields 3-4 dozen cookies
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 10 candy canes, crushed
- 1 bag of Candy Cane Hershey's Kisses
In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla, and salt, and stir until combined. In a separate bowl, stir the baking soda & flour together with a whisk until combined.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the stand mixer, alternating with the vegetable oil until both are added. Next, mix in the crushed candy canes, making sure they're evenly distributed into the cookie dough. *Note: I usually just crush the candy canes in a ziplock bag with a hammer or heavy mug.
Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into a ball, and place on a lined cookie sheet (I always use a Silpat mat - they are amazing - nothing sticks to them!) Lightly flatten the tops of the cookies, and bake for 10-15 minutes, or as soon as they are a very light golden brown.
Immediately after taking them out, place a candy cane kiss in the middle of each cookie, and let cool. Enjoy!
So, these mojitos are pretty bomb. They're delicious and festive - how awesome is that?! Sadly, I can't claim them as my idea - I first saw them on pinterest (of course), and quickly decided they had to be made asap.
And I'm so glad I did. They have the main flavors of a mojito (which I've already established I love here), but with the addition & slight tang of cranberry. And you can't beat the pretty holiday colors! This will for sure be my go-to holiday drink.
Christmas Cranberry Mojitos
- fresh mint
- limes
- cranberry juice (I used light Ocean Spray juice)
- fresh cranberries
- white rum (such as Bacardi Superior)
- Sprite Zero (or a similar lemon-lime diet soda)
Squeeze the juice from half of a lime into a large glass - it should be about a tablespoon of juice. Muddle 10-12 large mint leaves with the lime juice. Fill the the glass with ice, and pour 2 ounces of rum over the ice. Add 2 ounces of cranberry juice, and top off glass with 2 ounces of sprite zero. Give it a stir, and garnish with fresh cranberries & a sprig of mint. Enjoy!
Happy Happy Friday! I hope everyone has a terrific weekend!
So, it's probably pretty apparent at this point that I love me some blue - it seriously looks good with everything! Don't believe me? See here and here and here and here for evidence.
Currently, I'm loving it with shades of tan & gold - or more specifically, the warm, rich tones of camel, cognac, and ochre.
This room, with the oversized blue artwork & cognac leather chairs is un-freaking-believable, and the necklace - well, I pretty much wish I was wearing it right now. Possible Christmas gift to myself? I think so...
This rug is such an oldie but goodie. I love that it's neutral enough to work well in most types of spaces, but bold & graphic enough to add an interesting element to a room. Plus, the black and white color combo is classic, allowing for virtually any color scheme to be layered on top of it through accessories and furniture. And of course, you can't beat the price!
This is such a great winter soup. It's full of fragrant vegetables, chewy wild rice, and tender chicken, all combined in a flavorful broth & cream base. So delicious. Even better, it's done within an hour! So, it's one of those rare soups that can actually be made on a weeknight after you get home from work... Bonus points!
Cream of Wild Rice & Chicken Soup
Recipe adapted from here
This soup is especially great with some garlic bread toasts on the side. My favorite way to make a quick garlic toast is to: butter bread (I really like San Luis Cracked Wheat sourdough!), and sprinkle with garlic salt, paprika, and a bit of dried parsley. Then broil them in the oven until golden brown & crispy. So easy & so good!
Oy vey. As opposed to the super easy glitter ornaments that I posted on Friday, this tassel garland was actually a little more difficult than I thought it would be.
Fortunately, I'm happy with how it turned out, but it did take a bit more time & patience than I expected... The great thing about this garland is that since I stuck with a neutral color palette, I'll be able to use it over and over again, for lots of different occasions (hi New Years, Birthday, and Bridal/Baby shower decorations!). Plus, it's pretty cute on its own, but it would also be fun to layer a confetti garland like this on top of it to add some color.
Here's what you need to make your own tassel garland:
- tissue paper (any colors you want!)
- rotary blade or a very sharp razor blade
- metal ruler
- glue
- ribbon or string to hang the tassels on (and a large needle to thread the ribbon through the tassel)
- patience (yes, it's true... tissue paper is delicate stuff, and cutting it, rolling it, and twisting it was sometimes a lesson in frustration) :)
1) Fold a few sheets of tissue paper in half, lengthwise. With your ruler & razor blade, cut the sheets in 1/2" sections (start the cuts about 1.5" down from the fold at the top of the tissue). Cut all the way to the top every 3 inches so that each section will have 6 tassels. Do this with the entire tissue paper sheet.
2) Unfold the sections, and lay 6-8 of the cut-out tassel sections on top of each other. Roll them up by their solid, middle section, and dot a bit of glue on the outside of the roll. Twist the middle, fold in half, and then twist the 2 halves together. Hold for a minute or two while the glue sets so that it stays in it's twisted shape.
3) Repeat for as many tassels as you want, in as many colors as you want. When they are all dry, string a needle with ribbon or string, and loop the ribbon through the small opening at the top of the twisted loop of each tassel. Once you have all of your tassels strung, hang it up on a wall, mantle, table face, whatever you want!
Coincidentally, the title of this post could also be "Easiest Ornaments Ever". Seriously, it doesn't get more simple than pouring a bunch of sequins into a glass ornament, but I'm happy to report that these are as cute & sparkly as they are easy & inexpensive to make.
All you need is:
1) Clear glass ornaments - I bought mine on sale at Michael's for around $2.50 for a pack of 6
2) Sequins! Any colors will be pretty, but I chose silver & gold, as most of my decorations are sticking with this color combo
3) a funnel - this isn't necessary, but it does make pouring the sequins into the ornaments much easier
First, take off the ornament topper. Then, put the funnel at the top of the ornament, and pour in your sequins... I probably used 1-2 Tablespoons of sequins in each ornament. Then, just put the ornament topper back on, and voila! You have a quick, easy, and (most importantly) sparkly ornament!
Hang them up on the tree, pile them into a vase, or include them in a table arrangement like zees:
Another Christmas decoration checked off the list... next up, a tassel garland!
room / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7
With all of the craziness of the holidays approaching, I find myself being drawn more and more to rooms like the above. Neutrals, calming color palettes, and uncluttered spaces are so appealing to me right now.
The varying shades of grey in the room above create such a soothing atmosphere, don't you agree? Throw in some natural wood elements, a graphic wire coffee table, and a couple of seafoam green velvet pillows for a small dose of color, and you've got a sophisticated, soothing retreat.
