Create Holiday Charm with These 7 Décor Tips

When the holiday season comes around, you want to make your home feel nice and cozy while also bringing the sparkle of festive decor into your living space. Here are easy tips to make your home charming over the holidays.

Bring in Warm Textures

You want your home to look gorgeous but also be a sanctuary during the cold months. There are easy ways to create warmth with your décor.

●  Add Color.  Jewel colors, such as royal blue and forest green, in the form of throws or blankets, can be a wonderful way to add tone and luxury to a room. If you need a bit of cheerfulness, opt for brighter colors, such as pink or yellow, or stick to traditional holiday shades of green and red.

●  Add Texture. Texture is another important element to create a comforting home. Faux fur and sheepskin blankets or fluffy rugs make you want to cuddle up and feel relaxed the minute you step inside from the cold.

15 'Sweet' Sugar Scrubs You Can Make At Home

I can't think of a better way to buff away dry, flaky skin than with a good, old-fashioned sugar scrub. My mother always used to use olive oil and sugar to soften her hands and now I do the same. While waiting for water to boil or food to finish cooking in the oven, I'll take a little olive oil and sugar, and rub my hands together over the sink. After a minute or so, I rinse my hands and voila! I instantly have smoother hands! 

Do It Yourself Dazzling Druzy & Tassel Earrings {+ Giveaway}

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Maybe it's the boho vibe they give off or the instant fashion statement they make, but I'm ridiculously obsessed with tassel earrings!  Actually, my obsession with tassels goes beyond earrings and includes just about anything fringed. I love the look of fringed raw-cut denim jeans, bags and jackets with fringe, and even home decor accessories like tassel and fringe embellished pillows. Yup, I wasn't kidding when I said I'm obsessed.

15 Do It Yourself Gift Ideas for Mother's Day!

This Mother’s Day, why not give mom or a special mother figure in your life, a gift that you made yourself. These fun-loving, ultra sweet gifts are a great way to let mom know how much she means to you.

15 DIY Crafts That Are Perfect For Easter

It's exciting to think that spring is just around the corner and soon star-like crocuses will begin to bloom and birds will sing. As soon as the weather spikes above 65 degrees, I can't wait to freshen the pillows on the sofa and place pastel wreaths on the doors. We had a spring teaser type of day on Friday, but it wasn't meant to last. We're back to snow for now, but it won't be too much longer. 

Felt Ornaments with Gold Detailing {DIY}

GUEST POST

This holiday season, I’ve been a big fan of rustic-glam for all of my décor needs. You may have already seen my Twine-WrappedOrnaments and let me tell you, they are looking quite fabulous on my Christmas tree (which I proudly put up by the first week of December!).

After analyzing my tree’s overall look, I decided that the brown twine needed to be complemented by something bright and full of shine. I’ve always been a big fan of felt ornaments: I love the different texture they offer and not to mention, how they’re a lot safer to have around kids. Growing up, my mother would often use glass ornaments. Though they were beautiful, they were so fragile and would shatter in an instant. For my own tree, I decided to go for something a little less traditional and a little more practical.

Create Your Own Shabby Chic Twine Ornaments

Guest Post

Every year, I like to go for different themes for my holiday décor. It really depends on what inspires me for the season. Sometimes, I like to go the classic route, with a simplistic yet, sophisticated red-and-green theme. During my college years, I was in an ultra-feminine phase and embellished my then-apartment with pink and silver ornaments. It was oh-so fabulous; I loved every aspect of it!

For this Christmas season, I am totally feeding off of the “glamorous, rustic vibe.” There’s just something about natural palettes, twine rope and burlap that makes me all giddy inside.

Homemade White Truffle Hot Chocolate

With colder days coming our way, there’s nothing better than snuggling up with a large blanket, some comfortable slippers and a large cup of hot chocolate.

When it comes to hot chocolate, the sky’s the limit with flavor profiles and different toppings. I can never say no to an abundant amount of mini marshmallows but lately, I’ve been wanting to get more creative with my cocoa.

There’s a café near my house that serves the most exquisite white hot chocolate. It’s creamy, full of flavor and is the perfect drink on a cold and chilly night. Its sweet aroma fills the air and the first sip begins to warm you up from the inside out. Of course, I immediately wanted to make my own and so I developed the recipe with a slight twist: White Truffle Hot Chocolate.

DIY Wedding: Oreo Pudding Cups with Silver Pearls

Last week, I talked about DIY weddings and how more bridal couples are putting their own touch of creativity to their nuptials.

When I’m attending a wedding, you can usually find me at the sweets table. I’m not necessarily digging into every sweet dish I come by, but I am definitely admiring the artistry that goes behind the pastries and treats catered specifically for a dessert-style buffet.

I came to the realization that these types of treats can be easily made at home. If you do it yourself, you have the freedom to put any type of spin on any classic dessert. It also allows you to control your food budget and portions.

Today, I put together these easy-to-make Oreo Pudding Cups. When you’re preparing for a wedding, there’s already so much to think about, so I wanted to put together a recipe that was bake-free, stress-free and absolutely delicious. I love that these pudding cups do not entail strenuous work in the kitchen. All it takes are some ready-made (and delicious!) food items with a touch of love and creativity!

DIY Wedding with Paper Flowers

Nowadays, it seems that every wedding has some form of “DIY” incorporated into it. We know, we know: the likeliness of all weddings being “DIY-central” is extremely low, but we can’t help but gawk at how Pinterest-worthy some nuptials end up looking.

Fall Decorating with Burlap!

Welcome the warmth of fall into your home this season! We've found some beautiful and inspiring burlap projects that will instantly beautify and add warmth to your space. Best of all, these easy, no-hassle inspirations are all budget-friendly, too! 

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I simply adore these pumpkins made of burlap and embellished with pearls and rhinestones to give them a shabby chic look! They are definitely on my DIY bucket list this fall! If you are feeling crafty, check out our velvet pumpkins and acorns tutorial.

Key Lime & Coffee Scrub Cubes {DIY}

I don’t know about you, but my skin was wrecked by this harsh winter we had. My skin, which is usually pretty supple, has lost that soft, touchable feeling. I noticed this especially on my arms and legs. Whenever I need to exfoliate and give my skin a treat, I make a batch of my Key Lime Coffee Scrub Cubes. Not only do they get dead skin off, but they smell so good! After I use them, I apply my favorite skin lotion and my skin is back to it’s beautiful self!

Fabric Covered Banker Box {DIY}

A special thanks to Kelly for sharing one of her fun and beautiful DIY projects! Enjoy...

I have a house with limited storage space, so I am always on the hunt for viable storage solutions. We have one of these modular storage bookcases in just about every room. These are great for my smaller items that will fit in an 11x11 box. For the larger items, I needed an alternative place to store those. Because they would most likely be out in the open, I needed an idea that was practical and pretty. I remembered using cardboard Banker Boxes when we needed storage in my office, and it gave me an idea. Why not cover them to make them presentable? That’s when I came up with the idea to make Fabric Covered Storage Boxes. This is a super easy and affordable craft you can do in an afternoon!

DIY: Ombre Painted Mason Jars!

I am super stoked to have spring in full swing. The kids and I are spending more time outside, enjoying this gorgeous weather. One thing we love to do during summer break is lots of craft projects. Now that the kids are older, they are able to help create our crafts. I was looking for a craft that would make a pretty centerpiece. I am obsessed with mason jars, so painting them and adding my favorite flowers was an inexpensive project we could complete in a few hours. These ombre painted mason jars are so lovely and they cost less than $15 (including the artificial flowers!) You cannot get any better than that, right?!

Easy, Fun & Festive Holiday Ideas!

There's something truly magical about the Holiday Season! I still get giddy like a child when we put up the tree and turn the lights on for the very first time. Then there are the beautiful decorations! Ahhh.... Relaxing by the fire with a decorated mantel, sipping a cup of hot cocoa and writing greeting cards to friends and relatives. It's the perfect way to spend the evening. 

Before we start getting too comfy and cozy, let's get some budget-friendly decorating and shopping done first! If you make your decorating and holiday shopping a priority, you will avoid all the hustle and bustle later. 

We've rounded up some fun and festive decorating and gift giving ideas that won't break the bank! Let's start with decorative tissue paper flowers! This is the first time I've made tissue paper poms and I love them! They are so easy to make and I've found many wonderful ways to use them throughout the house. 

The paper flowers look adorable strung together with ribbon on the mantel. I can't wait to unpack all the holiday ornaments & candles and add it to this festive decor! 

Last Minute Fourth of July Centerpieces!

I posted a few easy last minute centerpiece ideas last year and I've had a few readers contact me to post more this year. Sorry this is so late, but here is the original post with a few updates:

Are you entertaining this 4th of July? Take it up a notch by adding one or more of these simple, yet stylish, decor ideas to your patriotic party.  

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Use stencils to draw stars onto red, white and blue duct tape. Cut out the stars and stick them onto your centerpiece pots, pails, or mason jars. I feel it is far easier to mess with duct tape at the last minute than trying to paint. The duct tape requires less time and effort - especially the stripes {smile}! My favorite! 

Relax & Enjoy A Great DIY Decorating Book....Free!

A Beautiful and Inexpensive DIY Holiday Wreath!

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The holiday season is upon us and this weekend I will be taking advantage of the warm (albeit wet) weather, to decorate the outside of our home. I found this beautiful inspiration DIY wreath on BHG.com and want to try something similar. What do you think? I like that BHG used a grapevine wreath. Grapevine wreaths are not only affordably priced, they're a steal when you use coupons from JoAnn Fabrics or Michaels. I purchased grapevine wreaths back in early November for under $5 each! If you didn't see my "Welcome to my Home" fall feature, here is a photo of the 24" wreaths:

A Perfect At-Home Gel Manicure!

We all know having well-groomed nails enhances our appearance and makes us feel glamorously spoiled. Having shiny, polished nails, however, is not always feasible. Not all of us have time to visit a manicurist once a week to relax and pamper ourselves for an hour.  We are busy moms, students, businesswomen, just trying to look our best in the least amount of time possible! 

Well, I'm happy to let you know that I've found an EASY way to keep my nails looking AMAZING! I was lucky enough to have a chance to try NAILUV! Nailuv is an easy to use professional LED gel nail system. It not only has an ultra adorable LED heart light, but it is long-wearing, chip-proof, and super easy to use! Nailuv offers the ideal solution for those seeking a well-groomed manicure without visiting the salon. It's so fast, easy, long-lasting, and oh so shiny! Just look at the high gloss shine in the pics! (see below) LOVE! 

Creative and Personal Wedding Gifts!

This post is brought to you by Target, but all opinions and content are my own. Follow along with #TargetWedding on Twitter and discover how to "Be Yourself, Together".

Get inspired with Target's Wedding Registry! When looking for the perfect wedding gift, I like to take traditional gifts from the couple's wedding registry, and make them unforgettable. Sure. Gifting towels is very nice, but it isn't very creative or memorable. Have fun and use your imagination! As you can see below, I've taken the gift of beautiful bath towels to a whole new level with a towel warmer. Oooooh. The new bride and groom will enjoy wrapping themselves in warmth when they step out of the shower. Sooooo comfy! And best of all, they will both enjoy it!