2010-the year of the blog. Ok, maybe i'm the only one calling it that, but since that's when i started mine, and therefore started documenting everything, that's what "the ten" felt like for me. Let's go on a virtual best of 2010 journey together...hold hands and look both ways.
"Here comes the Sunroom", and quite possibly my favorite post title. Gotta love a gal who works in a Beatles tune.
Took the Bedroom from boring blah to ahh-Truly a Christmas miracle that we finally painted but no new photo til next year. Currently the furniture is smooshed in the middle of the room and walls need one more coat...not exactly the grand reveal i'm going for.
Added a Big a$$ garage that i had to pretty up quick and cheap...
Began work on the basement renovation, which i am happy to report is looking more and more like usable space every day.
Shared why i can't paint my kitchen white, in haiku form, no less...
And professed my undying affection for this little gray one.
Next year promises a finished basement-lordy, i hope so-a bathroom revamp, continued random musings, and more cat cuteness. I truly appreciate those of you who have been with me on this journey this year-your encouragement, your comments, your friendship...your ideas that allow me to expand mine...bring it on, 2011.
I think it's rather evident that i've been taking it easy on the ol' blog...and i think i'll continue to do so, at least through the long weekend. Be well, my friends, and have a very merry one!
Is it weird that i have favorite commercials for this time of year? I love that these commercials, though many years old, are brought back out specifically for the holiday season.
This is my most favorite, i think those little kisses are adorable.
Youtube tells me this has aired every holiday season in PA since 1992. I look forward to it every year, but i bet most of you haven't seen...5 cash fives!
S loves the yellow m&m!
There's also those those coca cola ones with the bears and seals, remember them?
Are there any commercials that mean "It's Christmas" to you, or that you look forward to this time of year? Do tell!
Proof that my cat likes after Christmas sales as much as me...this was a clearance Target find full of goodies scented with catnip.
The inspector inspecting....
I apologize about the foot-this was happening so quick and my mothering instincts must have kicked in and told me to quick, get the camera!
A little closer inspection....
What a nut! That's her entire head in the stocking, and i swear if she could have gotten in any further, she would have!
Mine.
And i may have gone a bit overboard for her stocking this year, too. My best friend found it odd that Sunday has one, but she's not a pet person so you can't go by her. I'm curious-do you buy your pets christmas gifts? Do they have a stocking?
I send out holiday cards like most of you do, it's just that mine always come from end of the season sales from the previous season. Therefore, one must always be sure there's no "year" lurking in tiny print which would give away our cheap ass thrifty treasures. And that was the route i was going this year, until the team at Simple Card contacted me with an offer for holiday post cards. Heck yeah, my people, The Cape On The Corner is moving up in the world!
Here's some good stuff about Simple Card:
-They use environmentally responsible card stock-You know momma likes to keep it green.
-You can choose either postcards or regular cards, with your picture on it or sans picture, and you can add personalized text and additional images to almost any of the cards from front to back depending on your selection.
-They will send your cards directly to your friends and family (for a small charge) so that you don't have to.
-Free USPS shipping!
Mine came super quickly and are totally adorable. Behold:
It comes with that phrase, and the book mark is my high tech way of covering our names here and below. I'm cool like that.
I froze! I couldn't think of what to write, and i wanted to keep it neutral since we'll be sending them to my family (Chanukah) and S's (Xmas). You can choose whatever words you want, really adding to the personalization!
I wish i could show you other images from their site, but they are coming up too small so no one can reproduce them (understandable, but i wish they'd come up large and have a watermark so you can see the ones i like!) You'll have to just go to SimpleCard on my word-I'm going to have a Jack Bauer moment-"I give you my word" that the cards are super cute, with lots to choose from, come packaged perfectly, and are glossy and lovely. Some of my holiday favorites are these and these and these. There's one for any occasion-there's one with a champagne flute (new year's party, perhaps) and one with a little picnic bench (4th of july bbq, anyone).
Thank you SimpleCard for the first personalized cards i've ever sent! I love them, and am highly recommending these for any event or gifts!
Bidness-I received a set of postcards to blog about, but what i blogged about was my own choosing. Got it?
This may very well be the chicest thing i've ever done. Chic and sophisticated, timeless and classy. And dubbed by the boyfriend, fancypants. Not to worry, that's a good thing. It means my goal is achieved, and he sees it too. Love when others appreciate your vision, right?
I wanted it to feel holiday-ish without being 100% clear what that holiday was. This could go for Christmas, Chanukah, New Years, or really anything during winter, no? The runner was not meant for this room when i got it (on clearance, HG) but i think it sets the winter white tone. Usually the accent color is red, so i wasn't quite sure this would work out.
You drink out of seasonal glasses, I'm sure. I was thrilled to find this, but disappointed there was only one. (HG)
The candlesticks were either thrifted or from the dollar store, the candles themselves were never utilized before (gift from way back) and remembered them at the last minute! The only new item on the table are these little two toned presents (XMas Tree Shops) that i plopped atop the Spanish moss.
Snowflake napkins (Kohls clearance last year) and napkin rings (winnings) were the inspiration, adding to the two toned look.
What's that, these little presents light up? A deal and a steal if i ever saw one!
I still thought it needed something, so these snowflakes from the dollar store (from last year) were just thrown into the mix. Fancypants winter wonderland indeed.
A little extra bling-theblue ornaments in the apothecary jars were actually a garland. When I snipped them off, the remaining bits were just added to the Spanish moss instead of tossed in the trash. Their original destination, i'm ashamed to say.
I would totally host a soiree dinner party just to eat it in here. It's amazing that thrifting, dollar stores, and clearance can result in something so pretty. I loooove it, and hope you do, too!
I have been tasked with looking up bar ideas for the basement. I know what i want, but somehow my description of what i want does not translate into S understanding it. My poor boyfriend needs more than my flailing and flapping. So pictures i will find...hopefully.
I know it's not for everyone, but we want a retro inspired, diner like, drive in theatre type basement. My big issue is that i don't want it to look like it was a direction we HAD to go in because of the specific choices we are making. Like, gee, these black and white tiles must've been here, so retro is the only way to go. We're the ones installing the tiles, so i want retro meets timeless. You think that's out there?
So black and white tile on the diagonal in the bar portion, and of course i'm going to need retro counter stools. After that, i'm stuck. What should the actual bar look like? S wants glass block for authenticity, but i'm not finding that at all timeless. What about behind the bar? Mirror? Mirrors with shelves? Gah!
Don't hate me. I'd hate me, if i was not me, and kept seeing some lucky gal repeatedly winbloggy giveaways. But i am me, so it wouldn't be good to hate me. Instead, this friggin' rocks!
SQUEAL!!!
But seriously, i am not blogging about my rather bizarre string of luck to rub it in your faces, i hope you know. I am blogging about it to give thanks and recognition to those that offered the giveaways. To the oodles of people who read mine (ahem.)
That being said....thank you Strictly Simple Style and Swalla Studio for the abstract zodiac painting. I chose Libra, my month. It felt wrong picking anything else! This will look perfect in the basement with this color scheme.
And thank you Centsational Girl and Modern Tribe-hopefully i will be owning a nice piece of something or other by Jonathon Adler in the near future! Something ceramic, and something white!
Missy Salsa and Nita from Mod Vintage Life gave me a blog award, so thank you sweet ladies! Missy is a survivor if i ever saw one, so please go give her some love. And you must check out Nita's fabulous christmas mantel...vintage through and through. Love those gals.
However, good winnings and awards aside, i can't help but feel anxious and terribly on edge that something atrocious is going to happen to even things out. I'd like to think this is the universe's way of thanking me for doing the type of work i do and making this type of crap pay, but what i'd "like to think" is very much different than the way i actually do think. Help!
This year i'm doing it up in blues, silvers, and whites. It's what all the cool kids are doing. Seriously, thank you, other bloggers, for showing me the wide range of color combos you've got going on in your homes for the season. I've seen bright and candy colored, i've seen rustic browns and greens. With the blues i get to use all the accessories i already have (hello, glass vases) and it works even better for Chanukah.
That book is called Hanakkah, Shmanakkah and is meant to be like The Night Before Christmas, complete with a scrooge. Love decorating with books!
Aglow in blues.
The cutest snow woman ever, all her sparkly bits and feathers!
Her tall friend is a yard sale find from a few years back, and the little stumpy guy on the floor I took from my mom.
Since we don't have a fireplace (yet) this is where we hang our stockings. They don't jive with the blue color scheme, but these stockings are staying. S's was made when he was a baby, and that little paw is Sunday's. So cute! I like stuffing nonsense in between, so these are little seasonal stuffed animals.
This guy's wearing a yarmulke!
Close up of the garland, which is where i'm draping our holiday cards this year. I just think the picture is the epitome of our home for the season-a letter to Santa with a Jewish star.
The eyesore tv stand, but just so you can see where the jars below sit. Still loving all my thrifted glassware.
The few items purchased this season were the blue ornament garland which i cut up to fill the jars, and the silver styrofoam ornaments as filler. Do you spy the dreidel? The gift ornaments and the snow tinged pincones from the mega free haul.
The real reason why i wanted to go the blue and white route! Mwah ha ha!
I can never get a good picture of this space! That's free tree-I knew i'd make a spot for her! I think she fills this space better than the menorah, which is now on half moon table (shown in first photo.)
Sunroom and bathroom tweaked:
So thank goodness i'm done decorating...although we haven't done the outside or the tree yet. That's a many hour process that i'm not looking forward to. What about you, anyone decorate the tree as a Christmas Eve tradition, or do you have it up longer? More importantly, when do you take it down?
Music. I live it. I breathe it. I rock out in the car, and in the shower. While i'm cooking, while i'm decorating. Clearly the holidays mark their own special mix tape, so you know i'm rocking out to some seasonal music.
I have to say i pretty much can't stand the same songs over and over, the ones that stores are piping in and radio stations began playing in early November. So i made this cd with my ol' pal napster in the way i did my halloween mix-searching for keywords. And looking for ska covers, b/c they add a little oomph to regular songs. Frosty the Snowman, yeah, i'm not going to have that. But Frosty the Snowman done by a punk rock bad, heck yeah! I warn you, this mix isn't your typical holiday music. Let me expand your horizons a bit.
1. A Simple Plan-Christmas List...."I want a shopping spree in New York City! Just bring me things that i don't need....cuz now it's Christmas, and i want everything, i just can't wait."
2. Blink 182-"It's Christmas time again, time to be nice to the people that you can't stand all year."
Ok, ok, if that's not your type of thing, on the SAME cd we've got classics, too...
3. Ella Fitzgerald- Sleigh Ride..."I'm just crazy 'bout horses."
4. Louis Armstrong-Cool Yule
5. Michael Buble-Let it Snow
6. Mariah Carey- All I Want for Xmas is you.
7. Bon Jovi-Please Come Home for Christmas. His version's so sexy and wistful...oh, to be Cindy Crawford's chin...if you watch, you'll see what i mean.
8. Dominick, The Italian Christmas Donkey- Lou Monte..."You talk Italian to him and he even understands, hey, jiggity jig!
9. Christmastime-Smashing Pumpkins...i told you these were more obscure songs.
10. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas-Tori Amos...her version is hauntingly beautiful.
I know what you're thinking-it's Chanukah, you're jewish, what gives. Did you know there's not much out there for chanukah that's not for children, nor religious? I'm being sarcastic, everyone knows that! Until my beloved Entertainment Weekly mentioned The Leevees! Fun Chanukah pop music with smart lyrics and music that is rock out-able. The magazine said buy it, and i did, without even listening to samples. I urge you, if you are looking for fun Chanukah music, to do the same. A sampling:
Happy Chanukah, friends. It's that special time of year when we light the menorah, spin the dreidel, and most importantly, nom on latkes. Not just any old potato pancakes, but my mother's potato pancakes. Deelish! You didn't think i was going to say i made them, did you? I do help with the shredding of the potatoes and therefore, my knuckles. But having one's skin sloughed off is a small price to pay for these delicious puppies!
Now this is what a latke looks like, people! Edges all askew, the perfect little nubby for plucking that no one will know is missing. Paper towels absorbing the grease that ensures we all go home smelling of latkes, which isn't a bad thing.
I don't participate in the applesaucing or the sour creaming that most people garnish latkes with. My brother and I like a good ol' mound of ketchup. Sometimes this is met with shock and awe. Ketchup. On latkes. I say why not, you put ketchup on fries! Is this not an even better variation of the fry, one that comes but once a year!? Keep calm and ketchup on, eh? Make me up a printable to market around blogland and i'll be set!
