Poise'n Ivory

Are you looking for something soft, feminine, and floral for yourself or someone else this holiday season?? Poise'n Ivory recently started selling their lovely items online and are now available for the public! To make it even better, they are having some Holiday sales! Check it out!

Headbands

Necklaces

Embellishments

Belts

...And more!!

Did I mention this lovely site is my very own talented sister-in-law's?? Agh I envy such talent!

{Images via Poise'n Ivory}

Lusting for Purple

Over the weekend I set out looking for something like this:
Or even this:
But sadly I didn't find the lovely watch and was muy disappointed. But the trip wasn't a complete failure! I found and fell in love with this:


Jessica Simpson's purple luggage collection. For some reason I have just been all about purple lately! And these satisfy! I travel quite a bit since my family is a 12 hour drive away and I usually just use my husbands 3 piece black luggage which has seen better days (before 2 trips to Japan and many trips country-wide) and it poses a real problem when we are both flying together! Then we have to flip a coin on who gets the bigger bag and who gets the squash their stuff into the smaller bag. So really, I think this purple luggage perfection is a necessity for me!! ...right?

If the suitcase hasn't quite captured your heart, this carryon is sure to make you lust!And although the purple luggage wins by a roundtrip to Japan, this Rockland Giraffe luggage is pretty cute too!!

{Watch photos via nordstom.com}

A notebook, pencil, and vase of roses please!

Its finally the weekend and my husband doesn't have anything going on! Of course that means I do...I will be spending my whole weekend studying for the final of finals in my student career. Naturally my mind {and computer} wandered while studying and I found these lovely offices...I think I would definitely get an A+ on my final if I had an office like these to study in...don't you??

Happy Friday my dears! I hope that all of you are playing your weekend away instead of memorizing a text book. Cheers to lovely study spaces!


{Image via fashiontribes}

All Wrapped Up

My friend Katie M. is the pro-est gift wrapper I have ever met!! If she ever gave me a present I don't think I'd be able to rip it open! She practically scrapbooks each present with wrapping paper, ribbon, tags, and everything cute!
I am NOT like that. When I'm wrapping presents I imagine the recipient tearing the paper off in shreds. Hence, my presents come in little, lumpy packages.

How do you wrap your presents??

With a big bow on top?? {Citruslist}

With your own creative touches?? {Good Housekeeping}

Traditional?? {Lovetoknow}

Themed?? {Country Living}

In bags?? {Glasglo}

Nice and simple?? {flicker}

All matching?? {Annie's treasure trove}

If you are in need of tags for your presents, see here.

Book n Breakfast Group #2

LAST MONTH

We had our Book n' Breakfast reading group this past weekend and it was very fun! The book for the past month was Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I think everyone who read it really enjoyed it! Here is a short synopsis in case you didn't get to read it. The book is based on a true story where Greg Mortenson attempts to climb the K2 in Pakistan but becomes lost and stumbles almost dead into a small impoverished Pakistani village where the people nurse him back to health. He then returns home but promises to return to build a school where they had never even held a pencil or seen a sheet paper. True to his word, Mortenson begins one of the largest humanitarian efforts and eventually brings peace to the war stricken Taliban home of the improvished Pakistani village through education and books.
This story had a very Christmas-y feel to me. Not because of the ice and snow covered peaks of the K2 Himalayas, but because of the selfless giving of Mortenson and those who aided in the educational humanitarian efforts of everyone involved. Its an amazing testament of how much people can accomplish when they pull together in an effort to help those in need.
Three Cups of Tea inspired me to use my limited resources to help someone that was in even greater need. My husband and I found a single mother of four that would not be able to afford Christmas this year. The story touched me and we decided to put our Christmas money towards their Christmas. When we told my sister and brother-in-law about what we were doing they immediately caught on to the Christmas Spirit and offered to chip in and help. I am so excited to see the faces on the four children and their mother when they find out Santa found his way to their home...early!
This is seriously what Christmas is about- finding someone else, whether its family, a friend, or stranger, that could use a little lift and Christmas cheer and then finding a way to bring that about.
Anyway, to get back to point, if you didn't get a chance to read Three Cups of Tea with us last month, try to find some time in the future to read it! You won't be disappointed.

COMING MONTH

This coming month we are going to read Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan.
I have never read it but I'm excited! To read a summary on the book, see here. You will actually have 2 months to read this book (so maybe you want to get it cheaper on Amazon??) as the end of this month will be Christmas and New Years and I know I won't be around to host a book group! So our next meeting will be the fourth Saturday in January and I'll of course announce the new book on here!
Please if you have any book suggestions leave them in the comments!!! I want to read a diverse selection of books and will try to get to all your suggestions!
Have a lovely month enjoying some down time {when the relatives have gone home/hotel for the evening} cozied up with a good book!

Toasty Cozy

This picture is small, but doesn't the lit fireplace make the whole room look so cozy and inviting?? I would place a mug of hot chocolate with a peppermint and lots of marshmallows in it on the side table and cozy up with a favorite book, An Old Fashioned Girl.

{Image via Lorrie Browne Interiors}

Christmas Tags

My very talented Mother-in-law professionally designs original and festive sticker
Christmas tags every year and they are just too cute {and price happy} not to share with you!

o Glossy and glitter finish

o 12x12 sheet with 20 stickers per sheet
o $2.50 per sheet + $1.50 s&h (for entire order)
o Available in bulk quantities (s&h may vary)

To order, select the amount of sheets you wish to buy below and then click the Buy Now button. Then shoot me an email with the quantity you ordered and your address. They will ship out within 3 business days of your placed order! If you have questions or would like more than 50 sheets, shoot me an email and we'll take care of your order! Thanks, and enjoy!!

Note: If you live in or around Provo, feel free to pick them up free of s&h!

Christmas Tags

1 Sheet $2.50 5 Sheets $12.50 10 Sheets $25.00 20 Sheets $50.00

Have a Very Metallic Christmas!!

{Macys}

{Macys}

{I'm not sure where this picture is from but it is so sparkly!}

{Country Living}

{Country Living}

{Country Living}

{Country Living}

{Country Living}

Where do you draw the line??

In the past I would shop the Black Friday sales with my mom but this year there is nothing important enough to wait in this line. We did most of our Christmas shopping in Japan and this year we drew my niece and nephew to shop for. Pay an extra few bucks to sleep in and shop later?? I think so.

How was your Thanksgiving? Are you running around trying to snag this and grab that today?? Where do you draw the line to day after Thanksgiving mayhem?

For those of you who want to stay in and still get your shopping done with Black Friday sales, check out this site. Save $100's and free shipping on so many items!

{images via Champagne Living}

I'm Baaaaack!

Wow its been a long time since I've blogged! I wish I could say that my absence was due to a dream vacation that I won by being the 31st caller but sadly thats far from the truth. My baby and I have been under the weather so we cuddled and watched lots of movies together. Even feeling yucky has its good times. But I couldn't miss wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving!! We are spending it at my in-laws and my food assignment is munchies, a jello salad, and the dressing. And because I'm an over achiever and have to get my homemade sugar fix, I'm also making an Amish peanut butter pie and a 2 foot braided bavarian cream and almond danish pastry. Yummm!

{Country Living}

Where are you spending Thanksgiving?? What's on your menu??

The Blooming Button

I first came across Nicole Drysdale's little cuties at the Bijou Market {Mmmm so much inspiration all in one place!}. The Blooming Button carries everything from crocheted caps and flowers to button clips and jewelry! They have something in every size too so your Christmas shopping can begin and end here.

{Photo via The Blooming Button on Etsy}

{Photo via The Blooming Button on Etsy}

These are little clips and I'm sure they are what inspired the name The Blooming Button.

So head on over to The Blooming Button here and check out all of their darlingness for you and your girl friends!

Christmas Inspired Living Room

Hello all! I know its Tuesday, but here is an {eclectic} Christmas inspired living room to help you get in the Christmas spirit.


I hope you all had a fabulous weekend..and Monday!

Handmade Christmas

Christmas is right around the corner people!! And I am so excited!!! I know we haven't even hit Thanksgiving yet but I'm the type to get a little carried away with Christmas...say...early November. I can't help it! Carols just pop out of my mouth!

So in case you are getting a jump start on Christmas this year or just looking towards the future, here are some of my favorite handmade Christmas decoration ideas:

I love the monograms! {chicmommybags $40}

Mmm... I can smell it already! {NHWoodscreation $10}

This little gingerbread man soap would make great Christmas party favors or stocking stuffers! {fairybubbles $3.75}

{Bloomingcouture $70}

Feeling not so traditional? {TraceyAnns $3.25 for 3}

This is so cute and would be so easy to make! {Ochristmastree $38}


Candy wreath- festive AND yummy! {Sweetgreetings09 $8}

I think these paper mache primitive snowmen are kinda cute {Krafty Chic Designs $4}

How cute are these handmade decorations?? {Snowfish $29.90}

When will you start decorating??

Japanese Gardens

I spent 4 months over the summer in Japan. One of the things that astounded me the most was that they do not have yards, they have gardens. At least in the area I was in, everyone had giant gardens surrounding their good size homes and they ate what they grew. We had fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, Japanese onions, pumpkin, lettuce, and squash everyday. But, for the most part, they didn't grow their gardens in nice little labeled rows...they grew something here and something there and in between the vegetables they grew huge beautiful flowers that towered over the garden. I was surround by thousands-yes thousands- of the most beautiful orchids in all different colors. Many of the people around us also grew rice patties that were cultivated in large square patches and these too were surrounded with orchids or sunflowers or whatever was in season.

That is something I miss the most about Japan. I wish that American's took a little more time to create beautiful flowery gardens at the scale Japanese do. Although, I must say, grassy yards are a wonderful thing. But there is something magical about always being surrounded by healthy plants and beautiful flowers. And more often than not, Japanese have about as many plants inside their homes as they do outside. With the would floors and the straw tatami mats and potted plants, their interiors were really an extension of the exteriors.

Here are some lovely pictures for you to enjoy :)