Lily Jane

More Than Just Garland

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday.  My Thanksgiving dinner went off without a hitch - thanks to my mother-in-law saving the gravy and my husband's willingness to be my taste-testing guinea pig.  The best part, of course, was spending so much time with family.  I have no complaints.

Now that the turkey and leftover cranberry sauce are tucked away in the fridge, it's time to start the Christmas season!  Today is my first holiday project: a paper chain advent calendar.  I'll be using double-sided card stock, as in this shimmery paper garland:

But to make it an advent calendar, before I staple the paper strips together I'll be writing an activity for the day on the plain side of the strip.  Each morning , starting December 1st, I'll let my little boy tear one circle off and we'll flip it over to read what's in store for that day.  Here are a few of the things I'll be including:

• Have a snow sculpture contest
• Pop kettle corn and watch It's a Wonderful Life
• Attend the city tree lighting
• Bake a batch of gingerbread
• Go ice skating at an outdoor rink
• See the lights at Temple Square
  
• String a cranberry garland
• Make a simple evergreen wreath

What do you have in store for your countdown to Christmas?

Happy Wednesday: Vintage Spool Advent Calendar

It's just about time to pull out the advent calendars again.  Have you thought about making your own this year?  There are so many possibilities.  One of my favorites is this vintage spool version, where clues are wrapped around an old wooden spool.  Isn't it charming?

Cathe Holden designed a printable PDF of the labels.  Just head over to her blog, Just Something I Made, print them off, grab some old spools and you're done.  Advent calendar?  Check!

{image via Just Something I Made}

Napkin Folding

I love creative napkin folds.  They can add so much personality to a place setting and are, quite honestly, a lot of fun to do.  I've put these three on my "I Need to Learn This" list.

 

The Bow via Martha Stewart Weddings

Bird of Paradise via Aladco

 

Water Lily via Margie's Moments

Nature Inspired Place Cards

Here are a few simple and natural place card ideas for your Thanksgiving table.  Each one is beautiful, easy and can be done with things you're likely to already have in your home.

Be creative with what you have on hand.  Try an apple or a pomegranate with a hand-cut tag.  Fill your goblet with tiny kumquats or pistachios.  If it says fall to you, it's sure to bring extra warmth to the table.

{images via Pottery Barn and Sunset}

Wildwood Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just a breath away.  I'm not sure how it got here so fast.  This year we're hosting it at our home and there is still a multitude of planning to be done.  Can you guess what I'll be doing this weekend? 

Here's a little wooded Thanksgiving inspiration.  May everyone's plans turn out just as beautifully.

1. Simple, rustic ambiance.  Pillar candles surrounded by unshelled nuts and clear glass.  {via Good Housekeeping}

2. These little DIY place card holders are perfect for a wooded theme.  The wooden coins hold a small card with ease.  A little calligraphy makes it even more lovely. {via Breathe Upon}

3. Roasted whole nuts prove an aromatic appetizer.  Place bowls on the coffee table with a nutcracker alongside and allow guests to crack their own. {via Make and Takes}

4. Wooden serving spoons and bowls bring texture to the fall feast. This beautiful olive wood ladle is by Olives et al.

5. This antler chandelier is pulled off perfectly.  Combined with a modern dining set, it gives rustic, lodge appeal while maintaining a contemporary feel. {via Cactus Creek}

6. Into the Trees Giclee Print by Chrysti Hydeck.

7. Big hand-thrown vases filled with gourds and fall foliage bring the outdoors in.  {Clover Vases by Pottery Barn}

8. Pheasant feather chargers bring color and texture to the dinner table before the food is even served.  {Chargers by The Twiggery.  Found via The Finer Things}

9. Grape centerpieces are natural, edible, and add a wonderful depth of color. {via Martha Stewart}

10.  Lemon-Herb Turkey with Lemon-Garlic Gravy.  Wow.

11.  Chelle Paperie's Thanksgiving invitations are simple and fabulous.  The bookboard invitations are printed with a deer motif and slipped inside individual sewn pockets.  {via Twig & Thistle}

12. Gorgeous, tart and rich Cranberry Eggnog Tart.  {via Design Crush} 

Paper Leaf Garland

Here's a fallish way to get your home feeling seasonal just in time for Thanksgiving.  And it costs only pennies.  A paper leaf garland.

 

It's the perfect fix if all the trees in your neighborhood are already bare.  If you're careful with your storage of it, it could even last you until next year.  Isn't it simple and pretty?  Of course, you could do this with any color or pattern paper you like.  But even the white garland pictured somehow seems so warm and welcoming. 

Download the PDF pattern at this fantastic blog: A Field Journal.  Try cutting them tonight during your favorite show.  You'll have festive decor in no time.

Happy Wednesday: Doily Tin Labels

I love love this free clip art from Martha. 

Doesn't it add a homey touch?  These tins look infinitely classier than most of the tins I've seen at craft stores, plus, I would imagine a plain white tin is a bit cheaper, too.  Lining the inside of the tin with a paper doily is a nice finish, tying the whole presentation together.  When the holidays are over, friends and neighbors won't feel like they have to pack this tin away with the garland and lights.  Isn't that nice?  Download the clip art here. 

Over the River...

...through the woods ...wherever your plans are taking you this holiday season, chances are you have at least one over-nighter away from home in mind.  Why not travel in style?  Rachel of Get Ready, Set Go! has pages of stylish upcycled vintage luggage that will make your belongings easy (and fun!) to find in the mass of navy and black bags on the carousel. 

Her hand-drawn illustrations make an already fantastic piece of luggage even better.  Rachel also does custom pieces for those who have a little something already in mind.  Visit her shop for the full collection and her blog for a little behind-the-scenes peek.

Cozy Bedding

Saturday brought Salt Lake's first earnest snowfall, stirring cravings of warmth and coziness in me.  I'm loving the blankets, and more especially the styling, in these Anthropologie catalog photos.

Might I have the adorable red-headed boy in the S.S. Minnow, as well?  That would be splendid. 

Calendar No. 5

Today's calendar is full of retro appeal.  Looking at it never fails to make me smile.  Have a look at Cabin + Cub's 2010 desk calendar.

The top of each month is a mixed media collage.  Gorgeous colors, prints and textures.  It's positively oozing with personality. 

{images via cabin + cub}