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Today I just want to share a quick little idea for a sweet gift for newlyweds (like us!).
It's hard to make yourself slow down and just connect with each other sometimes and a gift like this one would be the perfect kick in the butt to do so: no excuses, everything you need for an evening of relaxing is in this little basket.
Here's what I included:
- a bottle of bubbly
- two unique champagne flutes
- a bar of ginger chocolate
- two candles
- a CD of sweet and romantic favorite songs
- a fun upgrade: include one of your favorite boards games (make sure it can be played with just two players)
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What would you love to get in a newlywed gift?
xo,
a.
- why not throw in a couple matches too?
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Today is catch up day from last week when our computer and I weren't on speaking working terms. So I'll be putting up Wednesday's, Thursday's, Friday's, Saturday's, and Today's post all throughout the day. Whew! Gotta get this Christmas train back on track! So put on some Noël music, check out Sunday's post with a beautiful gift tag download, and keep your eyes peeled!
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To start off the week, I want to show you our little sapin de Noël!
First, we planted a cat evicted the cat from his new found favorite spot.
Then we picked out a sweet little tree and decked it with our finest! Here it is all lit up:
Perhaps my favorite part of decorating the tree is rediscovering each ornament and remembering where it came from and what story it tells. We happen to have a lot of bird ornaments (pretty sure we started doing that before 'put a bird on it' exploded).
This humble little guy is one of our first ornaments together. I made a few of them 5 years ago when we celebrated our second Christmas together (and our first Christmas living together). That year, I crafted a few little ornaments out of scraps and bits that we had and we decorated a bunch of holly. In our tiny apartment, there was no room for a tree!
This is one of many that our family has had for years, made by my paternal grandmother. Since we had the bird collection going, I snatched a selection of these felt heirlooms last time I was home!
I think this is Romain's favorite! For the past four years, he has been our tree topper starting the year we lived in the U.S. and not only had an apartment with more than one room (wow!), but had space for a 6 foot tree.
But this year, we're trying out his faux mercury glass topper which is pretty darn lovely too. I tucked a few of the lights at the end of the strand up into it and now it glows.
What would a French sapin de Noël be without grapes? This very old glass bunch I actually picked up in Belgium.
This beautiful glass Santa was a gift from my parents on there first visit to France.
Some others from the small vintage collection we've started.
Two silly mice. We got these, along with the tree topper bird, from Tuttle's when we lived in Maine. And I love that my parent's decorate their tree across the ocean with the same little characters!
More birds! The top is from a set of glass clip-ons that we bought when we were in the U.S. but the second is the first ornament we ever bought together. He came from Habitat.
And finally, here is a tiny little golden star that I've had for a long time. It used to decorate a mini tree that I had in my bedroom growing up.
So that's the grand tour of our little tree!
Just for fun, here are some other little scenes from around the apartment:
This is just a tiny little tree and some yarn clippings under a glass but we think it's sweet.
I spy the Gift of the Magi.
I found this set of little fabric covered books in the brocante for 5€! They are: Christmas Poems, Christmas Legends, Christmas Songs, and Christmas Stories.
The covers and pages are just as beautifully printed as the spines. I was so excited to find these!
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Well, there you have it. The bits and pieces that are decking our halls this year. I'm hoping to whip up some stockings for each of us today that we can take with us to the grandparents for the holiday. I'll let you know how it goes!
xo,
a.
The Spirit of Christmas
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Today is catch up day from last week when our computer and I weren't on speaking working terms. So I'll be putting up Wednesday's, Thursday's, Friday's, Saturday's, and Today's post all throughout the day. Whew! Gotta get this Christmas train back on track! So put on some Noël music, check out Sunday's post with a beautiful gift tag download, and keep your eyes peeled!
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Now that the cat is lookin' good for the festivities, I'm dreaming up my perfect holiday look for this year. This idea started off with a simple white dress and black stockings. From there I decided it was about a pop of color and details. I had my heart set on red shoes until last night when, of all things, this yarn love got me dreaming of malachite. So malachite shoes it was!
If Santa brought us all everything on our Christmas lists, here is what I'd be donning Christmas day:
1. This dress. It is the closest I could find to the feeling I was looking for. Sadly, I can't find it on the Topshop site anymore.
2. This jacket. Love that this is unexpected, a longer length, and sparkles are a must!
3. These earrings. It can't get more elegantly classic than these beauties.
4. This clutch. Perfect for playing supporting cast to the other details without being boring.
5. These stockings. So sweet!
6. These {malachite} heels. Ruche calls them emerald. I call them malachite.
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What are you dreaming up for holiday looks?
xo,
a.
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Today is catch up day from last week when our computer and I weren't on speaking working terms. So I'll be putting up Wednesday's, Thursday's, Friday's, Saturday's, and Today's post all throughout the day. Whew! Gotta get this Christmas train back on track! So put on some Noël music, check out Sunday's post with a beautiful gift tag download, and keep your eyes peeled!
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Remember my family's recipe for our Tourtiére that I shared with you? Well, today, I want to give you a great recipe to pair with that: Mandarin Scented Carrots.
This recipe is my own invention to add to the tourtiére tradition and, because it's so light and fresh, it pairs well with the meat pie. What you'll love about it is that it uses that fragrant zest of mandarins that can be wasted at this time of year and that the recipe takes 0 effort. 0!
Mandarin Scented Carrots
Serves 2 - 4 (depending on how hungry you are)
- 1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4" slices
- 1 mandarin or clementine, zested
- 2 tbsp. butter
- salt and pepper
- chopped parsley to serve
Cut a piece of parchment about 18" by 14" or large enough to spread out your carrots a bit and still bring the sides and ends up to make a packet. Spread the carrot slices about three or four slices deep in the center of the parchment. Sprinkle with the zest, salt and pepper, and the butter cut into a few bits to scatter around the packet. Roll up the sides and then the ends to make a snugly closed packet. The carrots will steam in there so you want the sides firmly closed.
Cook the carrots at 350°F for about 20 minutes or until tender. If I'm being honest, I'll tell you that I just toss them in at any moderate temperature along side whatever else I'm cooking (here: tourtiére) at the end of the cooking time. It's a flexible recipe!
Just before serving, tear open the packet and sprinkle with chopped parsley. When serving, don't forget to serve the lovely sauce from the bottom of the cooking packet, too!
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See? That can't be simpler!
xo,
a.
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Today is catch up day from last week when our computer and I weren't on speaking working terms. So I'll be putting up Wednesday's, Thursday's, Friday's, Saturday's, and Today's post all throughout the day. Whew! Gotta get this Christmas train back on track! So put on some Noël music, check out Sunday's post with a beautiful gift tag download, and keep your eyes peeled!
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I love getting all dressed up to celebrate the holidays. Every year I dream up a new outfit, fresh for the season at hand (although, I don't always get to follow through with the outfit plan). So, I figured our Albert needed to look just as spiffy for the upcoming celebrations!
I found a piece of green linen that would do perfectly and whipped up a super classy little bow tie for our redhead. Or, as we would say in France, a noeud papillon (butterfly knot! sweet, right?).
Lookin' suave, Albert. Lookin' suave.
First, let me say no Alberts were hurt in the making of this bow tie (he actually doesn't mind his harness so the bow tie wasn't a huge leap) and I don't plan on making him wear it forever. It's really just for fun.
Second, I made you a tutorial! Don't be put off by the number of photos, this project is supper simple and fast. I just like making directions super clear.
Wanna turn your cat into James Bond? (Good luck) Here's what you'll need:
- Your chosen fabric, I used linen but cotton, silk, or thin velvet would be pretty sweet too. Just don't go for a super thick textile.
- Felt (any color. It will be hidden inside)
- Thread to match your chosen fabric
- Two sets of small plastic snaps. You'll want something that closes but isn't hard to quickly unsnap. That way, if your cat freaks, it will be easy to quickly take off and you won't be in a corner sobbing (among other reasons).
To start, cut out two rectangles of your chosen fabric 2 1/4" by 3". Cut another single rectangle of 1" by 2" for the band and finally a 1 1/2" by 2 1/2" rectangle of your felt.
1. Sew your two large rectangles completely together with a 1/4" seam all the way around. Snip off the excess thread and the corners to reduce bulk when you turn it inside out.
2. Now, be brave! Find the center of the rectangle by folding and creasing the fabric in half the short way and then pinching it in half the long way. Where the two lines intersect is the center. Still pinching the fabric the long way, and being sure that you only have the top layer of fabric in your grasp, make a little snip in the fabric. Release your hold and continue this cut with your scissors like in the photo above.
Through this slit, turn the rectangle inside out being sure to get crisp corners using a chopstick of the tip of your scissors. Once you have it completely turned out, give the rectangle a quick press then insert the felt piece which will act as a stiffener to help the bow stay looking perfectly tailored.
Using a simple whip stitch, sew the slit closed. It will be hidden in the back and under the band so don't worry about how this looks.
3. Get your bow band ready by ironing it in half the long way, then in half again on one side (bringing the right edge to the middle fold). Bring the left edge to line up with the right side fold and give it a good press. Now, flip the folded right side out so it sits on top and this way your raw edge is in the center of the band.
4. To fold your bow perfectly, start by folding it in half with the center seam i hidden in the middle of the fold. Next bring the top edge back forward to line up with that center fold and do the same with the bottom edge. Sew the fold in place by passing you needle through the center, as below, several times.
Then, wrap your ironed band around the center and whip stitch it on on the back. Again, this will be hidden by the neckband so no need for it to look perfect, just be solid.
Lookin' Good!
Now for the neckband.
1. Cut an 11 1/2" by 1 1/2" rectangle of your chosen fabric. I measured both Albert's neck and his adjusted harness to find he needed a 10" band to be comfortable. So, whatever your cat's neck measurement is, add 1 1/2" to that for overlap and seam allowance to get the right length.
Iron this in half the long way and then seam it 1/4" in down the long side.Turn it inside out (I used a safety pin and a string at one end) then tuck the raw ends in 1/4" and whip stitch them closed.
For the snaps, each 'set' has a male and a female piece. Stitch one half of each of these 'sets' to the ends of the band: one at the end of the upper side of the band, the other on the bottom of the opposite end of the band (in the photo above, the band has a single twist in that is cropped out of the photo). Sew the second halves of the 'sets' 1 1/4" below the snaps you just sewed on.
3. All you have left is to put the band and the bow together! So, find the middle of the band by snapping the snaps together and folding the collar in half. Line this mark up with the back center of the bow and stitch the band to the bow along about 3/4" in the center. Bam! Bow tie.
That, my friends, is a merry cat.
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If you make a cat bow tie from my tutorial, send me a photo and a link if you post about it and I'll add it to this page. I want to see your creations!
xo,
a.
The Spirit of Christmas
This edition is pretty special because Sandra of Bricolage Life* has offered to share her evergreen gift tags with you. They are so sweet and simple that they would look lovely on any package! You can download a PDF of the tags (a sheet of 6) right here and print them out to use under your sapin de Noël (Christmas tree). Enjoy!
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I may have gotten the computer on my side playing nice again. Let's play catch-up tomorrow!
xo,
a.
* Seriously, click that link. Her shop is full of sweet little marvels with a unique visit
I had such a funny little DIY for you today! But we are having lots of computer problems and I just can't get it to do any more today. So I can't edit the instructions for you. Sad face.
So, tomorrow will have to be another one of those double days! (Pleeaaassee computer!)
Until then, this is what your future holds:
xo,
a.
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I like my hot chocolate with a kick. Of course, classic hot chocolate is always a pleasure but I get all excited when I think about adding cinnamon, spice, or...cranberry? I'll have to test that one out. But for now, I've got a new combo that I'm swooning over (seriously): Lavender Hot Chocolate.
What I wanted was to taste the lavender but not like 'I seem to be eating a field from Provence' kind of taste it. And I finally hit the perfect ratio for me. This recipe is also great to give as a gift because it whips up super fast, has very few ingredients, needs only milk added, and tastes so luxurious. So, please, try it out, and enjoy!
Here's what you need:
(makes 4 servings)
- 1/2 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup raw sugar
- 3/4 tsp. pretty lavender buds, powdered
(I did this in a mortar and pestle but a very clean coffee grinder would work too)
Mix these ingredients together and package up if this is going to be a gift. If it's for 'now! right now!', pour into a heavy bottomed saucepan. Measure out:
- 4 cups milk
Pour a small amount of the milk into the saucepan and whisk with conviction to form a paste. Doing this will eliminate those powdery magma lumps later on. Whisk in the rest of the milk then heat over low heat stirring occasionally until toasty warm. Word to the wise: don't walk away from your pan because milk goes from tepid to scrubbing the entire stove clean in about .002 seconds.
And guess what! I made you some free gift tags to print out and tie onto your hot chocolate gifts! You'll want to print the first page, then run it back through your printer to print the second page on the back (the cooking instruction). Download it here. And here's what they look like:
Oh, pretty!
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In other news, I cleared a table and basket to bring home our christmas tree! Bad news is: looks like we might have a property rights battle on our hands.
xo,
a.
