Happy Snaps: Beach Escape

Hey all, 

Just an easy weekend post, and a little bit of an insight into the happenings of my life! A few weeks ago I headed to the beach with my girls (and one of their boyfriend's) cradling a broken heart and feeling miserable. But the coastline worked its magic, and I came out of it a week later refreshed, and feeling wonderful about life once again! 

There is nothing better than a little bit of an escape! 

Here are some happy snaps! Thanks to everyone for being in these pictures. 

Our view for the week! 

I'm a nut, I know. 

Yes, that shopping trolley is full...and it was round two. 

The wonderful Broadbeach!

 It was a wonderful week full of sun, surf, sand and one two many cocktails! All in all, just what I needed! 

Hope you all have a great night! xx

Valentine's Day Self-Pampering + OOTD

Hey all,

Valentine's day - the one holiday that creates a divide between the masses! Being newly single, out of a long-term relationship in the past couple of weeks and having no one to celebrate this infamous time of year with (except my cat), I had two options - let it get on top of me, or kick it's ass. 

So, being the strong and determined person that I am (generally), I decided that moping would be forbidden, as would feeling sorry for myself, and I chose to have a day completely dedicated to the one person who never lets me down, me! 

And it was a wonderful day!

Outfit

ASOS Dress/ Lovisa Necklace/ Vintage Bag/ Emerson Shoes

Face

Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation in 400 Natural Beige/ Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer in Beige/ MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Med-Deep/ Sleek Blush in Life's a Peach/ Elf Beauty Book in Natural Eyes/ FOA Eye Definier/ Almay Get Up & Grow Mascara

Activities

Japanese food! My favourite! 

Reading my current favourite historical fiction trilogy! 

Drinking lots & lots of tea! My current have is Japanese Peach

Watching The Big Bang Theory! 

The Pampering

Also, I would like to say a special thank you to all my wonderful friends that were there for me, that hated on cupid with me & drank ridiculous amounts of Valentine's Day induced alcoholic beverages with me.

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day, whatever you got up to! And I hope that it was full of love and cheer! xx

Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas

The best Christmas tree decorating ideas and tips to help you create a beautiful Christmas tree!
It's easy and free, so find out more now!

I love the Christmas holidays and put up the Christmas tree early in the season.
My philosophy is this - Christmas only comes once a year, so I want to enjoy the sights, sounds and scents as much as possible. 

We're usually pretty well decorated for the Christmas holiday by the time Thanksgiving weekend rolls around, then enjoy the holiday decor through year end.

No matter when you decide it's time to do the holiday decorating, the Christmas tree is the centerpiece of traditional Christmas decor. 

There isn't really a 'right' or 'wrong' way to put up a Christmas tree, but there are some Christmas tree decorating ideas that will make the task a little easier and result in a beautiful Christmas tree.


Christmas Tree Decorating Idea #1:
THE TREE

First, decide what kind of tree you will use, real or artificial, and what size will work the best in your space.

I'm always an advocate of natural looking artificial Christmas trees.

As for the size of your Christmas tree, make sure you are taking into consideration:
1) the size room it is going into,
2)ceiling height and
3) the space allocated for the tree.  


Whether your tree goes together branch-by-branch or in two to three main sections, here is a very important piece of advice: make sure that you fully open and 'fluff' each branch before putting it into the trunk of the Christmas tree.

When I put our Christmas tree up, I literally take each branch and pull every piece of greenery out, rotating some greenery above the branch and some below.  


Christmas Tree Decorating Idea #2:THE LIGHTS

Your next Christmas tree decorating idea is a fool proof method for putting the lights on the tree. It doesn't matter what style of light or color you select; follow these steps and it will be absolutely beautiful.
NOTE: If you have a pre-lit Christmas tree, feel free to skip this portion!

First, make sure you test all of your lights before putting any of them on the tree. It's not a 100% guarantee that you won't have any issues down the road, but at least you'll know they work.


You should have a strand of 100 lights for every vertical foot of the tree. So if your Christmas tree is 7 feet in height you should have a minimum of 700 lights. I use more than that on my trees - my 8' tree has about 1,200 lights on it because I put them very close together and enjoy that look.

I also use a multi-outlet surge protector to handle all of the lights, stringing together no more than four strands of lights. It makes turning the Christmas tree lights on and off very simple - just flip the switch on the extension box.

Christmas Tree Decorating Idea #3:
THE GARLANDS & ROPING

Now for the next Christmas tree decorating idea - the garlands or roping for the tree. Of course, this is optional depending on the style of tree you are creating.
There are many different types of garland available, and it's a point where your creativity comes into play. You can fashion Christmas tree garland out of just about anything that suits the style of your tree.

• Traditional Christmas tree roping found in the 'tree trimming' section of your favorite holiday store is always an option.
• There are many types of beautiful, wide ribbon that has wire inserted into it, so you can shape it as you rope it around the tree.
• Beads, fabric, silk floral roping, faux berry/natural element roping, etc.
• Use your imagination!

Beads and narrow roping usually looks best when draped, or swagged, around the tree. The top of the tree should have smaller swags that get larger as you go down the tree.

Christmas Tree Decorating Idea #4:
THE ORNAMENTS


Yes, we are finally to the most fun part of the Christmas tree decorating ideas - the ornaments. Here is a really important tip, so listen up!

Gather all your Christmas tree ornaments and separate them by size, style, etc. so you know what you have to work with. It takes a few minutes to do this but is well worth the time.

Hang your larger ornaments first, using the lower part of the tree for the majority of those. Save the smallest ornaments for the upper portion of the tree.

If you have both matte finish and shiny finish ornaments, be sure to vary them around the tree.
Hang the ornaments on the inside of the tree as well as the outside, just like the lights (although the majority of ornaments will be near the outside of the tree).

Step back and look at your handiwork as you progress, to keep things evenly distributed.
I always like to use fillers on my Christmas trees to cover the inevitable gaps that occur between layers of branches. I use a variety of silk flowers and greenery, birds nests, etc. You can literally use any type of 'filler' that you want, depending on the theme of your Christmas tree.

These decorating ideas will help you create a beautiful Christmas tree. If you want even more details, ideas and tips, read Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas here!

Christmas Party Decorations to Complete Your Holiday Entertaining

Christmas party decorations create the festive holiday atmosphere that turns a good time into a memorable event.
From the holiday decor to the music playing in the background, to the fresh scent of evergreen or gingerbread cookies...plan your Christmas party decor and theme in advance so all will flow together.

There are two simple methods for creating the foundation for your holiday party decor. Use a theme, or select a particular color palette.

Your theme could be a particular figure or item that is identified with Christmas, such as angels, snowmen, Santa, reindeer, nativity, etc.
 
Or, you might decide to create your holiday event around a movie, such as It's a Wonderful LIfe, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer or White Christmas.

Selecting a holiday color palette for your Christmas party decorations is another way to create a memorable and festive atmosphere inside and outside of your home. There are always the standard red and green of course, but think about what you already have on hand for holiday decor.

If much of your Christmas decoration material is gold and white, for example, consider using those colors for your party theme, or add one more color to them for a trio of holiday colors.

Once you have selected the theme and/or color palette, here are some ideas and tips for you to create a festive holiday home for your party:

Start with the exterior of your home. How can you make the entrance and walkway festive and become part of your Christmas party decorations?


Lighting up the walkway with paper bag candles, small Christmas trees on the front porch with white lights, a dusting of 'snow' (if you live in the south where there is none), holiday music playing for guests as they approach your entry...all these are ways to create the holiday atmosphere before guests walk through the front door. 

Use your selected figure/item to create your own memorable entrance.

The front entry door itself is always a blank canvas waiting for adornment, and a holiday party is no exception. 

If you're not sure what to do and want to maintain a level of sophistication, a safe choice is always a beautiful, fresh evergreen wreath. Or, a natural looking wreath that looks great and won't ever drop a pine needle works for me!

Your wreath does not need a great big red bow, either. Sprinkle some gold glitter on it and enjoy the simple sparkle that it creates.


 Inside, make the Christmas tree a focal point of the Christmas party decorations, and follow your chosen theme and color palette. The key is to tie everything together so your holiday decor is consistent.

Read more about Christmas Party Decorations! 

Christmas Decorating Using a Theme

I have just finished my Christmas decorating. Yes, I like to get my home decorated for the holidays right after Thanksgiving, so we can enjoy the sights, sounds and scents of this time of year. No snow in southwest Florida, so I still see palm trees swaying outside. But inside it's festive!

My holiday decorations have remained essentially the same for several years, so I use what I already own and try to change things up each year.

This year I selected a beautiful silk holiday flower to use as a theme throughout my decorating...I placed these flowers in different areas as accents to my holiday decor.

My holiday silk flower for the theme

The Christmas tree you see is relatively small and slim...nothing fancy here...but I created an evergreen 'rim' around the tree skirt and added one of my holiday flowers to enhance the look and begin my Christmas decorating theme.

Holiday Village Houses

I took our Christmas Village houses and placed them on a simple accent shelf...adding bits of evergreen and several of my theme flowers, with a couple of Santas nearby. Note also the placement of the houses...I angled them differently and placed them on each shelf to create an interesting display...not lined up like little soldiers. The holiday flower on the top of the unit is resting on some small antique books, to keep things interesting.

My piano was a place where I could do a few things with small white lights, my favorite snowman and glittery evergreen tree, and of course a holiday flower to keep the Christmas decorating theme going.

Piano dressed for the holidays

I have a holiday picture that I love and just couldn't find the right wall spot for it this year. I decided to use it as 'music' on the piano...and I love the way it looks! You might not be able to see all of the detail, but the picture has a snowman in it which compliments my snowman on the piano.

Holiday 'music' on the piano

To continue my holiday decorating theme I placed my beautiful holiday flowers in two more locations. First, nestled amongst some greenery on an end table in the living area.

Then I placed another near my faux wood santas on the snack bar...just enough to complement the trio of santas, but not overdone.

Holiday display on end table

Santas on snack bar

All in all, our home is decorated for the holidays in a simple way, nothing overly ornate or over-the-top. But there is a consistent holiday decorating theme using decor that I love.

Here are more great Holiday Decorating Ideas

Christmas Decorating Ideas

Christmas Decorating Ideas...are you ready for the holidays? Well, here they come! 

Just walk into any department store and you'll see the sights, sounds and sometimes even the scents of the holidays.

For me, I love it. Not only for the meaning of the season, but I love to decorate my home. Some years I go all out and use all of my holiday decor and other years I keep it very simple. But it really doesn't matter how much 'stuff' is around me.

There is just something unique and special about Christmas holiday decorations that does not take place any other time of the year.

For some, just the idea of decorating for the holidays can make them sweat. It can be an overwhelming process. Well, no worries here!

I have taken the pressure off by giving you my holiday gift...Christmas Decorating Ideas that are organized for you. All you have to do is read and do. 

               First, organize what you have...
               Second, plan and create your theme...
               Then, decorate your home


You can also find some great tips for holiday decorating in general, holiday wreaths, Christmas Party decorating, great holiday table decorating ideas, and more.


So, go ahead and plan to enjoy the holiday season this year. Everything you need to decorate your home is right here for you!


Til next time,
Candi