Christmas Decorations + Mantle = LoveHate

I'm going to be very honest here......I struggle with my mantle all year round!

UGH it drives me crazy. I always feel like something is "off." I have no idea why but some days there is "too much silver" or "too much glass" or "too much height" or "not enough height" and recently I've decided to blame the wall color. Seriously. The wall color is to blame here. I use to be happy with my mantle decorations until one day I had plaster work done and the walls had to be painted once the plaster was repaired. I told the contractor to pick the same paint color because I LOVE it. I still love the color but it is no longer the color of my living room. I came home from work, he was done/gone, and my walls are a weird beige/white color. Needless to say, I was not pleased. Okay this is not a story about my shady contractor so I'm going to move on.

So my mantle issues have carried over to my Christmas decorations. For the past 3 years I've used gold glittery trees (that have lost some glitter), candles, and other stuff I can't remember. This year I decided to waste my time try something new.

Let's start at the very beginning with my everyday mantle.

Boring, I know. Normally there are fresh cut flowers where you see the dried hydrangeas to add more color and balance the height. However, I didn't buy fresh flowers last week because I was gone for Thanksgiving and I knew Christmas decorations were next!

So I got to work from an idea I had in my head. Here are my sticks!

Working away at my idea in my head. Will it work????

Time for the big reveal!......

BAM....Christmas Mantle FAIL!

The sticks just blend right into my "beige" walls.I could even envision the lights and greenery I had planned to add. I was so disappointed in the outcome. However, after a solid night of bar hopping and a morning of sleeping late, I felt refreshed and ready to face my mantle again.

May I present 2011 Christmas Mantle....Drum roll please!

Ta-Da!!!

Gold trees again, red tree, fresh candles, TONS of lights (200 just on the mantle!), and greenery from my front yard. I'm very pleased with my mantle this year even though I used most of the same stuff. Somehow it looks different. 

Did anyone else struggle finding normal, traditional lights this year?? I went to FOUR stores looking for white lights on green wire. Yes, that's right, I said FOUR....Target, Walmart, Lowes, and finally Rite Aid. The last place I looked is behind my house. Yeah, I could have walked up there instead of driving all over creation. I knew I shouldn't have left ITB (Inside The Beltline) to go looking for them!

So I guess you're wondering what I did with the sticks. I left them sitting on the dining room table for a day or two deciding what to do- reuse or toss. I decided to give them one more chance before kicking them to the curb.

Lookie, lookie!!

I'm super excited about my centerpiece for the dining room table. I'm pretty proud that I was able to salvage part of my vision!

I hope you're having just as much fun getting into the holiday spirit as I am!

Sweet Dreams,

Southern Girl

ps- If you have any ideas for my everyday mantle, please help a gal out!!

All photos are personal.

My Christmas Wish List

Have you started your Christmas Wish List?

Amidst Thanksgiving, holiday decorating, Christmas shopping, and every day life, I managed to find a little time to write my wish list for any little elf who is inclinded to surprise me. Since I'm on Santa's "Good List," I have big dreams this holiday season!

Here is a taste of what I hope to find under the tree on Christmas morning.

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Gift Cards- Target, Gas, Groceries, Ann Taylor Loft, Lowes Hardware (DIY supplies, duh!), Starbucks

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Hoover Stick Vac because I'm tired of sweeping and this baby has some powerful suction!

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Springform pan is really one of those things that I occasionally need but not reguarly enough to buy it for myself. Do you have one? How often do you use it?

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Infinity Scarf- I. LOVE. SCARVES. Seriously, who doesn't love the pop of color, pattern, or texture that a scarf offers?! This infinity scarf is from my friends over at Poppies336 on Etsy. 

(PS- Shop Poppies336 on etsy. Do it. All the cool kids are.)

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Cloche Hat. I wish we could return to the days when ladies wore hats.

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Classes. So if I were super rich, this would be my only gym membership. I'm starting to enjoy pure barre eventhough every muscle in my body hurts right now from last night! Classes are kinda pricey so it is a treat to workout there. Maybe Santa will bring me a package of classes!

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Burberry perfume. Simple, Classic, Me.

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Only in my dreams will I own a Nikon d5100 AND know how to use every aspect of this gorgeous piece of photography heaven. I hope I'll find this beauty, a few lenses, and a private tutor under the tree with my name on it!

I have a few items on my list that I can't google to share with you. Particularly, a photo of my great grandmother and her 4 sisters. The photo is fondly referred to as "the 5 sisters." I am named after my great grandmother and even though I never met her, I have always felt this strong connection with her. When my grandma passed away, my aunt got the original photo and frame. What I would give for the original (and my grandma's wedding band, but that's a whole other story). I hope this year Santa will bring me an elegantly framed reproduction for my own living room.

Also, I need a little help from magic elves to make this wish happen. In the tiny town my Grandma lived in, there is a deli that has a photo of the town's movie theater in its heyday that I would kill for. I tried and tried to reach the owner of the deli last winter to secure my own copy but it was a fruitless battle. Wish me luck as I tried to reach him again this holiday season. I sure do hope that holiday cheer will be in his heart when I call.

What's on your Christmas list???

Okay dear friends, it is beyond my bedtime!

Until Next Time,

Southern Girl

It's a Pure Barre Kinda Night

I'm going back to Pure Barre tonight! Ekk! I'm scared and excited at the same time. Last time, was a complete workout and I'm hoping for the same tonight. I'm positive that Pure Barre will not disappoint.

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Cheers to being able to walk tomorrow!

In holiday news- I'm hoping that tomorrow evening will be a good night to get started on a holiday project. I really need all this rain to pass through and go drizzle on someone else for awhile. I've got some painting to do along with shopping for a few more odds and ends to update my Christmas decor. I can't wait to share pictures! Gah, Christmas is my favorite time of year. I wish we could have Christmas lights year round. The soft glow of white lights is so peaceful.

Make it a great day!

S.O.S.

Working on that DIY List

I promised myself that I would learn more about Blogger and look what I've done! I just figured out how to post pictures side-by-side AND centered! YAY me....I know, its the little things in life that you need to remember to celebrate. I think this is the first time that my HTML class from college finally helped me!....Obviously it didn't work! What am I doing wrong? Can anyone help a gal out?!

Personal Photos

So the adorable little one in the pictures above is my nephew. He is a hot mess that I love to pieces! He is so much fun and is ready to take on the world. We picked up some Christmas trees on Friday morning and he was ready to haul them back home for us with his Daddy. Needless to say he was not a happy camper when we took him out of the truck and strapped him into his car seat in Mommy's car.

I can't believe Thanksgiving is over for another year. This year I collected pecans from my yard (yay for pecan trees!), shelled them and made chocolate pecan pie. Its amazing how much money I saved as well as how much better the pie was with fresh pecans. The pie wasn't even around long enough for me to snap a photo! My sister-in-law and my mom have requested this pie for Christmas!

I've got a couple more DIY projects coming for the holidays! Today I collected sticks for my next project.....you'll have to stick around to see why!

Sweet Dreams,

Southern Gal

Oyster Roast vs. Christmas Cocktail

Decisions, decisions, decisions this holiday season!

Every year since graduating college I have hosted a Christmas Cocktail so its become an annual event for me and my friends. This year, my cute (cough cough single)  neighbor man asked me what I thought about us hosting an Oyster Roast together this holiday season. Well knock my socks off, I love hosting parties!!

So now, I have a decision to make- host a Christmas Cocktail OR a Christmas Oyster Roast???

Photo credits: here, here, and here

Most of my friends don't seem to mind either way. Several have expressed a desire to continue the Christmas Cocktail. I wish I could do both. I value tradition and it breaks my heart at the thought of not having a cocktail this season. However, I'm really excited about the possibility of challenging myself and trying a new type of party.

I've already started receiving Christmas party invitations and I feel behind on my whole planning process. I guess I need to buckle down this weekend and make some decisions.

Whats your vote? Christmas Cocktail or Oyster Roast??

Until Next Time,

S.O.S