Flowers in November. . .

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This past week while we were out in Arizona, my sister and I planted three planters for our Dad.  We used geraniums, snapdragons, petunias, lavender, and what looks like a yellow daisy (I can't remember the correct name for that one).

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Before:

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Planting:

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After:

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We were happy with how the finished planters turned out!  It was really fun to buy and plant flowers during the last week of November!

Thanksgiving in the Desert. . .

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I just got back from a week in Arizona.  My Dad spends half of the year there and my sister and I went out for Thanksgiving.  It was a nice relaxing week spent soaking up the sun, enjoying the Fountain Hills Thanksgiving Day parade (the largest West of the Mississippi!), and eating lots of great food.  Here are a few pictures from the week.

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My sister and I with our Grandpa who turns 89 in a couple of weeks!

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Christmas Wrappings. . .

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Every year I try to come up with a different and unique idea for wrapping my Christmas gifts.  Last year I was inspired by a Christmas shopping bag from Pottery Barn the year before. 

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I cut the bag apart at the seams so that I had one large piece and took it to Kinkos and had it copied several times on 11" x 17" size paper.  First, I wrapped the gifts in plain brown kraft paper.  It's very inexpensive and can be found in the office supply section at most stores.  Then I took the copied sheets of patterned paper and wrapped around the center of each gift.

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I made little bird gift tags by cutting a bird out of the patterned paper and gluing it on a piece of cardstock.  Then I outlined the bird with a fine line of glue and applied glitter.  It's hard to tell from the photo, but the red of the bird is all glitter.

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I was really happy with how the gifts turned out.  I haven't come up with any ideas yet for this year!  I'm hoping to come up with something soon!

{ Update:  See 2009 Christmas wrapping right here }

Around Here. . .

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My Christmas cactus has gone rogue.

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It looks like I've got a Thanksgiving cactus on my hands this year.  Oh well, she still is pretty!

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Lots of projects going on around here this weekend but I can't show them because most are Christmas gifts!

Easy Jewelry Organizer

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Here's a super easy idea for a jewelry organizer. 

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What you need:

- frames

- cork tiles (the ones I used are actual cork floor tiles I got from work, but you can purchase cork tiles @ Target in the office supply section by the bulletin boards)

- T-pins or other push pins

- metal ruler or straight edge

- utility knife

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Remove backing and glass from frame.  Cut cork tiles to size using metal straight edge and utility knife and insert into frame.  Replace backing on frame.  Hang frames, insert pins and display jewelry.  That's it!  Pretty easy.

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If you aren't crazy about the look of the cork, simply cover the cork with a piece of fabric before inserting into frame. 

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My jewelry organizers are hanging up in my closet.  I really like having the jewelry out - it makes it easy to find what I'm looking for.  This is a really easy project and I think it looks great!

Weekend Kitchen: Red Velvet Cupcakes

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Yum.  Yesterday I made red velvet cupcakes using a recipe from Joy the Baker.  These are good cupcakes.  Seriously good.  So good I could have eaten the whole dozen.  I took them in to work today to save myself the calories.  They were a hit.  For the recipe go here.

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Look at that red batter!

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The little lovelies fresh out of the oven.

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Making the cinnamon cream cheese frosting while the cupcakes cool.

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All iced and ready to enjoy!  Don't they look delish?

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Make these - I think you'll be happy you did!

Weekend Happenings. . .

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What a gorgeous Fall day it was today!  I think it reached 72 degrees.  It felt great!  I went outside this morning and planted some bulbs.

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My favorite Spring flower is the Grape Hyacinth (muscari).  I already have a grouping of them in my yard that I planted a few years ago but decided to plant 30 more bulbs.

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I also planted 24 tulip bulbs.  Now I can't remember the variety - but I think President Kennedy?

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Last weekend I planted my Amaryllis bulb and it's already shot up a few inches!  I should be enjoying a beautiful flower around Christmas.

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This weekend I started a sewing project that may or may not be a Chrsitmas gift for someone who may or may not read this blog. . .that's all I can say!  Here's how it looks so far:

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Weekend Kitchen: Mushroom Bourguignon

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I love this recipe.  Last winter I found it on Smitten Kitchen (big surprise there!) and made it several times.  Now that the weather has cooled off outside, it was time to make it again.  For a meal without any meat, I think it is a very hearty and filling dish.  For the complete recipe go here.

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Enjoy with a dollup of sour cream and chopped Italian flat leaf parsley.  I have a feeling I'll be making this several more times in the next few months!

Fall Mantle

I love switching up my manlte decor depending on the season.  Lately I've been using large glass vases filled with different items depending on the season.  For Fall I have one vase filled with mini pears, one with wheat, and one with dried gourds. 

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Another super easy and inexpesive idea is to frame Fall leaves.  I picked up two very inexpensive wood frames at Target and framed up a few leaves.  Doesn't get much easier than that!
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The black bird is a candle I got at Pottery Barn.

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Only a few more weeks to enjoy my Fall mantle before the Christmas decorations go up!