On the Mantel...

A couple days ago, I decided to take advantage of the post-Christmas sales and browsed through a few stores like Hobby Lobby, Michael's, HomeGoods and even Stein Mart (a brand I rarely ever entertain). And I made out like a bandit! Look at what all I purchased for about 50 bucks:

Not bad, huh? There's a ton of candles and even some nice luxury cotton pillowcases in there for the guest room. I've gotta admit, I sorta wanted to decorate for Christmas all over again with some of my new purchases. I mean, some of these things I paid 11 cents for. Yeah, you read that right! Everything Christmas was marked 80% off, and some of those discounts were on top of previous 10 or 15% discounts.

There were pretty shiny things (.29 cents!)...

...candle holders (.99 cents!)...

...a wreath ($4.99) and poinsettias ($1.49)...

...and my favorite scent, coconut soap ($4.99)!

I'd also recently gotten some mini holiday storage bins at Lowe's for $2 total. They're the perfect size for holding all the Christmas ornaments off the tree. 

Before, I'd been using old paper ornament boxes and gift boxes. These new bins will be much sturdier and they all fit better inside my larger Christmas bins. I like to purchase color coded storage so I know what's inside without having to label things... red and green for Christmas, orange and black for fall and blue for any spring and summer storage.

After I'd gotten the rest of Christmas organized and stored away, which included some of my new purchases, I went to work trying to spruce up our mantel. It's slightly larger than in our last house and the space and area around our fireplace isn't very occupied, so I wanted it to seem "full" and "on purpose." A few candlesticks and casual frames weren't cutting it.

Here's what it looked like before:

And here's the after:

It has a lot going on, but I like the busyness of it since the flag is so simple and the space around the fireplace, as I mentioned, is pretty open and plain. I had fun gathering things from around the house to arrange on there.

These Texas star candle holders are a longtime favorite of mine.

This candle (a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law) smells great and I love the monogram.

Sunflowers poking out the top of a cowboy boot add a bit of color.

This welcome sign balances on top of a few books for added height and dimension.

This is a collector's item from The Trail of Painted Ponies,
a Christmas gift several years ago from my Sister and Sabrina.

A horseshoe frame and one of our favorite wedding photos add a sentimental touch.

Side Note: I even lucked out and found some Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis episodes on Netflix's instant play. They kept me company during my little decorating debaucle. They have always made me laugh, even if the husband doesn't understand my infatuation with that duo! I have Jerry Lewis' biography he wrote and have yet to read it. I've thumbed through it a few times, and they have so much interesting history between them. The industry certainly was different back then...

Next up was the hallway entry and table. I wanted something a little nicer over there besides just more Texas stars and bronze candle holders. And we have a beautiful iron mirror piece that hangs above it, so I needed something that played off of that. Here's what I ended up with:

I didn't want it to be overly crowded and compete with either the mantel or the nearby piano (which has several crystal photo frames on top), so I tried to keep the hallway table a bit simpler. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and enjoy looking at the pictures and decorations whenever I walk in! The gold, wood and bronze all seem to tie together nicely. It's hard to find similar examples of our home design style, since I think the rustic and Texas country look is such an acquired taste. But I was happy to be able to work in a few of my new buys...

I purchased a trio of these votive candle holders for just .79 cents apiece!

I like the juxtaposition of the iron star and gold glass chablis.

Details like this small candle holder help keep things cohesive, using both bronze and gold.

This is another Trail of Painted Ponies piece, perched below the bronze table lamp.

The rustic charm of this table is aesthetically pleasing.
Plus, it was a $35 find on Craig's List!

We can't leave Herman out!
This was a housewarming gift and my husband loves penguins.

 

The finished product, welcoming you into our home!

Have you rearranged or redesigned any part of your house lately? Have a unique Christmas storage system you rely on? Share your thoughts in the comments section, and leave a link to any posts you have done about it!

My Recipes: Chili Tomato Tilapia

I had been wanting to cook some fish for a healthy meal and finally got around to purchasing some fresh tilapia last week. Normally, I cook white fish and salmon simple with lemon juice, ground sea salt and pepper. But this time I was after something with a kick, so I called on some pre-mixed chili con carne seasoning that packed some flavor but wasn't too spicy. It incorporates chile pepper, tomato powder, cumin, Mexican oregano, coriander, onion, garlic, sweet red and green bell peppers, celery flakes, arrowroot (never heard of that one), allspice and cloves. 

I blackened both sides of each tilapia in a large saute pan, along with some halved baby tomatoes to pile on top. (I love those when they're soft and slightly charred.) For seasoning, I heated about a tablespoon of EVOO in the pan, then dropped in the fish, squeezed some fresh lemon on top, threw on some sea salt and sprinkled the tilapia with the chili con carne seasoning. Each side only took 2-3 minutes to cook, I normally do it on high heat and stay close to be sure I flip the fish when the edges start becoming opaque or white (as shown in the photo).

Meanwhile, I had some broccoli drizzled in lemon juice steaming in a pot nearby. When this was done, I topped it with fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt (the latter carries so much more flavor then regular table salt, in my opinion).

To finish off the plate, I threw together a quick salad of mixed greens, shredded Parmesan cheese, raisins, croutons and (more) baby tomatoes with a light red raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Yum yum!

Of course, all this cooking is much more enjoyable when you have a nice view of your sweet little pet heads in the window. :) 

Happy eating!

Book Shelf Makover

Over the past year I have been so inspired by several design blogs that I read, and have been trying to think outside the box when it comes to decorating my home and finding ways to incorporate our rustic, Texas country style into a cohesive look.

That said, we're also in the process of finishing off our furniture and replacing any remaining "college items" (like rickety bookshelves and an old-school desk) with pieces that complement our new home and the design aesthetic that we're going for. 

I walked through Goodwill a few weeks ago to scout their furniture and saw this shelf laying on the floor. I immediately thought of it as a potential cookbook rack, it just needed to be flipped. So I spray painted it a satin cream color and sanded the edges a little. 

Then we turned it upside down and the husband helped me mount it on the wall in my kitchen. Now it's loaded with all my favorite cookbooks (I store the rest in the pantry), which makes for easy access!

The books are pretty heavy so we secured the shelf part with extra screws to ensure the bottom didn't fall out from the weight. 

The cream color goes really well against our dark red kitchen walls and it's an ideal size for the space in between the cabinets and the window.

And voila! That was my easy peesy cookbook shelf makeover. Stay tuned for a new recipe post tomorrow!

New Years Blitz

After we returned home from Christmas in Dallas, the husband and I were thrilled to have a couple days to ourselves to try and untangle the mess that was currently standing in as our house. The dwelling itself is perfect, but the stacks of boxes, decorations and clothes seemed to be growing rather than shrinking. We knew something had to be done.

So we invited people over. Because, naturally, that was really stupid made so much sense.

Not right then, of course. But we did invite a small group of friends to our place to celebrate New Years. Apparently, whenever there is much cleaning (or in this case, unpacking) to be done, we are super motivated when we know visitors are on the agenda.

Having proffered the invitations, we went to work. In two days, we painted the guest room, hallway next to the front door, unpacked and decorated our entire living room and purchased all the makings for a fine New Years meal. It was a total blitz operation. One day things were in shambles, the next they were totally in order! Before and after pictures always seem to take the cake and, smart thing that I am, I was sure to snap a couple:

Not bad, huh? Here's some other photos of our living room and dining area:

My fun New Years tablscape!

The husband is so happy his ducks graduated from the office to the living room.
(The office is awaiting new furniture and decor different from our past house, as its now my workplace.)

We have finally brought my piano home. It spent the last year at a friend's house.

Another view of our living room - I adore our framed Texas flag!

This hutch is just beautiful and perfect for our Spode Woodland dishes.

The house turned out great, and so did the food. We made ham, mashed potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, red velvet cake and everyone brought something from yummy dips to home-brewed beer. We set off fireworks, chatted with neighbors, counted down 2011 with New York and then Houston, enjoyed Mimosa Shooters and Champagne glasses full of bubbly, drank bottles of wine and reveled in a fresh year with exciting opportunities. It was a great time!

New Years is also very special to my husband and I, as our first date was on New Years eve eight years ago. And we're still as doe-eyed for each other now as we were then. We reminisce often about how we stood out on the balcony that night and talked for hours, both knowing that it was the start of something amazing and perfect. He's the love of my life and always will be!

And no New Years would be complete without Shiner and Jersey celebrating with us! They were so patient and let us put some festive hats on them, although Shiner pawed his off within seconds of this photo being snapped. Jersey, however, wore hers around until it fell off. I knew that dog was mine. ;)

The year 2010 held so many incredible moments for my husband and I. We were living abroad eight months of it and traveling Europe like we never thought possible. I would happily do a recap of the "top 10 in 2010" but I just don't think I could narrow it down to so few. Every day was an adventure for us, living in Scotland, meeting new people, going new places and participating in new ventures. Each trip was also a highlight and created unique memories that we associate with each destination: Dublin, Paris, Prague, London, Zurich, Munich (and other German cities), Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Malaga (Spain) and so many other Scottish towns, castles and landmarks. Our home, which we were so blessed to finally purchase and move into this past month, is full of keepsakes and souvenirs collected from our year abroad - not to mention the hundreds of photos we've incorporated into albums and frames everywhere. And the holidays were a treasured time for us this year as we were able to reunite with family and friends. 

It's a fresh start for us in the Houston area again - I'm working my own business and the husband just passed his Professional Engineering exam with flying colors (an eight-hour elite test that is not easily conquered!). I am just so proud of him. We are nestling into our new digs very comfortably, and are enjoying flourishing relationships with close friends near and far. We also finally feel complete, as all our belongings and our pets are now home where they belong within the past week. 2011 holds promise, new adventures and exciting opportunities for us and we look forward to them as always...

Happy New Year to you and yours, and may 2011 be the best yet!

Holiday Hustle

Ah, the holidays. Parties and family events, cooking and gorging eating, gift shopping, giving and getting, Christmas card photos, trees and sugarplums. What's not to love? This year we were excited to celebrate with family again, after spending last Christmas in Scotland (which was covered in snow at this time of year and very cold!). As usual when we travel from Houston to Dallas for the seasonal festivities, our schedule is a jam-packed hodge podge of events from start to finish. This particular year, we crammed five Christmases and two get-togethers into four days! We started off the night we arrived in town with a trip out to our friend's home. They had recently had a second baby, he was adorable! It was good to catch up with the couple as well since we hadn't seen them much since Scotland.

Our official holiday began the next day with Christmas eve brunch at the husband's parent's house. We all exchange wonderful gifts, and it was special for us to finally give items we'd gathered while abroad, like beersteins, Venetian glass wine stoppers, a rosary from the Vatican and so on. I always look forward to getting the latest kitchen gadgets and cookware from my MIL and Mike got the new Call of Duty: Black Ops game from his brother, which is currently blasting from our TV.

A cozy blanket, a fireplace and gunfire.... what's more relaxing than that?

Christmas eve brunch with the Bells.

The Bell men trying to alight the new flying helicopter!

From there, it was on to Christmas eve dinner with my mom and step-dad and my siblings. We had a fantastic time, my younger brother Ben was even in town from California and all four of us kids (two boys, two girls) were together for the first time in years! Needless to say, our mom was elated. :)

My sister (in red), me and my two brothers rolling sugarplums on Christmas eve.

My adorable niece, Abby.

My older brother's kiddos opening their gifts from Aunt Amber & Uncle Mike!
We gave them letterboxes - every item in each box began with the first letter of their name.

On Christmas, we kicked things off with breakfast in Ft. Worth with all my extended family like cousins, aunts and uncles. We also do a White Elephant gift exchange, everyone brings fantastic items and you pick a wrapped gift and open it up for all to see. Once a gift has been stolen twice, the third recipient gets to keep it! We always look forward to it, and the game works especially well when everyone brings fun gifts. It also helps alleviate the stress of buying for each person.

Sabrina, me and baby Abby. Love her Santa bib!

My grandma and my mom, who is reading Grandma her Christmas letter I wrote.

Christmas afternoon was spent at the movies, something I haven't done in years. We always have so many events to get to and so little time that it's hard to find any leisurely moments during the holidays anymore! Although I must digress, because last year in Scotland my mom and step-dad came to visit us (as well as our friend Stephen) and we went to see Sherlock Holmes on Christmas day. However, needless to say, our schedule was a bit more open then since we were across the pond. ;)

But back to our movie, we went to see True Grit and loved it! Jeff Bridges did a great job as the main character and it was such a witty film. Christmas evening, we went to look at Christmas lights with my dad and his wife (and my younger brother), complete with hot teas and cappuccinos I picked up on the way over! We put on the Pandora Christmas music channel and drove through North Dallas, admiring all the gorgeous Italian-style homes and beautiful holiday decorations. Afterward, we went back to my dad's house for some popcorn, red velvet cupcakes I'd brought over and the original version of True Grit. It was pretty neat to see it with John Wayne after having seen the remake earlier that day. It stayed pretty true to the authenticity!

My dad, Cynthia and Ben on our Christmas light tour!

Me and the husband enjoying all the holiday lights in Dallas.

Sunday was our final leg of Christmas, we attended church that morning then drove out to Sulphur Springs for a gathering with Mike's extended family. It was our first time to see many of them in two years and so it was exciting to catch up, see the newest baby and give gifts to all the kiddos.

Me, Grandma Street and Mike.

Sunday evening was spent at our friends Jill and Wes' place, they were sweet enough to host all the "girls" for the evening with chili, drinks and games. The "girls" consists of my swim team more and less, we all know each other from our years spent in synchronized swimming together and over the years husbands and boyfriends have been added to the mix. It's a great group, the type where you all bring out the best in each other and share a sort of support system that never has to be spoken of, it's just always there. Unfortunately, though, we were too busy enjoying ourselves that night to get any pictures of the group! Two of the girls are newly engaged, one is recently married and several didn't get to make it - but it was a fun time and so good to see everyone.

Monday morning after a check-up trip to the vet for my cat, Snowball, we loaded up and headed out. This time we packed up our two dogs to bring home with us!!! We'd been waiting for that moment for a loooong while. Shiner and Jersey are the loves of our lives, we adore both dogs and they are such amazing pets. It's been difficult to leave them behind during our various trips to Dallas over the past couple months - they've been staying with the husband's parents since we left for Scotland. We are so grateful that they've been so well cared for, but it was time for mom and dad to bring the doggies home at last! My Avalanche was completely loaded down, inside and out, with everything we could possibly squeeze in (which included two cats and two giant dogs!). We've stored random things at all of our parent's houses and friend's places in Houston and it's taking a while to collect it all and just even remember who has what.

Now we are home, over half the house is unpacked, the painting is completely done and we even hosted a New Year's party! 2011 has started off just grand, and I can't wait to share more of it with all of you...