Ladies Night...

Last night was party numero 4!!!! We ended our party season with the LADIES.  I have to say if your looking for a community of women who are interesting, fabulous, and full of hope look no further then CALSTG.  I normally don't get into our church to much on the blog, but after a wonderful evening with lady friends, its just a shame not to share what we have going on.  Needless to say I am grateful for the women we rub shoulders with daily.  Thank God for all the LADIES of CALSTG.

 

Merry Christmas!!!!

Mel

PHOTO CARDS: CHRISTMAS

I don't think there is a science to a successful photo shoot other then laughter and a little chocolate bribery.  We usually take a few hundred photos to just have ONE pic where we are all looking forward and smiling.  

Here a few out takes….

Do you have any family tricks??? 

Besos,

Mel

It is Never to late...

Everyone understands how busy Christmas can be. SO, I say it is never to late to send a belated Christmas gift, plus if you buy your wrapping now you will be able to find beautiful wrap at half the price. 

Here were a few of my favorites...

Stay Cozy

Happy Christmas. 

We are three days in and we are enjoying fabulous family time. I hope your staying warm and cozy!

Christmas Suppers in New York

Our upcoming week is filling up with my favorite Christmas activities: Gramercy Park caroling, children's pageant, and a midnight service.  I hope your upcoming week is full of joy and shared time with those you love. 

Homemade Gift Tags

I love anything original and homemade. I think when you bring together the simple details together with love and care the gift you give is so meaningful. I am thrilled my friend Ginger gifted me with homemade gift tags.  Look out for her site in the new year, as you will soon be able to order gifts just like these.....

Perfect Christmas Gifts

With the business of the Christmas season gift giving can be overwhelming to say the least. I think of all the wonderful people in my life and wish I could send them all a wonderful treat to tell them how much we love them. One thing I know I love most are Christmas cards. Yesterday I opened our mail box and found a dozen new Christmas cards. I was so excited and giddy to be exact. Receiving cards reminded me how special each card is and I can rest assured the cards we sent out touched our loved ones as well.

A few other gifts I love to give are photobooks, and cookbooks. The cookbook on the top of my list is Feast. Our dear friend Sarah wrote a second fabulous cookbook and it is especially for those you love their veggies. If your not a veggie eater you will find recipes to inspire you. 

Christmas Blooms

Hello Monday.
We have made it to the other side of 4 parties. We have one more this weekend and then our own family Christmas festivities. We have had a full month to say the least.  I am sure you all remember we trimmed our house as soon as we cleaned our Thanksgiving dishes. Over the last two weeks we have enjoyed the decor, but I was itching for a little punch in color. So, it is no surprise I picked up a few bunches of pink ranunculus to lift our green party to something a little more special.

Christmas in Pink

As we prepare for the weekend, I prepare for party number 4! I am particularly excited for this upcoming party. We are hosting the staff and church board members, and together we work so hard we rarely have time to sit and enjoy a meal together. So, when I was thinking up decor for our 4th party, I decided to add a little pink hue to make our party sparkle against our very rustic white pine and magnolia leaves. 

As a side note, I say PREP for any party you are putting on and set up what your able to before hand. Knowing that my table will be set two days in advance cuts out so much stress.  

Here is a sneak peek......

Simple Cocktail Party Decor

Since we had so many different parties ahead of us last week, I knew I had to keep our decor on the simple side if I was going to get through my to do lists. So, I trimmed my home a week ago and have just refreshed a few areas if my home. One trick I have is to change the color of the my candle sticks throughout the party season. That way each party is festive in its own way. 

I also decided to add wreaths in unexpected areas of our home. I like the element of surprise.

Trimming the Tree

Hello Friday!
Am I happy to see this day. To say this week was full would be an understatement. By the time we get to Sunday we will have hosted 3 holiday parties-- yeah that is right 3!  When I took a look at my schedule a couple weeks ago, I knew we had to be very organized to make it to mid-December in one piece.  My plan of attack was to have Christmas cards complete by Thanksgiving and a floral design for the casa. Thankfully both came together. The day after Thanksgiving I had a bundle of magnolia leaves arrive, 75 feet of white pine, three wreaths, and lots of fun filler.  My little elves helped me get the house together Sunday into the wee hours. 

When it came time to host, I was cool as a cucumber, well for the most part. I think if you feel good about your home's decor then the rest is easy. What guest doesn't easily relax in a cozy home with a cocktail in hand?

Homemade Stockings

Over the last few years we have made due with our collection of stockings. They are definitely cute, but none of them match each other, so I decided to take a stab at sewing my own. The process was so simple. I took the same yellow velvet fabric I made our tree skirt with and added a dash of color with velvet reds and blues. They were so simple and good looking. 

You simply make a pattern of the left and right side, trace cut and sew. Remember to sew inside out then flip your stocking inside out. 

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....

Since I packed away all our Thanksgiving left overs our home has been in full Advent preparation. I sewed stockings, a tree skirt, and trimmed our home. I have loved every minute and the kids have, too. I must say, our approach this year was to be rustic and o'natural. Our tree is trimmed with wool colored balls, beautiful yarn, and white owls. Our home is covered in magnolia leaves, white pine, and box wood. What more could you want. 

Here we go!

Thanksgiving Floral Arrangements

We have arrived to Thanksgiving EVE. Can you believe it?  I have been telling friends that, at this point, Thanksgiving is basically functioning as a speed bump to Christmas. Believe me, I need the speed bump. That being said, when I was thinking of what to choose for my Thanksgiving decor, I cheated a bit. I am going with a decor that will easily crossover to Advent. 

While in the market I have been eyeing a few new white vases. They come in a variety of sizes and add texture to any setting. I must resist buying every lovely vase I see, but this time I thought we are heading into the perfect occasion for these beauties.

Holiday Survival

Hello Tuesday!! 
The weather is GLORIOUS here in NYC. We are just soaking up every beautiful minute of it. I do appreciate this great weather, and just the right climate can help me get much done on my long to do list. I don't know about you, but the holidays can be overwhelming, so EVERY year I have come up with a few check off items pre-Thanksgiving. 

Uno: Take Christmas photos & order Christmas cards

Dos: Make photo books for the abuelos

Tres: Plan out Christmas decor

So far we are on track. This year was especially important to stay focused because as of today are hosting 5 Christmas parties- YIKES.  I continually tell myself SI SE PUEDE!!! I am sure when this saying was made famous, Christmas parties were not at the core. 

One site I wanted to share with you all today is Prinstagram. I am OBSESSED!!!! I can not wait to receive my packages, I know they will be tough to part with, which is a sure sign of an awesome gift. Just check out their amazing look, and who doesn't love printed photos in our digital age? Last year a friend printed one photo for me and I have it hanging up like a small treasure. Needless to say, get ready for cool pics from the Smiths.

Holiday Photo Cards

With the holidays ahead of us I do like to cross a few items off my to do list before I end up overnighting Christmas cards, and party invitations etc...  I use Halloween as my marker, like I know Duane Reade does, so each year I book our friend Jeremy to take pics. When I was thinking up our card for this year I wanted to do something a little more fun for the kids, since taking family pics is NOT on the top of their to do list.

Last Sunday our dear friend Jeremy, all around expert (girls, he is single!!!), took our annual photos. He is so sweet and warm while taking this neurotic New Yorker family's pictures. We are not easy to capture well, since for instance Jake has a hard time relaxing in photos, and the kids are usually squirmy and a little wild. I am usually the only one actually looking at the camera. It is definitely an event, and poor Jeremy usually has to take 500 shots hoping for one good Smith pic. 

My solution, besides chocolate bribery, was to include an element of surprise this year. I came home with 6 gigantic blue balloons. They were huge, and watching me walk 10 blocks with them in the streets of NYC must have been a sight. I am telling you, though, they were well worth it. The kids had fun and so did we. Although Jake kept asking throughout the shoot, "so the balloons symbolize what now?" My answer: they were an element of distraction and silly fun. What family doesn't need unpredictable surprises?

Upscale DIY Christmas

As I have been shopping this season, I am always on the hunt for gifts that lift the spirits, items you don't "really need, but WANT." I have been loving all the JCrew, Madewell, and Anthro sweaters out there. I was really trying to convince myself to buy a couple out of budget items for my sister and mother, but my good sense took over and I ended up with two very cheery sweaters from the GAP.  I loved the color blocking, but found myself a little bored wishing for a little sparkle. What to do,  create your own design with a touch of ME. 

I simply removed the old plain buttons and sewed this vintage gold ones one. Then I added shimmery goldfish/pink elbow patches for a little lift.  I love the results and the total price tag was less than 30 dollars a sweater. You can't beat that.



Merry Christmas!!


Mel

Wrap it Up

One of the fun things about this time of year for me is getting to wrap so many presents.  I know it might sound a little strange, but I really do enjoy the whole process, especially if I have some really pretty paper and fun ribbon options on hand-- although it doesn't need to be anything elaborate in order to be special.  It's like a little moment of triumph;  you thought of the present, you went out and got it, made it, or baked it (not in my case:)), and this is the final, happy, creative piece that makes it ready to be handed over to the recipient.  And I find something about the methodical creasing, folding, cutting of it all to be very satisfying in an otherwise crazy busy time of year.  

Someday I will have arrived in life when I have a wrapping station like this somewhere in my house.  Who wouldn't love to wrap in this room?  Although I'm afraid I would have to hire someone to reach this level of organization...

This year I picked up a couple of rolls of wrapping paper at Home Goods and I am loving both the red reptile print and the gold and silver faux bois (which has been popping up a lot these days).  The colors are traditional for the holidays, but the prints add a fun element of surprise.  

I also picked up a bunch of cute silver and gold jingle bells from a craft store, and I love how festive and pretty they are.  What do you like to do to make your packages special?

Happy wrapping!

Liza

Christmas Settings

Today we are having a little Christmas dinner party for the church staff and leaders. I love a good party and am always up for thinking up new floral arrangements and table settings.

Here is what I came up with, a variety of evergreen, red tulips, cranberries, and just a few succulents for that extra touch of green.

Happy Arranging!

M