Holiday Recap [update]

I hope all of you had a wonderful time during the holidays!  Although this year it was much quieter for us I still found that it went by too fast!  I can't believe it's already 2012.  Here's some bits and pieces of my holidays. 


[update: more pics now available on my facebook page]

Some ornaments

Good food :)

One of my favorite meals, mussels in white wine sauce and pasta!

Delicious home made apple cake (recipe found here)

Outfits

The boots (I've been wearing them non stop!)

Boxing day purchases

Didn't actually buy a lot but manage to score some needed dress pants for work!

More food

Yummy appetizers for our low key New Year's Eve at home :)

Loving the Holidays Lately,

Amy

PS. you may have noticed there's been an upgrade in photos, this is a result of a Christmas gift to myself!

It's almost Christmas :)

I can't believe it's only 2 days till Christmas!  I finished all my marking a couple of days ago so I've had some time to relax.  Here's what I've been up to...

Making more bracelets :)

Christmas Baking, YUM!

Sugar Cookies (not my best batch but they tasted good!)

Candy Cane Cake Pops

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas with your loved ones! The next couple of days will be full of family time, church, and parties but I'll be back posting soon.  I'm sure I'll have boxing week purchases to share with you all ;P


Loving Christmas Lately,
Amy

DIY:Kusudama Flower Ornament

Still looking for a Christmas gift?  Well here's a homemade gift everyone will love, Kusudama Flower Ornaments. 

Kusudama is a Japanese paper ball made of identical units glued or sewn together.  The name translates to medicine ball as they were originally filled with incense or potpourri, but now are used as decorations.  There are many different versions but this flower ball is one of the simplest to make :) 

Materials:

- 60 pieces of square paper (the bigger the paper, the bigger the ornament)
    TIP: I use these spiral notepads from the Dollar Store!
- white glue
- string/ribbon
- bead or charm


First make 12 flowers following the instructions here.  It may take a little time but the end product is worth it!  The flowers look great on their own, so if you don't want to make an ornament you could just fill a glass bowl with a couple of flowers. For the red and green version I made 6 red and 6 green flowers.  Then I attached following the instructions here (it also explains how to attach the string and charm).  I made it so that the green flowers are on the top and bottom sandwiching the red flowers in the middle. 

I really love this color combo as the flowers remind me of poinsettias :)

These ornaments make great gifts even when it's not Christmas so go grab some paper and get crafty!

Loving Kusudama Flower Ornaments Lately,
Amy

A Little Gift (or two) for Myself...

With all the Christmas sales going on I caved and bought these two fabulous pairs of shoes from Aldo and Call it Spring.

These booties had been on my wish list for sometime but I wasn't sure about the height of the heel.  Once I found them for 60% off I figured there was no harm in trying them on.  Turns out the 0.5 inch platform and chunky heel make it very easy to walk in them.  Can't wait to wear them during the holidays :)


The brogues were sort of a spur of the moment purchase but something that had been on my radar for awhile.  I just wasn't sure about buying brogues as I've only recently started to incorporate menswear into my wardrobe.  I fell in love with the color combo and for $15 they make a great alternative to flats, which I wear all the time!  Unfortunately the weather is getting colder so I'll be saving them for spring.


Now, time to STOP buying gifts for myself and actually get my Christmas shopping done!


Loving New Shoes Lately,
Amy

Christmas Wishlist

1.  Love Joy Peace

It's easy to forget that Christmas is a time for giving and NOT receiving.
My wish is that this Christmas everyone (including myself)

spreads some love, joy and peace to those around them!  
Make someone's day by showing them you care :)

If any of my friends and family have already done the above and insist on still getting me a gift, then here are a few of things I wouldn't mind getting....

   2.  Fossil Flight Watch                                 3.  Fuji Instax Mini

       

4. Howell Peacoat, Aritzia                    5. Magazine Subscription

   




Loving Christmas GIVING Lately,
Amy