DIY drift wood ornaments

Paul and I spent Thanksgiving on the Washington Coast at Seabrook. It was so much fun, and I am so grateful to my parents who rented a huge house with an ocean view. Everyone (my two brothers, their girlfriend and fiancee and my nephew) basically got their own wing of the home so it was a really relaxing getaway. While we were there I decided to try to make drift wood ornaments for our Christmas tree, this year I really wanted to do a beach inspired tree. My Mom and Paul helped me collect small pieces of drift wood from the beach and lucky for us there was a really big storm that blew all sorts of debris onto the beach, there was no shortage of branches, sticks, and driftwood. Then I washed and dried them by the fire, my original idea was to hot glue these together which sort of worked but then Paul being Mr. amazing started to twine them together with string which worked even better. And there you have it pretty drift wood star ornaments. We even used one for our tree topper.

Our First Noble Fir

After a lot debate Paul and I decided that this year we will have a real Christmas Tree. We were concerned about the lack of space in our ever shrinking apartment, and that Kevin (meow) might take a bite of it but we decided to get one anyway. I was so excited because this is my first real tree! Paul found an amazing tree farm in Snoqualami, Washington at the base of Mt. Si called Mountain Creek Christmas Tree Farm I definitely would recommend. It was such a fun experience, when we drove in there was a really nice man checking cars in he gave us the rundown of how the whole U-Cut experience works and got us moving in the right direction towards the Turkish Pines and Noble Firs. I didn't realize how many different types of Christmas Trees there are! Paul and I wanted a short chubby tree that could fit in our car and our apartment but would be full enough for ornaments. We ended up taking a tree from one of the lots that was being cleared out. It's funny because the tree looked so small outside but as soon as we got it indoors it was clear it was a little big lol. We trimmed it down and now it fits perfectly. I am not sure how Eco-friendly cutting down your own christmas tree is, but I really liked supporting this local family farm, vs. buying a new plastic tree for a big corporation. Having this experience is something I will never forget, spending time with Paul, and picking out our little tree. Its these moments that last a lifetime. 

(Christmas) Cabin Fever

I have this really unoriginal idea, I am challenging myself to do "12 Blog Posts of Christmas" starting today. To kick it off I wanted a Christmas cabin themed photo shoot. I have seen some incredibly gorgeous rustic Christmas inspired photos on Pinterest and decided to design my own for our Christmas cards this year. We are really lucky to live in Bellevue where the public parks system is amazing! There is a pretty cabin just minutes from our home on a public blueberry farm. The cabin made the perfect setting for our Christmas shoot. I hope you enjoy our photos, and be sure to read on to check out a great deal from Tiny Prints which is where I ordered our holiday cards from.

I purchased my holiday cards from Tiny Prints, they had an amazing black friday deal of 40% off plus an extra 10% so I was able to pre-order my cards for half off, do my cabin photo shoot, enter my edited photo, and order. Thats all there is to it! Tiny Prints is still offering many deals so I would hop on over to their website to start shopping just click here:

Celebrate the holidays with customized Christmas cards from Tiny Prints!

DIY Fresh Fir Wreath

My creative bug is back! I was walking through Pottery Barn and William Sonoma a few days ago taking in all sorts of inspiration for my own holiday DIY projects. When I was walking through Pottery Barn I was especially drawn to all of the pine and berry decor. Vanilla Sugar Cookie has long been my favorite holiday scent but this year pine has definitely taken over. Nordic Pine, Basaltic Pine, Northwest Pine... you name it they smell so Christmas-y and great! That being said the little scented ornaments and pinecones designed to capture the smell just doesn't do it for me. So I decided to make a fresh wreath using berries and pine tree branches found outside. I have to admit I was leery of this I've never made a wreath before but it isn't that difficult. I just bunched the pine needles together and twined the wire around them braiding it around the wreath wire, then I added the berries, and pine cone over the foliage tying a ribbon on it last. I used the wire wreath to support and hang it not the ribbon - just a note. I have nothing against William Sonoma, Anthropology, or Pottery Barn but I have to admit making my own fresh fir wreath is not only cheeper, but much more creatively fulfilling. 

So get crafty and collect these things so you too can make a holiday wreath for your hearth...

What you need:

26 gauge florist wire

Round wreath wire

Wire cutter

Ribbon or rafia

Pine, branches, berries, holly or any festive plant

A Doodle a Day

When I was in Jr. high I used to get the The Chronicles of the Horse, and I remember one day reading this short story and it really touched me. I thought I would share it along with the beginning of some sketches or a drawing a day.

The Blind Horse

Near my home is a field, with two horses in it.From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing....Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him. This alone is amazing.If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell. It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow. As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting that he will not be led astray. When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, it stops occasionally and looks back, making sure that the blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell. Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way....Good friends are like that ... You may not always see them, but you know they are always there. Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours. And remember... Be kinder than necessary - Everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Serres Farm Pics

For my Birthday Paul and I decided to get Christmas Pictures... actually it's something I wanted to do and Paul agreed to "cooperate" (just to clarify a little) We found this really awesome photographer at Red Sparrow Photography who did these cute little mini Christmas Photo Sessions. We only spent about a half an hour with her and we have so many pictures! (I am only showing the few that I recently purchased) 

The photographers name is Katie Cann-McTaggart she set up a meeting at Serres Farm which was so cute with it's little red barn and Christmas tree farm. Well I hope you enjoy our Miller Christmas Pictures and the fun surprise at the end.

-again, I'm so lucky I have a husband who puts up with this girlie stuff ; )

                          

Merry Christmas!