Seasonally simple

Even though it's not Thanksgiving yet, I'm guilty of jumping the gun and starting decorating for the holidays.

This year, Chris requested that it not look like "Christmas threw up" in the house (ha!) because last year we went a little overboard with the holiday decorating. So, I'm taking a more tamed approach and keeping it simple this season.

This past week, I started by adding some simple holiday greens in the dining room and kitchen.

I love poinsettias especially white ones (surprise surprise, right?) and have these ones in a metal garage sale find:

I also love boxwood and have put these mini wreaths (that I bought from this site that I've posted about before here) around some candle votive holders:

The boxwood wreaths came in a set of three and I've hung the largest one on a tray on our hutch:

The black and white herringbone ribbon came from this Etsy shop.

In the kitchen, I've kept the alcove behind the kitchen sink simple with two larger poinsettias in these wicker and glass hurricanes that were previously on our mantel.

Here's some more of the herringbone ribbon:

I'll share more of our holiday decorating soon.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
- Caitlin

One room challenged

Have you heard about the ORC (one room challenge) series where bloggers have 6 weeks to decorate a room?

I seriously admire those that are able to get a room together under such a tight time line!

I, unfortunately, am not so ORC savvy. 

Decorating a room is definitely a slow process for me that I can't rush (it took months and months to put together Charlie's nursery and our bedroom after-all).

The current room that I am challenging myself to decorate is our family room.

I posted about our plans for this room here and I'm currently at week 8 or so.

While it is nowhere near finished, we have definitely made some progress.

Here's what it was looking like before:

And here is where we are today:

We have the bulk of the furniture in (couch, coffee table, armchair) and the ceiling, trim, and walls have been painted (wall color is Benjamin Moore's pale oak).

Obviously there is still lots to do (purchase a rug, find side tables and lamps, find and hang artwork, add accessories and pillows, give the room some color and personality) but it'll get there.

In the meantime, I'm just enjoying the freshly painted walls (it is amazing what paint can do) and a cozy couch to sit on in front of the fire.

Have a great weekend!

- Caitlin

A little winter foyer fun

Holy cold!

The weather could not be more opposite of the sunny warm temperatures we were enjoying just a couple of weeks ago at my sister's wedding in Florida.

Anyway, I'm trying to embrace the arctic chill by adding some winter decor around the house.

This past weekend I focused on the foyer.

I'll probably change things around 10 more times (because that's what I do) until I'm satisfied with how it looks but here's where I left off:

The mini Christmas trees are fake (just $3 a piece from Target) as I'm waiting for Trader Joe's to put out their real ones.

The vintage snow shoes were a garage sale find I picked up last winter:

I used these boots last winter in the foyer (read about it here) and pulled them out again this year:

This picture below reminds me that I still want to makeover the inside of our front door (new paint and hardware). Maybe something like Jackson's front door?

Stay warm!

- Caitlin

My Daily Bubble: table runner time

My latest post on My Daily Bubble is up.

Click here to see where this checkered table runner came from.

You might be surprised!

Have a great weekend!

- Caitlin

More Jane

My Jane.com gift card giveaway has ended. 

Congrats to Athena and Lauren on winning and thank you to all of those that entered!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Even if you didn't win, you might want to check out some of the current deals going on at Jane.com.
Below are some of my picks:

baby leather moccasins

pillow covers

burlap placemats

fabric bunting

rustic 8x10 Christmas prints

raise the bar necklace

classic cargo jacket

floating pearl necklace

Happy shopping!
- Caitlin

What a wedding!

Today I'm sharing a few shots from my sister's wedding this past weekend (to see pictures from her shower, you can visit here). I wish I took more photos but I got so caught up in the excitement of the day that I only managed to snap a few pictures. Oh well, it's more important to live in the moment sometimes than spend the time looking through a camera lens, right?

My sister, who is ridiculously talented, designed the invitations and all the other paper accessories (she did the same for my wedding and my sister-in-law's):

The venue was beautiful. 

Can't beat palm trees, water, and string lights!

I loved the nautical knots on the tables and managed to snag one for Charlie's nursery!

We ended the night with a sparkler send off.

I can't wait to see how those pictures came out!

Congrats Jamie & Brad!

P.S. If you haven't entered the Jane.com gift card giveaway yet, there's still time!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Give it away give it away give it away now

What a week! We just got back from celebrating my sister's wedding in Florida and I'm already missing our time there. It was the best. week. ever. and I will definitely share some of the wedding DIY touches soon. Until then, here's a sneak peek I shared on Instagram:

Anyway, to help clear my post-wedding/vacation let-down, I'm starting the week off with a giveaway!

If you've been following this blog, then you already know that I'm a fan of Jane.com and I'm always checking their site for new deals (you can read about my recent picks here).

So, today I'm giving away two $25 Jane.com gift cards!
Just enter below for a chance to win :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!
- Caitlin