5 of my faves Tuesdays!!!

  Thought I needed to share 5 faves I've found recently.....I think all of these would make amazing Christmas gifts for the special people in your life....

 5. This fun camera strap for your fave photo friend!!!

4. For the little friends in your life =)

3. These would be perfect for the moms out there who are always cold....

2. For the brother or dad you never know what to get....

1. For the sister that is trendier than you.


How is your Christmas shopping coming along??? Any good finds out there you feel like sharing??? =)

Our Brooklyn apartment sneak peek.....

Well I am definitely down to the wire with my November goal of showing you guys our apartment.  My all time favorite thing to do online is scope out cute apartments on Ohdeedoh and Design Sponge, so I hope you enjoy!!! Like many apartments in New York, ours is a railroad style...meaning you have to go through one room to enter into the next. In our case, the old tenants of our apartment decided to knock down one of the walls so it ends up feeling more like a one bedroom with a "large" living space.....

 

I figured I would start the tour in my favorite space and the one I am most proud of thus far....these stripes were almost the death of me, but I loooove them. Our room isn't quite what I envisioned yet but it is well on it way.  I'm hoping to get my grandmas old quilt when I am home for Christmas =)

Image above: the only storage space in our place =(

 

Since our living space is long and narrow we chose to add a little more separation using a bookshelf.  I'm hoping to find a fun chair and ottoman that I can't live without, but until then....

 It was hard to get a good picture of this...but I snagged the idea from my all time top home tours "I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love" using plywood is a very inexpensive canvas =)

her workspace

his workspace

My husband is a kid at heart....he loves his toys.  My favorite is this original Hulk drawing my dad got for him last Christmas that hangs above his desk.

 

I finally have my very own vintage plate wall!!!

Thought I would end the tour with our tiny little bathroom.....newly painted turquoise =)

It is a mystery as to why we don't have a towel rod...or where it went???? Check out my guest post here for my wall art in the bathroom.

So there you have it...my home, a work in progress but a place where I am constantly learning, growing and becoming inspired. Thanks for stopping by!!

Festive & Frugal....Part 1

I was having a rather splendid evening on Saturday night, sitting online at Crate and Barrel as I kept adding to my shopping cart of fun, festive Christmas decor.  My husbands voice in the back of my head telling me I simply do NOT need to spend $30 on some ornaments and he doesn't care how cute they are....ugh.  I then turn to Ryan and start the conversation that just went through in my very head.  Leaving me at the end of the debate with an empty cart and a yearning heart for something pretty and Christmas-ee in my home.  I know you are all thinking "geez, how broke are the Rossman's over in NYC that the dude won't let his poor wife buy something festive?!?!" Well, we simply are trying to live, well simply and not buy too much crap we don't need especially during Christmas. Not to mention that Christmas trees alone are 25 bucks a foot over here... just about!! So, what did I decide to do you ask??? Make my own Christmas decor!!!!....get ready to get creative ladies!!!!

 My first piece of advice would be to make due with what you already have in your home...I used a serving platter and put cheap Christmas balls in it surrounding a candle.  Then tied a ribbon and voila!!! A Christmas centerpiece for our dining nook =)

Instead of buying things to add extra clutter to your walls use the frames you have and make something jolly to replace your family portrait for the month of December. I made this with some fabric and some stencils oh and a paper snowflake =)

I guess you can say my Christmas theme this year is snowflakes =) I feel like Buddy the Elf and I love it!!! I used to have a letterpress lovely hanging but slid it under my bed so these snowflakes could get some hang time...

Use some yarn or bakers twine and make your own clothesline for your holiday Christmas cards...a fun and inexpensive idea.....

I've got a few more things hiding up my sleeve, but for now Ryan and I are off to get our tree...our place is coming together!!!!

Thankful Thursday!

Happy Thanksgiving all!!! I am proud to say that I have already taken one afternoon nap and enjoyed the ever so chilly Macy's Thanksgiving day parade.  I laughed along with the ever so jolly Santa and chuckled as Kanye West was booed and I honestly was kinda amazed at how large Jessica Simpson has become....I'll have to share the nicer pics later but for now here are a few from my phone.

I am truly thankful for my amazing family and friends and to be married to an amazing man....we are so blessed. What are you thankful for??? Have a great Turkey day!! Gobble Gobble =)

8 things you might (not) want to know about me

Sometimes I get the feeling that no one reads my blog so it made my whole week when I woke up to this surprise! Halsey over at Spunky Junky awarded me and seven other bloggers with the Stylish Blogger Award. Thanks so much Halsey for making me feel so loved in a time of blogger need =)

To "pay it forward" I was suppose to follow the criteria below

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this.
2. Share 8 things about yourself.
3. Pay it forward to 8 bloggers that you have recently discovered
4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their award.

So here it goes......

Things you may or may NOT want to know about me:

1. When I get really nervous my hands tremble...not the coolest thing when you are a hairstylist.
2. I am the youngest of four kids.
3. I'm obsessed right now with hot chocolate with hot milk.
4. When I was 8 I was run over by a parade float and broke my femur....it's ok, you can laugh but it is a miracle that I was able to play sports and not limp...oh and that I didn't die =)
5. I think I want a baby...like soon  =)
6. My husband has a full blown plan of how to survive when 2012 happens and aliens attack...I'm not joking.
7. My sister is my bestest friend in the whole world!!!!
8. I am a weeper.






and here is the good stuff.....the 8 blogs that I love and am inspired by, so check them out and give them some LOVE...woop woop!!!

Shanners in the city

TomChik Editions

Janine The Machine

A little lovely 

Raccoon & Rain

Joyful Quarles

Plain Happy
Lavenda Memory

5 of my faves!!!

Kind of obsessed (no, let's rephrase) extremely obsessed with shopping right now.  Stores always seem to have the best deals and cutest things when I need to be shopping for others and when my closet is already busting at the seems.  Have I mentioned that we live in an apartment that honestly, truly, did not have one closet in it when we moved in....I must show you how Ryan and I are creatively cohabiting with an ikea wardrobe and a couple of drapes.....in due time my friends!! I will be doing a sneak peek of our apartment before December 1st so be on the look out!!!! Not only am I finding fun things on Etsy for Christmas but I have a wish list that keeps growing.  When I say wish list I mean that exactly, a wish. I must stop!!!! At least I have you to share them with right??

  5. This sweet little sassy number from Urban....I think I would love to wear this while watching the ball drop this year.

4. This bag of snowflake ornaments I got here! Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree.....

3. "Grandpa" inspired sweaters and tights, yep it was 60 degrees yesterday in NYC.

 2. This fancy vintage watch necklace.....ew la la!!!!

1. It's big and cozy and it has snowflakes =) what else could you need??


 Today I plan on mapping out our Christmas cards and getting my moms sweet potato recipe all ready for Thursday...YUMMO!!! I just came up with an idea of sharing one of mine on here....think cheese, cream cheese, pineapple tidbits and fond memories of pushing it to the side at Grandmas until you realized at the age of 20 how amazing it was =) What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish???

Our Brooklyn home window display

So I promised I would show you what I had planned for my little snowflakes this weekend. Remember, my weekend starts Sunday night...well, here are the beginnings of it!!! One of the cool things about living in New York during the holidays are the beautiful window displays. So I figured this year I needed to have my own =)

I was asked to be in charge of the salon windows this year using the same idea but with bigger panels of snowflakes....should be a bit of a project but I'm excited to see how it will turn out since the windows are a lot larger and nicer than ours =) I'll for sure take pics of that when it is up and done.


*If you want to do this at home simply make a TON of snowflakes and lay them on the ground in the design you want and rubber cement them together....a fun project to do with little kiddos too =)

Snowflakes!!!!

No, not real ones....yet. Last night Ryan went to his wrap party for Celebrity Apprentice, which means I finally get my husband back after 4 weeks of 13 hour days and screwy hours. Since spouses weren't invited (damn you Donald Trump!!!)  I stayed home with some chubby hubby ice cream and Finding Neverland. I wanted to get started on some holiday decorating so I thought of nothing simpler than making paper snowflakes.  It really took me back to kindergarten and I really enjoyed myself =) I'll show you what I have planned for them this weekend but for now I hope you enjoy this pic as much as I enjoyed being 5 again....

I encourage you all to make a snowflake this winter =)

Letterpress Lovelies...Christmas cards =)

I am super duper proud of myself....yesterday I bought our Christmas cards! I'm moving a lot quicker than I did last year which says a LOT since last year I bought them a week and a half before Christmas and spent too much on overnight shipping so they would get to people before Christmas.  I did love our cards last year.....

Our first year in NYC I figured us in front of the Rockefeller Christmas tree was very fitting...


This year I am keeping it pretty simple, but I am planning on using my instax so each card will be different and unique =) I have been hunting around for weeks and almost splurged on a few sets of cards that I will share with you now.....so if you are like me this year and want to get a jump on things..go ahead, jump on these!!!

source

source

 

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for all you owl lovers like me

will someone please buy these...and send me one =)

this was my #1 choice...I still might buy a pack cause I love it so..

I have some fun holiday posts planned....I'm thinking fun decor, wrapping and inexpensive gift ideas....fun fun fun....I love Christmas =)

5 of my faves!!!

 I cannot believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner!!! This will be Ryan and my first Thanksgiving without family =( We still are a little up in the air of what we are doing since work is a little crazy busy for him right now.  I'm sure whatever we do it will involve eating and sleeping a LOT =) and that makes me happy.  I do know we plan on going to the Thanksgiving Macy's parade...that will make me extra happy!!  I figured I would share 5 of my favorite Thanksgiving "finds" to get us all in the festive mood.....

5. These sweet mini pumpkins would add a little holiday cheer splashed around your home!

4. Or you could hang this Thankful banner.

3. This little beauty of a pumpkin DIY tutorial...the only thing is, I must have the pretty fabric too!!!!

2. How perfect!! It's vintage and it has the recipe in it!! My kind of baking =)

1. My new amber vintage tumblers I found at Junk....my collection is growing!!! I am so going to enjoy some eggnog or apple cider out of these tall ladies. And what a perfect color for fall =)


Can't wait to hear and see what you all have planned for the holiday!! I know my instax is going to get some use, that's for SURE!!!!!