Scenes from Christmas

 
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  We sure did and I can hardly believe that it's actually already come and gone.  We spent Christmas at my parents in South Carolina this year, and it was really a special year.  Virginia was spoiled with love and attention all week.  She spent the entire holiday staring at my parent's fire.  (Our fireplace in Charlotte sadly doesn't work!)  Christmas Eve we enjoyed beef tenderloin and too many old fashioneds.  On Christmas day we enjoyed stockings, presents, brunch with my grandparents and drinks with family friends that evening.  The day after Christmas we packed up the car and headed to Charleston to celebrate with our extended family.  It was really so fun and of course made me wish I lived in Charleston!  My foodie cousin and uncle made a delicious prime rib roast (we obviously love beef!) and bloody mary's for lunch.  It was definitely a good Christmas, and it makes returning to Charlotte and the real world not so fun!  Hope everyone has a great week and enjoys these last few days of the holidays!!

~Mary Keller

Time to Wrap!


I've spent the past few nights after Virginia's gone to sleeping wrapping away gifts for next week!  None of my gifts look like the beautiful packages that I'm seeing all over Pinterest and Instagram, or even the packages above, but it's fun for me to think that one year I'll make my gifts look this good!  This year I actually didn't buy a single ribbon or roll of wrapping paper (I'm using up leftovers, Virginia will never know the difference!) but there are some beautiful options out there.  The tags, bags and ribbons above all come from Paper Source.  I like to buy inexpensive paper from Target for most of my large gifts, and then get a few rolls of special paper for the small gifts from a place like Paper Source.  The online shop Waiting on Martha and even Crate and Barrel have some gorgeous options this year too.  Do you guys care about how you wrap your presents, do you do a particular wrapping theme, or just use leftover paper like me!?

~Mary Keller

Top image via Hello Happiness; Bottom image via Peonies and Brass

Last Minute Stocking Stuffers


Have you guys finished your shopping yet? I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't. I'm usually really on top of things but the holidays just came too fast for me this year. Andy and I do an Angel Tree child every year and otherwise just exchange stockings to keep gifts under control. I've learned you can actually fit a good bit in a stocking but to keep things practical we do a good mix of drugstore items with small gifts. That's the best part of a stocking to me! You can have a goodie bag full of those small items that you always forget to buy and maybe one small item that's a little bit of a treat.

For her: a mini bottle of wine or champagne, dark chocolate, her favorite magazine, a clementine, fun nail polish and a bright lip gloss with a coffee mug with her new last initial (my favorite part of my stocking last year).

For him: holiday beer, a lint roller, razers, chapstick, his favorite magazine, shave cream, an orange, his favorite candy and a new kitchen tool he's been eyeing all year.
 
The perfect stocking (to me) is a good mix of random items mixed with a meaning gift. The best part about these stocking stuffers is you can grab them last minute at any grocery or drugstore. Then save your time and energy for the one little special gift you're including. What's in your stocking?
 
- Heath
 
PS growing up we had friends who always woke up to a stocking full of candy and fireworks for New Years. I think that's a fun idea too!

Scenes from the Weekend


This weekend was a good one!  We consumed a huge charcuterie spread and lots of wine on our Christmas shopping and Rooster's date night. Andy, Heath and my mom spoiled Virginia while babysitting her, and Sunday we brought our tiny Carolina Panther's fan to tailgate and cheer on the Panther's for their win! 

Hope everyone has a good week!
~Mary Keller

Happy Friday!


Happy Friday everyone!  It's been a good week and I had to share this sweet picture of my little Virginia napping under the Christmas tree this morning.  (You may have already seen this if you follow us on Instagram.)  This moment didn't last long but I sure enjoyed it while it did!

This weekend my mom and Aunt Heappie (Heath) are watching Virginia while J.D. and I go on a little Christmas date.  I'm so excited and have been looking forward to this date for half the year.  We have a little tradition of going shopping for a child on the Angel Tree, getting stocking stuffers and then going out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants every December.  This will be our first date with just the two of us since Virginia joined our little family!  I've been dreaming of Rooster's charcuterie and a good glass of wine (maybe a vodka tonic too!) for months!

Here are a few fun things that caught our attention this week:

Poppy Barley offers made to measure boots and flats.  I've heard of made to measure clothes, but never shoes!

Love Carter Kustera's cheeky silhouettes.  This would be fun to do of your entire family, or your favorite pet.  Love that they're informal.

Last thing, I've seen this new Kitchen Surfing idea a few places this week and I'm SO jealous that I don't live in a city where this is offered.  Dinner parties and entertaining friends are pretty much my favorite things in life and I think this is the coolest concept.  This site allows you to hire private chefs to come to your home to throw a dinner party or cocktail party of any type.  You dream it up, and they do all of the work.  Brilliant!

Have a good weekend everyone!  Anyone have any fun Christmasy plans?

~Mary Keller

Christmas PJs


Did you guys grow up with the tradition of getting new Christmas pajamas every year on Christmas Eve?  We didn't but I really feel like just about everyone did!  I'm considering starting that tradition with Virginia, but this year we gave Virginia her Christmas jammies on Thanksgiving night so she could wear them all season.  My mom, Heath and J.D. were sweet and surprised me with a handful of beautiful pajamas and robes when I was in the hospital on Virginia's birthday.  They knew I'd be spending a lot of time over the next few months in pajamas, and I've loved having fresh options so I feel a little more pretty when I'm basically lounging around the house.

We've picked out a few options that are comfy but still a little put together.  Perfect for waking up on Christmas morning with company at your house.  Also perfect because you know you'll be taking lots of pictures.  For the most part, we picked options that don't scream Christmas.  I'd rather buy something a little more wintery and a little less Christmasy.

Side note - you can order the JCrew Flannel Plaid and Swiss Dot with a monogram - perfect gift for just about anyone!  A little monogram would make the gift feel special and JCrew is always offering sales.

Clockwise from top left:  Boden Pajama Bottoms (on sale now!) that they pair with a cute cami;  JCrew End-on-end Pajama Set with Swiss Dot; Old Navy Polkadot pajama top; JCrew Silk Nightshirt in Colorblock Dot; Hanna Anderson Long John Pajama pants; Madewell Leggings in Heart Flip Print; Lands End Canvas Mistletoe Merino shorts; JCrew Pajama Set in Bright Cerise Plaid Flannel

Happy Friday!

 
Happy Friday everyone!  I'm so excited for the weekend!  J.D.'s been working late this week and I cannot wait to have him home to spend a weekend just relaxing, enjoying the Christmas season, and of course mainly just staring at our baby Virginia.  She's entered the most fun stage, smiling and trying so hard to babble and talk to us, and as cliché as it sounds I really cannot believe how quickly she's growing.  As quickly as the Christmas decorations have gone up, I know they will also quickly come down and when that happens, it means back to the real working world for this girl.  For that reason, I'm trying to savor every sweet minute with my family this weekend and the rest of the month of December as well!

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend!  If you're in the Christmas decorating mood, I love this festive mantle from Better Homes and Gardens.  They have a full how-to on their website here.  I love Christmas decorations like this that don't take themselves too seriously! :)

Enjoy your weekend!

~Mary Keller

Wreath Round Up

 

Probably my favorite Christmas decorations (other than the tree of course!) are just simple wreaths.  I wish I could get my act together to actually try making a wreath sometime, but so far my wreaths just come from the local Christmas tree stand.  (If you're in Charlotte, King's Drive farmers market has a really nice selection.)  Here's a round up of our favorite looks!

Top left:  Love this Olive Branch Wreath from Terrain.  It's not something you see all the time, and it's natural and earthy.  I love Bay Leaf wreaths too, and this Bay Leaf wreath from Emma Makes Blog looks simple enough to make sometime. 

Top Right:  Nothing more classic or simple than a red bow on a Frasier Fur wreath.  I'll never get tired of this look, or the beautiful blue and white ceramics that they've paired with it!

Middle Left:  I love this look with all of the ribbons for something different than your standard bow.  It looks casual and unfussy, and it's a great way to tie in lots of different colors.

Middle Right:  Loving this little square boxwood wreath from West Elm.  It's modern and chic and really doesn't need a bow.  If you're interested, grab one of these soon because last year they sold out when I went to grab one.  West Elm also has round boxwood wreaths if you want something more traditional.  (Also, check Trader Joes for really inexpensive boxwoods!)

Bottom Left:  If you want something that's not so plain Jane, this Silver Bells Wreath from Terrain is really elegant.  If you're using it inside, you could even add a few silver, gold or mercury glass ornaments to the wreath.

Bottom Right:  Love this earthy look with wreaths that are a little less kept, a little more wild.  This cranberry wreath from Etsy, and group of simple wreaths also have a really earthy feel if that's the look your aiming for. 

~Mary Keller

Favorite Hostess Gifts


I know everyone is thinking about all things holiday right now!  We've put together a list of our favorite hostess gifts for this season, perfect for bringing your mother in law as she hosts you for a few days or perfect for giving the hostess at a holiday cocktail party.  My general rule of thumb for hostess gifts is to bring something consumable.  I really think consumable is key!  That way, your hostess can enjoy what you bring over the Christmas season and they don't instead have to figure out a place to put the cute little chotski you brought her!

I LOVE bourbon balls this time of year.  If you haven't had one of these southern treats, either make them or order some pronto!  Last year I made a big homemade batch to take to my in-laws, but if your short on time, I've heard these Happy Balls are the best and they are handmade in Kentucky.  How cute is all of this packaging, and if your hostess has a good sense of humor, I love all of the naughty phrases on this cute Feelin' Sassy pack!  Perfect to tuck these sweet treats in a stocking too!

I'm loving these specialty cocktail mixes by White Whale.  Auntie's Old Fashioned, Your Older Brother, and The Filthy Liar cocktail mixes are all available online at Furbish.  These would be so fun to bring to a dinner party, and again perfect for your guy's stocking!

I usually switch up my Mrs. Meyers scent this time of year to something more festive and wintery.  How about a nice set of holiday scented dish soap and counter top spray, and you can even be cheesy and add a little note that you'll take dish duty after the holiday meal!  Mrs. Meyers has Cranberry, Iowa Pine and Orange Clove scents to enjoy this time of year.

You can't go wrong with bringing a specialty hot chocolate mix and homemade marshmallows.  Obviously hot chocolate is a holiday staple, but it would be nice to treat your host to a nicer than average cocoa mix and fun homemade marshmallows.  Peppermint and Coconut would both be really good marshmallow flavors!

If your hostess enjoys entertaining, I think these custom letterpress coasters by Haute Papier are the perfect unique gift.  You could select a more standard monogram that could be used year round, or even select a color and style that would be more specific for the holidays.  If you're local in Charlotte, Paper Twist represents this line and they have lots of beautiful samples for you to see!

What are your favorite hostess gifts?  A bottle of wine is usually my go to when I haven't planned ahead! :) 

~Mary Keller

Weekend Recap


Good morning and happy Monday guys! Hope everyone was able to take some time to relax over the holiday weekend. We had a wonderful time celebrating friends and family and all the wonderful things we have to be thankful for this year. We also switched gears and both started getting our homes ready for Christmas.

Top - the sweetest smile in the world, old Christmas cards stacked under MK's tree, Charcuterie spread for Thanksgiving at our house

Middle - MK's tree all light up, our first try at cooking a turkey, Clark Griswold moose glasses ready for the season

Bottom - our Thanksgiving table, the cutest little elf I've seen, and the train in action around our tree :)

Hope you guys had a nice weekend!

- Heath