Christmas Ornament Storage

Last year (at Target's 5AM after Christmas sale), I bought an ornament storage box. Problem is - I can't get to the ones on the bottom with out taking out half of the ornaments on top... one by one! Not exactly as easy as I anticipated. So when I take down the tree this year, I'm trying something new. I love this idea from Martha Stewart.

Cut a few pieces of corrugated cardboard to fit inside a plastic storage bin. Then use a hot-glue gun to attach plastic cups to the cardboard. You can wrap ornaments in tissue paper (I opted not to) and place them in the cups. Then stack cardboard-and-cup flats inside the container. Martha used standard 16oz cups but I'm going to use the shorter, clear 9oz cups for my simple glass ball ornaments to conserve space. I was able to fit 20 cups on each layer and made 4 layers for each plastic bin.

Here's the breakdown:

Finished product!

Really simple - just hot glue, cardboard, and plastic cups.

Just a few lines of glue around the bottom rim. It really doesn't take much!

I placed the cups before I glued them one by one.

Then layer your flats in your plastic bin. Done!!

Happy Holidays!

Getting in the Christmas Spirit!

My favorite part of the holiday season is watching old Christmas movies. The classic black and white films always leave me feeling warm and fuzzy. My all time favorite is "Christmas in Connecticut" (the 1945 version) starring Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan. It's a must see!

A modern (made-for-tv) version of the film was released in 1992... directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Rumor has it there will be another remake released in 2012. I'm sure neither will exceed the original. :)

Happy Holidays!

Unique Gift Idea!

I love this gift idea! Vintage Wines is offering custom engraving on wine bottles by Ken Brown. My favorite one is "For Santa". Very cute next to the fireplace instead of cookies. :)

Red Velvet Bon Bons

This week I had the most delicious treat - a Red Velvet Bon Bon from Velvet's Bakery. I thought these would make great gifts for the holidays. Since I'm currently working on improving my (somewhat non-existent) culinary skills I thought I would try to make them myself. I found this recipe on Bakerella and it looks fabulous! I'll let you know how it goes. :)


Here's the recipe:

1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)

It's all about the presentation...
I plan to wrap them in modern cupcake liners from Crate and Barrel and then tuck them into a miniature lime green boxes that I found at Container Store.

Happy Friday!

The modern Holiday Table

If you need more room on your table, shift the focus up. With your centerpiece now floating above the table, you have more room for those calorie-filled goodies! I'll be doing this in my dining room this weekend (I know, I'm a little behind, but my big holiday party isn't until New Year's!) So enjoy Pottery Barn's rendition until I get my own photo up.

UPDATE: I finally got my photos up. This was one of my centerpieces.Glass ornaments hung with monofilament (aka fishing line)
Ornament and gift tag place card.

Branch centerpieces

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But when life gives you a storm and a yard full of tree branches, make centerpieces! Gather some branches and arrange them in a tall vase. I put some moss at the bottom of the vase to secure them, but you could also use river rocks or marbles. Then hang Christmas ornaments with ribbon from the branches. That's it! You're done! You could also spray paint the branches silver for a wintery look or a bold red for a bigger statement. I think it would look fantastic on a dining room table, but mine is currently occupied with unaddressed Christmas cards.

Holiday Party Tips

With the holidays just around the corner, it's a great time to entertain. However with larger parties, it can get expensive fast. If you need more wine or champagne glasses, try a glass outlet like Libbey Glass Co. You can usually buy them for less than it would cost to get plastic. Also, if you live in Dallas, the party rental company RSVP Soiree is having a sample sale where you can get chargers, plates, glasses, etc. for cheap cheap cheap.

For holiday decor, use a lot of evergreen boughs (Christmas tree scraps, that is) either from trimming your own tree or go to a place that sells Christmas trees and ask for some scraps. Make a mock garland by laying them end to end and attach simple glass ball ornaments with wire to make it more festive.

Another look I love is cranberries and simple floating candles in a shallow dish. Very Pottery Barn. The cranberries will float to the top with the candles. You can also use tall cylinder vases and fill each one with a different level of water so that the cranberries float at different heights.
Wrapping paper can also get expensive. A great look is to cover gifts with brown kraft paper and then use a beautiful red satin ribbon. You can buy kraft paper in rolls from uline.com for about $20 for a 1,200' roll. Then it can serve double duty as packing material when mailing gifts to out of town friends and relatives.