grateful: week 35

inspired by my reading of the happiness project by gretchen rubin, i am instituting monday "gratitude" posts (read here for more detail), where i will list "3 things i'm grateful for" from the previous week.

the 3 things i'm grateful for this week are:

1) got the bf's knee surgery over and done with and he's on the mend!

2) finally got around to some holiday baking (annnnd eating!).

3) i went home to michigan just for the weekend (have to work this week before i'm really home for the holidays) for our annual christmas party with family friends.  i was put in charge of drinks - see below for a super easy and very yummy christmas cocktail!

 {the dessert spread + wassail}

 {bella!}

 {new favorite christmas drink}

 santa baby 

5-6 pomegranate seeds

1/2 oz chambord

fill rest of glass with champagne

this week's blog love:

• bri of design love fest had me wishing for summer so badly!
• anyone else remember w magazine's 2005 photo shoot with angelina and brad entitled domestic bliss?  at the time it was pretty controversial, not sure the divorce from jen was even final yet (ps - team jen!), but i loved that alaina of live creating yourself dug it up now, 5 years and however many kids of their own later.  some good commentary on celebrity packed into one editorial!
• the fabulous ree of the pioneer woman featured some great tips and explanations on uploading photographs to blogs and facebook.
• i love this diy-fabric-covered binder project from the creative place.

here's to another grateful week.

xo. di.

*all images from my personal collection

things i heart: my absolute favorite christmas movie.

"things i heart" is my friday series on the blog.  hope you enjoy!

first, a quick apology for the late post today!  we were at the hospital a LOT longer than anticipated yesterday (but everything went well!), and between taking care of the patient and, ya know, sleeping, i couldn't get back to the blog until now.  SO my absolute favorite christmas movie is the little-known holiday inn (1942).  good ol' bing crosby is the owner of an inn open on holidays only, so while yes, you do go through an entire year of holidays, christmas starts and ends the movie and (naturally) that's where most of the action happens! 

a little bit of trivia for you: most people assume the song white christmas first appeared in - you guessed it - the film white christmas starring bing and danny kaye.  in fact, the song was written for holiday inn, and irving berlin won an oscar for the song that year.
  

we always watch this movie as a family after thanksgiving dinner, and then again closer to christmas.  2 years ago the movie was colorized for the very first time.  we had always loved guessing at what colors the costumes really were, but we actually didn't guess them all correctly!  we still prefer our conclusions though (hehe), and sometimes we still watch it in black & white, since that's the version we cherish. 

i invite you to rent this one this christmas, you may just add it to your favorites too!

"may your days be merry and bright.  

and may all your christmases be white."

-white christmas

xo. di.

*image 1, image 2, image 3, image 4, image 5,  image 6

cozy christmas.

the bf has to have knee surgery today.  i don't much like hospitals (which is a little ironic, considering my sister is a nurse and spends half her life in one), and i am definitely never a fan of my loved ones undergoing surgery (who is?!).  as i sit in the waiting room this morning, trying to concentrate on the knitting project i'm hoping to finish for a christmas present, i will pretend i'm sitting in these cozy country christmas images instead.

"it's coming on christmas

they're cutting down trees

they're putting up reindeer

and singing songs of joy and peace.

oh i wish i had a river

i could skate away on."

-joni mitchell, river

xo. di.

*image 1, 3, 7 via dress, design & decor, image 2 via cottage living, image 4, 6, 8 via the inspired room, image 5 via florals and stripes, image 9 via loghome.com

holiday guide: table decor

leading up to that most special of days - christmas, of course! - i thought i'd share ideas i find for gifts, wrapping, decorations, and all of the little details involved in making a wonderful holiday season. 

i've always been impressed by my mom's ability to pull off a gorgeous table top at the last minute.  this year, she asked me for some images of silver and glittery decor for inspiration for the christmas party she's hosting this saturday.  i love this color scheme for the holidays, so i was more than happy to oblige!

 

 

table decor is such a great way to set the mood of a party; nailing it can really add a lot of ambiance.

xo. di.

p.s. we both tend to favor pottery barn and crate and barrel for decorating - can you tell?!

*images via pottery barn and crate and barrel, except: 2nd to last picture via canadian house and home . 

i feel it in my fingers...

good to reread this (and rewatch the whole movie, of course) every so often, i believe, especially as the month grows busier!  

xo. di.

*image via fairy tales are true 

grateful: week 34

inspired by my reading of the happiness project by gretchen rubin, i am instituting monday "gratitude" posts (read here for more detail), where i will list "3 things i'm grateful for" from the previous week.

the 3 things i'm grateful for this week are:

1) a week filled with christmas-y projects and outings!

2) a second amazing weekend in a row with visitors. 

3) i saw black swan last night with 2 great girls i danced with in college.  we hadn't seen each other in ages, and luckily natalie portman's stunning (and seriously disturbed) ballerina finally brought us together!

this week's blog love:

• design is mine's 10 images of wintertime inspiration?  love.
• anyone else here love white christmas?  take a peek at a glimpse of glamour's ode to the movie.
• the combination of winter whites and hints of blue in this post by crystal of plush palate really caught my eye.
• thank you to ashley of ashley nicole catherine for introducing me to oscar de la renta's pre-fall 2011 collection.  exquisite dresses!
• wolf and willow's collection of lace, frills, and lipstick made me smile.
• i pretty much want everything on coco + kelley's glam and under $25 gift guide!

here's to another grateful week.

xo. di.

*image via maggie the cat

things i heart: unnatural history

"things i heart" is my friday series on the blog.  hope you enjoy! 

i first have to thank bri of design love fest for posting about this last week, because i am totally in love.  with what?  you ask, losing patience.  ok, sorry!  it's called the museum of unnatural history, located in washington, d.c., and it's basically a shop filled with whimsical and fantastical products that leave me in awe of others' creativity.  

 

 

but i haven't told you the best part yet: the museum is just the retail front for 826DC, the d.c. branch of a non-profit children's writing center founded by bestselling author david eggers.  the center offers after-school tutoring, field trips, and evening and weekend writing workshops.  as someone who deeply values childhood imagination through reading (and might harbor a secret wish to some day be a writer herself), i am head-over-heels for this concept.  read more about the center here.  

and now for the unnatural items (read the labels carefully!):

 

if you're not in d.c. like me, they have some of their products online.  but next time i'm in our nation's capital?  you can bet you'll find me here!

the idea behind the museum is “to show that the world is as strange as we imagine it to be…

we want to get the kids asking questions.” 

- deputy director joe callahan

i sure hope that applies to "grown-up" kids as well!

xo. di.

p.s. there are 8 chapters of 826 around the country, some with their own unique storefront attached, see if there's one by you!

*for more on the museum, read this great article.

*images via olivermunday