tis the season ...

Hello! I'm wearing my red and green this Monday morning and I thought I aught to share a little Christmas spirit on the blog today. I've been decking the Nest (a.k.a my condo) out with pine branches, lights and white pumpkins, but I need to snap a few pictures to share. Until then, here are a few festive ideas for you from last year. I know, I know, butcher paper and gold spray paint were so last year ... but these are from last year and, besides,  I'm not really over it yet. 

(click the titles to see more)

Butcher Paper Gift Wrap

DIY Stir-in Hot Cocoa


Gold Woodland Animals

Holiday Granola 
photos by sarah fritzler

friday foliage: tiny package

I know, I know, it's not foliage. But snow is all the foliage I have around at the moment. Plus it's cute. :)



Happy weekend!

photos by sarah fritzler

please pass the gold

I thought I would share a few more snaps from my gold woodland creature photo-shoot (or something like that). They just came out too pretty not to have a photo-shoot! Enjoy my little woodland jungle. :)

[ more gold: sticks, wreath, deer ]










The behind the scenes is really the funniest part. Yes, it's true, they are just a bunch of spray painted plastic animals stuck in the snow in my front yard. Amazing what a camera can do, isn't it?

BEHIND THE SCENES:


photos by sarah fritzler

friday foliage: christmas tree

One of my dear friends hosted a Family Christmas Dinner the week of Christmas. The strange part was that most of the guests weren't related to her. She decided to host this "family dinner" for the people in her life that she considers family. Doesn't that warm your heart?! Well then, you should have heard her toast. I cried. She even made 21 ornaments (below) for her guests!

These are just a few of the branches that were sparkling on her tree that evening.



images by sarah fritzler

merry christmas

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
LUKE 2:11

photo by sarah fritzler

happy christmas eve

photo by sarah fritzler (my sister's tree)

friday foliage: holly

Red holly berries dripping with snow melt. This was the first real-live holly I've ever seen. It was growing happily in my friend's front yard in Pennsylvania. AND it survived the blizzard of the night before. :)

Happy Friday. Merry Christmas Eve ... eve!



photos by sarah fritzler

razzleberry dressing

Two of my favorite Christmas songs from my dad's favorite Christmas movie. :)

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

I'm at home today getting ready for Christmas! Have a warm and cozy day everyone!

photos by sarah fritzler

it feels like christmas

Last night my mini-family (that's us minus the married sibs) watched Muppet's Christmas Carol, drank peppermint tea and ate chocolate star cookies. It felt like we were in a movie. :)

merry and bright

photo by sarah fritzler

a hand-made christmas package

This is the reason good old fashioned snail mail at Christmas time is so wonderful. We received a package last week full of all hand-made gifts from a dear friend and her kids. Everything was packaged so beautifully and every detail thought of that I snapped a few shots before we really dug in! Sarah is, apparently, the queen of DIY projects: snow globe, cookie ornaments, merry-coco-can-granola, fizzing bath "snowballs". Truly, this package was so much fun to open.







Sarah used to live in the Czech Republic (back when it was Czechoslovakia), so she also included a make-it-yourself Czech nativity. I'm definitely going to pull out my scissors this weekend and assemble it. I love the illustrations and that the Czech people are bringing coffee as gifts (I think Charlie Brown would have something to say about this commercialism!).




Thank you for such a fun package, Sarah, Charlie, JoshJosh, Lolo and Lainey!

photos by sarah fritzler

gold sticks

Sticks were my favorite object to receive the Midas touch this week. I used these sticks to suspend the ornaments I spray painted, which gave me a little idea. So my mom handed me a bundle and I got to spraying. They were so beautiful in the sunlight!





What do you do with gold sticks? Our garland donated a branch to tie them up and adorn my bedroom door with a little bit of cheer.



Once again ... these are Henry approved.



photos by sarah fritzler

gold christmas wreath

Gold seems to be the thing this Christmas and I'm so glad because gold IS the thing in my book! Over the weekend my mom and I finally got our garland put up over our front door. Whew. Now we can join the "good neighbors club" again. While we were at it I decided to use the can of gold spray paint I picked up last week to makeover the wreath on our front door.

Gold spray paint makes everything better, shinier, and better again! I'm wishing I had some little plastic woodland creatures to add to this wreath.






Even Henry approves.



images by sarah fritzler