Happy New Year!

{via Olivet}

{via S.HOPtalk}

{via Suzylee - BOOOOOOOM!}

Happy New Year to you my friends.  I started this blog in April of this year and I am so thankful for the friends I have made and the confidence it has given me to start new things.  It is my hope in the New Year that we will make even more connections and get to know each other better.  I know I said I would be back with some design inspiration and my goals for 2010, but this cold has kept me down for a little while, so I'm leaving you here with some goals to aspire to from S.HOPtalk, a New Years Party Banner from Olivet, and alot of confetti just for fun.  I hope the New Year brings new adventure for you and I'll see you all next week with my intentions for 2010.

Checking in for a Moment...

{image spotted on daydream lily}

I'm back for just a moment today to say Hello.  I've been missing you my blogging friends. I'm a little bit under the weather with lots of sniffles and sneezes, so I'm just relaxing on the sofa today, drinking this Holiday Tea. 

I won't be gone for long though.  I'll be back soon this week with some interior inspiration and my list of goals for 2010.  I really enjoyed time with my family this holiday season, more so than in years past.  I guess that's what happens when you get older.  People start to be a little bit more important than things.  I've realized that my family is always there, and that friends sometimes come and go like the seasons.  What was most special to you this holiday season?

Winter Snow (Feat. Audrey Assad) - Chris Tomlin (Must See)

For my gift to you for the holidays, I'm sharing my favorite winter song this year. Blessings to all of you my friends and Happy Holidays too!

Felt Packages and Bows

I saw a couple more really cute gift wrapping ideas today.  I know, it might be a little late to post these, but you can save it in your file for next year, unless you are last minute like me and are still working on holiday projects this week.

Felt Bows and instructions at Twig and Thistle

Felt Pouches and instructions at Heart of Light

Holiday List Making

I love this cute holiday to do list made by Jess from Pecannoot.  It's a free download, so you can use this one too.  I've already printed a couple of them and have filled them up with last minute to do's.

Fun Find

I love this New Years Eve party idea from you are my fave.  Fill balloons with confetti and fun prizes and pop at midnight.

Surprises For Me?

I have joined many a blog giveaway, but alas, never a winner...until now:)!  I just found out on Friday that I was not the winner of one lucky giveaway, but two, Yeah!  What a wonderful surprise for the holiday!  First, I won the new book, Downtown Chic by Robert and Courtney Novogratz from The Paris Apartment.  I've had this book on my Amazon wishlist for awhile now and have checked it out from the library a couple times.  Now I get to add it to my very own library.  Thank you so much for this wonderful giveaway Claudia.

Second, I won a surprise giveaway from Hooray Design.  I don't know what it is yet, it's a surprise, but I know it will be fun, because I've ordered a few things from her shop, and have been following her blog for awhile now and everything Alli Michelle puts together is very sweet and fun.  She's also giving away free gifts with orders of $10 or more in her shop to make way for new things for the New Year.  Thank you Alli Michelle.

Winter Weekend Delights!

Sometimes I can't decide whether to decorate with pastels or bright colors.  I really like both.  Today I'm feeling in a girly mood though and starting to think about Christmas since this evening is the last night of Hanukkah.  I hope you enjoy these winter wonderland delights and have a delightful weekend as well.

I'd like to go shopping in the city and enjoy the sparkling lights.

I'd like to put on this pink furry coat and go to a glamorous party.

I'd like to decorate my front door with a pretty glass ball wreath.

I'd like to decorate the house with sparkly tinsel and snow.

I'd like to relax on the sofa and read the holiday issues of my favorite magazines.

I'd like to decorate pretty candy canes and give them away as gifts.

I'd like to spend the weekend in this cute little cabin all bundled up in the snow.

and when I'm there, I hope the reindeer show up to visit me.

Tiny Christmas Tree

I just saw this Tiny Christmas Tree made by Jutta over at Nice Package.  I just had to post it here because I think it is so cute.  I love the simplicity of the lightly dusted branch with little pom-pom's made from candy-stripe twistie ties and placed in a simple jar.

Thursdays Creative Thrift

Do you remember those paper snowflakes you used to cut out when you were a kid?  I always loved doing that.  Every year I would go home after making them in school and get my brother and sister to help me make more of them.  We would make tons of them and plaster them to the sliding glass door.  It's been along time since I've cut out a paper snowflake, but when I saw these doily snowflake garlands on Design Sponge, I thought it might be nice to give it a try again.  Just in time for this winter season.  Since it's not snowing outside, we can at least make it snow inside.

Hanukkah Masquerade Ball

This is what I've been up to this past week and part of the weekend.  I've been a little busy sewing and decorating for this Hanukkah Masquerade Ball that took place last night.  We turned a very plain sanctuary into an elegant ballroom on a very low budget.  I think every party needs a little drama, something big to set the scene, so we created these columns by hanging white fabric from the chandeliers and dropping strings of white Christmas lights down the middle of each column to light them up.  I think it turned out beautifully, don't you?

All-Star Bar Mitzvah

Here are a few pictures of the Bar Mitzvah I just decorated for. This was for my friends son Andrew. His passions are baseball and drama so we included both for his party. We went for the most part with a baseball theme, which included popcorn and peanuts and cracker jacks of course and a hot dog stand.  We also added his passion of drama with pictures of all the plays he has been in by creating a film strip out of black paper to display them.  I made all the hanging baseballs out of foam core.  All the decorations were a surprise to Andrew and he was pretty pleased with them.  He even called me later to personally thank me.  He's such a sweet boy.

Photo Swap Surprise!

In November I joined this photo swap just for fun.  The rules of the swap was to take pictures with a roll of film or a disposable camera and send them to your swap partner to develop.  The suprise would be seeing what your pictures look like when your partner posts them on their blog.  I was delightfully surprised when I got the developed film back and this was the first photo that I saw when I opened the package.  Isn't she cute, and isn't this the most clever and sweet way to say hello?

I had no idea that my photo swap partner would end up being such a great blogging friend and an awesome photographer as well. Here is a photo of my beautiful swap partner Becca, and yes that is a real butterfly on her finger. Here is a just a sampling of some of the photos she sent me. There were so many good ones it was hard to choose which ones to post. Here are a few of my favorites and if you'd like to see more you can visit the photo swap '09 flickr group.