Two Hundred.

Two Hundred. 

This post is number 200.  Whoa.  That's a lot of posts for a newbie like me.  I've been at this blog for 8 months and I'm so happy to be here and have you all reading it. I hope that at some point or another you have been inspired and learned something from this blog. If you haven't then hopefully you will in a future post. But enough jibber-jabber, let's get on to the goods. 

Fa la la la la

Heya Nesters! I hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend with your family and friends. I know I did!  I've been getting extra Christmas-y this year and super early.  I love decorating for the holidays but I was never itching to start before Thanksgiving.  This year was a first. 

Another year older...

Heya Nesters! I have this problem.  I get excited about my birthday and can't seem to shut my trap and keep it a secret.  Every year I tell myself that I'm going to be "aloof" about my birthday. But it never works!  Somehow, I slip it into conversation at work and with friends and, of course, family. Oops! And  since my birthday tends to fall on or very close to Thanksgiving, the family usually celebrates it on Thanksgiving day regardless of the actual date. Then I'll have a small celebration on the actual day itself.  But this year has been a full out week of celebration and it was awesome.

Everything's coming up roses!

Just though I'd show you guys another little gift from my awesome Dad. 

Two dozen roses that made the trek home with Matt and I from New York.

I know roses are cheesy, and cliche but they're my favorite.
  They make my bedroom look so fresh and lively! Just had to share....

Looking for a change.

People who know I have this blog and my obsession with furnishing my apartment, always ask me "So, is it done yet?"  And I feel like that's just an odd question. To me, that's akin to asking someone if their wardrobe is complete.  I suppose it could be. But most people acquire things slowly.  They collect things they love as they find them, and when some things are old and tired, they get replaced.  At some point, you could stop updating and getting new things and stay stagnant, but to me that would say scream, "I give up!"  Though it would be nice to be finished and not have to worry about saving up for new pieces.  But I refuse to give up on my wardrobe or on my apartment.  So on that note: 

I am lookin' at you silver thing! 

Generosity

Heya Nesters!  Matt and I have recovered from our trip to NYC and I am finally able to step on my mini soap box and tell you all about my awesome loot that my family so generously gifted me for my birthday. I hope you'll excuse my bragging. 

First, Dad sprung for a night at the hotel for Matt and I which was truly the best present ever.  He gave us the opportunity to be all together.  But Joe and Molly did pretty well themselves...

Holiday Inspiration

Welcome back, Nesters!  Sorry I've been MIA but as I mentioned here, Matt and I spent a long weekend in NYC with the Pops, my brother and his lovely wife, and my nephew-in-the-making. We had an awesome time walking around the city, but most importantly cooking, eating and laughing to celebrate an early Thanksgiving.  While on the road, I lifted my holiday spirits by listening to every Christmas song I could tune into.  Needless to say, I am so excited for Christmas. 

No really: So. Excited.

The start of the holidays...

Heya Nesters!  Today I wanted to share with you a little sneak peak of how I've started to decorate for the holidays.  I love Christmas and I can't wait to go all out for it but I have to wait at least until Thanksgiving is over before I go whole-hog.  So I started it slowly and subtly.  Remember this little vintage birdcage I picked up at Home Goods not too long ago?

I decided to spruce it up for the holidays!

When I was 17...

Heya Nesters.  I remember the moment when I realized I was no longer a "teen".  It wasn't when I turned 20, it was the day I asked myself "When did VH1 become cooler than MTV?"  I was about 17.  And that theory has gone one step further that now neither are all that cool. {With the exception of Teen Mom, I shamefully admit that show is a total guilty pleasure.}  In the spring, MTV aired a show called "When I was 17" where celebs discuss who and how they were when they were in high school.

{Image via MTV.com}

 

 

 

So, when I was 17, I loved pink, purple and silver.  Oh yeah... and don't forget Christmas lights.

Thanksgiving{s}

Happy Monday Nesters!  Do these weeks feel like they're flying by or what??  Halloween has come and gone leaving only 2 short weeks until the greatest meal you'll eat all year! I'll give you a hint "gobble, gobble!"

 

Thanksgiving!

Urban Ruffles

Urban Out fitters has done a seriously fabulous job of working the ruffles this season. And I don't mean the kinds SJP wears...

We're talkin' house soft goods. They have outdone themselves my friend. Out done I tell ya!

A DIY of a Different Kind...

Heya Nesters!  I've shown you all kinds of DIY tutorials for your home and fun little projects.  But today I'm going to show you a DIY that I did with an abridged tutorial.  If I were to give you an in depth step by step, you'd be reading this for quite some time. So to give you background: Matt's friend Matt (there's two!) got married this past weekend.  I had my sights set on a navy blue dress and I searched high and low to no avail.  But I found these FABULOUS shoes that I knew would look amazing with any navy dress. And I happened to decide to get them when Amazon was having a sale on pumps!  Huge score!

Needless to say, I never found the perfect dress. {Lets be real here Karma isn't nice enough to let me find the perfect shoes and the perfect dress.}  

Booming Bunting

Good Morning Nesters!  Have any of you, trolling the blogosphere, noticed that insanely booming popularity of gas-station reminiscent bunting? 

Tray Chic: Deux

Heya Nesters and welcome back to Monday! Do you remember last week when I was ogling all kinds of trays?  I wanted to wrangle in some things that felt like they were just floating on some larger surfaces and this picture was so inspiring...

If I Had a Million Dollars: A Room with a View.

Heya Nesters and Happy Friday to you all!  As the foliage changes more and more, I enjoy my scenic ride home along the Charles River every day.  {It somehow makes the traffic more bearable!}

{image via Worldhum}

Pretty beautiful, right?  Well, it got me thinking: I can't wait to have a home with a 3 season porch that would allow me to enjoy the view of the foliage, all the while staying nice and toasty warm.  That's why, If I Had a Million Dollars: I would have a pretty spectacular 3 season porch.

All Over the Map

Heya Nesters! Remember that awesome {and awesomely cheap} shopping spree at The Christmas Tree Shop I went on to snatch up these mirrors a little while ago?  Yeah... they weren't the only things that filled my cart.  I almost forgot to tell you about this find!  So here goes... I have to admit I have a weird thing for maps.  I don't know what it is?  I was never much of a geography whiz {let's be real: I'm terrible at geography} but they always attract my eye.

Tray Chic!

Lately, I've been feeling like some of my decor is just floating on their surfaces and need to be wrangled in. While I thought of tying them together with dental floss, I thought it may not cut it in the aesthetics department.  Hm. Where now?  My thoughts turned to vanity trays...

I love this little vignette. So feminine and romantic.  How can I duplicate this without spending an arm and a leg though?

Pantry Shmantry

Heya Nesters! Happy day-after-Halloween.  Now that we're all in our candy induced coma's and back at the daily grind,  it's time to get real about cleaning our homes before the really cold weather sets in and we lose any and all motivation.   Or maybe that's just me?? I've found that with the Fall, I've been baking a whole lot more. Thanks to that I've also been forced to take a good hard look at my pantry and spice cabinet.  I've been stocking and restocking much more frequently and having much more fresh goods but sometimes, accidentally some duplicates. Whoops.