Black Friday Blues

I'm not big on Black Friday shopping.  It's not a moral dilemma but the fact that I hate fighting crowds even for fabulous deals.  I'm for online shopping on days like today.  I scooped up a few deals on Potterybarn.com,  Amazon and Etsy.com and I will probably try a few more sites this morning but then I will go take in the new movie Frozen with my kiddos.
Here are a few unique vintage goodies I found on etsy.com.  I know etsy is an odd choice on Black Friday but I love vintage gifts, especially for the person who is hard to buy for.  Oh, and it's a great place for me to get myself a little something too.

Shop Etsy by desertgirls featuring christmas tree ornaments

Pendleton wool blanket / Christmas tree ornament / Gold ring / 1916 Edwardian Christmas Book Yuletide in Many Lands / Night Before Christmas Vintage Christmas Story Book Clement Moore... / Brass Deer Pair Christmas Deer Brass Buck Doe Brass Decor Christmas... / Dickens works Illustrated 1890 Christmas stories / It's Time For Christmas by Elizabeth Hough Sechrist and Janette... / The Doll's Christmas by Tasha Tudor first edition 1950 / Girl With MuffChristmas Card 1960 Christmas Card Digital Image JPEG...

How about you?  Are you braving the stores?  What deals have you scored?

Thanksgiving Wishes

I thought I'd pop in just for a minute today to wish all my fellow Thankgsgivians a very Happy Thanksgving.  For those of you who have been there, done that, or don't do it at all, I hope you have a very happy Thursday.

The Cat and I will be spending the day with family at my parents' house.  My Mom does all the cooking.  I've tried bringing stuff in the past, but have found that it was rather pointless, especially after this evening when my Mom was giving me some eggs and apples (not as random as you may think) and then saying something along the lines of, "You're not planning on making any of this food for tomorrow, are you?"  

Do you detect a little of a grrrrr there?  But, whatever- it's her show.  And she knows how to run it and execute it to perfection.

The eggs, coincidentally, are for this recipe from Ella Claire for a quick breakfast for some out of town guests who are staying at my house.

The apples are going to become delicious cinnamon apples, but I will make those later and not for tomorrow.  

Also, on behalf of Rebecca and myself, I'd like to take a moment to thank you for checking out our little old blog; Desert Girls Vintage has come to mean quite a lot to both of us, and we both love the fact that blogging has opened the door to some wonderful new friendships.  Thank you!

Family First

At the beginning of this month we decided to have our annual family photos done by our good friend Kyungmoo Ryu.  We met up in lovely Pasedina this time for a totally new backdrop from anything else we have done in the past.  I went for a palette of bold blue, mint and soft grey.
As you can see, we had a really great time doing these.  Even my kids enjoyed themselves.  I was longing to shop but I will have to come back and do that another day.
This time of year is all about family.  I know I will look back at these pictures and think fondly of this time in our lives.

This is my last post before Thanksgiving day, so I'm taking this opportunity to wish all of my wonderful friends out there a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Love to you all,

I'm Dreaming of an (Off) White Christmas

Awww, vacation, how I have missed thee. I was so looking forward to this week, since, being a school teacher, I have it off.
 Little did I know, however, that I was going to wake up Saturday morning achey and miserable with a temperature.  Boo, I say. Boo!  I mean, come on, karma, what the hell have I done to deserve this?!  But, alas, I dragged myself out of bed and got myself ready and drove over to the last place I worked before becoming a teacher.
 I was a waitress, in case you were wondering.  It was a lot of fun, and I figured I'd go pay my old colleagues a visit and see if they needed any help for the holidays.  It was really nice seeing familiar faces; I haven't been a waitress in about 8 or 9 years; and it was even nicer when my manager said that yes, she could use some holiday help.
I love, love, love being a teacher, but I also really loved my previous job, and it will be nice around the holidays to have some extra income coming in.  There are always things around the house that need fixing or upgrading, and the Cat and I are supposed to take a trip this summer across the pond, and all those things require money, and while I am grateful for my job, a teacher's salary means those things all take a long, long time to save up for, so it'll be nice to have a way to make some extra cash.
In the meantime, I thought I'd put together a holiday list centered around a cream theme. I love those tees from J. Crew, and that print is one of the rules in my classroom, so I think it is pretty perfect.

J Crew white tee / J Crew j crew top / J Crew graduation jewelry / J.Crew gemstone earrings / J Crew cashmere scarve / Handmade home decor / Woven throw / Illume candles candleholder / Cream and Sugary Glovettes / High Street Market - 1960s Ming Style Ceramic Horse

Plus, how gorgeous is that scarf?!
I hope you are all having a fantastic week.  For those of you celebrating Thanksgiving, are you prepared?  Do you have family coming to visit (or to stay)?
I do- this damn cold has put me behind schedule; I need to get the guest bedroom and bathroom ready for the guests!

Green Beans With Almonds, Roasted Garlic, and Lemon

As you can see, I overdid the almonds

Don't you just love trying new recipes from pinterest?  I sure do.  I saw this green bean recipe that I wanted to make for Thanksgiving, but I had to test it first.  It was so delicious and I had to share it with you!

edibleperspective.com

Her picture is much better than mine and her blog is dedicated to cooking and photography (you can see why).  Please do check out this tasty recipe if you are looking for a little twist on the traditional side-dish; especially with Thanksgiving a few days off.

Enjoy!

Pinecone Garland: Step-by-Step

Ever since I did that pinecone post a few days ago, I have been obsessing over making a few pinecone decorations.  I looked at a some DIY pinterest posts and then got to work.  I am the type that has to dive right in and figure it out as I go, but I do like a few guidelines to start with.   I include a bit more detail than the tutorials I saw, so for those of you who like more instruction--here ya go!

1.  Collect or buy far more pinecones than you think you might need.  It is amazing how fast you will go through them.  Have a variety of sizes but make sure they are open pinecones for this project because you need the wire to go into the opening of the pinecones so they don't slip out.  You will need: wire cutters, 26 guage florist wire, twine, & scissors.

2.  Determine the length of your garland with your twine.  

3.  Cut a long length of wire about 12 inches per 2 pinecones (longer if your pinecones are really large) you wish to attach at a singe time.  Bundling them this way helps to keep it looking full and the process goes along quicker.  Wrap the wire around the base circumference of the cone making sure the wire is tightly twisted around each, then the remaining wire can be used to attach the cones to the twine and later to other pinecones (this comes in handy on the ends where the wire can easily slip off if it is wound around the twine only).

4. Take the twine down to attach your first few pinecones and then put it back where you intend it to stay.  I found this to be the best way to work because the garland gets really heavy and you want to be able to see how it is looking as you go.  Make sure it is tightly secure.

The entire process took me around 2 hours.  Not a bad way to spend an afternoon!  Wouldn't it look pretty with a few ornament balls mixed in? I left a bit of space so if I decide to do, so I still can. If you have a darker spot, maybe paint the pinecones white or spray them with fake snow; even weave in a strand of lights.  There are so many things that might be done to change up the look of this project.

Remember what I said about not using the closed pinecones for the garland?  Well, I used those ones for this little pinecone tree!  Worked out nicely.

Happy Friday Everyone!  I am so excited because my family will be on vacation this next week and we have lots of little things planned.  Nothing extraordinary, but we want to decorate our Christmas tree.  I am going to a special concert of Mozart's Requiem, also featuring an original score entitled, "Dealey Plaza" a Requiem for J.F.K on the 50th anniversary of his assassination, composed by my friend and conductor David Newby.  Also, Lori is a doll and and got us tickets to see the 50th anniversary Dr. Who episode.  I can't wait!!

Now, I want to know what you plan to do this weekend.

Not Again!

I will be the first to admit that I am a bit obsessed with gallery walls.  I have one in my living room, my family room, I am planning on putting one up in my office.  Over the weekend we repainted the guest bedroom (it is now my favorite shade of Pensive Sky), and almost immediately the Cat decided (again!) to switch rooms.  This only makes about the millionth time.  The paint wasn't even dry before she had decided to switch.  

So anyway, the new guest bedroom now needs new art.  And of course I want a gallery wall in there.  I didn't mean for it to happen, but then I saw these prints from Albie Designs over on Etsy and decided that they would look perfect in there, especially with the new paint color.

There's a lot more in the shop; 4 of these are just seasonal, so if you're interested, you'd better act fast because they won't be there for that long.  And at only $35 a pop, I'd say they're pretty affordable.
I hope you are having a fantastic Thursday!

Brown Paper Packages...

This season I'm loving simple, homespun, Christmas everything.  I love a bit of glitz and glamour as much as the next girl but, I'm thinking-- because my children are at such precious ages (8 & 5), I am feeling very nostalgic.  I love that my kiddos can help in the process more and that things don't have to be perfect to look charming.

houseandhome.com

goinghometoroost.com

thiscrazylife-michelle.blogspot.com

studio34e.blogspot

theberry.com

magnoliaelectric.net

craftgawker.com

sasinteriors.net

laurenelisecrafted.com

fairynuf.blogspot.no/

pinterest.com

ext.homedepot.com

So pretty and simple, right?

Required Reading

Italian Phrasebook / Peter Pan / Maps / The New York Times 36 Hours: 150 Weekends In Europe / Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life / An Extraordinary Theory Of Objects: A Memoir Of An Outsider / The Best Things To Do In Los Angeles / Storyland Cross Stitch / French Phrasebook

Here is part two of my little list of books.  There isn't really a theme here, other than that they are all gorgeous!
I've got to say that I am so glad that gift lists are popping up all over the place.  I know Thanksgiving hasn't even happened here in the US yet, but that doesn't mean that we can't start getting our Christmas on!
I love a good list, don't you?  I thought I'd share a few of my favorite lists so far.

Looking for the perfect gift in gold?  Head on over to Johanna's Gifting Color: Gold over on 101 Things I Love.

This collection from The Glitter Guide isn't a gift guide, but it is full of lovely gift-worthy gorgeousness.  And guess what?  It's all gold.  Hmmmm.....

Gloria from Little White Whale (the genius behind our beautiful web design) put together this gem of crafty goodness.  I want everything on this list.  Especially the cross stitch family portrait from Scarlet Pyjamas.

Here's one more gorgeous gift guide for you, this time aimed at hosts.  This one comes from Glitter Inc. and contains suggestions for gifts to give to hosts and hostesses that you actually like and appreciate, as opposed to my suggestion for the host you don't care for.

I hope your week is off to a fantastic start!

Christmas 2013 Schemes and Themes

I began this post with the intention of putting the top Christmas decorating trends of the year together.  I mean, that is the title of the post. It's funny because these "trends" really aren't trends at all; they really are classics.  All white will always be in style.  Tartan and plaid are having a huge moment but didn't your mom decorate with it at some point in your childhood?  I have a picture of my brothers and me at Christmas in red tartan outfits.  Black and gold might seem a bit of-the-moment, and it is, but it is really elegant depending on how it is executed.  Minimal and simple Christmas decorating doesn't appeal to everyone but I find that I respond more to this look than any of the others.  Of course, it looks best with lots of white.  It's so interesting to see the different styles of Christmas decorating this year and how they are mixed.

I probably should have added multi-colored and perhaps woodland [which would have easily blended with tartan], but I will leave those for another post!

Tartan~

chiccoastalliving.blogspot.com

celebrations.com

mrsd-daily.com

White on White~

the-finishing-touches.net

gardenpicture.tumblr.com

agiftwrappedlife.blogspot.com

Black and Gold~

archdeco.org

boxwoodclippings.com

eventish.com

Minimal~

tidningenlantliv.se/

spoonforkbacon.com

allumerdecor.blogspot.com

tyylijakoti.fi

Chrismas 2013 Schemes and Themes by desertgirls featuring home decor

Holiday decoration / Home decor / Holiday decoration / winter wedding inspiration paperwhites / Pinterest / Caitlin Creative: December 2011 / Christmas / CHRISTMAS | Como utilizar negro para decorar en navidad / Christmas Decorating Ideas: Black, Brown and White Living Room - Home... / Christmas 2013 / COTTAGE AND VINE / Pinterest

What Christmas decorating styles appeal to you this season?  Do you change or tweak your schemes every year or do you pretty much stick to the same style?