WINTER POTPOURRI

Need a last minute gift for a teacher?  Neighbor?  Co-worker?  Mailman?  The "Oh No, I forgot a gift for you" person?  Or could your house just benefit from a yummy-smelling concoction?

With just a few simple ingredients and about two minutes, you can throw together some cute bags of Winter Potpourri.  My sister-in-law shared this recipe with me about 10 years ago, and I've used it in the past but had forgotten about it until recently.  I saw someone (please remind me where I saw it if it's you!) refer to something similar on Instagram and it sparked my memory.

Here's the basic recipe:

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CHRISTMAS TOUR WRAP UP AND LINK UP YOUR HOME!

Well, there's been a whole lot of touring going on everywhere lately!  I enjoyed each and every home, and appreciated each one for it's unique and individual presentation and care that went into creating a lovely holiday home.

Here's a recap from the 12 Days of Christmas Tour of Homes.  If you missed any, you can click on the photo banner to go straight to the tour.

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GREAT IDEAS FROM THE PAGES OF BHG

Even with the convenience of Pinterest at our fingertips whenever and wherever we want it, I still think there's something about flipping through actual pages of a great design book or shelter magazine.

I thought the December issue of Better Homes and Gardens was especially inspiring this year.  One of them spurred ideas for my own Christmas decor this year:

There is so much I love about this photo, but the candles with the "snow" around them caught my eye.  I decided to adapt this idea and do a grouping of candles on my dining room table.  I used a little snow, also, in the big candleholders flanking the tray.  I'm probably not through with this image, though, there is so much good stuff there (those hanging lanterns!!).

A few other images from that issue that I'm keeping tucked away for the future...

This simple outdoor tree with pinecone ornaments is just as charming as can be.

Someday I'll make some fun pinecone stars for the tree, also.

How cute are the little sweater leg warmers on this stool?

And the sweater cuff with jingle bell embellishments on that candle, so fun!  That gives me a few more things to add to my thrifting list.

I LOVE the chunky hardware added to this rustic planter.  That would be such an easy DIY.  Definitely remembering this one!

And can we just talk about this jaw-dropping gorgeous kitchen that belongs to Grace Sorensen?  It's so, so good.

A few other magazine photos inspired me this season.  I snapped some pics on my phone while flipping through a few of my Mother-in-law's magazines so I'd remember the ideas.  I believe these were from the BHG Christmas Ideas magazine, but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!

These pom pom pillows belong to Karianne at Thistlewood Farms-

and seeing them encouraged me to add some poms to my own pillows... (DIY pom pom post here)

This milk glass dish tower full of ornaments

inspired me to do this in my kitchen.

And the fresh green potted trees here

inspired me to use something similar on my Christmas Mantle.

So where do YOU find inspiration?  Have you gleaned any ideas from magazines to actually use in your own home?

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NEED TO FEED A CROWD THIS HOLIDAY SEASON?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Farm Rich for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

'Tis the season for friends, family, and food!  Are you ready to feed them all? Today I wanted to share some of my favorite appetizers with you, both for our family and for get-togethers. 

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CHRISTMAS 2014 HOME TOUR {BLOGGER STYLIN' HOME TOURS}

Welcome friends, I'm so glad to have you here today!  I'm am always thrilled to participate in each installment of Blogger Stylin' Home Tours, it's one of the best blog tours around!

A million thanks to Lindsay of The White Buffalo Styling Company for organizing the tour and keeping the 40+ bloggers that participate informed and in line...that's no minor task!  If you're joining me from Beth's at Home Stories A to Z, thanks for coming over!  And if you missed Beth's tour, head over right away to check out her amazing Christmas kitchen.  I have a soft spot in my heart for kitchens right now (I just completed a kitchen refresh makeover).

My approach to decorating is to use what I love, find unique treasures (mostly from thrift shops, yard sales, and Craigslist), not be afraid to make something my own, always include bright pops of color, and just have fun with it and everything usually works out in the end.  If not, we just go back to the drawing board!

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12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS 2014 TOUR OF HOMES

Welcome friends!  I'm so glad you're here today for the 12 Days of Christmas Tour of Homes, and part 1 of my Christmas Home Tour!  I'd like to give a big thank you to Jenny from Evolution of Style for organizing this tour and inviting me to join.  We had such fun last year I jumped at the chance! 

Come on in, and stay as long as you'd like!  

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BEST OF THE NEST NOVEMBER FEATURES

Hip hip hooray, it's Friday!!!  We had a great link party this week and I saw so many fantastic projects that it was hard to pick just a few features.  I'll think you'll be as inspired by these as I was!

Mallory from Charming in Charlotte participated in the One Room Challenge this fall and shared her  Powder Bath Makeover with us.  Um, WOW!  That fabulous graphic wall that she promises was super easy to install, the gorgeous sconces, the moody dark walls, and monogrammed towels are always a win!

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CHRISTMAS MANTLE {2014}

I was digging for something in my storage closet the other day and came across a bag of paper fans that I used for my daughter's fifth grade graduation decorations.  As soon as I saw them, inspiration struck for my Christmas decor this year!

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KITCHEN REFRESH MAKEOVER REVEAL!

I'm busy decking the halls this week, but I didn't want to wait any longer to show you my kitchen makeover!

I'll just share a few of the basics today, and follow up with a post and more details in the near future.  Feel free to ask any questions you might have that I don't cover in this post.

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BEST OF THE NEST LINK PARTY {NOVEMBER}

Well hey there, friends!  I hope you all had the best Thanksgiving yesterday!  I'm still recovering from that food coma... So what are you up today today?  Shopping? Decorating for Christmas?  I hope to get started on my Christmas decor today.

Since it's the last Friday of the month, we're ready to see what you've been working on.  What was the best from your nest from the past few weeks?

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Today, I am counting YOU among my blessings!  I am so thankful for all of you who hang around for project after project, and all of your continual support and encouragement.  I hope your day is blessed today and extra special as you gather with family and friends.

P.S. We'll be back tomorrow for this month's Best of the Nest Party!  So while you're standing in line for all of your bargains, link up your best from November or browse some fabulous projects!

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DIY POM POM PILLOW

Although I haven't started decorating for Christmas yet, I've been mulling over plans in my head. I know what my general look will be and have been thinking about which pillows I want to use for the season. I want to mix my Togo spot pillows back in, but they've seemed a little plain to me since I made them last summer.

With Christmas being the time for all of the extra little details, I thought I'd add some pom poms to my pillows. Last year I made a few pom pom projects and they are such a quick and easy way to add a little bit of fun to a room!

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IS YOUR KITCHEN READY TO COOK? CLEAN IT UP WITH MEISTER!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Meister Cleaners. All opinions are 100% mine.

Many of you know that I've been working on a not so little kitchen makeover.  I'm sure I'm the only one that this happens to, but when I'm in project mode, the rest of the house goes to the wayside.  Since the kitchen has been the project, it's been pretty much a disaster area.  We've still been grabbing meals here and there, and my sweet husband has kept the dishwasher loaded, but other than that there hasn't been much cleaning going on in there.

So, now that the work is coming to a close, it was time to move in and get everything back into shape.  My appliances were especially gross dirty, and needed a little more than the normal wipe down to be clean and pretty again.

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RED HOT NIGHTSTAND MAKEOVER

I'm suffering from some serious DIY ADD, bouncing back and forth between the kitchen and my daughter's room.  A few weeks ago while the weather was nice and I already had the garage set up as a spray paint workshop, I decided to go ahead and paint the Craigslist nightstands that I plan to use in her room.

Remember the before?  These have been waiting patiently in the garage since this summer for their makeover.  The finish on the tops was in really bad shape, you can see that the legs were chipped up, and they had that speckled/stained 70s finish.  However, the drawers are stamped Century on the inside and I could tell that they were heavy, quality pieces.

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BLOGGER'S FAVORITE HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY

We all know that Christmas will be here sooner than we think, at least the adults realize that... for kids it seems like an eternity away!  The darling Mallory of Charming in Charlotte invited a few of our blog friends to round up some of their favorite things this holiday season, and we're passing them along to one fabulous reader!

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CHRISTMAS IS COMING... 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS HOME TOURS

Christmas is just around the corner!  It seems like every way I turn I'm reminded of that fact, and I see more and more decorating happening around the web each day.  There's no Christmas action going on here yet, but there will be soon!  I'm happy to announce that I'll once again be a part of the second annual 12 Days of Christmas Tour of Homes, along with an amazing group of top notch bloggers.

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KITCHEN MINI MAKEOVER PROGRESS

Hey there!  The polar vortex has officially hit Oklahoma.  We were near 80 degrees yesterday and have a high of 40 today.  Yikes.  I've been anticipating the colder weather and working like crazy in between some big events to finish up lots of projects that needed to be done outside.  Over the weekend, I finished spraying all of the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers, 2 nightstands, 4 lamps, and a headboard.  And created a fantastic mess in the garage (much too windy to spray paint outside, even though the weather was nice).

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BEST OF THE NEST OCTOBER FEATURES

Thank you all for linking up with us last Friday for Best of the Nest.  There's lots of work going on out there, and I have some pretty fantastic makeovers to share with you today!  Be sure to check out my co-hosts posts today as well for their features from the party.

 Pam from Simple Details // Lisa from Shine Your Light // Kris from Driven by Decor 

Leslie from Paper Daisy Designs DIY'd this awesome kitchen island cart to create an extra work surface and more storage space. A super functional and extra pretty piece...can't beat that!

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MY THANKSGIVING TABLE: BLOGGER STYLIN' HOME TOURS

Well hello, and if you're new here, Welcome!  I'm so happy that you've found your way to Dimples and Tangles, and hope you like what you see.  If you're visiting from Rain on a Tin Roof, wasn't Jenna's table just SO good?  And yes, that's Jenna-I'm-in-BHG-this-month!!!! So happy for her.  I'm pretty sure we're design twins separated at birth, neither one of us are afraid of color...that's for sure! And on that note, ALL of the tours today are pretty fabulous, so make sure to catch the others.  Also, a big thank-you goes to Lindsay from The White Buffalo Styling Company for organizing this week's Blogger Stylin' Home Tours: Thanksgiving Edition.  All of the Blogger Stylin' Home Tours are some of my favorites every year.

This year, I wanted to make a departure from the traditional fall palette.  I'm not really sure what my inspiration point was, it just all sort of fell together.

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MEANINGFUL SOUVENIRS

On our recent trip to London, we did more looking than buying (the exchange rate is terrible!).  My friends introduced me to the Very Bradley of London... Cath Kidston.  Her stores have the cutest wares made from darling fabrics.  I searched 3 stores until I found her signature London design on a tea towel.  I don't normally keep a towel on my oven or dishwasher handles, but after seeing this one I wanted to see those wonderful London icons and remember our trip every day.

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BEST OF THE NEST LINK PARTY {OCTOBER}

Happy Friday, everyone!  Thanks for all of your sweet comments and prayers for my Father in Law and our family.  This week has been a crazy roller coaster ride but he was doing SO much better yesterday, really for the first time.  We're hoping to get the vent removed today and move out of the ICU asap!  All of the notes and calls and texts to check on us have been much appreciated.

Since it's the last Friday of the month, we're back with our best project of the month, and we want to see what you've been working on, too!

I cannot quit eating these Chocolate Covered Coconut Bon Bons.  Someone send help.  Especially when they're frozen...thawed just enough to bite into...  YUM!  Get a jump on your holiday to-do list and make some now, and they'll be all ready for parties or to pass out to guests for favors when the time comes.  If you still have any left by then.  ;)

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GIRL'S ROOM REFRESH DESIGN PLANS

I can't believe that it's been 3 years since my daughter's room got a makeover.  Even when it was "finished," I knew I wasn't happy with the bed and had plans to change it out at some point.

Fast forward three years, and many other projects jumped in line ahead of that one.  However, her room got pushed to the front burner again recently when we decided to move her from a twin to a full bed.  So, with the need for a new headboard and bedding, I decided to take the opportunity to freshen up this entire side of the room.

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WANT TO PLAY KITCHEN DESIGNER? LET'S HELP A GIRL OUT!

A few weeks ago I shared my plans for a little mini-makeover in my kitchen.  With our big trip wrapping up, I'm ready to start tackling that project next week.  It's one of those projects that I dread doing (painting the cabinets), but can't wait for the finished product!  I'm ready to see in real life what I'm only seeing in my head right now.

Earlier this week I received a text from a friend (and my daughter's awesome Sunday School teacher!) who is moving to a different house.  She wanted my opinion on some changes in her kitchen, and I thought it would be fun to share here and get thoughts from you all as well.  Many heads are better than one, right?

She texted me some quick photos of the space, and here are the plans that she is considering:

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PRETTY LONDON DOORWAYS

Hello friends!  We have returned home safely and are trying to get back into the swing of things.  Still waking in the middle of the night and not being able to return to sleep, but we'll get there!

Our trip was better than we could have imagined, truly a once in a lifetime experience.  Staying in the country with our friends made it an entirely different experience than staying in the city would have been, and we absolutely loved it.  I have SO much to share with you from our trip, I think it will be necessary to break it down into several posts.

As we walked around all of the places we visited, I couldn't help but notice pretty doors everywhere.  Many were painted bold colors, or had architectural details that my eye was drawn to, or maybe just looked inviting with a few pots of colorful flowers to frame them.  Not all were especially fancy, but had just enough details to make them special.  Here were my favorites, and hopefully I've remembered their correct locations.

First, the front door to Hedsor Priory where we stayed.  So pretty, quaint, and welcoming!  I'll have much more of the house and grounds to share with you in an upcoming post.

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DIY AGATE EMBELLISHED MIRRORED BOX

We're headed home from London today, and only crying just a little.  ;)  Although it was wonderful, we're ready to be back with our kiddos!

During our recent trip to Poland, we visited the Wieliczka Salt Mine (SO amazing, I'm working on the photos to share with you!) and I purchased one little souvenir there, an agate slice.  Agates are extremely popular in design right now, and I was happy to find a pretty one as a memento.

Wanting to display the one I bought in a special way, I thought of all of the agate boxes that I've seen from retailers and other bloggers and decided it would be a perfect project for my pretty little souvenir.  I planned to find a small clear acrylic box to use, but came across a little mirrored box at TJ Maxx and decided to use it instead.  

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HOME DEPOT STYLE CHALLENGE - TODAY'S THE DAY!!

It's finally here!  My project is live on the Home Depot's Apron Blog today.  My husband and I are roaming around London, but I am so happy to share my project with you.  I was assigned "Mantel" to decorate and sent a variety of mystery items to incorporate into my design.

Here's a little preview, but you'll have to click over to see the full reveal.  Along with a ridiculous picture of me.

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THE PASSPORT IS PACKED...

Hey guys!  Thanks so much for all of your input last Friday on my painting the pantry doors in the kitchen.  I really thought that I would paint the doors black, but I think those of you who voted white might have won me over.  I like the idea of the island being the stand-out, and the doors not competing with the fridge right next to them.  I might just try a little something special with the white doors, though... and if I paint them white while the paint's in the sprayer, I can always paint them black later if I change my mind.

Just letting you know that I'll be away from the blog this week.  The last few times I've been away this year I've still had posts scheduled, but even with pre-planning and scheduling posts ahead of time, there is still some real-time maintenance involved with new posts going up.

I'm taking a complete break because Ray and I are headed across the pond to London!  We weren't able to properly celebrate our 20th Anniversary this summer with everything we had going on, so this is it.  We have dear friends living in London for a period of time for his business, and they have graciously invited us to stay with them.  And, our parents have VERY graciously agreed to care for the children once again while we're away.  They're getting an extra-good Christmas present this year.  ;)  I can't believe I got my very first passport this summer and now we will have traveled internationally twice in the last two months.  The timing is so close to our Poland trip, but we knew we would regret not taking advantage of this opportunity.

Our friends live in the countryside outside of town, and we are counting the minutes until we arrive.  I stole a pic from Instagram of the view out their back door-

I can wait to stand right there and take my own photos!

And y'all, they hand feed pheasants out their kitchen window.  I want to feed the pheasants!

I know, lofty goals for things to do in London, right?  We're really looking forward to not only experiencing the tourist spots of the city, but life in the country and smaller towns as well.

SO... I'm totally unplugging this week, except for Instagram, where you can be sure I'll be sharing away.   However, I will be popping in on Wednesday, that's my day for the Home Depot Style Challenge!  What's that?  You want a sneak peek?  Well, ok.

Yesterday I made a rare Sunday post, and if you missed it please go check it out!  I shared my Grandmother's recipe for Chocolate Covered Coconut Bon Bons that my Mom always made for us growing up.  It's a great recipe for holiday parties and entertaining and easy to make now and freeze for later.  If you like Almond Joy, this one is for you!

Have a great week everyone!  Hope to see you on Instagram, and I'll be back next week!

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