My goodness, it’s been so quiet around here!  I think I’m slowly emerging from the holiday fog of cookies and long “catch up” conversations with family and friends. A few days ago we drove up to Big Bear Lake (I worked at a camp there one summer).  It’s the most adorable mountain town and I was so excited to see it with a little snow. I mostly shot with our Holga before switching to our Nikon D80.

the partially frozen lake

The lake was just a bit frozen and so lovely!

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We’ve been having the most wonderful, relaxing holiday.  Reading by the fire and laughing with family and friends over hot cocoa. There’s nothing quite like knitting by the tree and watching a Christmas movie!

deck the halls

(carol garland) (yarn tree tutorial)

Congratulations to Vanessa, the winner of The Cupcake Mint giveaway!

Today we’re leaving snowy Illinois to spend Christmas on the west coast with Joel’s family. It’s going to be lovely and sunny so here’s one last look at some wintery Christmastime magic:

a white christmas

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Is it snowing where you are?

Hey there! I’m Alli and I’ve been asked by our wonderful Jessica to do a little guest blog on here about what I want for Christmas. I thought and thought about the topic and how I wanted to go about it, and it struck me. All I’ve heard for weeks now is, “Where’s your Christmas list?” and “I have no idea what to get you. What do you want for Christmas?” Along with a couple of, “I’m not going to get you anything if you don’t tell me now what you want!” This year is the first time that I actually had to sit down and think about making a list.  Usually I can pop one out in .578 seconds (thanks to Etsy).  But nowadays it seems to be a little more difficult to put my finger on what I want.

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I’m not sure if I should call it a tradition or a joke, but this time of year we constantly receive Starbucks Christmas tree ornaments.  It’s gotten to the point that I think we could decorate our tree using only Starbucks related baubles if we wanted too.  So in the spirit of a little Christmas cheer (in a cup) here are some pretty coffee cups:

Christmas coffee

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Hello, Jeska here from Lobster and Swan. I am so happy to be asked by Jessica to write a christmas wish list. Christmas is a little slow to get going around here, building work could mean our lounge is out of action and I am not sure about a tree on the kitchen table? So this is my first official acknowledgement of the festive season. I am looking forward to a huge family meal and our annual pilgrimage to Neal’s yard dairy in Covent garden to get cheeses and quince paste.

I hope this doesn’t seem too extravagant, but it is good to have dreams, no? It is a combination of the attainable and other wonderful things I would love!

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Today’s weekend projects are all about the holidays!  Yay!  Are you ready to celebrate? Let’s bring out the glitter and scissors and get crafting!

pretty garland by Whip Up

This beautiful garland from Whip Up is perfect for anyone looking for a quick dose of holiday cheer.

snowy ornaments via Martha Stewart

Glitter and glue, who could ask for more?  I do love these snowy ornaments!

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I saw the most darling photo and story on flickr the other day.  A girl had discovered a former Christmas tree re-planted in a wooded area so she gathered ornaments and pretty trims and got busy decorating so the tree, “…could fulfill its true purpose once again.” With that lovely story in mind, I made this little collection:

a lovely, woodsy christmas

Four Silver Leaves Headband by quirkybeauty, Little Red Hearts by sarahandbendrix, Earth by lobsterandswan, Fifi the Fawn by skunkboycreatures, and Holiday Nesting Bowl Set by NewMoonCrochet.

When I was thinking of guest bloggers for this Christmas series I immediately thought of Kara, the super talented girl who taught the wonderful art journaling class I took last fall. Her scrap-booking and photography are so lovely I knew she would come up with something magical. And she has!

Hello! My name is Kara Haupt of I Just Might Explode. Thank you so much, Jessica, for asking me to guest blog! I ♥ Wayside Violet.

My list of wishes for Christmas. What are yours?

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Ah…it’s crazy to believe it’s that time of year again. A Muppet’s Christmas Carol is on in the background (I completely forgot that Gonzo plays Charles Dickens! Awesome.), a cup of peppermint hot chocolate is in my hand, and I’m ready to share with you the great question…what do I want for Christmas?

Besides going home for the holidays (there’s no place like it, have you heard?), I’m looking forward to some fabulous gift giving. It’s a big thing in my family to be as creative in presenting your gifts as possible. And over the years, we’ve gone to some pretty extreme lengths to keep someone from being able to guess a gift before opening it! Here’s some of our favorite tried-and-true methods for keeping each other guessing, laughing, and having a blast even before the gifts are out of their boxes.

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