Going Vertical

When you have a one year old Christmas decorating takes on a whole new challenge. Our poor tree only has ornaments on the top 1/3rd. Everything must be safe and out of reach. Well this year I went vertical. I hung large ornaments from door frames and light fixtures. I also created a modern tree sculpture out of an old vase and put it on our tv stand out of reach from little hands. Hang stockings by those plastic temporary M3 hooks that wont pull off and wont ruin your mantle. Don't be afraid to get creative and think out of the box!

Sketchy Santa

We had a very young, very sketchy Santa take pictures with my daughter last week. She wasn't impressed and I can see why. Here are some other sketchy Santa's that will get you laughing your tail off! There is a whole web site dedicated to it :)












Click Here to see more!

Good Gifts

What to get him...hmmmmm. How about a magazine subscription? This is truly the gift that keeps on giving!

Visit magazines.com to see hundreds of options for the difficult person in your life who already has EVERYTHING.

Boots on Baby

Country Toddler Lip-Syncs Perfectly - Watch more Funny Videos

This kid won me over this morning. He is really working that guitar!

Don't Forget About Sparky!

Our pets are part of the family and even they get a little something for Christmas. See Gatsby and Leila here enjoying the holidays. Ok maybe they didn't enjoy the costumes ( but I did). I always make homemade dog treats for them and put the extras in the freezer for a nice little surprise in February.

























Martha Stewart has some adorable ideas for pet inspired gifts this season. Click Here to link to her site to see more cute pictures and great ideas!

Tiger Christmas Family Portrait

I know it's tacky, but I just had to :)

Fatal Facebook.

It's a fine line you follow when posting of facebook. I have seen way too many things I know I didnt need to that friends have posted. It may be my age, but for me it's a no brainer. Don't post anything illegal, don't post any pictures of you at last years Halloween party in the pornstar dirty nurse costume and generally speaking don't post anything you wouldn't want your Mama to see!

Here is an article about eight other people that have had their lives ruined because of Facebook posts!

Think before you click!!

Thoughtful AND Inexpensive? Sign Me Up!

Pockets are tight this year and that may result in some people becoming a little more creative when it comes to gifts this holiday season. Nothing wrong with that! I think its great, it really gets people thinking outside the box! It might take a few more minutes of your time but thats what makes it so special!




Here is a great article that offers 12 meaningful yet inexpensive options! Click here to link!

Green Cards

How many greeting cards do you think go through USPS every year? About 4 billion! Think about all the trash that creates. It's estimated that each person receives/sends about 20 per year. It's so nice to get them but 99% of them go right into the trash or just clutter up the house. Another GREAT option is electronic cards. There are free ones out there (perfect for a tight budget) or you can pay a few dollars for a super animated one.

This holiday season try:

www.hdgreetings.com

They offer great free ones as well as ones you can purchase. You can attach photos, songs, video, etc. to the ecards and it's simple to use! You can even purchase and attach "amazon gift certificates".

Grandma and great aunt Jane will get a good old fashion paper card from me because they are not computer literate, but cutting down just a little helps mother earth!

BAD SANTA!

There are a lot of toys out there. Some quirky, some funny and some just plain WRONG!

Santa, please don't bring these toys to my house!



Click HERE to link to the Huffington Post article and see all 15 "BAD toys" for this holiday season.

20% OFF until December 4th!

EVERYTHING is on sale! Come check it out! www.thedapperdarling.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

Reebok Shoes Give You a Tighter Butt!!

Since moving to Europe I have found that racy advertising is EVERYWHERE here and I am no longer so prudish about it. Looks like Reebok has jumped on the sex sells wagon and is advertising their new shoes for women in a SEXY way. What do you think?

BLACK FRIDAY

image from: iheartfood4thought.wordpress.com


You will NOT catch me out shopping on Black Friday! Mostly because I am in Italy and they do not have such a shopping day. None the less I hate being corralled into these stores sardine style and risk being trampled by some over zealous thrifty! Honestly, is it really worth it? NO. People forget the AMAZING deals you find on the internet. You can be drinking your own coffee (look I just saved you $5.00) and sit on the couch (look I just saved you $20.00 in gas) and put those little fingers to work so you can spend more time with your loved ones (look I just saved your marriage).


Here are some mega deals they are already advertising for...SHOP HAPPY!

www.amazon.com has already started "black friday"

www.macys.com

www.dealcatcher.com
They also have a Iphone APP that keeps you up to date with lots of great deals!

Don't forget to search in your web browser for coupons. Most stores have a 20% off or free shipping coupon out there, you just have to look for it!

Silhouette

My mother in law has s small silhouette of all of her children near her front door. I love looking at them and imagining my husbands little face at seven years old. You rarely see these in the homes of younger generations. However, they are making a comeback and in so many new and wonderful ways. I found this shop on etsy and I am really impressed with her ideas and what she can do! Full figure silhouettes perfect for couples, children playing and the classic "head shot". Your imagination is the limit here. You can put them on cards, ornaments and necklaces. I think you could come up with some great personalized gifts that the whole family would love!

CLICK HERE to link to the Le Papier Studio to learn more!