1.05.2012

Christmas Re-capping

As promised, here's a little look at how the rest of December panned out here on Kingston Road.

I kicked the season off by designing a card and getting it printed on Zazzle. (I have a new store in the works which is a bit more anonymous than my first...feel free to check it out sometimeI had hoped that my design would set the tone for my holiday, and I think it did.



Then of course, I had to bake my famous sugar cookies.


They are a lot of work, and every year I think I won't make so many next year, but I love hearing all the reactions to them, so I can't seem to stop myself! It actually turns into a two day event (sometimes spread over two Saturdays). I cut and bake all the cookies one day, and because I'm usually so tired when that's finished, I save the frosting for the next day. 
 


I watched some of my favorite Christmas movies...any guesess?



We wrapped a ton of gifts with all of the too-perfect-for-my-living-room-color-scheme-wrapping papers I found this year at Target. 







 I mean, seriously, these papers were meant for this coffee table, don't you agree?





We did a little Boxing Day shopping and added to our holiday lights collection with these cool color changing LED snowflake lights at 50% off. 6-pointed, and 5 unique patterns of course. I was also able to pick up some of my coveted snowflakes on clearance in time to use them for our party! I guess it pays to show restraint sometimes. 



And, we enjoyed the glow of our beautiful tree for an entire month! You might also notice that the bow is gone from the top. We picked up a snowflake candle holder from Pottery Barn that we turned into a tree topped. In case you haven't realized, snowflakes are kind of our thing.


I will miss this beautiful tree and the soft glow it provides, but I am looking forward to all the new projects we plan to take on in the coming months.

1.02.2012

Happy New Year!



Not all the projects here at Kingston Road are of the home improvement kind. Greg and I love to throw a party around the holidays. And we take our parties very seriously. This year, due to a very busy December, we opted for a New Year's Celebration. I had to fit something in so I could show off all of my decorations that I am still so in love with, right?

True to form, we also love a good theme. We wanted to do something pre-apocalyptic since many of us are aware that the Mayan calendar is due to expire in December 2012. The pre part was very important to me. I am a glamour girl at heart who loves a chance to dress up. There would be no zombies at this party. Maybe next year...



We ultimately decided to simply embrace the Mayan theme and planned a Mexican fiesta, complete with spicy chocolate and lots of guac. Everyone was encouraged to dress to impress and attend what we titled "The Last New Year's Party." We also added a re-gifting Yankee swap to get into practice recycling gifts before the world ends and there are no gifts to be had.





We're pretty sure a good time was had by all, despite the mostly serious looks I captured in these photos.







Now, it's time to officially call the holiday season to a close (well, not entirely, as we still have Christmas with Greg's family coming up on Sunday, and there might just be a gift or two under my tree for a friend I haven't seen yet!) I may or may not spend one more day with the tree up. It is back to work tomorrow after an incredible time off, so it seems I should probably take advantage of the time and get the house in order to start the work year off in an organized state.



After that, it's back to business around here. We're planning to paint the office soon, and finish the furniture purchase and assembly in there. We also need to paint the landing on the bedroom level. Maybe someday we'll actually get to trim and touch ups. I also have a dressing table I'm planning to paint and use in our bedroom. Greg has a lot of electrical tasks to take on — lights in our closets, and come great fixtures for the basement. And, we need to get to work on the plans for our new deck/shed so we can get permits and begin construction in the spring. So, hopefully there will be a lot to share with you in the upcoming months.



Before all that though, look for one last holiday themed post. I never finished sharing all of the holiday projects that happened around here, so I'm planning a quick recap in the next few days.



Here's to a project filled 2012!