Merry Christmas!

Navy says "ruf, ruf, ruf (ho, ho, ho)"

I am taking the rest of the week off to spend the holiday with my family but I wanted to wish you a very merry Christmas! I have so many things to be thankful for this year and I am especially grateful for you, my readers. Thank you so much for visiting and supporting my little blog... it's been so nice reading all of your wonderful comments.

Happy Holidays!

xoxo,
Janis

Bacon Crisp

My friends know I'm obsessed with bacon and this is my favorite bacon appetizer from the Queen of Bacon, Paula Deen. It's the easiest recipe to make with only three ingredients.

Start with a pound of bacon, any rectangular shaped crackers (I prefer Ritz Simply Socials), and Parmesan cheese.

Sprinkle each cracker with Parmesan cheese.

Wrap bacon (cut in half, length-wise) around each cracker. Lay on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and bake for 2 hours at 250 degrees. The key is to let the bacon and crackers nice and crispy, so you need to cook them long enough for the grease to dry up.

Here are the tasty little morsels. They're ridiculously unhealthy but oh-so-delicious! Make these for your holiday party and they'll be gone in a flash!

Scenes from Winter

We didn't get the same winter storm as the east coast, but Ithaca has gotten a decent amount of snow in the last few weeks. Here are some pictures from a few days ago. It's so wonderful to have a white Christmas!

Navy Friday

Sometimes I find Navy cross-legged, sitting quietly by himself in the corner. It's the cutest thing ever.



Have a great weekend everyone! See you Monday!

Beautify those Lids

I've saved this post from Design Sponge for quite some time now and I finally got around to "beautifying" the lid of an empty, cleaned out pimento jar. I love the small size, perfect for holding miscellaneous paper and binder clips. It was an easy, simple project that took me less than 10 minutes.

I didn't have any mod podge, but this worked just fine. I'm sure Elmer's would work too. Simple & easy is the name of the game. You can tell I was super excited about this project because I took photos before the glue even dried!

Don't forget to paper the inside lid too! A 2.5" round paper punch cut out the perfect round for inside.


Start saving those jars. There are so many ways to use them!

Meaghan Smith

I love this whimsical song and music video by Meaghan Smith. It's sweet and refreshing and her latest EP, Cricket's Quartet would make a lovely stocking stuffer for a sister or friend.

Notepads II

I've been busy working on some notepad orders! Stay tuned... come the new year they'll be stocked in my Etsy store.

Desktop Wallpapers

Thanks to How About Orange, (love this blog!) I found the best website for desktop wallpapers. I'm extremely picky when it comes to my wallpapers. I only like digital illustrations and I need them to be pretty minimalist because I usually have a ton of documents on my desktop. Pixelgirl Presents has an amazing selection of wallpapers and even festive holiday ones! Here are some of my favorites:

Now you can decorate your computer for the holidays too!

Navy Friday

Have a great weekend everyone! See you Monday!

219 North Cliffwood Avenue

Yup, I've officially found the house of my dreams. A 6 bedroom 8.5 bath in Los Angeles. Click here to visit this unbelievable home.

Calligraphy

After discovering Love, Jenna found via Love Made Visible, I was inspired to work on my calligraphy "free form" (i.e. not using a lightbox and guide lines). I still have a long way to go but I'm pretty happy with the results. The swirls and curlicues make me happy!

Canvas by Lands' End

Have you heard of Canvas, Lands' End's new spin off? It's their interpretation of timeless, American clothes for a new generation. It's a cross between J.Crew and Old Navy. They don't have a huge inventory yet but so far I like what I see... great styling and fabulous price points.

Woman's Poplin Shirtdress $69

Yes, please. Leather and canvas heel $125

Boyfriend Jeans $49.50

1st Dibs Style Compass

I recently discovered the Style Compass section of 1st Dibs, an online antique furniture, estate jewelry and haute couture marketplace. Style Compass has mini articles on the most exclusive names in the fashion and interior design world including Tory Burch, Peter Som, Ralph Rucci (with who I once had the most atrocious job interview with), and Newell Turner (the Style Director from my old magazine, House Beautiful). The lives of these icons are incredibly fascinating and engrossing.

Take a peek...you'll love the interactive, magazine quality of each article. Not to mention the fabulous photographs.

Navy Friday

Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend and see you on Monday!

Letterpress Prints

Here's another great $16 find from Night Owl Paper Goods. This is a limited edition letterpress print suitable for framing. I'm definitely adding this to my Christmas wish list!

Lasso