Christmas Tablescape

Today I'm sharing with you my Christmas table scape, I really enjoy putting together simple and elegant tables for special occasions. For this table scape I shopped my house and used mostly things I already had. 

I did get these new tartan plates from Shutterfly this year for my table, which I super love and am loving all things tartan this year! I wanted my table to be simple, with a little sparkle. So adding lots of tea lights gives off that look really affordably. Let's take a look at my table this year. 

I made the pine cone center pieces using a tutorial here. And I added these tartan snowflakes to the bottoms to tie in with the plates. Then just added as I mentioned lots of tea light in various votive holders. 

I'd been wanting gold flatware for a while, so when I saw 4 sets on clearance at Target for $5 I scooped them all up for my holiday table. The wooden chargers are from World Market I got them last year, the white dot plates are from there as well. And the tartan plates are from Shutterfly. 

Table runner (Target last year) 

Gold dot glasses (tutorial here)

Water Goblets (Target-old)

Votives (Target & World Market)

I'm loving the glow of this table and the pops of gold & red. I hope this inspires you that table decor doesn't have to be over the top or expensive, sometimes simple is better. How are you decorating your table this year? 

My Travel Packing Tips & Tricks!

It's no secret that I love travel around here. I've pretty much narrowed down my packing to a science of what works and doesn't for me when packing for a trip. I pretty much pack the same way for all my traveling. In today's video I share my tips and tricks and also how I'm packing my things. 

Here's a few tips:

1. P L A N

I always plan well in advance my outfits and what I'm bringing. I feel that this helps weed out the clutter and over packing that we all tend to do. Plan out my outfits and only bring what I need for that trip.

2. GET A BAG WITH LOTS OF POCKETS 

I love traveling with a carry suitcase with lots of pockets as you will see in the video. I also choose my carry on/purse with the same idea in mind. This helps keep everything organized, neat and together. 

3. PACK AHEAD OF TIME TO ALLOW YOURSELF TIME TO WEED OUT WHAT YOU DON'T NEED.

This is key to my not over packing. I'll start my packing and planning the week before usually. I'll pull everything out and then start weeding through it and seeing what I can pare down and what don't I actually need. Usually I week out an extra pair of shoes or two. 

4. PICK PEICES THAT CAN MIX & MATCH AND GO WITH EACH OTHER.

When planning my outfits I try using this rule. Shoes that can go with more than one outfit, a jacket or sweater than can do the same, etc. This helps again, so that I don't over pack. 

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Any other tips you'd add to the list? I'd love to hear your favorite tips or tricks in the comments below!

Encouragement for a Heart that Desires Community.

I've been thinking a lot about community and this time of year. The holidays always bring out a natural sense of community and gathering in people. We have or attend tons of holiday events from the beginning of October till the end of the new year. We have ugly sweater parties, gift exchanges, Thanksgiving, and school Christmas programs just to name a few.

None of those things are wrong, I myself enjoy a great gathering event. But, I try to encourage myself to not just see those events as community. They are great stepping stones and they are a great gateway to something more that God would want to do in our hearts where it's concerning community. 

You see, true community is not about what happens in the four walls of your church or what happens in your small group. Although those things are a great start, but authentic community is about happens after you leave those places.

Do you invite someone or a family out to lunch after church? Do we make plans to see each other and be in each other's lives beyond Sunday morning? Do our homes and our lives have an open door policy so that a friend can just drop by so say hello or stop over when they need someone to lean on?

This is where true community lives. 

It lives in the moments when we stretch ourselves and step outside out comfort zone to reach out to others and be involved in their lives.

Not when it's built into our schedule, when it's messy and maybe doesn't always make sense. True community is not about what's convienant for me but about ways that I can encourage and reach others.

True and authentic community happens when I care more about loving on others and less about myself and how it makes me feel. 

When I care about meeting others where they are at. When I care about meeting their needs. When I make a phone call to a friend and talk about her day instead of mine. When we invite families into our home for a meal not because it's a special occasion but because it's Tuesday evening and that's worth celebrating. 

If you're searching today for community and maybe you haven't found it yet, I encourage you to start acting out the community you'd want to see in your own life.

Take that risk and invite that new person to coffee and form a friendship. Take a meal to someone who needs it but isn't expecting it at all. Have people into your home and love on them. Make the effort to nurture relationships beyond what happens at church. 

I promise you, you'll find it. 

And even more so God will bless it. 

House Tour: Six Months In

Six months in! Can you believe it? It's hard to believe that it's already been six months since we moved into our new home. There's still so many projects to finish but slowly we're making progress. 

Before we decorated for the holidays I wanted to share with you a quick tour of our space after living here for 6 months. 

Have questions about anything? Leave them in the comments below and I'll answer them there. 

Five Easy Gifts to Give this Christmas!

As we head into the holidays I wanted to share with you some easy and affordable gifts to give this season! Some of these are from handmade and small biz shops which I love supporting, a few are just a couple of my favorite things! I hope this inspires you to gift and give intentionally and inspires you to know that gifts don't have to be expensive to grand to be great! 

Found Love Shop Jewelry - Necklace $18, Bracelet $15

The Everyday Page Notepad

Val Marie Prayer Journals

Shutterfly Candles

For the Love by Jen Hatmaker