Hello Friends! Have you had a good week? Anything fun scheduled this weekend? We are planning an ambitious Saturday of Christmas tree buying and a grocery shopping. Not too exciting, but somehow I’m so excited about it anyway. Hah! I think I’m just in the holiday mood. : )
While I make a grocery list, here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share:
- DIY stocking stuffers.
- Excellent calendar roundup.
- Can I buy molasses in France? Because I want to make these.
- 5 Ways to fancy up basic glass ornaments.
- I’m a judge for the Cribsie Awards. You can nominate a favorite new product!
- Paper gift bag tutorial.
- Make a “facebook sweater” and they donate a real sweater to someone in need.
- Festive jars.
I also write for Babble. Here are this week’s posts:
- 20 (free!) printable holiday gift tags.
- Wow. A $30 credit to Paper Coterie for every reader! (Tell your friends!)
- Say yes to this French necklace. Such a great price.
- Remember the Shailie Fashion toy? Here’s 25% off!
- Win a Pottery Barn Kids Foosball Table for Christmas! Easy to enter, I promise.
- The sweetest new book! It’s like Goodnight Moon for Christmas-time.
Have a wonderful wintery weekend. I’ll meet you back here on Monday. I miss you already.
kisses,
Gabrielle
P.S. — I still grin every time I see our mantel decked out with fresh holly. So festive!
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
Those festive topped jars are cute- the FB idea sounds great- the link is not working for me?
Thanks for letting me know, Ren. The link should work now. : )
Oh the holly is gorgeous! What a perfect mantle for your French Christmas, I love the different yet complementary stockings too – just like the family members :) Have fun with your tree shopping, we just got ours and began decorating last night.
Decorating the tree is the best!
In france, we call molasses mélasse, you can buy it in organic food store like Biocoop or Naturalia
anna
So helpful, Anna! Thank you.
Hi Gabrielle,
I want to thank you for posting the coupon for Shailie! I was just looking at the starter kit this morning for my daughters for Christmas. I was hoping to find a current coupon and am SO happy to find yours! Such a help!
BTW, LOVE your mantel!! Nothing prettier than fresh holly! I always love visiting your blog…
Jen
Yay, Jen! So glad you saw the coupon. Shailie is seriously such a fun toy. My kids love it.
Your mantel is fantastic! Very lovely and festive. I really like the mini winter scene glass ornaments hanging from the bare branches.
Thank you, Lori! I just added a holly wreath over the weekend. It was much more challenging to make than I expected, but it looks great. : )
I love your stockings on the mantel! So festive. The cable knit stocking is my favourite. I wanted to get one but my fiance isn’t a cable knit fan unfortunately!
Not a cable knit fan? I’m sure you’ll come up with an excellent alternative.
I’m getting into the spirit as well – I can say your site has given me great ideas from Etsy shopping to a mini vidcam for hubbie! It’s our anniversary tomorrow and we’re going to roam NYC and visit some museums, the tree, etc! We’ve been together 28 years – since we’re 16 fyi:) I’m excited. You have fun, too!
Happy Anniversary, Tasha! I hope your weekend was amazing. Yay for 28 years!!
I went from waist-length to just-below-the-shoulder hair this weekend. Also bought my graduation dress (boo yeah, Bachelor of Design!)! So, yes, a fun weekend! :-)
I love when I get a big haircut! I bet you look great, Gandhali. I hope your graduation ceremony is amazing.
Lovely, festive photos! Have a great weekend!
Thanks, Hannah!
I, too, love your stockings! Your mantel has a wonderful vintage flair. Where did you source the stockings? Have you had them forever, or did you find them at some amazing little French store Over There?
Hi Rebecca! I love the stockings too! I’ve been collecting them for several years, and they’re one of the few Christmas things we packed with us for our time here in France. Several are from Garnet Hill, one is from Target, one from Crate & Barrel. I bought two on Etsy and a vintage one on eBay.
That Holly makes me want to rush out and get some of my own. Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays to you too, Morgan!
The holly is better than I imagined, so green and so red. The shiny leaves against the mat mantle add one more dimension. And the stockings say, “Merry Blair Christmas!” Love and miss you all.
Thanks, Mom!
Gabrielle,
Your mantle is lovely with the fresh holly and the stockings! Thanks so much for the coupon code for Paper Coterie. I was able to make a really nice gift for a hard to buy for family member!
Bonnie
That’s wonderful, Bonnie! So glad I could help.
HGTV!
Hi Gabrielle
I just saw you and your family on HGTVs House Hunters – I had never seen your episode before!
I just wanted to say how much it warmed my heart to finally see you and your family in action! I had the biggest smile on my face the entire show. After reading your blog for so long, it felt like watching a friend on TV.
:)
Thanks for sharing your life with us all!
Cheers to you and yours for a wonderful holiday season!
Hugs from chilly Michigan!
How fun, Sarah! We had such a great time filming the episode. Thanks for the kind comment!
try a health food store for molasses or you can substitute treacle if they have that.. happy baking. :-)
Wow, I took up the paper coterie offer, and now not only do I have a beautiful calendar for 2012, I only had to pay the shipping, and it has arrived before Christmas! What a threat. Makse up for not winning any of the giveaways.