Lemon Tart - Show and Tell Friday

 

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!  We had a wonderful Christmas and since I've been off work almost a week I've lost track of time and just realized that I need to put up my Show and Tell post today!  Since I'm totally unprepared I thought I would share a yummy dessert I made for Christmas dinner! Luckily I snapped a photo of it with my iPhone before I ate it! 

 

 I found this recipe on

More Christmas Decor - Show and Tell Friday

 

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!  This week I wanted to share some more of my little apartment decorated for Christmas.  I cleaned house on Saturday and had plans to wash my car and take photos of my Christmas décor on Sunday but my daughter had other plans!  Since she turned 21 and is now of legal drinking age she woke up and said "lets go to brunch"  since now she can order mimosas!  I

Christmas In The Entryway...

Welcome...

When I changed my tree this year, I had to make the entryway match.

You can see last years decor HERE.

It was more traditional, but this year I went with white.

I filled my jar with a little Christmas village scene...

I filled the jar with epson salt for the snow & added a little house that I had painted white.  Then I put a tree in there.  It only cost about $3 dollars.

I'm enjoying the white color this year.

Next, is our garland...

I got the silver stars from the Dollar Store.

The garland was purchased from Michaels. 

 I love how it has pinecones & that the tips of the greenery are white.

I think it all came together with the living room & tree.

It's a magical time of year!

I'm sharing with these blogs:

Chic On A Shoestring

Tatertots & Jello

Under The Table & Dreaming

My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia

Ladybug Blessings

Home Stories A to Z

Thrifty Decor Chick

Love Of Family & Home

Just A Girl & Her Blog {star projects}

A White Christmas - Show and Tell Friday

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!  It's been really cold here this week in Northern California! It was down into the high 20s at night! I know that not be very cold to some of you but for California it is!!!   I was hoping for snow but all we got was heavy frost!

 



 

It looks like a White Christmas in my apartment though!  I decided that even though I have to move in February and I'm a

A little hot cocoa

 



Sometimes it's the little things that you don't normally do everyday that can make you happy!  I don't remember the last time I had hot cocoa with whipped cream on it but for some reason last Saturday morning I just had a craving for it!  Occasionally at work I will have the instant hot chocolate in the packets that you add hot water to but I much prefer to make it with unsweetened cocoa

Vintage and Vogue at Christmas - Show and Tell Friday

 

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!  I'm breaking my own rule and sharing something that is not from my home for this Show and Tell Friday!  I'm sure you won't mind once you see this lovely shop!

 

 




I feel so fortunate to have this beautiful shop just a mile from my home!  It's always lovely but at this time of the year it is truly breathtaking!

 



 

This dresser above is exactly

Christmas Decor...A Silver & White Tree

I did it...

I went with "sparkle" instead of my traditional red & white.

You can see the trees that inspired me HERE.

I LOVE how my tree turned out...

I bought a few rolls of ribbon, the star & this "Merry Christmas" sign from Tai Pan..

I I also found these beautiful birds there...

They really sparkle!

I I already had the snowflakes & some of the ornaments.

I was going to get a new tree skirt, but the only white one at Walmart was $36...too much for me to spend!

So, I got a yard and half of this material & it only cost 3 bucks!  

I also changed my decor on my piano to match my tree.

I love how it turned out!

I started by buying these 3 little houses & trees from the dollar store.

I painted them with some white craft paint & threw some silver glitter on the roof of each one.

I also "flocked" the little trees with some paint.  I love how it turned out!

Total cost: $5

I did splurge & added the silver deer from Michael's.  It was half off for $17.

I usually have pictures of my kids hanging above the piano, but I took them down and put up a wreath & mirror I already had.  I'm really enjoying the change!
Here are a few more pictures of my tree lit up at night!

 
I love this time of year!

I can't wait to show you how I added a little "sparkle" to my entryway & staircase too.
If you'd like to see how much different my tree is from last year, You can find it HERE.

Which one do you like best?
I'm sharing with these blogs:
Chic On A Shoestring
I Heart Nap Time
Suburbs Mama
Craftomaniac
Under The Table & Dreaming
Home Coming
Home Stories A to Z
A Thoughtful Place
Love Of Family & Home
My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia
Thrifty Decor Chick

Happy Thanksgiving - Show and Tell Friday

Add caption

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday and Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends!


We had a small group here tonight (Thursday) but I still made two pies. One pumpkin (above) and one my favorite apple pie recipe!


I have good news to share! I asked for a one month extension on my move out date and they gave it to me. Now I need to find a new place by the end of February. I

Being grateful is usually easy for me but I'm struggling with it now... - Show and Tell Friday

 

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!  I love this time of year but yesterday it felt like my world came crashing down with one email I received when I got home from work!

 



 

After living in my little apartment for almost 11 years I got a message from the property manager that I have to move out by January 31st!  Shock doesn't even begin to describe the feeling that came over me. I burst

A Silver & White Tree?

I have always decorated my Christmas tree with a red and white color scheme.

I usually use the same decorations and add a few different ornaments each year.

 This was the year I made initials for each of my kids.

This year, I'm trying to decided if I want to do a silver & white tree.

 I'm a little afraid that I might miss the red.  

What do you think? 

 Do you prefer classic christmas colors, rustic or "sparkly"?

Here are a few of the silver and white trees that have inspired me...

Source

Source and Pinterest

Source and Pinterest

Source and Pinterest

Pinterest

They are beautiful, but will I miss the red??

When I see a tree like this...

Source  and Pinterest

I start to change my mind!

 

 Source and Pinterest

Decisions, Decisions....Have you started your Christmas decorating yet?

I'm starting to think about it, but it still feels a little too early for me this year.

I'll let you know what I decide!
I'm sharing with these blogs:
Finding Fabulous
Love Of Family & Home
Tatertots & Jello
My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia
The 36th Avenue
Thrifty Decor Chick

Vintage and Vogue - Show and Tell Friday

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!



My daughter told me last night that Vintage and Vogue has all their Christmas decor up and she wanted us to go look around.  I worked from home today so we went there on my lunch hour.  I took a lot of photos but I decided to just share their Autumn decor because I haven't had time this afternoon to go through all the Christmas photos!






This place is

Cozy Autumn Evenings - Show and Tell Friday

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!








I was out on my patio and looked in at my apartment and thought I would snap some photos. These are taken from outside my patio sliding door on Tuesday evening.  The days are still warm here but the evenings are getting much cooler. I love Autumn! It's so cozy and the excitement of the holiday season and decorating for Christmas is just around the

Model Homes {Interior Tour}

We toured seven different homes in a new development of Daybreak.

You can see the exterior of a few of the homes  HERE.

These homes were beautiful!

Here are some of the trends I noticed...

White Kitchens...

They were definitely dreamy!

I love the touch of yellow they added with the stools.

This kitchen also had a built in bench...

I thought it was a fun way to add seating.

These homes also had woodwork...everywhere!

It was around the doors.

The ceilings...

The walls...

On the fireplaces...

They planked the fireplace & ceiling in this room...

It was amazing!

This house was another favorite...

 Isn't this house gorgeous?

I'm a huge fan of white molding, but this grey color looked really pretty.

Another trend I noticed, was adding a fun shaped tub...

 I love these free standing bathtubs!

I also noticed the bedrooms were decorated in bright colors...

 I like how they placed the empty frames above the bed in this room.

 These "teen" rooms were really fun!

 I love the color schemes they used & the wood on the walls!

 I loved the bedding & fun colors in these two rooms.

They are simple & fresh.

I also loved that most of the houses had built-in book cases...

 This one was in a hallway.

This was at the top of the stairs, entering a loft area.

Here were two other ideas I loved...

 This sink in the laundry room is so unique!  

I also loved the board and batten with the shelf on top!

Last, but not least...

 Do you love the built-in chalkboard?

This was in a little sitting room off the kitchen...I absolutely love this idea!

I left these home tours wanting a white kitchen & more woodwork in my house.

We actually just finished adding some board and batten in my daughter's room and it's amazing what a difference it makes.  The whole room feels different... it actually makes me giddy when I walk in there!

I hope you enjoyed the tour!
I'm sharing with these blogs:
Thrifty Decor Chick
My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia
The 36th Avenue
I Heart Nap Time
Home Stories A to Z

Making Halloween Elegant - Show and Tell Friday

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!  I finally got some Halloween decor up on Monday after work!  Better late than never!  I used things I've collected over the last few years and set it up all on the dresser I have under my staircase.






My dad made the wooden black cats for me years ago and my mom gave me the old Victorian boots that look like witch boots to me!  She also gave me the

Irish Hiking Scarf - Show and Tell Friday

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday!  About this time every year I get the knitting bug! I pulled out the scarf I've been working on for the last three years to knit and realized that the moths had found the wool.  I didn't even notice that they had eaten holes in it until I worked on it for a couple hours!  It was so bad I just threw it away and started all over with a non-wool yarn.  It was

Model Homes Tour....

A few weekends ago, there was an open house at Daybreak, for a new phase of houses being built.

It was so much fun!

 There were seven different houses that we were able to walk through.

This new phase of homes surrounds a small lake & there are walking trails all the way around it. 

 Some of the houses are just a few steps away from the walking path and lake. 

I absolutely LOVE the style of homes they are building.  

They are beautiful & have so much charm!

I love that most of them have porches & extra decorative woodwork on the outside.

Each one is unique & different in it's own way.

This was one of my favorites...

 It was huge & had a great view of the lake.
The builder is Rainey Homes.

I think this is such a great idea...storage under the porch.

This was my absolute favorite home...

It was also built by Rainey Homes. 

The porch is perfect...it wraps all the way around!

The woodwork, pillars & shake on the front of  this home made my heart skip a beat...I LOVE it!

The inside is so bright & beautiful!

My kids' decided it was the perfect house for us...I agree!

It has such an open floor plan.
When you enter, it has the kitchen to your left...

I love how some of the cupboards are a light blue color.  Do you also see the beamed ceiling?
It is gorgeous!
The living room is to the right...

It is so bright...I loved all of the windows!

This staircase is centered to the back of the house, it's between the kitchen & living room...

Do you notice the hint of light blue on the top of the rails? It matched the kitchen cabinets.

I love the touch of color!

I also like how it had windows on the wall going up.  

This house definitely isn't dark & dreary!

I also love all of the storage...

This is on a wall in the master bedroom...the middle opens up to hide a flat screen!

I also loved the doors...

Don't you love the woodwork & window at the top?

This house & most of the others we toured were full of  little details that make a house feel so charming.

I will be doing one more post to show you the inside of a few of the other homes, they really are beautiful!
I'm sharing with these blogs:
French Country Cottage
Tatertots & Jello