FROM NEW YEAR’S EVE TO NEW YEAR’S ZZZ’S, I'VE GOT SOMETHING TO KEEP YOU COVERED

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you had a wonderful holiday with your family and friends. I was so happy when the calm of Christmas eve came. We had a really nice night and Christmas day was super fun. Amazing to see Christmas through the kids' eyes. We had 18 over to our house for dinner that night which worked out great. Here's a peak at my table. 

We'll be spending NYE at the cottage with some friends and Netflix has shared an idea that I know you want to hear about.

Clearly the kids don't get that they should sleep in on New Year's Day because their parents MOST DEFINITELY WANT TO! Did you know that there is a huge spike in kids content viewing on New Year's Day, making Jan 1st one of the most watched days of kids content on Netflix. Surprise! Surprise! In fact, according to Netflix's viewership data, total viewing of kids content on NY Day 2016 exceeded nearly every single weekend in 2015. Crazy eh?

Netflix has created a New Year's Eve 10 on demand countdown for kids. My kids have already started to watch them. They're mini movies. This years countdowns are based on some of kids’ favorite shows: Word Party, Puffin Rock, Luna Petunia, Beat Bugs, All Hail King Julien, Skylanders Academy, Trollhunters, Project Mc2, Fuller House and Chasing Cameron. 

Think that's good my friends, this is EVEN better....

After any good party comes the morning after, with cranky kids and tired (and hungover...) parents. So Netflix is also making parents’ lives a little easier the next morning. Inspired by a strategic playlist of shows kids will jump at the chance to watch back-to-back, Netflix has created The Netflix Door Sign (click on the link for the printable version). WHAT? Yes. 

For sure, this will not stop my monkeys from jumping in the bed, but I have no problems telling the to take the sign off our bedroom door and turn on Netflix till Mummy and Daddy feel human again. This year, having a bunch of friends up at the cottage, there will be that many more kids, which means these shows are a key to survival. 

I wish you and your family a very happy New Year. I hope you take the time to reflect on 2016 - the things that were great, the things that weren't so great. 2017 is a fresh start. You might not be able to control everything the year brings but whatever it is, own it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for continuing to support this blog and support this business. It's a tiny peace of the internet world and it would not continue to be there without you. Thank you, thank you. I would love to share your favourite DIYs, recipes or makeovers in the new year. Just send them my way. From my heart to yours, happy new year! See you in 2017 lovelies. 

Keep it Beautiful.

xo

CHRISTMAS HOME TOUR & OLAF

Merry Christmas everyone! 

This is one of my favourite weeks of the year. Besides the last minute rush-around…that’s brutes. The excitement from the kids for the big day is priceless. They’re filled with so much hope and belief in all the magic – it’s contagious. Here is a peak at our home this year (you can see the past few years here and here). I know yours is decorated beautifully. Decorating for the holidays takes a lot of time but it’s so worth it. Don’t you feel so happy sitting on your couch with a warm drink staring at your gorgeous tree? It brings home my belief that you feel fabulous when you’re surrounded by a home you love.

Here’s a few photos of how the décor looks at our house this year. I'm sorry I don't have time to photograph the basement Christmas decor or the upstairs but it's a peak. Don’t forget to scroll to the end, I have a fun giveaway that you wont be able to use this year (seeing how I’m super late) but will look oh-so-fun next year on your front lawn!

Remember how I showed you our mantle in November? I really loved it but with all the different ways to decorate, I decided to switch it up a few weeks ago - home design obsessed!

If you’re looking for a delicious last minute treat, then I recommend my Nana’s Nuts ‘n Bolts. They’re my favourite!

Want to your house to smell fabulous? Try this.

This pin is a popular one from a few years ago over on Pinterest if you want to add some red to your decor.

Need a last minute wreath? This is an easy DIY!

Good luck with all your last minute hustle and bustle. For those of you out there that haven't received our Christmas cards...they're on their way. I might have been on the ball to order them but sending them out has been another story. Yikes! Ah well.

Don't forget the outside! This is Mr. Fix-It's favourite part about decorating for the holidays. Total Griswold! When your kids are little, you just need to go with it. The giant santa was painted by my dad and has been on my parent's roof since I was a little girl. Santa now hangs at our house. Olaf is a new addition. Remember the countertop wine fridge that I talked about last year? We love it! I ordered Olaf from the same company, Hammacher Schlemmer and the kids went nuts! They ship to Canada and the service and products are fantastic. Are you having a New Year's Party? Check out this amazing wine opener! Bless the wine, especially during the holidays! Olaf is 8 feet, happy and adorable. How can you not smile when you see that happy snowman who dreams of summer?

Do you wanna build a snowman?

Keep it Beautiful and Merry Christmas lovelies!

CHRISTMAS CARDS IN THE MAIL

TGIF! How’s the holiday prep going? Making your list and checking it twice? There is always something, or more like something”s” that you forget until the last minute and for me, it’s the Christmas cards. Around Thanksgiving, we usually try to gather the clan for a picture with the hope that it could also work for our Christmas card - you never know with little ones if you'll get smiling faces or grumpy-don't-take-my-picture looks.

This year, I actually remembered to get my Christmas cards organized and always order them from Minted because the make the whole process super easy.

Their cards are gorg and they make it really easy to see what your photo would look like on all the cards. You just click on the “Find It Fast” button, upload your photo and VOILA…your smiling faces are on all the card mock-ups.

The foil-pressed cards are beauty. I also love the midnight blues and graphic black and white. You can also add custom stamps, free recipient addressing and your return address to the back of the cards which cuts down on having to write out your info on every envelope.

Oh, and obviously…the pretty factor is huge.

I’ve used Minted holiday cards for two years now and have been thrilled with them every time.

Don’t forget, if you can’t get your cards out for Christmas…all good. Sometimes sending a “Happy New Year” card works even better. Your loved ones will be thrilled to receive your smiling face in the mail in January when they’re in the after-Christmas-slump. As well, keep Minted in mind for your invitations, party planning needs and their fab art.

COOL GIFT IDEA + GIVEAWAY

Hey! Happy December! Crazy eh? Done any shopping for the holidays? We've done a little bit here, and shopping online more than we ever have. The online deals are awesome and working full time, it's hard to get out to the mall. Who wants to be out shopping at 10pm when I can do it in my jammies with a glass of vino. Yes please.

I have a really cool gift idea to share with you AND stay tuned till the end because I'm going to share a wicked giveaway and a discount. You're welcome.

So, you've probably seen the "monthly subscription" gifts take-off in the last little while. I've known about the monthly wine subscriptions and beauty boxes that arrive in a pretty box every month but the world of "receiving a surprise in the mail" each month has exploded. From healthy food to home decor boxes, one day a month you can receive a gem in the mail. My new fav is Sock Fancy. 

Yup, a monthly sock subscription. Are you a sock lover? Mr. Fix-It is a sock fanatic. FANATIC. For real, I haven't seen him wear a plain black pair of socks in the last few years. Socks, especially for men, have upped their game. The colour and pattern of socks can totally make their outfit. 

My fav is when I'm in the office, seeing men wearing a really nice suit with the coolest socks peeking out. These days, the flashier, the brighter the socks...the better the whole package looks. 

I remember being at a wedding and seeing the father-of-the-groom wearing a rather traditional dark grey suit and when he sat down, out peeked fuchsia pink socks with dark grey polka dots. AWESOME. 

Here's how it works. You either choose to give the gift, or give your own sock drawer a makeover. Then choose your sock size, subscription length and they do the rest. Each month, you know you'll get a sock delivery but what they look like is up to Sock Fancy. The guys who created the company know how cool socks can up your game so the socks you get will always be awesome. 

They have women and men's socks which is great, but for sure they seem to focus more on the guys side. Mr. Fix-It has been rocking out with his socks out! What an awesome Christmas present eh? Add this to your list for sure.

Now the best part. Sock Fancy is giving away a 6 month subscription. WHAT!! And a 10% discount until December 31st if you use the coupon code: BEAUTIFUL16

What a fantastic holiday gift! Don't forget to enter!!
Sock Fancy



I'm really glad these guys reached out to me. I hadn't heard of a monthly sock subscription and I'm glad I got to share this cool idea with you. 


Keep it Beautiful.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Sock Fancy. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep this blog alive. As always, I only share and promote brands that I believe in and have tried for myself.

HOW TO CREATE A FABULOUS CHRISTMAS MANTEL

Hello beauties!

Are you holiday ready? Christmas is only 28 days away. BUT, it's time to start decorating your beautiful spaces for the season. I've teamed up with Wayfair.ca (I've shared my love for all their home decor and furniture with you here and here) to give you some ideas for creating the most gorgeous holiday mantel. If you are lucky enough to have a mantel to decorate then it needs to be FABULOUS during the holidays. There is no better way to create instant holiday impact.

So, take everything off the mantle and start with a clean slate. This is also a great time to do any paint touchups on your mantel if it is painted.

Decorating for the holidays can be really overwhelming. Do you go traditional? Glam? Minimal? Gold? Silver? My recommendation is to start with one piece and build from there. For me, it was a faux pine garland. I bought it a couple of years ago and have used it in different ways but this year I wanted it on the mantle. So, up it went. I'm really digging the rustic glam look lately and love that this allows you to have the traditional feel and glitz it up with glam pieces.

These silver/gold glitter trees are tall and oversize and anchor the mantle. Aren't they puurdy?

The stag head has floated between my living and dining room all year. They're very trendy right now (on the wall or standing) and super versatile.

Take a step back. Look to see what's missing, what's too busy. I felt like a little colour was needed so Mr. Stag got some danglers. Rose gold is still hot! hot! so think about adding it to your Christmas decor. I think I'm going to add some rose gold ornaments to my tree this year. Girly and glam. I also love me some gold mercury glass ornaments.

To continue with the antlers, I added a textured antler wreath to the mirror. This boxwood wreath is also beauty! Classic. This wreath has a ton of texture, lights up and bonus-on sale!

Don't forget to add light to your mantel. String lights and VOILA! A fresh.fabulous.sophisticated Christmas mantel.

Once your mantel is done, you will hopefully have a theme for decorating the rest of your house. I know it's put me in the decorating spirit. It might feel early, but I promise you, the Christmas parties and shopping will be here before you know it!

Don't forget, Wayfair.ca ships for free. FREE over $75. Yes please!

I would love to see your holiday mantels. Please share them with me.

Keep it Beautiful.

Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Wayfair.ca. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that support this blog. 

WATCHING LEADING LADIES

Having downtime is critical to me. It's critical to all of us. Mr. Fix-It and I need downtime together away from the hustle of work, the busyness of after-school activities, cooking, cleaning, homework - the spin. Mr. Fix-It and I have Netflix series that we love to watch together. Honestly, there have been some series (Homeland, Orange is the New Black, Suits) that we have even rushed to put our kids down to bed (go ahead, judge me) so that we could run to the tv room to start our marathon viewing. However, there are shows on Netflix that appeal to each of us individually. 

Mr. Fix-It likes the suspensful good-cop-bad-cop shows, but sometimes I find them too dark to watch before bed. I'm drawn to the leading lady shows. She might make me laugh, cry or feel empowered - I like that before I go to bed. My very fav Netflix series right now (full disclosure: I"M TOTALLY ADDICTED TO IT AND HAVE A WHOLE NEW APPRECIATION FOR THIS REAL LIFE LEADING LADY) is...

The series (only one season so far) gives you a snapshot of a young Queen Elizabeth. I really have known nothing about our Queen except that she's always perfectly dressed, sortof looks like my Nana and has the infamous wave. After watching this season, I see her in a completely different light. I was blown away by the letter that her grandmother wrote to her, it encourages the Queen to find strength from within and to be an icon.  We will never be the Queen of England but we can be a beacon for each other, for our family, for ourselves.

 Even in the Orange is the New Black, those women inmates - all together, all the time. They tear each other down but they too build each other up. We need to not act on jealousy. We need to not act on hate. It makes us ugly. 

This month, if you're looking for empowering ladies, tune in to some of these shows. You'll feel good. Promise. Oh, and speaking of ladies...GILMORE GIRLS is on Netflix this month! WHAT?! NOVEMBER 29th is the date! Save it! Call your mom. Have her over for a Gilmore Girls date night.

Keep it beautiful.

FULL DISCLOSURE - I'M PART OF THE NETFLIX #STREAMTEAM AND LOVE SHARING MY ADDICTION WITH YOU EVERY MONTH.