Mantel Mania!

'Tis the season!  Hope all your wildest Black Friday dreams are coming true as you venture into the abyss (aka the mall).   I, on the other hand, am happy staying home today to put up some Christmas decorations because, after all, it is simply uncouth to put them up any sooner than Black Friday.

My makeshift mantel seemed like the most obvious place to start, and behold, we have the above photo!  I usually have a stack of photos and prints layered in multiple frames on our shelf.  Nixed 'em.  I replaced one frame with a piece of Kraft paper with a little holiday cheer written on it.  Next, I added a wreath, some candlesticks, and I filled hurricanes with ornaments and beads.  A little extra green garland fills in the blanks along with a few extra ornaments scattered throughout.

PLUS, our big red surfboard actually seems to fit right in.  Never mind the 4 wakeboards to the left of our shelf…conveniently cropped out of the photo, of course…as well as the 3 bikes that seem to only fit in the living room of all places.

SO, there you have it folks.  Our cozy apartment seems more festive than ever this year.  Maybe it's that the weather if finally cooling off.  Maybe it is that I am more at peace with our life than in years past.  Dylan and I just had our two year anniversary this month.  I cannot believe how far we have come in two years!  New careers, new home, new friends, new adventures!

Stay tuned for more holiday cheer!  

Crafty

It's officially fall, let the crafting begin!  'Tis the season of pretty trees, comfy flannel shirts, and, of course, crafting with friends!  A few gals and I got together this weekend for a wreath-making bash, which, I must say, was surprisingly successful.  (Oh yeah, it helps when one of your friends works at Joann Fabrics...and knows everything about everything in the craft world.  SCORE!)

I went with some felt flowers, which were super easy to make, and added a few hints of faux berries.  All of these rosettes were made from about 6 sheets of felt (I bought 12...just in case!).  The bow was made with some scrap muslin that I tore into a long strip.  All in all, this project cost a whopping $13  (thanks to all my Michael's coupons)!

Helpful hints:
-a hot-glue gun is a must for this project.  Mine is the "high heat" mini gun from WalMart.
-use nice fabric scissors for cutting felt (makes detailed cutting SO much easier).
-be sure to bring champagne to share with friends, it lightens up the mood for all the OCD crafters...myself included in this category!

Cheers to craft season: may all your Pinterest DIY fantasies come true!

Smooth(ie)

Lately, I've been in a healthy-food rut.  And by rut, I mean, I don't feel like eating anything remotely good for me.  Generally speaking, I stay away from fast food, breads and pastas, and only eat sweets on occasion, however, life gets busy and sometimes you JUST. WANT. THE PASTA.

There.  I said it.  Now, moving on.

I made this delicious berry and banana smoothie for breakfast, and I am happy to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Plus, it falls into the "healthy" category.  Yay me.  So, will it cancel out the handfuls of semi-sweet chocolate morsels I devoured while watching MasterChef last night?  Nay, nay.  But it's a good start!

DIY

Happy Friday!  I hope you are enjoying your Christmas season as much as me!  I always get into the crafting mood this time of year, and what better way to spend a Friday than with a trip to Michael's followed by a couple hours of nitty-gritty hands-on crafting? (If you have a husband, tell him to go see a movie...they will NOT want to be present...trust me).  Oh yeah, don't forget to make an obscenely large batch of hot chocolate ;)

Pictured above are some of my top DIY projects that are worthy of gift-giving.  I've sifted through the masses on Pinterest, and these ones came out on top because:

 1.  They don't have to be refrigerated or "used within a week".  Seriously.  Who is going to use body butter or sugar scrub or homemade face mask that needs to be kept in the fridge?  Very impractical.

2.  They don't take 10 hours to make from start to finish.

3.  They are actually useful and cute!

SO...Let's get to it!

• Color Blocked wooden spoons: easy, cheap, and everyone can use them.  Did I mention that they are easy? 
• Leather pouch:  easily customize the size to accommodate an iPad or a stack of business cards.
• Felt trivet :  customize the color, shapes, and stitching, and try something outside the box: think neon, geometric patterns, navajo prints, faux bois, monogramming, etc.
• Herb mug:  everything tastes better with fresh herbs.  Plant some in a personalized mug or hand-painted pot and be sure to pass along the directions explaining how much light and water they will need!
• Mix CD: yes, I know it isn't 1995 anymore, however, who doesn't LOVE getting new music?  Put together a customized list and don't forget to go all-out on customizing the cover!

Merry, Merry Christmas!

xoxo,

Mitz

leather case via martha stewart
herb mug via Laura Parke
color block spoons via A Cozy Kitchen
felt trivets (pictured is via Tereforma) via Design Sponge
CD case via Honey Bee in the City

Typographic Poster

I recently had the opportunity to help my sister out with a gift for her husband: creating a typographic poster based on one of his favorite quotes (by Matt Batterson).

Light Bulb!  Find your loved one's favorite saying or quote, create a similar typographic print, frame it, and gift it!  Need help designing a poster for your friends and/or family?  Contact me:

mitzidickdesign[at]gmail[dot]com

xoxo,

Mitz

Thanksgiving

 

Seasons greetings!  I hope your Thanksgiving was stress-free and full of starches!  I had the privilege of hosting my first turkey-day bonanza, and I have to say...it was pretty easy.  I was in charge of the bird (yes, me, the vegetarian...I buttered that thing up Paula Dean-style and added some homemade rosemary salt & sage), and I made a few sides while friends and family brought the rolls, potatoes, mac&cheese, green been casserole, and vino!

A few days prior to Thanksgiving, I made a run to Williams-Sonoma, which is (partly) why the day went so smooth.  I picked up a jar of the cranberry relish, a box of whole wheat harvest stuffing, a jar of gravy base, and their holiday catalog for table-scape inspiration.  Because I had never made any of these items before, I didn't want to mess them up for the big day (the bird was enough of a "first-time" experience for me), so this was all pretty fool-proof.  The day before, I slow-roasted a batch of carrots/parsnips/and onions. The day of, I made sweet potato casserole (my mother-in-law's recipe), and followed the directions on my box of stuffing.  

ALSO, I whipped up a batch of napkins from scrap fabric I had laying around, and I saw these teeny-tiny pears at the grocery store to use as placecards–cute and edible!  I hand-stamped each person's name on a piece of card stock and tied them to the pears with a piece of twine.  

A few things I learned along the way:

1.  A big chip/dip platter works well as a serving platter for turkey and cranberry sauce (see bottom right picture).  I didn't have a "serving platter" per se, BUT, I did have a silvery chip/dip set.  Easy!
2. Don't bother with setting water glasses/wine glasses on the table–it takes up so much space (see pictures...)!  We made a drink station at one end of the kitchen counter, which worked really well.
3. Get enough serving utensils–lucky for us, the spoons in our every-day flatware are HUGE, so we used them for everything.  Next year, I will certainly invest in another set or two of actual serving utensils.
4. Timing ISN'T everything.  We told guests that we would eat within a window (1.5 hours) and set plenty of snacks out for them (artichoke/spinach dip, blue crab dip, crackers, fruit, etc).  This way, we weren't stressing out about getting everything finished on time, and we were able to enjoy socializing without worrying about any timing expectations.
5. Clean as you cook.  If you have limited sink/counter/dishwasher space, you HAVE to do this–really, the turkey is in for a few hours...you have plenty of time to clean up, so no excuses!  Our clean-up afterwards took mere minutes.

All in all, everything turned out great!  And did I mention that we had Wick's Sugar Cream Pie for dessert?!  I was so happy to get the chance to host the holiday, and I am so thankful for each and every person who joined us.  Next up: CHRISTMAS!  

Oh, and happy Cyber Monday!

xoxo,

Mitz

Stock 'Em Up!

Throw on the Jingle Bell Rock and get wrapping! Wait, what's that you say?  You don't have your Christmas shopping finished?  Luckily, I am here with some quick stocking stuffers that will surely bring cheer to all who receive them.

For your "au naturale" friends, give the gift of organic honey-peppermint lip balm and an organic facial peel–they will most certainly thank you (as will their skin).  For the homemaker, a nice box of Ladurée macaroons, a true taste of Paris, and a pretty-yet-rustic candle will be the perfect combo.  For the fashionistas that seem to be so hard to buy for, stick with a simple pair of gold studs and a bottle of Essie nailpolish, just be sure to look up the latest collection (Cocktail Bling) to really knock her socks off!  And for all the others that are pickier beyond belief, a luxurious italian pen paired with a gold agenda will send them into the new year with class and sophistication (not to mention it will help immensely in planning the new-years-workout-resolution-that-seems-so-darn-impossible-to-keep).


Products starting top left clockwise: 

• Essie Bangle Jangle Nail Polish
• Pin 12 Tin Candle
• Harney & Sons Earl Grey Tea
• Alexander McQueen Whipstitch Skull Clutch
• Apple & Bee Lip Balm
• Ladurée Macaroons
• Make Up Forever 12 Flash Color Case
• Alex and Chloe All My Heart Stud Earrings
• Suki Organic Facial Peel
• Marc by Marc Jacobs Handbag Charm
• MyAgenda Dayplanner
• Campo Marzio Rollerball Pen

 (via myself)

Honeymoon Happenings

Honey, I'm hoooome!  Yes, we finally made it back to Lake Magdalene after some time away in California for our wedding followed by our honeymoon in Costa Rica!  We flew into Liberia and after a short (1 hour) drive in a crazy taxi-bus, we made it to Sueño Del Mar, a little bed and breakfast just outside the surf village of Tamardindo.  Once there, we put our spanish to use as best we could, soaked up the sun, and did plenty of surfing! 

Here are some pics to give you a sneak peek at our vacay!  Wedding details and pics will be up in the following weeks!  Stay tuned and happy holidays!

Cheers!

CHEERS to the new gift tags available at the Fancy Schmantzy esty shop! Simple yet rustic, these typographic tags are sure to bring holiday cheer to all who see them.  They are perfect for slipping on a bottle of wine when going to holiday dinner parties ('tis the season to eat, drink, and be merry!).  You can also wear them as earrings if you don't have the proper holiday attire...but mostly, they're good for putting on the wine bottles.  Yep.  Stick with the wine bottles on this one.  

Available in packs of 8.  Blank inside.  Fancy Schmantzy store logo printed on backside.  See store for more details!

Visit my shop often as more merchandise starts to roll out!

Etsy Shop

 

I did it – I officially hopped on the Etsy bandwagon and am lovin' it!  Please check out my customizable holiday cards HERE.