Blue Christmas Blog Hop: Mantles

Welcome back to the Blue Christmas Blog Hop!!!

There are 7 of us contributing to this fun Series!

I am LOVING seeing what these creative ladies post every week...it is so much fun to see their style and ideas and think of how I can change things up in easy and inexpensive ways. 

The Happy Housie 

 The Blissul Bee  

Life on Virginia Street  

Averie Lane  

Maison de Pax  

Commona-My House  

Sweet Dreams are Made of These

Over the last 2 weeks we've shown  you our ideas for Blue Ornaments and Blue Wreaths and Blue Wall Decor.

This week it's all about sharing our ideas for adding blue to your Mantle or Tablescapes for a fresh spin on your Christmas Decor!

I mentioned last week that I don't really have a lot of blue decorations. But I love the blue look at Christmas. I have a lot of blue in my home, so this was an easy transition to start incorporating touches of blue to things I already have.

I wanted to keep my mantle rustic to transition through Thanksgiving and then into Christmas...but I loved adding a touch of BLUE!

So I added a bit of silvery blue ribbon to the mantle and an old window frame that I painted a powdery blue and added vinyl lyrics to...because, well, it's cold outside!

I think it is natural to WANT to go and buy new things each season...that's what the big stores really want all of us to do, so that's why they push the trends and design styles in different ways each season. But if you have a few basic sort of staple pieces you can change them up each year by just adding different ribbon or changing out small touches here and there.

Thanks for coming over! 

Be sure to visit all of my co-hosts blogs for more inspiration 

and be sure to hop back over next Friday December 6th for Trees!

The Happy Housie  

The Blissul Bee 

 Life on Virginia Street  

Averie Lane 

Maison de Pax  

Sweet Dreams are Made of These

And Follow our Blue Christmas board on Pinterest!

XXXOOO!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wordless Wednesday Inspiration: a Thanksgiving Palette

Ginger Snaps

Soft Pumpkin

Pecan

Tasty Apple

XXXOOO!

Thanksgiving Table Prep

I have been getting ready to host Thanksgiving here at our new home this year.
 I started to wash my Grandmother's Spode and wanted to do something a little different than what I've been doing FOR YEARS. The Spode is special...so that is my tradition...to always use my Grandmother's china. But I wanted to liven things up this year for a few reasons:
-We don't have a formal dining room in our new house. Too formal is just too much for me when our table is pretty much in our kitchen and living room.
-My style has evolved to be a little more eclectic these days,  so even though I'm using incredibly traditional dishes, I wanted to do something more unexpected with the table cloth.
 -I love bringing in natural elements no matter the occasion.
 -I don't like buying things for a tablescape, so I always use what I have and forage my house for things to use. So I started by washing the dishes and playing with different table cloths. Then I moved things around from my mantle onto my table and this is what I decided on for the main elements of my Thanksgiving Table this year!

Apple Green Velvet is a bit unexpected but it pulls the green out and  livens up the Spode pattern ("Cowslip").

Natural Wood pieces, feathers, wheat, almonds,etc.

Thankful Printables

Free Download from HapaGirl

XXXOOO.

Give Me the Goods Monday Link Party #36

Thanks to each and every one of you who link up with us!  
 I can't believe that this is week #36!

We are so excited to have you here with us this week! In case you are new here, this party is hosted by FIVE bloggers! That means when you enter your links on one of our blogs, they will show up on FIVE blogs total! FIVE times the publicity for YOU! We will each pick our favorites every week, so that's FIVE times the chance for YOU to be featured!

Read More after the break.....

Give Me the Goods Sunday Features: #35

It’s time for the features from last weeks GMTG party!

THANK YOU for linking up last Monday!!! Each week I am so excited to look at every link. You all are so inspiring!

Be sure to check out the other host’s features after leaving here:

Jamie @ Better with Age

Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof

Amber @ Averie Lane

Rachel @ Maison de Pax

This week my picks are all over the map.
But when you think about it, they are what every girl loves!

Unconventional Traditional Thanksgiving Decor

I love Thanksgiving.

I'm a traditionalist...for the most part. I don't like to skip over Thanksgiving, I don't shop on Black Friday and I like watching "The New World", "Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving Special" (you know, the one where Snoopy saves the day and serves toast),  School House Rock's "No More Kings" (sort of touches on the roots of the history of it)...and YES, I have to...."Planes, Trains and Automobiles ("Those aren't pillows").

But am I tired of pilgrim hats and orange/brown and pumpkins....the predictable...YES.

I do a fair amount of pumpkins, pilgrim hats and turkey art with the kiddos leading up to the big day and I have to say, I am ready to bump it up a notch when it comes to Thanksgiving motifs, decor, style.

And apparently, I'm not alone.

One of my oldest friends sent me a message the other day:

• Candice
• Are you doing a blog about Thanksgiving decorations? ...because America needs help in that department. The pilgrim figurines and goofy turkeys have got to go. ...and I like brown just as much as the next color, but let's mix it up with some metallic tones or something. I'm counting on you to make this happen.
• 

  Amy 

  
  
  

  Ha! You're awesome! Yes- I'm doing a round up this weekend! And couldn't agree more, btw.... I'll share a few easy touches to "decorate" for Thanksgiving without being boring, predictable and Walmart-y. One of the ones I'm showing has teal and feathers in a more unconventional color way, one is plum and green and another one has mustard and magenta.
• 11/22, 8:38am

  Candice 

  Haha! I knew you would have something up your sleeve. I was just saying that I think Christmas now owns November, because Thanksgiving decoration offerings got so ugly that people just skip it.

Yup, that's one of my best girls...Candice and I were Junior High School Cheerleaders together {for real}, we took art classes together all throughout high school, she knows all about my first crush(es) and she is someone who bounces creative ideas around with me from time to time... 

And she has an extensive professional art background...so she knows her stuff. 

I can't let her down.

So here goes....if you're ready to step out of the pilgrim figurines, goofy turkeys and even pumpkins then this post is for you. Start looking around your house; I bet you'll find things that you have that can add a touch of the unexpected to your Thanksgiving table or mantle. You know I like to encourage people to use what they have...don't feel pressure to go out and buy things at Walmart or Target that say basically: YOU NEED TO BUY THIS FOR THANKSGIVING BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE HAS THIS TURKEY DISH FOR THANKSGIVING SO YOU SHOULD TO...I sort of don't like that way of shoving commercialism into holidays, especially this one...so...step out of the TYPICAL THANKSGIVING DECOR isle mind-set and look at things a little differently, be creative and HAVE FUN!

These are my top 3 favorite examples of what I'm talking about: Let's Shake it Up a Bit!

Freebie Friday: Give Thanks

November is the month of gratitude...right?
Or is it the month between Halloween and Christmas?
Either way, Thanksgiving is special to me and I hope it stays special to my children and their (eventual) families.
When I was growing up Thanksgiving was a sort of slow down Holiday....predictable. My grandparents were there. We ate turkey and my favorite rolls and canned cranberry sauce - the gel kind that is shaped like the can...we cut the slices of it where the can left indentation marks. That's how we liked it.
It was typically the one time each year that my father offered a prayer. It was special and I love that it is about being grateful. Not about candy. Not about gifts. About bounty...about gratitude and finding joy in simple things.
As my sister Lucy and I became teens my dad tried to do things that made Thanksgiving a bit more fun.
We always went to the High School football game early in the morning and came home to my mom's Turkey wafting throughout the house. We had a day after Thanksgiving "Must Go' Party that was about friends and left overs. It was simple and we were happy about that.
Over the years and all of our moves we haven't been with family each Thanksgiving. We've been with friends. And we called Thanksgiving "Friendsgiving" for a while. We watched football and had a blast creating 'family' traditions together.
For these memories I'm thankful.
For the grounding and pause that Thanksgiving brings to me and my family now, I'm thankful.
Our culture has become so commercialized...that having a holiday completely centered around gratitude seems rare, right? And maybe that is why it is sort of swept to the side. But I'll always hold on to Thanksgiving.
I'm not a black Friday sort of gal, so as much as I LOVE CHRISTMAS and really do-it-up big in December...I try to keep Thanksgiving real and preserve (get it..canned cranberry...PRESERVE)...
no really, I try to preserve the heritage that it's all about.

Melissa Esplin's Thank You Printable

Melissa Esplin is an amazing calligrapher, amongst other talents...

Hop over to her blog I STILL LOVE YOU to download these sweet cards to share.

XXXOOO.

Blue Christmas Blog Hop: Wreaths or Wall Decor

Welcome back to the Blue Christmas Blog Hop!!!

There are 7 of us contributing to this fun Series!

I am LOVING seeing what these creative ladies post every week...it is so much fun to see their style and ideas and think of how I can change things up in easy and inexpensive ways. 

The Happy Housie 

 The Blissul Bee  

Life on Virginia Street  

Averie Lane  

Maison de Pax  

Commona-My House  

Sweet Dreams are Made of These

Last week we showed you our ideas for Blue Ornaments...

This week it's all about sharing our ideas for adding blue to wreaths and/or wall decor for a fresh spin on your Christmas Decor!

I mentioned last week that I don't really have a lot of blue decorations. But I love the blue look at Christmas. I have a lot of blue in my home, so this was an easy transition to start incorporating touches of blue to things I already have.

I think it is natural to WANT to go and buy new things each season...that;s what the big stores really want all of us to do, so that's why they push the trends and design styles in different ways each season. But if you have a few basic sort of staple pieces you can change them up each year by just adding different ribbon or changing out small touches here and there.

I made this coffee filter wreath at a craft night a couple of months ago.

It was very inexpensive, I believe under $4 to make!

{There is a great tutorial here if you'd like to make your own}.

I've used it several times since I made it.

I put orange and houndstooth ribbon on it for Halloween.

I put pink tulle on it for my daughter's birthday party.

And now, I am adding this simple glitter bunting and blue ribbon to it for a sort of 

WHITE CHRISTMAS look.

It is sort of my mantra...simple=elegant.

And I love how this simple blue bow adds a pop of color and snazz to this wreath!

Be sure to visit my Blue Christmas Blog Hop Co-Hosts today for their take on Wreaths/Wall Decor!

Thanks for coming over! 

Be sure to visit all of my co-hosts blogs for more inspiration 

and be sure to hop back over next Friday November 29th for

MANTLES / TABLESCAPES

The Happy Housie  

The Blissul Bee 

 Life on Virginia Street  

Averie Lane 

 Maison de Pax  

 Sweet Dreams are Made of These

And Follow our Blue Christmas board on Pinterest!

XXXOOO!

I'm one. In Blog years.

I can't believe it has been a year.
A year of blogging about this and that here at Commona-My House.
My very first post was a personal one...about my inspiration of why I wanted to blog, what I wanted to blog and where I wanted to be...and this year of sort of birthing Commona-My House has truly been a gift for me. 

I set out to make this my sort of "Happy Place" and that is exactly what it has become for me.
I hope it is a "Happy Place" for you, too!

When I started blogging I didn't really know what I was doing. I still have days that I'm clueless...but I've grown as a blogger and as a business woman since my first post. Yes, Business Woman. I like to call myself that because Blogging really is a business and I have big business plans for Commona-My House.
Over the next few weeks I'll be unveiling a bit of a face lift to the blog and I hope that you like it as much as I do. It will be a more functional space and I think a design that better reflects my own personal style and  what inspires me.
Thank you to those of you who have supported me here in this dream..honestly..each and every one of you.
Hope you keep coming over to be inspired in all things home, find a friend, and hang out often!
XXXOOO.

*To see a sneak peek at my re-design Mood Board click here

Wordless Wednesday Inspiration: Benjamin Moore "Fieldstone"

XXXOOO!

Splurge or Steal: The Animal on My Chest Edition {Intarsia Trend}

Maybe you've noticed the influx of Intarsia Animal sweaters lately?

Foxes, Birds, French Bulldogs, Horses and yes, even Tigers.

I sort of love this novelty sweater approach...although I think it's a trend that will run it's course in under 2 years. I prefer to spend small $ on trends and save the $$$ for classic pieces both in my home design projects and my wardrobe. I'm predicting that home decor will follow this animal novelty trend and we'll be seeing a lot of fox pillows like this one from Pottery Barn and tons of other Intarsia inspired home decor items throughout 2014!

Add caption

So if you're jumping onto the Intarsia Novelty Sweater Bandwagon, which is your pick?

You may be like me and even like the less expensive designs better than their pricey counterparts! 

SPLURGE or STEAL?

Target $19

Old Navy $25

read more....

Give Me the Goods Monday Link Party #35

Thanks to each and every one of you who link up with us!  

We are so excited to have you here with us this week! In case you are new here, this party is hosted by FIVE bloggers! That means when you enter your links on one of our blogs, they will show up on FIVE blogs total! FIVE times the publicity for YOU! We will each pick our favorites every week, so that's FIVE times the chance for YOU to be featured!

Read More after the break.....

Give Me the Goods Sunday Features #34

It’s time for the features from last weeks GMTG party!

THANK YOU for linking up last Monday!!! Each week I am so excited to look at every link. You all are so inspiring!

Be sure to check out the other host’s features after leaving here:

Jamie @ Better with Age

Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof

Amber @ Averie Lane

Rachel @ Maison de Pax

DIY Mason Jar Chandelier @ Nest of Bliss

Sneak Peek Beach Cottage @ Exquisitely Unremarkable

Console Table Facelift @ House of Hoff

Thanksgiving Potpourri @ Crafty Lumberjacks

Be sure to visit my co-hosts to see their features! 

Jenna from Rain on a Tin Roof

Jamie from Better With Age

Amber @ Averie Lane

Rachel from Maison de Pax

Don't forget to grab your button if you were featured! 

Remember to come back tomorrow  "Give Me The Goods Monday"! We party every Monday!

And be sure to check out all of our features past and present on our Give Me the Goods Monday Pinterest Board!

http://pinterest.com/koogs2012/give-me-the-goods-monday-linky-party-features/

Thanks for coming over!

XXXOOO.

Featured on Design Dazzle!

Come and see what I shared with Design Dazzle's readers today!

Here's a hint:

It's a kid friendly craft!

Here's a peek:

Click here to see the tutorial for this fun, easy and inexpensive Christmas idea!

XXXOOO.

Blue Christmas Blog Hop: Week #1 ORNAMENTS

Welcome to the first week of Blue Christmas Blog Hop!!

I'm so excited to share with you something that will be happening on Fridays for the next several weeks!  There are 7 of us who will be contributing to this series! 

The Happy Housie  The Blissul Bee  Life on Virginia Street  

Averie Lane  Maison de Pax  

Commona-My House  Sweet Dreams are Made of These

You may recognize a few of these talented ladies {they are all amazing design, decor, craft and/or lifestyle bloggers} who will be sharing ideas on how to incorporate BLUE into your 

Holiday Home.

This week:

BLUE ORNAMENTS 

I am sort of a no-fuss sort of decorator. 

I like to keep things simple but not stark.

I love the color blue and have it as an accent color in a few areas of my home, but I don't have any blue Christmas decor. 

So I bought an el cheapo box of ball ornaments, 9 for $2.99.

I went through my ribbon stash and found a few blue/teal ribbons that were pretty with the ornaments. 

Over the past few years, I have just sort of spread out silver adn gold ornaments throughout my home and I'm ready for some color. I don't like a lot of clutter, so instead of having Christmas decor take over every surface, I add a few ornaments here and there...on shelves, in jars, hanging from ribbons on curtain rods...

to make things merry & bright.

I got a little wild and embellished a few of these super inexpensive balls with glitter.

All it takes is glue, glitter and 10 minutes.

But I hope I've shown that you don't have to spend a lot of money or go 'over the top' to bring a little touch of blue 

to liven things up a bit! 

Thanks for coming over! 

Be sure to visit all of my co-hosts blogs for more inspiration 

and be sure to hop back over next Friday November 22nd for

WREATHS AND WALL DECOR!

The Happy Housie  

The Blissul Bee 

 Life on Virginia Street  

Averie Lane 

 Maison de Pax  

 Sweet Dreams are Made of These

And Follow our Blue Christmas board on Pinterest!

XXXOOO!