Finding My Aloha

Herringbone Art- A Pinterest Project

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:49:00 +0000

Remember when I posted about my master bedroom redecorating project back in September?

Well, nothing has changed in there... until now. I still needed something for the wall on my husband's side of the bed, and that is when I saw this art piece on Pinterest...

Cozamia via Pinterest

This is actually an art print, but I liked the idea of painting over an abstract print with a white herringbone pattern. So, I grabbed this painting that has been sitting in my garage sale pile for a year now...

And then I painted over it abstractly with some of my acrylic paints. I love the colors in the inspriration print but I chose a palette that matches the decor in the room.

Then I covered the canvas in strips of painter's tape placed in a herringbone pattern. I did this while I emptied my DVR. It wasn't too tedious. Then I ripped off a couple strips here and there. And finally, I painted over it with white paint.

After the white paint dried, I peeled off all the strips and wa-la! It's done!

And here it is in the master bedroom. Pardon the photos, they were taken with my iPhone.

The room is complete... for now. I am always switching things up all over my house, but I actually feel "done" for the first time since we moved. In that room at least :) Thanks again, Pinterest- you never fail me. How has Pinterest inspired you lately?

If you'd like to follow me on Pinterest you can find me and my pins at http://pinterest.com/findingmyaloha/

Finding My Aloha's New Prints Now Available!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Aloha, friends! Sorry if you have missed me lately. No, I haven't been pinned under an iceberg or taken captive by a polar bear- not yet, at least. To be honest, I kinda needed a break at the beginning of the year. I am sure you can all relate to the burned out feeling while recovering from the holidays. I intended to focus the first week of the year on completely scouring my house top to bottom and purging everything we don't need or use. I was mostly sucessful, but I definitely under-estimated my time commitment! Besides copious amounts of organizing, photo shoots, and life in general, I also launched my photography website this month! See, I told you I have been busy!

I'm dusting off the cobwebs around FMA, and today I am here to share my new website! Besides showcasing my portfolio and session info, I have a photography print gallery with images you can hang as art in your home or even office! I have embedded a slideshow of all my artwork prints available for purchase. Take a peek, and even hop over to the site and let me know what you think! I will be adding more and more to the selection too!

Welcome 2012!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000

via

Happy New Year, dear readers! I hope you all have a happy and safe new year.

Here's to 2012!!

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Top Eleven of Eleven

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 11:28:00 +0000

Here we are, another year over and and another just begun. Let's take a look back at 2011 on FMA. These are the top 11 most visited posts of the year.

Bedroom Dresser Refinish

Monogram Letter Displays (tutorial)

Family Room Reveal

Gallery Walls (tutorial)

DIY Shag Rug (tutorial)

Monogram Etched Mirror (tutorial)

Subway Art Printables

Painted Aquarium Coral Decor

Spring Printable

Spring Cleaning Tips

Patio Furniture Painting (tutorial)

What a year!

Can't wait to see what two thousand twelve brings!

Dazzling New Year's Eve Cocktails

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:54:00 +0000

New Year's Eve is this weekend! What better time to share these gorgeous party pleasing cocktails from around the web?

Recipe
Cherry infused bourbon floated in seltzer

Recipe
Rum, Cranberries, Mint, Lime

Recipe
White wine, Sprite, Grand Marnier, Pomegranate, Lime

Recipe
Cranberries, Orange, Ginger

Recipe
White Wine, Orange, Lemon, Cloves, Cinnamon

Recipe
Vanilla Vodka, Cranberry, Orange, Truvia

Recipe
Champagne, Cucumber, Mint, St Germain

Recipe
Whiskey, Cranberries, Cinnamon, Cardamom

Recipe
Gin, Ginger Syrup and Ale, Lime

Recipe
Champagne, Pomegranate Juice

Recipe
Orange Vodka, Cointreau, Lemon, Mint

Recipe
Moscato, Cranberry, Pear, Rosemary

Cheers y'all!

We will be hosting our annual NYE fondue extravaganza again this year, hopefully sipping on some of these yummy drinks and enjoying the great company of friends, new and old.

Happy New Year everyone!

Mele Kalikimaka...

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 21:41:00 +0000

Merry Christmas

with a hawaiian twist ofcourse ;)

Wishing you and your families a blessed and merry Christmas!

Sleigh bells ring...

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 03:04:00 +0000

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We are getting ready to head out sleighing with friends for the night! I am so excited! We typically go on a big family Christmas sleigh ride when we are home in Colorado for Christmas, but we aren't going home this year. We are staying here in Alaska, so getting to go sleighing tonight has us feeling a bit homesick but mostly we are feeling very festive! It's actually beginning to feel like Christmas!

This is me and my son Noah, two years ago at home in Estes Park, CO getting ready for the family sleigh ride!

Right now, we are pulling out our warmest sweaters and mittens and scarves...

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And mixing up some cocoa to fill our thermos...

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We are ready to snuggle up in some blankets and join our friends in reciting some Christmas carols...

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And afterward you can find me snuggled up by the fire for the rest of the evening...

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I hope this finds you all enjoying your holiday weekend! Grab your loved ones and snuggle up somewhere cozy! If I don't check back in before Christmas, I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed holiday! Can't wait to hear what Santa has brought you all :)

Merry Christmas and Mele Kalikimaka!

Awesome Free Printable Gift Tag Round Up

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:44:00 +0000

Here we are, two days from Christmas. Are you ready? Time to wrap up all your treasures! I'm here with a round up of my favorite free printable gift tags. I hope you can enjoy them this year, if not, well then maybe save them for next year! Happy wrapping y'all!

Eat Drink Chic- Download here

Creature Comforts- Download here

Giver's Log- Download here

Eat Drink Chic- Download here

One of MANY sets from West Elm- Download here

Dear Lillie (There's this darling drummer boy but also tags with Silent Night and First Noel) - Download here

Paper Crave- Download here

Eat Drink Chic- Download here

Julia Rothman on Design Sponge- Download here

Laura Daub- Download here

The Black Apple- Download here

Eat Drink Chic- Download here

Sea Urchin Studio- Download here

Eat Drink Chic- Download here

Studio Morran- Download here

Eat Drink Chic- Download here

And this tags from Bucklette Blog crack me up so I had to throw them in here...

Bucklette Blog- Download here

Reupholstering the ottoman

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:43:00 +0000

I'm taking a brief hiatus from holiday postings to bring you a project I've been working on. I don't know if you remember, but back in November, when revealing my new family room, I hinted of a project coming soon. Well, this is it! I reupholstered the ottoman in the family room! I found a great ikat pattern at JoAnn's. I love how the trendiness of ikat keeps the space fresh, yet the colors of it still lends itself to the lodgy chalet I am going for in there.

Here's a shot of the ottoman before...

And here's a look after...

I just flipped this guy over and attacked it with my staple gun. Haha, I mean I carefully folded and stretched

the fabric over the edges and stapled it to the bottom of the cushion. Since I cheated and didn't take the legs

off, I created a bias tape with the left over fabric and finished the legs off.

easy peasy!

hehe, yes, that's Nate on TV. I just love him :)

Shared on Blue Cricket Design & Someday Crafts

Creative Gift Wrapping Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

{Pinterest via Anniegirl}

So, if your weekend was spent scouting out the last of your gifts, you might be looking for some creative ideas about how to wrap up all your treasures. I am here with some cool ideas and helpful tips...

Go natural

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Use brown paper and embellish with things like wood contact paper...

image and tutorial

Or make your own wood grained paper using brown paper with Martha Stewart...

image and tutorial

Or dress it up with yarn! I'm loving this idea!

image and tutorial

Or give it a fun gift tag like this with yarn and popsicle sticks!

Make a splash with color

I always approach selecting wrapping paper with a great amount of thought. If you think about it, the wrapping paper can be a huge part of your Christmas decor when all the presents are laid out under the tree. For instance, I am going for a lodgy, vintage ski chalet look this holiday season so I have selected lodgy, vintage-like paper to complement the theme.

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If you would rather use colorful paper this season, try going monochromatic

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Or try color coding your gifts, assigning each person a different color. Not only is that fun, it will make it super easy to sort the gifts for opening.

Use some bling

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Dress up your gifts this year, and use broaches for bows. Not only will it add a beautiful sparkle, its a gift in and of itself!

Go vintage

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Add a bit of a trip down memory lane and use vintage wrapping paper found on site like Etsy or your local thrift store.

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Or use vintage linens to wrap up your gifts. Not only unique, it too is a gift in and of itself!

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Decorating bathrooms for Christmas- {tips & a tour}

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 21:25:00 +0000

A couple days ago, I showed you all my bedrooms decked out in their festive glory. Today, we take a look at the bathrooms. I didn't go over the top since these are such small spaces in my home, but added a couple fun touches here and there.

This is my ensuite...

I draped some golden garland over the towel rack, and hung up our white with green striped towels (Click here for my post about organizing the towel bar). This garland is particularly fun because it matches the framed vanity mirror on the opposite wall.

I dressed up the commode with a small piece of garland and hung up the skis on the wall above it. I added a basket of plush washcloths on the counter and lit my Pottery Barn Paperwhite candle (my very scent of all time). I also switched out the spring green shower curtain for white. I love my new toilet paper basket. I ordered it from a Thirty-One party because get this, our bathroom doesn't have a tp holder! The vanity is a rather far reach from the commode as is the wall in front it, so I guess I can see why there isn't one, but still!

Moving downstairs to the Powder Room...

I decided to go with a woodland holiday theme in here so I potentially won't have to rush to take downy eh decor after the holidays pass. I picked up the pinecone rug, pinecone soap dispenser, and cream colored monogrammed towel at Kohls. I brought in one of my mercury glass candlesticks and candle. And since this picture was taken I have draped a super thin strand of long needled garland around the mirror frame.

Above the commode, I brought in the nutcracker my husband sent to me during his first deployment. He was deployed over Christmas and picked up the little guy has he passed through Germany. He has some forest green tones so he fit with the woodlandy decor in there. I paired him with some more of that long-needled pine garland and turned a basket on its side and filled it with extra tp.

Tips for bringing the holiday cheer to the bathroom...

- Throw down a festive rug. It could even be a welcome mat if its a powder room for guests.
- Integrate fresh scents of the season with holiday candles. My personal favorites are soy candles like Pottery Barn's Paperwhite and Mrs Meyers Iowa Pine which I buy at Target.

- Introduce some holiday decor like holly or garland
- Hang a couple pretty ornaments with ribbon from the lighting fixture
- Layer holiday fingertip towels over your existing towels.
- Bring in a fun night light. My powder room has a cute snowman plugged in.
- If you don't want to burn candles, think about bringing in a plug-in fragrance like Febreeze White Fir. I particularly like tree scents for bathrooms as they aren't overwhelming in small spaces like bathrooms and they leave a clean scent.
- Holidays are all about warmth and coziness, so bring in a lot of plush towels, extra tp, and textures like baskets.

My Christmas Home Tour: Bedrooms

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:54:00 +0000

Last night, I was doing some light house cleaning and realized that every room in my house is decorated for Christmas this year. That made me smile. I love it! I have always wanted a fully decorated Christmas home. So festive! I don't know why it happened this year, as it was actually inadvertent, but I think its because its our first year in our new home. The new house is much, much smaller than our house in Washington. Real estate in Alaska is heavily inflated, so our new house is over 1,000 square feet less and yes, we are paying much more for it. Ugh. Upside, we apparently collected a lot of Christmas decor but didn't know it until we saw it in a smaller home. I've already shown you the living areas, so today lets take a peek at the bedrooms...

Let's begin in the master bedroom...

I fell head over heels last year for Pottery Barn's MacCallan duvet. I had plans to create my own duvet with red plaid sheets but hadn't come across a sheet pattern that called to me. Til I found these sheets that is! I spotted these as I was running through Walmart. I couldn't believe my eyes! There were exactly what I pictured. Bonus, they are super duper soft microfiber too. Well, I still do have plans to make these into a duvet but I ran out of time to do it this holiday season so I will have to save that project for next year. We will use them this year for their originally intent as sheets... haha! I love them just like this as well.

I added a fresh wreath above the bed, over my momogrammed mirror. It smells ahh-mazing! I love waking up to the scent of its piney goodness!

Our reindeer have migrated upstairs, and have taken up residence on our nightstands, greeting us with Christmas cheer each daybreak.

Even our dresser got dressed up for the holiday with a little garland

I just love waking up in that room!

Now, here's a little peek at the guest room...

We don't have any overnight guests planned for this holiday but I threw a couple festive pillows in there just for good measure. Helps add a little cheer to that room since that bed is doubling as our gift wrapping station this year... ha!

And we couldn't forget our 3 year old son's room...

He wanted to have his own Christmas tree in his room and I loved the idea of having a fun tree for him so we picked out this colorful little tree and plan to hand make fun ornaments for it every year.

So there's the bedrooms, Ill be back later with the bathrooms!

This was shared on Blue Cricket Design, Under The Table & Dreaming, and Someday Crafts

UPrinting Giveaway Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 07:34:00 +0000

The giveaway contest for an 18" x 24" poster print from UPrinting.com ended last night. I have added up the comments and ran them through a random number generator (random.org) and I am here tonight to announce our winner...

Comment #1 ...

Karena Adams

Congratulations Karena! And thank you for reading FMA! I will send you an email with your prize details.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the giveaway!

Trees worth pining over...

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 05:44:00 +0000

I find it so fun to see how everyone has decorated their Christmas trees. When we are driving home, I love seeing all the trees lit in everyone's windows as we pass by. It is so cheery and inspiring! Think of this post as a drive with me down a Pinteresting neighborhood lane. We can peek in all the windows and "Oooo" and "ahhh" together, in a completely un-creepy, un-stalkerish way. I have been sifting through the web, and these are some of my favorites.

Providence Handmade: flickr via Pinterest

Such a fun take on the Charlie Brown tree with vintage ornaments. I'd love to have this in a guest room!

Providence Handmade: flickr via Pinterest

Aesthetic Outburst via Pinterest

Ok, so this isn't exactly a traditional Christmas tree, but I love it so much I had to include it. Is that not the cutest display ever? I love it in all it's colorful vintage goodness.

Martha Stewart via Pinterest

I totally want to dedicate a whole tree to yarn now! Look how stinkin' cute that is... yarn garland, yarn pom ornaments. Love it and it's totally unbreakable.

House and Home via Pinterest

Sarah Richardson's Holiday House on House and Home via Pinterest

I just love everything Sarah Richardson does. She is my design twin.

Sweetina: flickr via Pinterest

I know, this too isn't exactly a traditional tree either, but golly, isn't it gorgeous?!? What a great idea to do with grandma's old costume jewelry.

The Yvestown Blog via Pinterest

Wasn't that fun? Next time we should bring Starbucks with us and you can drive ;)

Don't forget to enter the giveaway from UPrinting for a free custom 18" x 24" poster print with free shipping...

AND...

There are 7 more free holiday card orders available. Personalized by yours truly for you, my darling readers! Click here to go to the giveaway.

18" x 24" UPrinting Poster Print Giveaway- just in time for the holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:17:00 +0000

Looking for a unique gift this season? This is a fun giveaway for a custom 18x24" printed poster is being sponsored by UPrinting.com, an online printing service.

Prize Details:

one winner of an 18" x 24" poster print
semi gloss or high gloss
1 business day turnaround time
free US shipping only
Open to US residents only, must be 18 and above to enter

Entry Requirements:

Like UPrinting Poster Printing Page by clicking the button below and share on this post how you would use the poster if you win the giveaway.
Tweet how you will use the poster if you win the giveaway and at the end of the message include UPrinting Poster Printing URL (http://www.uprinting.com/poster-printing.html) NOTE: Make sure to use the FULL URL and not use any URL shortening tool for the tweet. Twitter will automatically shorten the URL for you.

Additional Entries:

3. Become a follower or subscriber to FMA
4. "Like" FMA on Facebook

Rules:

Entries will be accepted until midnight (Alaska Standard Time) on December 13th, 2011.
Winner will be selected using a random number generator
Winner will be announced here on Wednesday December 14th, 2011.
Winner will be contacted by email and will have through Friday December 16th to respond. If the prize has not been claimed by then, another random winner will be selected.

Make sure you come back here and leave separate comments for each entry, so I can track your entries.

This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive a poster for hosting.

Free Custom Holiday Photo Card Designs- Limited

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:42:00 +0000

This year I decided to create our own Christmas card design. I had so much fun that I got swept away and created a couple extras. I have decided to offer these designs as my Christmas gift to you, my readers. I will customize the design of your choice with your photo and desired greeting for the first 12 people to respond.

card design #1

card design #2

card design #3

card design #4

card design #5

card design #6

To claim your cards, take a look at the designs and let me know your favorite in the comments. If you can't decide between a couple, I can personalize them and then you can decide. The first 12 commenters will be contacted with a request for your personalization details. Be sure to provide your email address in my commenting system. If you provide your email in the commenting system, you do not have to add it to the body of the comment. I will update this post once the quota has been met and they are no longer available. After which, all the designs will be available for a low price of $5 each in FMA's shop.

These cards are sized at 5x7" right now but I can resize to 4x6" if you desire. 4x6" will be considerably cheaper for you when you send them to be processed. I order mine through Costco's same day processing and 4x6" are 13 cents each, 5x7" are 39 cents each.

This giveaway is for a digital image file only. You can send the file to any photo processor to create your prints. You can buy envelopes at any office supply or craft stores (i.e. Michael's, JoAnn's).

To qualify for the free designs, please be a follower or subscriber of FMA.

PS: Don't forget to enter the UPrinting giveaway for a FREE 18" x 24" custom poster print! Great for gifts.... try blowing up a family portrait, displaying pics of the kids, or that awesome shot you captured from your vacation this year!

Our Christmas Home 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:07:00 +0000

I am back with a quick tour of this year's decor. I don't have every room ready to tour yet, but we will start with what I have outside, the family room, and ofcourse the tree!

Here we are on the front porch with a shot of the door and my wreath.

I waited for the after-Christmas sales last year and scored two wreaths to hang off the carriage lights flanking

our garage. I carefully selected these wreaths for their frosty blue colors. Red and green just seem to clash

on a blue house, and we just couldn't have that going on ;o)

And, looking out off the back porch, I decided to decorate in the trees and the shed.

Who decorates their shed?

Yep, me! haha

The red ornaments are plastic and about 5" in diameter. I scored a bunch of them at The Dollar Tree

last year. Usually I put them on the base of our huge indoor Christmas tree but this year I opted to put them

outside instead. I am glad I did. It's so festive to look out at them while we have breakfast in the dining room.

Brr... are you cold just looking at these pictures? Well, if you aren't you should be!

It was some negative degree when I snapped these. Let's warm up inside!

The tree... all twelve feet of it!

Another angle on the tree. I always weave small white lights among all the branches and then we add a swirl

of large colored lights. I love to mix the sizes of bulbs on a tree, it adds texture and interest. My husband

loves to have colored lights on the tree. He says it feels like a family tree when we use colored lights. I fight it

some years, but it seemed especially fitting this year and I liked the retro vibe the chunky colored bulbs give it.

The stockings are new to us this year. I picked them up at the Pottery Barn outlet

while I was in Texas and I cut out our names in felt and hand stitched them with embroidery floss to our

stockings. They are a quilted velvet and I love them!

I put up some long needle garland on the mantle along with the red lantern in honor of the Alaska Iditarod.

I tried to keep all my Christmas decor rustic and fitting with the chalet-chic look I am going for in the rest

of the family room.

Instead of bringing in a lot of specifically Christmas items, I just gave our existing decor a little bit of cheer.

Doesn't our eagle look so festive and cheery now?

Even our moose is feeling festive this year :o)

Here you can see more of my Christmas throw pillows making their yearly debut.

This year we have an Elf among us.

"Wilson" as our son named him, seems to be pretty happy with how the decor is looking :o)

And here's one last shot from the loft.

So, its coming along. I hope to share my advent project soon and finish up decorating in our bedroom and the bathroom. This weekend is my son's 3rd birhtday party and it is keeping me very busy! In homage to my son's obsession with trains, we are doing a Polar Express theme! He is going to flip! I hope to great some great pictures and share that next week. Have a great weekend y'all!

Christmas Tree Cutting 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 09:32:00 +0000

In the last couple years we have made it a family tradition to cut our own Christmas tree. There is just something so rustic and authentic about a real tree plucked from the forest. Black Friday we skipped the sales and opted to traipse around in the pristine snow in search of the "perfect" tree. It was such a beautiful day and we didn't see another soul out there but the three moose trailing along side us.

This is the first year that we went into a true forest to cut a tree. Usually we went to a sustainable "farm" in the Washington foothills to cut one. This was so much fun to be out there enjoying Alaskan nature in almost three feet of powdery snow and our permit for the tree was free... bonus!

Alaska is so beautiful, and winter in Alaska is our favorite!

Marching from one tree to another...

"maybe this one?"

"nope, too short"

"this one?"

"let's shake the snow off and see..."

"no, too bare"

After about thirty to forty minutes of that...

"How about this one?"

Yep! It's perfect!!!

I put my Eagle Scout to work cutting it down, while I sled around with our son.

Our son loves to be Daddy's little helper, and I love watching them together.

Here's our tree this year! It's taller here, but once it made it home we cut it down to 12 feet. We love to have super tall Christmas trees. We may even make soaring ceilings a priority when looking at prospective homes ;o) It's a tradition from my husband's family and I LOVE it!

About to head home, I snapped this last shot of our son before we plucked him out of the snow and put him in the truck. He loves playing in the snow. Right before I took this he said "Mom, look I'm swimming in the snow!"

I'll be back later with the pictures of the tree all set up at home and our decking of the halls.

Do you cut your own tree? What kind of tree traditions do you have? If you would like to find a Christmas tree farm near you, check out this site, Pick-Your-Own. They chronicle farms in every state!

A nice, cozy weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 22:32:00 +0000

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. We had a great dinner and a very relaxing weekend. We hardly left the house, that is if we even got out of our pj's. We enjoyed time together as a family and caught up on some new releases. It felt great.

cozy socks via... cozy cup via...

We caught up on a lot of sleep. All the snow outside made it easy to stay snuggled up in bed all day.

Australian Country Spinners via...

via...

We enjoyed the day of Thanksgiving and then the next day we ventured out to cut down our very own Christmas tree in the Alaskan forest (with a permit of course).

via...

We've been back at home ever since. I'll be back later with pictures from our adventure and the beginnings of our Christmas decor.

This year's Thanksgiving Table Decor

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 09:30:00 +0000

Hi y'all. Are you ready for Thanksgiving? I am! My son and I braved the single digit temps and the crowded grocery store yesterday to bring home our bounty. What a bounty it is too, I had that cart heaping. I have already started ahead on some of the side dishes and pulled the turkey out of the freezer. I'm trying a couple new recipes for hors d'oeuvres this year, like Fire Roasted Avocado Fresco, Buffalo Chicken Dip, and Buckeye Bars. You know, good 'ol football snacks. Besides prepping in the kitchen, I am putting the final touches on the table too. Here's a peek at my Thanksgiving table this year.

I made the table runners out of this awesome Thanksgiving toile I found at JoAnn's. I love how using multiple runners fills the space on the table.

I am loving my new acorn salt and pepper set. I snagged it from the Pottery Barn outlet while I was in Texas last month. I love how it matches my new dinner plates. The rim of the plates has a bronzy metallic finish, which the same as the salt and pepper set. The plates are from, get this, Target. Oh yes, there is a reason I love that store :)

The wine glasses are Villeroy & Boch, also snatched up on my trip to Texas. {love} The water goblets are from, believe it or not, The Dollar Tree. I bought 8 of them a couple years back and they have been awesome! Lastly, the silver is a cherished family heirloom and I use any excuse to bring it out.

I made the centerpiece with a wooden tray (Target clearance find), an antler from a local antique store, my corn wrapped hurricane, and a white pumpkin candle from Kohl's I believe? I am loving the rustic vibe this year. Probably because I live in Alaska now, ha!

I scored these brass leaves at an awesome and fairly well-known antique store in Austin, Uncommon Objects. I love that store and could spend days looking at everything in there. I particularly loved these leaves because they float above the table and add so much interest and a touch of history.

Here's a glance at my sideboard all ready for Turkey Day. Two of my favorite things are my lighted pear lamp and the mid-century cut glass "Bourbon" and "Scotch" decanters. They bring out my inner Mad Men vibe ;)

Let's take a peek at the rest of the decor around the house while we are at it...

I made the "Thankful Hearts" felt banner in the same fashion as my Halloween "Boo Banner." I wanted to make the pattern into a free download, but I missed that bus this year. I will definitely make it available with sufficient time to make it for next year. Something to look forward to, right?

And here's a sneak peek at the hall decor. Notice something different? More on that next week. I want to make sure we have all recovered from our turkey comas before I whip that one out. We will want to savor it.

And here's our wood stash, all ready to go for those Thanksgiving Day fires... ahhhhh

Well, that's most of my fall and Thanksgiving decor this year. I go all out for Thanksgiving because, well for starters, its my favorite holiday, and delving into Thanksgiving decor helps take the edge off the itch to decorate for Christmas. Around our house we love Thanksgiving too much to ever pass over it and go straight into Christmas, but can you keep a secret? I may or may not have been digging out all the Christmas boxes and have them stashed away in the guest room ready to whip out on Thanksgiving Eve while we watch all the holiday specials. Ooo I'm so excited! I love all this Thanksgiving decor but with two feet of snow on the ground and negative degree temps, it been feeling alot like Christmas for at least a month!

2011's Free Thanksgiving Invitations {printable}

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:15:00 +0000

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year to count all your blessings and express your gratitude. Well, this my lovely readers is just that! Thank you for following along with me all year. Last year I created a Thanksgiving Invitation and made it available for free download. This year does not disappoint! I am back with another free card design...

<===Read more, to see this year's design and download your own!

You send out invitations for any other parties, so why not for Thanksgiving Dinner as well? Set the tone for your dinner and get all the details out with these free printable downloads.

For this year's falling leaf design, click here to for the free download. It comes in a 5x5" design. Just download, print, and fill in your dinner details.

And here is last year's "festive favorites" design, click here for that free download.

Or if you would like to customize your details on the computer, you can download this version and it will let you edit the details in a Word.doc

Enjoy dear readers! Happy Thanksgiving!

I shared this at Under The Table and Dreaming, and Vintage Wannabee

2011 Thanksgiving Menu

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:09:00 +0000

Thanksgiving is in eleven days! I am thrilled! Thanksgiving could just be my favorite holiday. Who couldn't love a such a cozy holiday centered around families, and counting blessings, and feasting on comfort food?It's so great to enjoy the company of friends and family, food, and football before all the stress of Christmas sneaks in. Last year, I told my husband that I think I equate the tradition of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to that of Christmas stockings. I am downright giddy to wake up and spend that time watching the parade snuggled up with my family before the cooking chaos of the days ensues.

With Turkey Day fast approaching it is time to pull out the recipes and start planning the menu. Last year, my husband and I went full blown gourmet with it, and now there is no turning back. I hope it gives you some yummy inspiration if you are looking for some new Thanksgiving recipes.

<====Read on for the meal plan and the recipes that knocked our socks off and left us drooling year round...

This was our Thanksgiving Menu from last year...

I am uber-excited to share my cranberry sauce recipe with you! That's right, I just said "uber." I adapted my recipe from one I found on Epicurious. It was in the November 2009 edition of Bon Appetit. Their recipe calls for some fancy, harder to find ingredients for which I opted to sub for fresh produce. I added fresh pomegranate and basil, and swapped out the red wine for a lovely sweet port.

Click here to download a PDF recipe card for Cranberry-Pomegranate-Port Sauce.

Next up, the turkey. This Roasted Heritage Turkey was hands-down the best Thanksgiving turkey we and our dinner guests had ever had! The recipe (also from Epicurious, Bon Appetit 2008) is intense and not for the faint of heart, but words cannot describe the bliss that is this turkey and even more importantly, its gravy. I have to admit I underestimated this gravy recipe by a long shot and didn't realize how long it would take. Every drop of it was worth every second though! This year I am going to make it a day ahead... we will see if it will make it to see the Thanksgiving table ;)

Click here to download the PDF recipe card for Roasted Heritage Turkey

I have shared this with you before, but a great way to add some flair to regular mashed potatoes is to season them with Black Truffle Sea Salt. This is my no-fail secret ingredient! I found it at a local winery gift shop but now you can find it on Amazon for about $8 less than I paid. This makes a great stocking stuffer for the foodie on your list!

And lastly, one of the things I look forward to the most this time of year is hot mulled wine! Our hands-down favorite winery is Kestrel. They have an impressively affordable table wine called "Lady in Red." It's a Washington winery but they said it could be found nationwide, and so far we have found it to be true. We found it at Safeway, but if you can't find it locally you can always order it online from their site. We use it with our spice ball and cranberry juice to make our hot mulled wine. It makes for a delicious and crowd pleasing tradition. If you haven't heard of mulled wine and wonder what it is, you can kinda think of it as a fall spice sangria of sorts that's served hot. If you prefer an unaltered wine for dinner, their Signature line is exquisite. My personal favorite is their Raptor Red, their 2005 vintage is the best wine I've ever had.

So, those are the shining stars on my Thanksgiving table. What's your table going to look like? Do you have some cherished recipes? Please share!!! I am always looking for a way to spiff up all the other trimmings.

Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

I shared this on The Shabby Nest, My Romantic Home, and Funky Junk Interiors

Pinteresting Thanksgiving Table Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 23:44:00 +0000

With Thanksgiving Day just around the corner, I am sure we could all use some table decor ideas. I know I could! I am an event decorator for a Thanksgiving party next week for 120 guests... I could use all the inspiration I can get. So, let's all take time to enjoy some of these beautiful ideas floating around Pinterest.

You could fold leaves around votive holders...

[BHG via Pin terest]

Or fill votives or hurricanes with dried corn. Or try peas, legumes, or nuts...

[Joy Ever After via Pinterest]

Since it's a foodie holiday, embrace it and decorate with green beans or asparagus wrapped around candles, or hallow out artichokes or cabbage and stick candles in them.

[Apartment Therapy via Pinterest]

Wait!! There's more!

<==== Click "Read More" to follow the jump and see more great ideas

Bring out the homey scents by wrapping cinnamon sticks around candles. A great trick if you don't like to cook, I bet it would make it smell like you had been baking all day!

[Pinterest]

Another leaf idea, take branches and wrap them around larger hurricanes!

[Remodelaholic via Pinterest]

This is a fun idea for a floral centerpiece. Wrap an old coffee can with twigs and twine.

[Martha Stewart via Pinterest]

Fill hurricanes with nuts. Acorns, almonds, pecans, walnuts...you name it!

[The Langham Project via Pinterest]

Another great twig idea... hot glue twigs to votives and hurricanes!

[Fossil via Pinterest]

The theme so far has been natural and simplistic, you can carry that out in the table settings too. Wrap beautiful velvet ribbon around silverware and napkins.

[Style Me Pretty via Pinterest]

Or make acorn napkin rings...

[BHG via Pinterest]

It's beautiful when you combine classic and natural elements with colorful linens like this...

[Pure Style Home via Pinterest]

If you are lucky enough to have succulents, use them! They are stunning on tables...

[Seattle Bride Mag via Pinterest]

Don't be afraid to color outside the lines. Use non traditional color pairings for a fresh look, like seen here with a beautiful brown and yellow camp blanket as a tablecloth...

[Sweet Something Design via Pinterest]

What's your Thanksgiving table going to look like this year?

I shared this on The Shabby Nest, My Romantic Home,5 minutes just for me, and Funky Junk Interiors

Living Room REVEAL!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 02:58:00 +0000

Well, hello there! I am so excited to finally be able to post my living room reveal! After I returned from my month trip to Austin, I have been without internet at the house for over a week now...ugh! My IT guy (the hubs) was out of state for the last six weeks, so here I was, screwed. He returned home this weekend and was finally able to get the wifi up and running, and now I'm back in business! Woo hoo! Isn't it amazing how your world can come to a screeching halt when the internet is down. Sick.

Anyway, on with the reveal! Here are the BEFORE pictures taken from the house listing...

And now here is the AFTER...

A couple notes about the transformation... Since we are only going to be living here in Alaska for three years total, I really wanted to embrace our surroundings and go with a Chalet-chic vibe. I want the coziness of a lodge but the brightness and clean lines of Swedish designs. So, to start, I needed to paint that wall!! I painted over the existing burnt orange accent wall with Glidden's Woodsmoke. It's a shapeshifting grey. Sometimes its straight up grey while other times it will look blue or even taupe. I love it. It changes moods like the sea, or the wintry Alaskan sky.

Next, I wanted to draw the eye up to that soaring vaulted ceiling with something of high impact, so I had my husband build a wooden mantle piece that would emulate the feeling of a chimney. Its an added bonus that it hides the TV cables and mount! The wooden structure cost a total of $60 to build. It's just two 2x4's with pine planks, and I stained it to match the bamboo floors. My hubby is brilliant and it's not drilled in, so there's no damage to the wall. It hangs like a picture and is reinforced with the TV mount.

I really wanted to authentically capture the essence of Alaska, so I searched for local vintage items. I found the vintage wood skis for $20 at Play It Again Sports. I snagged a couple antlers from a local antique store. I found an eagle sculpture made from Alaskan clay. The clay looks plain until it is fired and the ore in the clay reacts, creating beautiful red-brown swirls. I bought the white faux fur pillow for $17 at Target, to add to the lodge feeling and represent a polar bear.

This is a shot of the rest of the living room. Here, you can see my DIY sweater pillow, and my DIY shag rug. I didn't want to put a fur rug in here so my shag rug is supposed to give a similar softness and texture to the room. The ottoman just got moved back in here. I had my beautiful coffee table there that my husband built for me. It looks like the Rhys collection at Pottery Barn, but our two year old son started diving off the couch onto it and we knew it was just moments from becoming an emergency room visit. I am sad to lose the coffee table, but I do have grand plans for recovering the ottoman. I already have some fabulous fabric ready to go, so be on the watch for that post!

And here's the back of the room looking towards the kitchen and hall. I love the vintage ski poster but I do want to do more with the wall above the sofa. I don't know what yet. One of my favorite pieces in the room is the moose on the other wall. I scored him at an antique store in Washington right before we moved to Alaska. Everyone loves that little guy!

The picture above was a shot taken from the hall as you enter the living room.

This last picture was taken from the loft, and you can see into the dining room too.

So, thoughts? I'd love to hear your first impressions of the room and any suggestions for the sofa wall you might have. I am leaning towards a mounted white resin deer? It took me awhile to finally post this reveal, well for one because I was still working on it, but two, because I never feel like I am really done with my own spaces. I realized though that if I don't share at some point, I never will and I will miss out on everyone's awesome feedback! Join me in the progress of the room?

I shared this on The Shabby Nest, My Romantic Home, Funky Junk Interiors, Under The Table and Dreaming

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Halloween in Alaska

noreply@blogger.com (Emily @ Finding My Aloha) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 00:38:00 +0000

Can you believe it is already the end of October?? I just returned back to Alaska after spending three weeks in Austin visiting my family. That probably has something to do with why it just doesn't feel like it's time for Halloween to me. Nonetheless, I anticipated I would feel this way before I left so I pulled out some decor to have up and ready for our return to help us better get into the spirit. I went all out last year and my mantle was awesome, but a new year and a new house always makes it challenging to fit in with the same decor especially since I had to work with what I already had before I left for Texas. So, here is my decor this year... in Alaska!

PS: This is a bit of a sneak peek into my living room reveal. That's the faux chimney we built. More on that next week ;-)

I no longer have a large corner mantle to work with anymore so I had to par down, but I managed to stick up my "boo banner" (click here to get the free pattern) as well as my "boo tree" and a Halloween printable from last year. I wanted to add more layering and depth so I pinned up the wooden Halloween beads under the mantle. The rest, including the birch branches, antlers, leather belt, and candles were already there for my fall decor and since I live in the mountains, I thought it added a rustic Halloween vibe.

I'm thinking ahead to next year, and I think I might hang a black feather wreath above the TVon the wood chimney feature. Ill keep my eye out for one in a clearance sale next week.

The "boo tree" is from Walmart. We bought it 4 years ago for like $5! I wanted a "boo tree" after I saw the one a Pier One 4-5 years ago. I bought it with the intent for my son (once he was born) to decorate and get him into the spirit. He absolutely loves it this year! We made most of the ornaments ourselves but a couple of them are new this year from Kohls.

The cute printable is from Jessica at Craftily Ever After

Moving into the foyer...

I just brought in some fresh birch branches and hung up the sparkly spider web.

On the opposite wall I brought in a foyer table and some decor, and pinned up my trick or treat banner (click here for the free banner printable) which is actually hiding my thermostat! ha!

I have grand plans for this table. I want to strip it and refinish in a walnut stain. More on that later ;)

And here's the front door...

And to keep it real, here's a shot from the porch. I love to give my 2 year old son gel stickers for each holiday to put up on the storm door.

Well, that's it for this year. I have a couple things I am going to be looking for in the after-Halloween sales and I have a list of a new projects I want to try for next year.