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Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Holiday Gift Guide for Him featuring JORD Watches

Holiday Gift Guide for Him featuring JORD Watches


This post was created in partnership with JORD but all thoughts and opinions are of my own.

As I have mentioned in previous gift guides that I have done, Anthony is very low key when it comes to the type of gifts he likes. He is a big gamer and music lover but this year I wanted to do something a little different for him. 

A few years ago (when we were in our early 20s), I bought him this flashy watch. Think of a grill but for your wrist. Yeah I blame being a 19/20 year old, haha. Anyways, I figured it was time for an upgrade and a more sophisticated watch. I have been eyeing JORD wood watches for almost a year now and when they reached out to me to try out their new holiday collection, there was no hesitation on my part to get one for Anthony as a gift.


First, I love the look of wood tones. The grain in wood just does something for me. Secondly, JORD watches are the perfect combination of sophistication and causal. You can easily dress this watch up or down for everyday wear.

And as y'all I know, I'm not that good at keeping gifts from Anthony since I just get too excited so he helped me pick out the one  he liked the most which he chose the Frankie watch in Koa & Ash and I already gave it to him to start wearing. I told y'all I'm the worst but how amazing does this watch look on his wrist? I mean obviously he can make anything look good but I feel this JORD watch suits him perfectly and was the perfect gift.




Now for the good stuff for you guys! Every year JORD has amazing holiday deals but this year they are having their largest discounts ever just for ya'll! Each person who enters their information here will instantly be emailed with an exclusive holiday coupon code worth 25% off! Perfect timing for your holiday shopping so be sure to add JORD to your Black Friday shopping list. 




Watch Gift Ideas


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stormieariel
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Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Christmas Project Ideas

Christmas Project Ideas


Hey guys! Today I will keep it short and sweet because one I am super late on posting today and two I am hoping to even be able to finish this before Sophia gets too fussy. Cheerios are keeping her busy for now, haha.

Anways, there I was on Instagram (click link to follow me) and I decided to spontaneously show a quick Christmas tour (see my 2014 Christmas tree tour here). Of course my house is far from being completed and at this point I don't even know if it will be as we lost our Christmas tree lights. There just is not enough time in the day to get everything done. 

Back to the point, I was giving this mini-tour on Instastory and I realized a lot of the pieces I am using to display our Christmas decor is a DIY and I actually have tutorials for them! So the whole point of this short and sweet post is to round up a few of my tutorials (click link for more not listed) that can help you display your Christmas decor that you can also use year round.


First up, is this really cute reclaimed holder. I originally made this piece to display my necklaces but I loved it in the dining room so much that it hasn't moved. During the year, the knobs are enough to keep it from looking to simple and every year at Christmastime we use it to display our stockings since we do not have a mantel.


This project is my favorite! During the year I have a plain black and gray bow attached to it. For Halloween, I tied small pieces of black ribbon around the antlers to look like bats. And now I have a red/gold/green bow attached with red and gold ornaments hanging from the antlers.


When I first made this Display, I had Sophia's ultrasounds showcasing and during Valentine's day I added a simple printable banner (here) that I created. Once Sophia was born, I started displaying her monthly photos but temporarily for Christmastime, I am displaying the Christmas cards we are receiving.


This was a quick tutorial I whipped up for my sister's birthday movie night I hosted. Just switch out the colors to match your Christmas decor!

For being quick, it actually is a little longer than expected, haha. I hope you enjoy these projects and find inspiration or attempt to make something using one of my tutorials! If you do be sure to tag me (@stormieariel) on social media and/or use #stormiearieltutorial


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stormieariel
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Thursday, December 8, 2016

Gift Guide for Him | $40 & UNDER

Gift Guide for Him | $40 & UNDER


So guys, I normally have all my Christmas shopping done and presents wrapped but not this year. I am so behind mostly due to budget but also to timing. And I suck at gifting Anthony because I always give it away. I gave him his Father's Day present early. I was suppose to surprise him with a date night for his birthday but told him at lunch that we were going out baby-free that evening. So, its kinda good that I haven't gone shopping for him yet so I don't ruin it, haha.

Without my gift ruining, I am at a lost of what to give him as we don't have much money to spend and whatever I do spend, I don't want it to be something that is just eh, you know? I have been peeping other's gift guides for him but why does every one else have gifts that are super expensive or that are so fancy like cuff links, like my guy likes video games, music and I need ideas along those lines.

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stormieariel
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Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies


While standing the check out line, I picked up a Southern Recipes magazine to look for ideas to bake desserts for our Christmas Eve dinner we are hosting. I came across quite a few that I will be trying but one stuck out to me the most because we have already been making them except without the chocolate chips.

The past few weeks Don, my brother-in-law, has been baking oatmeal cranberry bars. He got the original recipe off the Quaker Oats Old Fashion container. For our dinner, I knew we should try to combine both recipes to create a perfect Christmas dessert. The recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups Quaker Oats Old Fashioned (uncooked)
1 cup cranberries
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy.
2. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
3. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well.
4. Add oats, cranberries and chocolate chips; mix well.
5. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
6. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookies sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely.
7. Best when served with a glass of milk (store tightly covered).

These cookies looked so delicious, we could not wait until Christmas Eve to try them out.





What desserts do you like to indulge on for Christmastime?
How many different varieties of desserts do you serve?


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stormieariel
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Monday, December 22, 2014

DIY Branchlers

DIY Branchlers


Last week while reading the blogs I follow, I came across Jenna Sue's 5 days of Holiday DIY's. On Day 1 she showed a tutorial for branchlers and provided free printables. I immediately printed out one of the printables and placed it above my kitchen cabinets in place of the NOEL sign. I also started storming up ideas to create the branchlers.


We Anthony and my brother-in-law, Don, recently trimmed down one of the trees in our front yard so we have had branches in our backyard for a few weeks already. The only thing I had to buy was the plaque which was only a few dollars at Wal-Mart. I did not get to get pictures of the steps because I am a horrible blogger. So I will do my best to walk you through our steps for the most part however you can also refer to Jenna Sue's tutorial which is what we followed for the foundation of the project. 

The first thing Don did was remove the the smaller branches off our main pieces to give it more of an antler look. Once he had the shape I liked, he began removing the bark by using a small knife; he also sliced the bottom using a handheld saw to have a flat surface to mount on the plaque. Don finished the branchlers off with sand paper to smooth it out and Polycrylic clear semi-gloss.

As for the plaque, we simply stained the front and back with one coat of dark walnut stain. You do not have to stain the back since no one can see it but I chose to to have a more finished look overall.


After the stain was dry, I attached a sawtooth picture hanger to the back. 


Lastly, we attached the branchlers to the plaque with regular nails using a hammer.


 I love how the branchlers look in our home and I think it was the perfect touch for Christmastime although I do plan to keep them out year round.


 






Have you completed any DIY projects for the holidays?
Do you have antlers out for Christmas or all year long?

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Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree


After showing our display holder, I decided I would show off our Christmas tree as well. Every year putting up the Christmas tree is a great reminder of God's loving mercy for us. We take this reminder a step further by hanging tags on our tree with some of the different names of God.


I must say this personalized touch is my favorite thing to put on the tree. We are able to reread these names every year and reflect on these names to understand who God is. Another personal touch to our tree is the vintage glass ornaments Babcia gifted us with last year. I love vintage and antique decor and was excited to receive all these from my grandmother.


The last personal touch to our tree is random ornaments Anthony and I pick out every year. We will go to the store and pick out an ornament each that represents us in some way.

Anthony played the saxophone in high school.
I was able to travel to London
the year before starting high school.
I love how all these pieces join together and create a meaningful tree for my hubby and I to admire and reminisce during the holidays.




Linking up with: Remodelaholic and Made in a Day 

Do you decorate a tree for Christmas?
What is your favorite decor item for the holidays?
What traditions do you and your family have?
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stormieariel
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Monday, December 15, 2014

Rustic Display Holder

Rustic Display Holder


A few weeks after moving into our new house, we stopped by our old neighbor's house to ask them if they planned to use the pallet sitting out on their driveway (it had been sitting there for months and I was constantly keeping my eye on it). Luckily for us me, they handed it over gladly and said there were plenty more in the backyard if we wanted them. Um? Yah!!

However, we haven't gone back to get more quite yet because my garage is still filled with everything else left to unpack. Besides, I hadn't even decided, at that point, what I was going to do with the one we had.

Wall Shelf.
Wine Rack.
Herb Garden Shelf.
Raised Pallet Garden.

The list goes on; I even have a Pinterest board dedicated to pallets alone. You should totally check it out. Anywho, I finally decided what I would do with the first pallet: garage organizer to store left over wood from previous projects, lawn care equipment and the like of such things. To create that we had to remove a board and decided to remove the one that was cracked and broken. I immediately knew what I wanted to create using that broken piece of wood.


During the holidays, I plan to use my display holder to hang our stockings and afterwards I will move the holder into our closet for my necklaces. I am enjoying the look and style of our holder. I also created a smaller version with three knobs that I will be offering on my etsy shop soon (stay updated to know when to grab it!) As for now, enjoy the rest of the pictures.



How do you display your stockings?
Do you stalk your neighbors trash?
Are you a DIYer or do you prefer to purchase?


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stormieariel
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