No Space? Time? Money? - My DIY Holiday Decor

I'm so excited to share with y'all my Holiday decor from my little townhouse.  Now, we didn't have much space, time, or money to spend on decoration so I got inventive, and one could say practical ;)
Check out my decorations below:

Washi Tape Christmas Tree: 

This was so easy! I topped off the tree with a sparkly tulle bow and added real ornaments to give it a 3D effect! Lastly, I put  a tree skirt on the floor and our roommate presents at the bottom to make it look like a real Christmas tree, complete with the presents! 

Popsicle Stick Snowflakes:

I stole this idea from Pinterest, I just bought a 5 dollar pack of popsicle sticks and made huge snowflakes that I spray painted gold! They were an elegant touch to our dining room. I also made a big Star of David ( not pictured, but with the same popsicle sticks) because my best friend is Jewish and I wanted to decorate for Hanukkah as well!












Ornaments from the Chandelier:
I love the way this looked. I used the same ornaments that were on the tree and strung them in layers from the chandelier in our dining room!

Paper Fans:
My roommate bought these cute paper fans from the craft store. They came in red, green, and white and in all different sizes. They were the perfect focal piece above our TV!

Felt Lights:

I had leftover felt from my Halloween costume and  I really wanted to decorate our basement with something colorful. So I cut out light shaped felt pieces and strung them from ribbon to look as if they were a big strand of colorful lights!

Stockings:
We had multiple sets of stockings, so we hung little ones by our fireplace and then we hung our bigger ones on our staircase!

A Winter Wreath:
Finally, I made this wreath by purchasing a three dollar blank wreath from Michaels, and then adding all the little elements. It's so much cheaper to make your own wreath vs buying one pre-made. I wanted to do it in blue and silver to also represent Hanukkah, and also so that I could keep it up past Christmas and it work as a winter wreath!










All in all I think I spent $20 total when decorating my house! Finding cheap and easy ways to decorate is fun and I love a little DIY project especially around the holidays!

How do you decorate your house for the Holidays?

MarleyLilly = The Perfect Personalized Present

Hey Y'all.
I am so so excited to be one of the bloggers who was chosen to represent MarleyLilly, If you haven't checked out their website before it's well worth it! I love this brand and continuously go back for all things monogramed and preppy.
This brand is perfect for anything and everything monogramed! They have so many options, for the preppy, sporty, and causal shopper!
They sent me this beautiful Taylorette Bracelet that I have now worn at least three times a week! Check out how I styled my stack here: ( paired with Alex & Ani and David Yurman)

If you are still looking for Christmas Presents for your friends, mothers, girlfriends, or family members, these are my particular favorites from their website:

1. Monogramed Downtown Tassel Purse









 2. Monogrammed Teardrop Stone Bracelet













  3.Monogrammed Tassel Earrings











                                                                                         4.Monogrammed Heathered Fleece Pullover

Shopping on Cyber Monday? MarleyLilly is celebrating by a free gift with a $50 purchase!

Check back soon to hear more about this brand and the deals they have to offer! 

Full, Fuller, and Extremely Thankful

Hey y'all, hope you had an amazing holiday weekend full of loaded carbs and food comas. I spent my thanksgiving preparing stuffing, drinking way to much spiced cider and stuffing my face with my mom's famous mac and cheese! Thanksgiving also is a special time in my family because my grandmother always makes her homemade bread and it's the best part of the holiday! Nothing smells quite as delicious as rising dough. Here's a picture! ( the missing rolls were my fault, I couldn't wait for dinner to try one)

I also asked my friends to share some of their thanksgiving spreads check them out!

While the food is always fabulous so is the time spent with family. Looking back at the Thanksgiving holiday it gives me a time to stop and really think about all of the things I am thankful for. Friends, supportive parents, an amazing boyfriend, my faith, my creative passion, and an able body that lets me pursue my dreams. I am also grateful for my blog and all that it has allowed me to do! I can't wait to share with y'all my MarlyLilly representation (post to come soon)! Regardless as we enter the holiday season it is easy to get caught up in the materialistic portions of it all, but we should all remember to count our blessings!

Thanksgiving brings a grateful spirit in the air, let that spirit carry you through the holiday season!
Happy Holidays!
-Rachel

Too Much Stuff, and So Little Space ( Room Tour)

Hey everyone,
As the seasons change and it gets a little colder, clothes and accessories get cozier and bulkier. This means that I have to store away my shorts and crop tops and replace them with bulky cable knit sweaters and lots of winter boots.
Living in a townhouse means making the most of every inch of space, I have close to nothing at my house in southern Virginia so all of my belongings are either in my room here in my townhouse, or in my basement storage closet! When I first moved into my room I was very meticulous of every organization tool possible, so I wanted to share with y'all just how I made the most of my little space.

Under the bed storage,
I got these bins from IKEA, I think they were 10 dollars each and they are great for storing my extra handbags and little zip up cosmetic cases that I only bring out when needed. Also I store my off season clothes in one of these bins!

Foot of the bed storage,
I organize my shoes into four bins:

• summer sandals
• boots
• heels
• casual shoes

I keep two of these bins at the foot of my bed in these little bins so I can have easy access, and I store the off season shoes in the bins under my bed!








Decoration/Storage,
There's no harm in putting your favorite sparkly heels out on display! especially when they match your room decor! So put those heels in a bookcase to add a little fashion flair!















Closet Storage,
Okay this is my biggest challenge.
I like to hang most of my clothes and my closet this year is...tiny. So I am constantly thinking of ways to organize it. I added these organizational drawers which store my jeans, skirts, socks, and leggings.  Next I hang up everything by color so I can easily access my wardrobe. I use the shelves above my closet to store my bean boots and hunter boots when I'm not wearing them as well as bulky sweaters, and sweatshirts!

Tabletop Storage,
 My jewelry is organized meticulously in my jewelry box and my bangles and necklaces hang on a necklace holder. My makeup is organized in an acrylic tray and any extra makeup is put into a little drawer! I put my perfumes out on display and I use my old shoe boxes as organization bins for little trinkets and extra photos that I'm not currently using!

This is my little organizational slice of heaven! How do you organize your small spaces? 

My DIY $7 Halloween Costume!

Hey Everyone!
I'm so excited to share with y'all my incredibly easy, comfortable, and inexpensive costume from this year!  I was a Vanilla Ice Cream Cone! This was probably my easiest and least expensive costume, totaling only $7.

Here's what I used:
Felt (colors of your choosing)
Styrofoam Ball
Red Paint
White Thread/ Needle
Pipe Cleaner
Hot Glue Gun
Headband
White Tube Top
Khaki Skirt

1. I cut the felt into little oblong shapes and used a loose stich to attach them to a white tube top        
( Mines from H & M )

2. I painted my styrofoam ball red, and attached it to a headband with a hot glue gun.

3. I stuck a red pipe cleaner in the center of the styrofoam ball as my cherry stem!

4. Next I just put on a cute little khaki colored skirt that resembled the color of a sugar cone! (This ones from Gap)

A Pretty Preppy Pumpkin

I wanted to share with y'all my craft I've worked on this weekend after visiting the pumpkin patch!




I used primer and a sealant to make sure the design stayed.
I used gold spray paint for the stem and used acrylics to paint the pink background and the words.
Finally, I topped it off with a gold sparkly tulle bow!






Nothing says Halloween quite like decorating pumpkins!

What are your Halloween pumpkin designs?

A Day At The Patch

Yesterday my Friends and I visited Cox Farms pumpkin patch, a local hot spot here in the autumn. I love going to a pumpkin patch because I feel so festive during this fall season! We were surrounded around caramel apples, fresh kettle corn, animals, and tons of pumpkins. Here's a little  sneak peek at our escapade.

We started off the day with Warm Apple Cider! Nothing says fall quite like this warm treat!









                                                                                                                 

Next we traveled through the "scary" corn maze which was just more laughable and fun..

What I wore: (it was chilly)
JCrew Puffer Vest
Sam Edelman Riding Boots
High Wasted Jeans
Green Sweater from Target

Sometimes I never grow up and when presented the option to slide down a giant slide, the answer is always yes!

 This udder cam was hilarious, here's Kristen posing!

                                                        Cow Selfie? I see that side eye moo.

What's a farm without adorable piglets? Regretting that bacon I had earlier....

Lastly, my friends and I posed for one final photo, I am so thankful for wonderful company who loves to be as festive as I do! 

P.S. We also got cute pumpkins.. more on that later;)

What are your fall traditions?

Sweaters, Pumpkins, and Riding Boots

Fall is officially here, at least I think. Leaves are covering my back patio, but it was 73 degrees yesterday. Virginia cant make up its mind, and my wardrobe is suffering. I finally broke out the riding boots and put away the Jacks. I also invested in some good fall staples, like this cozy sweater from Marshalls.

And of course it was on sale for 10 bucks! #fabfind

I've also been on a pumpkin craze. Trader Joe's makes it too easy to fall in love with pumpkin everything. Lets see I got......

• Pumpkin bagels 
• Pumpkin cream cheese
• Pumpkin O's (like cheerios,... its actually the most delicious sweet treat ever)
• Pumpkin baking mix
• Pumpkin ravioli

I should probably cool it with the pumpkin, but I'm trying to embrace this fall season even if the weather is not wanting to change. I'm also taking a trip to a pumpkin patch on Saturday! Pictures to follow!

I will say however that once it does change my outfits become more complicated but more stylish. I love layering sweaters, oxfords and vests. And don't get me started on my love for a good leopard print scarf..... more to come about that later.

How are you embracing this "fall" season?

DIY 21st Birthday Cake

I love a chance to get crafty, and Drew's 21st birthday was ideal. I made a really simple beer cake using craft supplies that  I already had handy. I love this kind of craft because it not only looks pretty, but can also be used... or drank for that matter!


What you Need:

• Beer-24 count
• Cardboard or the beer box
• Scissors
• Small Liquor bottles
• Ribbon
• Dowel Rods
• Duct Tape
• Sharpie

1.  Start off with your choice of beer: ( I used a 24 count), I used the box as a base and cut out three circles of the cardboard varying in size.

2.  Next I laid out the appropriate amount of cans in a circle for sizing purposes.

3. I  then duct taped the beer to the cardboard circles.

4.  I continued this practice for the next two smaller tiers

5.  Then  I used dowel rods to secure the shape and stability of the cake.








6.  Next I taped little liquor bottles to dowel rods and stuck them through the cardboard





7.  Finally I added ribbon to the layers to make it more decorative!
And TADA! you have an easy DIY birthday present that you both can share and enjoy!

 PS. Drink Responsibly!