New Year's Resolutions

As the new year comes in with a bang, there are a few resolutions that I am going to attempt to uphold.


I would like to be more organized. Organization has never been one of my strengths, but it is possible for people to turn over a new leaf?! Honestly... I found this and wish it was in my closet!!


So the college lifestyle has started to catch up with me... I could stand to lose a little bit of weight. Maybe I will hit the gym a few more times and cut out the sweets!



I am going to give 150 percent at my new job that I will start in May. One letter of recommendation may make my admission to law school!


I am going to attempt to keep my shopping in line... I mean I never thought you could own too much Lilly. Now I have so many clothes and not enough room in my closet! Plus, it would be nice to save a little bit of money.

These are the biggest resolutions that I am going to really try to keep up with. Achievable goals are one of the most important aspects to keep in mind when considering how to set your own goals. I have never been a big resolutions person; but now that I am about to enter the adult world, now would be a good time to start.



We are headed down to the Peabody Hotel for their New Year's Eve Party. I haven't been to it in 3 years so I am excited to get all dolled up and see everyone. May all of you have a happy and safe New Year's. I look forward to 2009 and all it has to bring!

Busy with Work = Bad Blogger

Sorry everyone, I promise that I have not fallen off the face of the planet. Things have been especially hectic around the farm. We have been trying to schedule our entire year for 2009, which is quite a task. I promise I will try to be better about staying on top of my blogging :)

Thanks to all of the wonderful ladies that have left me awards. I am working on those at the moment, and I am hoping to have them posted by the first of the year.

It is truly hard to believe that 2008 is almost over. I remember the older girls in my sorority telling me that time passes faster the older you get. With the blink of an eye, I am one semester away from being done with college. The good news is that I officially have a job lined up... as of earlier this afternoon. So with this new year, I look forward to opening a new chapter of my life with my move to the Delta region of Mississippi!

Countdown to 2009... 1 day away!!

Look what we have to look forward to...

In January 2009, Lilly will be launching a new stationary collection! Lifeguard Press is the same company that introduced the Vera Bradley stationary line. Without a doubt, this is going to be a great addition to any Lilly fan's bag of tricks. There isn't much info on their website, but you can sign up for their e-mail updates.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you all!
May all of your Christmas wishes come true!

I would call myself a Cookie Connoisseur

It is 2:15PM my time and I am just getting out of bed. Last night I went to a Tacky Christmas Sweater Party (this is only the third one this year), and we stayed out all night long.

So this afternoon I wake up to the sound of my 2 black labs howling. I continued to ignore them until it was just too much. Looking out the window, I see that the UPS man is running down my driveway away from my house. Yay! I knew that he must have left something for us and that was what caused the commotion from the dogs (they are not too fond of the UPS man or the dry cleaner's delivery). A small white box appeared on our front steps... looking at the address label I knew what was in the package before I even opened it.

Every year, our attorney's firm sends us a box of mixed goodies from Ricki's Cookie Corner. When I say that these are melt in your mouth... they are incredible!! We look forward to receiving these every year. Their cookie tins make wonderful gifts, or you could just order one for yourself. Just make sure that you include the Chipstick in your order. These are the best cookies that I have every tasted!

It's Cotillion Time in TN

I know all of us look forward to wearing the white dress on our special day, but I have to say that wearing a white dress for a debutante ball is just as fun! Both sister and I have been presented in numerous events over the past years. Since my years as a debutante are over, it was sister's turn to take the spotlight. The event was held at the historic Peabody Hotel in downtown Memphis, where you have never seen Christmas decorations like these! Every time I attend this event, it puts me in the Christmas spirit (as if I didn't have enough of that already).


Sister's dress has the modern wedding cake look. She changes the look up a little bit every time she wears it with a different sash/ribbon. The first time she wore it, she had a white sash, knotted in the front with a beautiful pearl and diamond broach (on loan from grandmother). The second time she change up her look by using a different broach and choosing some different jewelry. This time, she accented her dress with a champange colored ribbon that was tied in a bow in the back. You can truly make one dress look so different by changing up little parts of it.


LPW was not as creative with her dress. I found one that compliments my pear shape without making me look like a double-wide (thank goodness... I was worried about that!). This is not my exact dress but it is close to the design. My mom wanted us to find a dress that didn't look too "weddingy." Try finding a wedding dress that doesn't look like it belongs in a wedding... I dare you! We looked forever to find something that pleased mom, sister, and me!

If you are looking for a deb dress or a wedding dress and you live in the South... GO TO BRINKLEY, ARKANSAS. Random... I know! Low's Bridal Shop is infamous. I went there during their semi-annual sale and got my dress for a fraction of what it was originally priced. Their selection is amazing. You can try on at least 200 dresses in your size. I can assure you... we were there for hours!

Being a debutante was truly special for me. I loved it more and more, every time that I did it! Sister and I are lucky that we were choosen by wonderful organizations to represent them. We were even luckier to be blessed with great escorts (that part is almost more important than the dress). They have to be photogenic for the pictures, have great dancing skills, not get too intoxicated so that they embarrass you, and most of all they must be a gentleman (especially to be able to talk to all the parents). Good gracious... thinking about it, we were lucky to find anyone that fit that description!

Happy Debutante Season to you all and feel free to share your experiences with being presented!

Crazy Night!

Here is a glimpse into my personal life. I haven't really touched that area yet...

Last night was one of the most bizarre nights. I had been to a cocktail party, and later decided to head downtown with one of my best friends from UT. We showed up at the first bar and met up with two of our guy friends that we were planning on spending the rest of the evening with. Please keep in mind that it was 30 degrees outside (cold by the South's standards) and I was dresses to the nines with one of my best new dresses (without a jacket). I got many compliments on my outfit (this really has nothing to do with the story... sorry)!

Background to the situation... I have some AMAZING guy friends! They are honestly some of my best friends that I can count on for anything. One guy friend in particular started to stand out from the rest. I met him Freshman year, but we really started hanging out Sophomore year when we lived next door to each other. We ended up working together Junior year. Guy Friend and I were pretty much inseperable since we moved next door. Needless to say, things start to get expected of a guy/girl relationship after a certain point. Both of our families, a lot of our friends, and even our boss were convinced that we would start dating... but we always denied the allegations. So after all the pressure of our relationship began to make things a little awkward, he stopped talking to me completely! I guess one day he woke up and decided that he was never going to talk to me again! I tried to call, left him 1 or 2 voicemails, and even texted him... no response. My mother even called him to make sure that everything was okay and to invite him to our tailgate... still no response. After 2 months, I finally saw him out one night, and I cannot say that I was the nicest person to him. I think the term "giving him the cold shoulder" would have been an understatement.

Okay, so hopefully you got the gist of the situation and I'm back to the story... We decided to leave the first bar after the crowd started to thin and head to the infamous late night hangout. Of course, the first person I see after walking in the door is Guy Friend (from now on we will be referred to him as GF). He takes one look at me and heads in the other direction! I now knew that my wonderful night had been ruined.

I continue to walk through the crowded bar to be greeted next by GF's sister. The first thing she said to me (I am not lying... this was before she said hello) is that I was going to be her sister-in-law! Wasn't expecting that comment. My immediate response was "did you know that I have literally talked to your brother once in the last 2 month?!" She had no idea!! Still, she continued to tell the whole bar, and all of our friends her plan for GF and I to get married. I asked her if GF was even aware of her idea and this was her reply: "HE SAID HE IS AFRAID THAT HE CAN'T AFFORD YOU." So I am definately not what I would consider high maitenence; but come on now, Lilly and beauty doesn't come cheap! So is he not talking to me because he wants to be with me but thinks that I'm too high maintenece?!

I guess he did consider dating me, but I have never even considered that being an option, no matter how close of friends we were. Over the course of time, he had dropped some little hints that made me wonder, but it was always after we had been drinking and none of them were very serious. Although one night, he made me cross my heart and hope to die that if we were both not married by the time we were 30-35ish then we would marry each other. I laughed, took it as a compliment, and had never really thought about it again (until now).

So, now I am in a connundrum on how to handle the situation... GF still won't talk to me and now his sister is running around telling people that we are getting married. All I have to say is it was one crazy night! And the moral to this story is that you should always be looking your best when you run into ex's/enemies/people that won't speak to you/etc. because at least you feel confident in yourself. I am determined that he will come to his senses one day and at least say hello to me next time!

Christmas is About Making it Your Own

I am sure most Southern ladies can associate with this post. Southern Proper is such a fun company that has really embraced the lifestyle of Southern men. This email was in my inbox this morning, and it reminded me of a gift that my aunt gave my brother for Christmas one year. Both my dad and brother are avid hunters. Around this time of year, they would spend all of their time in the woods if my mother allowed them to. Knowing this, my aunt (who is incredibly creative) made my brother a strand of shotgun shell Christmas lights. As you all know, I attempt to make my Christmas as pink and green as possible. My aunt gave him something that would make his Christmas a little more personal as well. It just made me think that the holidays are about making it special and adapting your decorations to your lifestyle. So here is just a little idea for all those Southern beaus who have everything. And if you don't think you could make a strand, here is where you can buy them!

Bath Organization

I am in no way, shape, or form any where near as organized as I need to be. Seriously, I have made huge strides in recent years, but I still lack the organizational skills that are required to keep my massive amount of "stuff" in its appropriate home. This year, I purchased two large baskets that have worked pretty well to organize my bathroom. One keeps all of my makeup on my vanity, while the other keeps all of my hair products and larger bottles on a different shelf. Still, I felt like I could use a little more organization in this department...


Shopping online one day, I spotted this cute make up organizer from PB Teen that had a matching console for all of your hair accessories (hair dryer, straightener, etc.). I decided to wait and see if I could find anything better/less expensive. Of course, I kind of forgot about these organizers until I went back on the PB Teen website and realized they were gone! Don't you hate it when you miss out on something when it sells out?!So I was on the hunt again! Here is the closest thing that I could find from the Container Store. This organizer will work just as well as the PB one, plus I have acrylic cotton ball and Q-tip holders that will match. I guess it all worked out in the end, but I am still a little disappointed about the white one.


If you are interested... PB Teen has the smaller version of the make-up organizer in a pretty light blue that is still available. Too bad it doesn't match my color scheme!

Candy Cane Tag By Amanda C. Bee

I was tagged by Amanda C. Bee for a Candy Cane tag.

The instructions are to Copy, Paste, Answer, Add a Question, Tag the 3 bloggers with the most recent updates on your blog feed/roll, let them know they've been tagged in a comment, and learn about your fellow bloggers.

1. What is/are your favorite Christmas Movie(s)? The Holiday, Miracle on 34th Street, Love Actually, A Charlie Brown Christmas
2. Favorite Christmas Song? Santa Baby
3. Favorite Holiday Memory? There's a tie... when Santa brought my sister and I a pony for Christmas and when my dad got to come home from the hospital after being in there for a month.
4. What is your favorite cookie/treat to make? Gingerbread house. Unfortunately there wasn't enough time this year, so I guess I will have to go with Oreo balls.
5. Have you ever made an igloo? Igloo?! I'm from Tennessee, we rarely see anything associated with ice!
6. Do you love Starbucks? Only their hot chocolate and frappacino's. I hate coffee!
7. What makes the perfect Snowman? All of the accessories.
8. Not sure what happened to #8 so we'll move on...
9. Best gift you have ever received? Every year my parents get me the best gifts. It depends on how you define the "best." Last year, I got a new computer which was the best useful gift that I had received. But the overall best is still the pony... sister and I will NEVER forget that one!
10. What is the snowman's name on Rudolph? No idea...
11. Silver or Gold? Silver

12. What is your favorite Christmas decoration? Probably my wreath that I change every year.
13. What's your Christmas decorating style? Pink, Lime Green, and Red. Accents of Lilly Pulitzer with a whimsical, fun feel.
14. Do you hang stockings? When I get a fireplace... yes.
15. How many days do you celebrate Christmas? The whole month of December :)
16. What was your favorite ornament on the tree as a child? The ones that I made at school.
17. Where will you be spending this Christmas? Memphis
18. When you do open presents? Both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

I am passing this along to the last 3 people on my blog feed.

Belle of the Ball

A Belle and Her Beau

The Pink Tutu

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas...

I have gotten a lot of my Christmas shopping done, but I still have one person to shop for. I need all the help I can get for ideas for my dad!! He is into hunting, Ole Miss football, new technology, and preppy clothes (thank goodness!). I welcome all ideas, comments, hints, questions, etc. etc.

Here is what I got the rest of my family:

MOM

My parents go to every home football game at Ole Miss and host a very large tailgate. So I always know that they need entertaining gear for that. This year I got her the vegetable platter. My mother always insists on bring a cru de tet platter (like the ones from the grocery store). At least now she will have something pretty to put her store bought goodies on. I found this at a cute little store in Hernando, Mississippi called The Square Cupboard, but you can also find them online for your team here.

BROTHER

If you can't tell already, my family are huge Ole Miss fans (no body likes UT but me... oh well!). When you go to an Ole Miss football game all of the girls go to the game in dresses, while the guys where ties (it is one of the dressiest football games you have ever seen). My brother doesn't have a specific tie for game days, so I decided to get him one with Colonel Reb on it. This picture displays the tie I choose from Southern Proper.

SISTER

My sister is the easiest to shop for because she likes everything that I like. This is my sister's year to pick out her Vera Bradley pattern so that she can get a set to take with her to college. I decided to get her the Cosmetic bag in her new pattern, Mediteranean Blue. Also, since my sister is into horses too, I got her these magnets from one of my favorite companies Eliquus.

Okay so know you have a better picture of what my family is into. Now I need your help!! Let me know if you have any ideas of what I should get my dad.

I wish I could go to this!

Vote for the Pink and Green!!

Thanks to Kate over at Nautical by Nature, I entered my pink and green Christmas card in a contest at Life in the Cove. You can click on the link to her blog and leave a comment with your vote. I would really appreciate you taking the time to express your love for pink and green! The voting period starts today and runs until December 31st.

Now, I really need to be sending these Christmas cards out... maybe I will get around to that today!

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas...

I am revealing my Christmas List. My mother always gets a kick out of seeing what I put on there. After writing Santa for years begging for a pony, when I finally received one from him, I swore that I would always make a list! So the tradition began and has continued into my college years. I usually include the links to the specific stuff so that my mom or dad can just point, click, and purchase. It saves them time when I do the research and allows them to get me exactly what I want.

Here is what made the cut this year...

1. Lilly Pulitzer Monopoly Game (or really anything Lilly for that matter!)
2. Patagonia Fleece Vest
3. What Would Jackie Do? Book
4. Kate Spade Books
5. Clinique Eye Contour Brush
6. All-Clad Cookware
7. Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer
8. J. Crew Fiona Jacket
9. Chanel Sunglasses
10. Ralph Lauren Polo Oxford Shirts
11. Joe’s Jeans
12. Airfare to visit my friend
13. Cute tray for my make-up brushes to live
14. Driving shoes (mine are about to die!)
15. Big claw clips for my hair
16. Anything horsey
17. Flat Screen TV for my living room
18. A new car (I promised I wouldn’t count on that one!)
19. And I almost forgot to include the most important one... I asked Santa to please pay the University $250 for my parking tickets!!

I always add a special clause with my favorite places that I would love anything from (just in case they want to surprise me).

What a Wild Weekend!

I haven't really posted anything about horses yet. I am an avid equestrian, in both the hunter/jumper and dressage worlds. My love for horses started when I was 10 years old and has followed with me through my college years, where I rode on my college's equestrian team and have actively competed my own horses across the southeast.

This weekend we had a clinician come in from New York and a saddle fitter come in from Wisconsin. People and horses were running around like crazy. Since we were hosting the event, I was up and down and all around the whole weekend.

And to top things off all of us just got sick... headache, sniffy nose, sore throat, etc. I must have slept at least 12 hours last night. Now, the weather forecast is projecting an ice storm. What a way to start off the week!

Lulu's Labels

So you never know what you are going to find when you goggle "preppy Christmas." I was interested to find this company. Lulu's Labels carries a variety of products for all occasions from cute note cards to gift tags to sippy cup labels. My favorite designs are from "A Very Preppy Christmas." I checked their blog, and they are not accepting holiday orders this year :( I will definitely be using them next year!

Here are my favorite notecards...


These are my favorite stickers:


And these are some really cute address labels...

I must have these gift tags...


I cannot wait for this company to re-open! Here is their blog, so that you can check it out as well. Their waterproof stickers for sippy cups and baby bottles are a great gift for baby showers. I have a feeling those may be a staple gift for me!

On the Tenth Day of Christmas...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Definitely wrapping paper. I love to make each one of the gifts look unique. Plus they always look nice underneath the tree.

2. Tree — real or artificial? At home we use a real tree even though I have severe allergies, but I used the little lime green one at the apartment. We will have to see about next year... Sometimes I get tired of taking the Benedryl!

3. When do you put the tree up? Right after Thanksgiving. I want my decorations to stay up as long as they can.

4. When do you take the tree down? Whenever I get the energy to put all of it away. I left all the decorations up at school and I will wait until after New Year's when I return to take them down.

5. Do you like eggnog? Nnnnnoooooo.... in fact, I really don't like anything creamy (cheese, milk, alfredo, etc.)

6. Do you have a Nativity scene? My parents do, but I haven't gotten one yet.

7. Favorite gift received as a child? My sister and I got a pony one year! We got to go out to the barn as soon as we found out so that we could ride. His stall was all decorated and he had a big red bow on.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My mom... she is so picky!

9. Easiest person to buy for? My sister because she likes everything that I do.

10. Worst Christmas gift? My dad gave all of us a statue of Beethoven?! I mean seriously... what was he thinking?!?

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Good old fashioned snail mail for me.

12. Favorite Christmas movie? The Holiday. There is no way that you can watch that movie and not be in a good mood afterward. I love it!

13. When do you start Christmas shopping? I don't even start thinking about presents until after the decorations are up and the good sales start.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Maybe? I can't recall anything specific off the top of my head.

15. Favorite food to eat on Christmas? My mom makes cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning so that we can have breakfast while we open presents.

16. Lights on the tree? Of course! They have to be white.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Santa Baby.

18. Travel during Christmas or stay home? We always stay at home. Our entire family lives in my hometown so we don't have to go anywhere to see them. I would love to go on vacation during the holidays!

19. Can you name Santa's reindeer? I think so... Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and you can't forget Rudolph!

20. Angel or star on top of the tree? My mom does an angel, but I have a large bow.

21. Open presents on Christmas eve or morning? We open my dad's family on Christmas Eve when we celebrate with them. Then we do our family first thing Christmas morning. Later on that day we go to my mom's family.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Long lines and terrible parking.

23. Favorite ornament? I really don't think that I have a favorite. There are a lot of ornaments that I made over the years that bring back memories when I see them.

On the Nineth Day of Christmas...

I got Styrofoam cups with this design on them last year, and I still love it!! You can find them at Cool Cups and Stuff. They also have some really funny Christmas designs for cups and cocktail napkins, along with a lot of other interesting things. If you are having a Christmas get together, you should check it out!

P.S. It is a really hectic weekend so my posting might be a little sparatic. I promise I will try to be better next week :)

On the Eighth Day of Christmas...

I am revealing my Christmas Card. Could they scream Lilly any louder?! I don't think so! This will be my first year for sending out cards and to be honest... I haven't done them yet. That is on the agenda for this weekend. At least I already have my list with addresses updated and ready to go.

Thank You!

This is my 20th post!! Wow, it is crazy how fast time flies.

I just wanted to say thank you to my followers! Yall are amazing, and I have really enjoyed getting to follow your blogs are well.

Every time I sign on, I get really excited when there are new posts waiting to be read and reading your comments on my posts. I LOVE hearing everyone's comments!

This blogging thing is a lot different than I thought it was going to be. In all actuality, I didn't think that people read this stuff. Initially, my goal was to have a creative outlet for my love for Lilly. I hope that I will be able to keep up with the pace... I love procrastinating on studying or doing homework and reading your blogs is a lot more fun than either of those things!

On another note...

The other day when I went to check on the Lilly blog (it has been added to my morning routine already!), I noticed that their were some added links on the sides. I glanced at them, and quickly had to take a double take... MY BLOG NAME WAS ON THERE!!! So, at first, I was really disappointed because I thought someone already had my name or had copied me, but that was just not the case. I clicked on my name and what came up was MY BLOG!! I cannot tell you how excited that I am linked to the official Lilly Blog!

Here is a list of the other blogs that are tagged....

Bunny Tomerlin
Chic and Charming
Muffy Martini
Nina Knows Best
Seersucker Stories
The Happy Daily
The Pink Totebag
Tickled Pink and Green
Tres Poshe Prep
You Frivolous Mommy!

Thanks to whoever at Lilly was responsible for tagging us under Lilly Culture!

On the Seventh Day of Christmas...

I am putting the rush on finishing my best friends' PRESENTS. This year due to my bank account's lack of existence, I was forced to get creative with my friends' presents. Since many of them actually read this blog, I am not going to post pictures of what I have been working on yet. No worries... once everyone has gotten their's I will post them!

But here are some pictures of the lovely wrapping. One trip to the Dollar Store, and I went home with three rolls of paper that all had pink and green in there somewhere! Caution... Some rolls of their paper will only wrap one present, while others are the normal amount! When I am wrapping, I make each present different by changing the bow.




Sometimes, I feel like my blog is turning into Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation! I can assure you that I will only go to Day 12. But, on this so called adventure with the holiday spirit, I attempted to make Chocolate Chip Cake this morning as gifts to a few people. This is what came out of the oven...


So the sides were a little overcooked and the inside was completely gooey. Oh and did I mention that it vaguely resembled the Grand Canyon in the center?!

This is the best cake and I know I did everything exactly as the recipe calls for. Don't you hate it when that happens?! So first thing tomorrow, I am headed to the grocery store to get more yellow cake mix and the rest of the ingredients for Take 2. At least it still tasted good... I know because I ate all of the cooked edges!

2 more finals to go tomorrow, and I will be riding off into the sunset to my hometown!

My Biological Clock is Ticking...

So I know that sounds funny, especially considering I haven't even graduated with my undergrad degree; but I am not talking about a human baby!! I am willing to wait a long time to have one of those. My longing for a puppy has been re-fueled by Lilly P's latest release.

I saw on the Lilly blog that they were planning on launching accessories for our canine companions in October. Well here it is, in the middle of December, and it finally hit their website! They have two different patterns of collars with matching leads available, as pictured below.

I love, love, love both of them! So now all I need is a dog to put it on!!

I have already had "the talk" with my parents and I promised them that I would wait until I graduate (which is in May). That was before I found this puppy on Petfinder.com... she is a Jack Russell, Maltese, Shih Tzu mix. Seriously, this is one of the cutest dogs I think I have ever seen!!


I have never had a little dog before. Growing up we have had 3 Black Labs and a German Short Haired Pointer. I had been debating about what kind of dog I wanted and finally narrowed down my list to: Black Lab (large), Beagle (medium), or Jack Russell (small). Every once in a while, I will meander over to Petfinder.com and see what is available in my area. Never, had I seen one that I was that attracted to, but now that I found this dog... I WANT HER!!!

So I am in a conundrum about what to do?!

On the Sixth Day of Christmas...

Okay, so if you haven't already noticed, my Christmas decorations are not the most traditional. Since, I live in an apartment with no fireplace mantle I knew I was going to have to get creative with our STOCKINGS. I was originally going to make all three of us a stocking and hang them on our bedroom doors, but time was not on my side. So out shopping I went, ending up at one of my favorite places... Tuesday Morning! As soon as I saw this door mat, I knew that it was coming home with me. Not only is it bright and fun, but it also coordinates nicely with my wreath. The best part about it is that there are three stockings for the three girls that live there! Corny... I know! So there are no real stockings around our place this year, maybe that will be a nice addition for next Christmas?!

J. Crew Sale

On the Fifth Day of Christmas...

I had to compare my little attempt at a Christmas tree to the gorgeous creation that appeared on the Lilly blog today. I live in a small apartment with 2 other girls and we are only here for part of the holidays before we go home, so I talked myself out of going wild on a Christmas tree. I wish I hadn't done that after seeing this one!


One of the few crafts that I have done this Christmas was the tree skirt. I went to Joann's and got the white fabric that has white holly leaves on it, and cut that in a circle. Then I traced a small hole in the center to go around the tree and cut a straight line going out to the edge. I hot glued the boa around the edge. Then to finish it off, I used tacky glue and some light pink glitter to make my monogram in the middle. The project took me all of about 30 minutes and couldn't have cost more than $10 (and that's including a new glue gun!). This would be an easy and inexpensive way to change a tabletop tree every year without have to change all of the ornaments.


I used small hot pink ornament that I found at Hobby Lobby and accented them with the pink and green holiday ribbon that was featured on the First Day of Christmas. Some of the ornaments and ribbon I already had, so I just mixed and matched them. The larger silver balls are monogrammed with a darker silver sharpie with my initials, surrounded by pink and green polka dots. There is pink and green sequined garland, along with a strand of pearls, that wraps around the entire tree. Then to top it off I added the lime green bow that matches the bow my wreath.

Next year, I am going to make sure to have some Lilly fabric on hand so that I can create my own Lilly ornaments! And I will not be settling for the little tabletop tree! Oh and did I mention lights?! I have to have those too.

Here are the pictures for the Lilly blog that show their ornaments up close...





I cannot wait to go home and see my family's Christmas tree. It is just a hodgepodge of ornaments that my siblings and I have made or collected, but there is still something really special about it.