lovin - holiday style

it has been awhile since my last post and i apologize. my days have flown by in a blur of reading, reading, reading, writing, reading, writing, studying, writing and reading more. on top of that, my cf card decided to start acting up and took the liberty to erase nearly 300 photos and events that i was hoping to share.
HOWEVER, i am now free from both and have officially been on my winter break since 1:29 pm today, at which point i turned in my final and walked off of campus! i can now transition to full holiday mode (truth be told, it was quite hard abstaining in the midst of school but somehow i managed to keep focused).

 

so here is what i am currently in love with. and the best part is that i am going to be surrounded by all of it for the next month :)

 

 

just a couple of ornaments from our tree: a bike for e, two vintage finds and the round one reminds me of a circus tent, and then, of course, one of my many winnie the pooh ornaments.

 

other decorations: the glass trees have always been a favorite and they are so easily found at thrift stores. the old light bulbs were found hidden in an antique store and the bright ornaments came from urban 6 years ago when i first went away to college.

 

this years wrapping paper :)
i tried to find patterns that could easily transition to other occasions throughout the year

 

i am a huge sucker for gifts all wrapped up to the nine! as such i usually go all out with different ribbons. sometimes the best ones can be found at thrift stores hidden away in craft bags but the dollar store also has a good selection!

 

and i also love gift tags! in the past years i have made my own with stencils and glitter, christmas stamps on watercolor paper and this year i am going to use these. i found them when we lived in ashland at some craft store that was having a huge blowout sale. i think i am going to paint peoples names on them. 

i am going to watch a christmas carol now and then pack my bags for a short retreat to the mountains courtesy of casa de parents. i plan on spending a few days relaxing and debriefing from school and will be ready to come back for the rest of the month with the full force of holiday cheer!