We had a wonderful little Thanksgiving at our house. Shayne cooked and my family came for dinner. I am not such a good chef so I thought I would leave that to a professional. I focused on the decorating, making snacks and baking brownies.

there was a cute bar

vintage plates

spider mums

the mister busy in the kitchen

yum

I hope your Thanksgiving was just as good!

I’m taking an extra long time to enjoy the holiday weekend. For now here are some of my inspirations for our Christmas decorating this year.

images via kate spade, charlie3engineer, Smile And Wave and weheartit

Creme de menthe  brownies are a childhood favorite of mine that my mom used to make for my brothers and I. They are so tasty and super decadent. Enjoy!

Step One

4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick melted butter
1 can chocolate syrup
1 cup sifted flour

Mix and pour in 13x9x2 pan. Grease pan only on the bottom. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Let cool.

Step Two

2 cups confectioners sugar
1 stick melted butter
2 Tbs. creme de menthe liquor

Cream butter and sugar, add liqour and beat until fluffy. Spread on top of completely cooled brownies.

Step Three

6 Tbs. butter
6 oz. package semi sweet chocolate chips

Melt together over low heat. Pour over frosted brownies. Chill in fridge.

I just bought the gold blouse from the Gap last week and am dying to wear it during the holidays! The color is perfect for parties and going out and the fit is super flattering. Lately I can’t get enough of mustard yellow and gold. So pretty and elegant when paired with gray too.

If money were no object this is how I would style it. Basically some skinny jeans, heels, and red nails and you’re good to go!

{1. Crossover Dolman Blouse by Gap 2. Super-Skinny Denim Leggings by Old Navy 3. Fifi Clutch by Bagatelles & Co. 4. Metropolitan Pearls Dome Earrings by Kate Spade 5. Flowering Durum Heels by Anthropologie}

This ceramic owl has been sitting around our apartment for a few years now. I rescued it from a thrift store and never got around to fixing it up. It had little cracks and an overall dingy appearance no matter how many times I tried cleaning it up.

I saw an article in Lonny Magazine the other day showing how to use metallic gold paint to perk up inexpensive decorations. Cute! I decided to go with silver and bought a can of $3 Krylon metallic spray paint. Simple enough and there is plenty of paint left for other projects. I think it will be great for the holidays and now Mr. Owl is being proudly displayed on our bookshelf.

Over the weekend we (mostly Shayne) steam cleaned the carpets in our apartment. They needed it badly because they are white and hard to keep looking clean. Waiting for them to dry is my least favorite part so I spent my time doodling love messages to the mister on our fogged up windows:)