st lucia day holiday tea

this was my first year hosting a st. lucia day tea. i have wanted to do this for some time. st lucia is an italian saint who helped christians hiding in the catacombs in 300 AD. she brought them supplies at night, and because her hands were so full, she attached candles to a wreath and placed it on her head. the day is commonly celebrated in sweden and other scandanavian countries on december 13th.

here are some photos of my tea!


the invitations i created and mailed to friends






what we had for food and drink


home made holiday bark


old and new tea cups


the table with the tea cups. i printed out flags from sweden, denmark, finland and norway and made garland to spruce up the table.




the christmas tree with the dala horses i sewed and gave as favors with my friend's christmas cards.




my anthropology slate coasters people wrote messages on


only one more week until christmas! hope you are getting your shopping done!
xo, K

the dutch house is ready for christmas!

i am a little behind updating what i did at the dutch house to decorate for christmas. i really wanted to get a tree that was small enough to fit inside the galvanized metal tub i bought at michael's. i looked and looked, and finally found a fraser fur for a reasonable price (over $50 for a tree is ridiculous)!




as you can see, it was the perfect fit! i purchased the smallest tree stand i could find, which is for a tree under five feet. however, if your tree is skinny enough it can be up to six or seven feet! good to know.


my mom bought me a $10 plain wreath at market basket, which i jazzed up with some baked pinecones (pop in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes and it dries up the sap!), fake berries i had left over from my thanksgiving dinner, and plaid ribbon i bought at target.



a pot of the baked pinecones. i bought the cream pot on sale at a garden nursey for $10 over thanksgiving!


my gold reindeer from the wishbasket standing in a platter with fake snow. you can see the christmas tree in the background!



my pottery barn stocking with the letter K ornament


the other pot. i filled a vase with greens that i found around the property and put it inside to give my bedroom a little christmas tree!

xo, K

etsy love

have you ever heard of etsy? i just LOVE what you can find there! i could spend all day perusing.
here are some of my favorite finds:

"the sea queen art nouveau floral garland necklace" by BlueGreyGreen


the "catnip filled severed heads" by HeatherBays.


this set of handcrafted christmas cards by studioflowerpower is made with REAL flowers!


for only $27 you can buy this ivory winter shrug from lovelylilbits

and to end this post, something a bit more scary:

the vintage chalkware easter bunny from seasonsofme
it would probably look good in the kitchen of the dutch house, don't you think?

xo, K

my grown up christmas list

dear santa,
all i want for christmas this year is

a new guitar...



and some cowboy boots to wear while I play...



these fabulous knives...



and while we're on the subject, i could use some more flatware...



and while i love the workout my biceps get by mixing things by hand, a kitchenaid might come in handy...



and how could i forget this little friend? i can't even handle it...



a house to keep this all in...



and this to come home to every night...



alright, i realize this is a TAD unrealistic. i mean, kitchenaid's ARE expensive.

xo, K

it's getting cold out there

welcome, december. please don't rush by too fast...

a thankful thanksgiving

i returned last night from a fun filled long holiday weekend in georgetown at my parent's house. i wish it didn't have to end! here are some highlights of my time home...

food i cooked for the thanksgiving meal
homemade stuffing
whiskey carrots
buttermilk sponge cake with maple raspberries...yum!!


my dad and i bought "crackers" for after dinner at the british store in freeport. each cracker had a crown, joke and toy inside!



my sister, maggie, and her boyfriend, john

it was great to have the time to snap some photos of holiday and winter scenes around town. here are a few that especially make me happy












being home again made me realize how much i love my family and how appreciative i am for my parents, mama and papa a.



xo, K

To Travelers From Near and Far...

Welcome to my new blog! Check back soon for holiday updates!
-xo, K