7 Christmas Albums to Spruce Up Your Holidays

You know it's the holiday season when you can hear The Carpenter's "Christmas Portrait" blaring through the halls at the Craig home. I think all of us sisters can agree that the sound of Christmas is Karen Carpenter's rich alto voice.  I can even remember leaping through our family room to "Carol of the Bells".
Whether you are looking for a classic Christmas album, or a more contemporary take on the carols of old, I've rounded up a list of six Christmas albums that will spruce up your holiday season.

A Southern Bride

In August, I  had the pleasure of traveling down to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to do the makeup for a stunning bride and her wedding party.

Shanleigh was a pleasure to work with. She was such a beautiful bride, inside and out.  It's when I get to work with clients like her-- that I am reminded how much I love what I do.  We kept her makeup simple and classic with a romantic feel.

Her wedding was featured on the Mariee Ami blog this week.  The images were shot by Scottie Jones Photography.

She wore her mother's wedding dress which she had refashioned to fit her frame.  I loved that gown, especially the sleeves and neckline.  Knockout!

Shanleigh and her mother.

Mandatory shoe shot.

There is such a special charm surrounding a southern wedding.  It's hard to describe, but for me it's almost like I step back in time for a day.  Tradition, love, beauty, family and lush flowers take center stage.

Look at that cake!

Congrats to the newlyweds!

DIY Painted and Gold Dipped End Table Makeover

I've made it my mission to decorate my living room on a TIGHT budget.  We've lived in our home almost three years and I'm finally getting around to getting to this much neglected space.  I'm making slow progress.  I added a new little piece of furniture, a small accent table.  This console table was a $3 D.I. find and knew that this small table would be a great addition next to my sofa or an antique chair.  With a little DIY, work, patience, and a lot of coats of primer and paint, I was able to turn this little end table from sad to rad!

"Easy" and "No sew" Gold Polka Dot Burlap Curtains

Sometimes I really enjoy doing DIY projects.  Sometimes I don't.  This is was certainly the latter.  After I made what felt like a million different trips to JoAnns and Michaels and spent two of my days off working on these curtains, I had second thoughts about this project.  At that point I was thinking I should have just ordered those curtains I found online because this is taking way too much of my time and energy!

But, alas, I pressed on.  And I made some dang curtains!  Please learn from my mistakes if you attempt these.

Pumpkin Pork Enchiladas

A couple of years I was in the mood for something chicken and pumpkin for dinner.  I searched on the internet and found this Pumpkin Chicken Enchilada recipe from Gluten Free Mommy.  Since then it's been my favorite enchilada recipe.  I started to experiment with this recipe and found that I like it even better with shredded pork!  This recipe is easy to make, fast, delicious, flavorful, and not loaded with calories like normal enchiladas are.  If you wanted to mix it up, instead of doing enchiladas you could make it into a layered casserole and swap out the pork for chicken!  Its very versatile!  I used up the rest of a pork loin we had the night before for dinner.  I got to use up boring leftovers in a new and delicious way.   It's a win-win for everyone!  

My 1500 Square Pixels of Fame

Have you ever thought that there is more to life than being really, really, really ridiculously good looking? Cue voice dripping in sarcasm.  

Remember this boy?  Well, said boy took me to the sunday morning session of General Conference.  He's a real catch.  Behold, our 1500 square pixels of fame:

photo credit

After our celebrity sighting of Elaine S. Dalton, we too became celebrities. There we were, minding our own business, waiting to get into the conference center when--BAM!--out pops a man with a camera who starts snapping us like we're Lady Gaga. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm used to the paparazzi being all up in my face, but never before have I been featured by such a fine publication as the Ensign. After our photo stalker left we mused about the distant possibility of our photo actually being included in the final issue. When we first saw the photo we were surprised, but then we thought, "No surprises here!" If you need evidence of that just let your eyes wander a little bit to the north (they'll probably do that naturally). This flattering portrait falls on page 100 of the conference issue. It serves as a lovely accent to Elder Kevin S. Hamilton's talk entitled "Continually Holding Fast."

Be sure to "hold fast" by picking up this month's edition of the Ensign.  That way you can feel not only the warmth of the Spirit, but also the warmth of our smiles.

How to Paint a Glazed Ceramic Lamp Tutorial

I bought this lamp at Target over a year ago for $10 on clearance. I liked the shape and color, but I didn't really know where in my house the deep plum color would work.  And my husband vetoed it in the bedroom because he doesn't like it.  So, it sat in a closet in the guest room.  It turns out you can spray paint over glazed ceramic, and it's pretty simple too.  You just have to follow these steps...