Merry 24 Days

Have you heard of Merry 24 Days, a real chance at winning 24 giveaways posted by 24 awesome bloggers until Dec. 25th?  Well I just won Day 14 and I couldn't be happier!  You should know that these prizes are so unbelievably exciting and versatile.  You could win too! I won my prize through This Little street, a blog about style and inspiration that I just started following.  The prize was a beautiful fox coat for children, which I can't wait to see my daughter wear.  Spread the cheer, my friends, and don't forget to click on everyday for a change to win.

Big cheer in a small dose

Hi friends. First, I apologize for not being consistent on my blogging lately.  I'm away from home, from my computer and the days have been hectic around here.  Tomorrow, we fly back to Florida, where I have a baptism to plan right before Christmas Eve, and the details involved in the process are countless.  I will show you pictures of the day, since I also left my camera back in Florida.  I have been bad at checking my favorite blogs lately, since I haven't had much time to sit around in the computer.  But Christmas is just around the corner, and so many lovely things have been passed around the web lately, I couldn't resist posting a few of my favorites. Have a wonderful day and enjoy these sweet holiday trees.

(Source:  1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 )

Inspiration: Small Christmas trees

Ahh the Christmas tree!  Who doesn't love a beautifully decorated tree.  I love putting up the Christmas tree, and for the sake of joy and inspiration we are putting them earlier every year.  But for many, small is not always the right choice, however, when it comes to the holidays, small Christmas trees can be as good as the old traditional ones. Although we are spending our holidays away from home, I made a small Christmas tree that we got to enjoyed for a few days and the inspiration came from the West Elm catalog.  This is our small tree at home:

 

My mother is crazy about Christmas trees as well, these are a few from her home in Miami:

How about you? Do you have one or several small ones throughout the house? It's really beginning to look a lot like Christmas, isn't?

Free printable holiday tags

Well, what do you know!  I started fidgeting with a design software that comes with the Windows 7, nothing fancy, and  created a very modern and simple design for my holiday gifts.  I like the simple bold typeface and I hope you do too.  You need a printer and some card stock paper.  You could also print on sticky paper.  Now let's get wrapping!  Download here

I designed this for personal use only. If anyone has a problem viewing or printing the file, please let me know, and I will try to fix right away. Enjoy responsibly.

In the kitchen

{Truly chocolate chocolate cupcakes}

Well, it's no secret. I love chocolate, especially when it's not too sweet. So, imagine my delight when I stumbled upon this amazing recipe for chocolate cupcakes. I guarantee you will stick to this one once and for all. After trying several recipes from several reputable sites, including Martha Stewart's, I have to say, this one is a keeper. I made them twice over the Summer. And I want you to woo your holidays guests with this recipe.  Click below for the amazing simple recipe by Kamran Siddiqi. . Buen provecho!

My first Christmas

Hi friends, I only had time just now to post the pictures from Christmas Day.  My poor Emilu caught a cold that has lasted until now.  She was just miserable on Christmas day, but tried to ride it as best as she could.  I was dead tired that morning from all the wakings the night before, so I basically missed her opening her first Christmas presents. 

My sister and nephew were there with my mother opening up presents, until later when I woke up and we opened the rest. She got so many toys from my husband's side of the family. My nephew wrote Santa a Spanish letter, and he also got some really nice gifts, aside from the ones he has waiting for him back in the DR.

Merry Christmas and more

Source: themeadowbrookblog.blogspot.com via Patricia on Pinterest

Hello friends, here's wishing you a merry Christmas and a great holiday week full of laughter, good food, and plenty of love.  Today my husband arrives, he hasn't seen Emilu for a few weeks now.  We are spending Christmas Eve with his family.  They celebrate in style with a Cuban roast pig (I won't be eating it) and plentiful good wine. Neighbors and friends join them every year as well.  Next week, my husband and I are invited to a dinner party hosted by a good friend of ours and my husband's former boss.  Of course, it wouldn't be the holidays without some much needed shopping.  My husband and I spend most of the 26th hitting the shops, looking for great deals.  I really don't need anything more, but he sure does.

I will be doing some baking today too.  I'm planning to bake this chocolate cake, which is comfortably delicious for the festivities around us. 

I want to wish each and every reader of this blog the best holiday time ever, and thank you for all the wonderful comments and support, it means the world to me.  Here's a few cheery links for your enjoyment this weekend. Ho Ho Ho.

Cheers to the New Year with this sparkly giveaway

A chocolate cake in this holiday tree bundt pan must be so yummy and fun

Thoughts on giftgiving are always welcomed

What people wanted for Christmas in 1975

Kenziepoo's little room is beautiful!

I bet Santa would love these cookies instead of ol' chocolate chips

A sentimental graphic letter to a new home

Learn more about the North Star here and here

The cutest Holiday family pictures {in the French countryside)

Source: emmas.blogg.se via Patricia on Pinterest

Under the Christmas tree

I snapped these pictures of Emilu under the Christmas tree days ago and now is when I have been able to post them.  She was so perky and giddy, she played with some of my mother's ornaments and tried to 'precrawl' in the cold marble floor towards me.

My mother's vintage ornaments, include a drum and a 'nutcracker' mouse made of paper mache and felt.

I love her collections of nutcracker men,she must have around 20 throughout the house.

Oh Christmas is soon here, and we are can't wait to wake up on Christmas Day and have Emilu open her first gifts.  Merry Christmas, friends!

Christmas gifts for husband

Photo via Gramfeed

 Shopping for men can be tricky, and this lovely snapshot got me thinking about what to give my husband for Christmas.  Year after year is the same dilemma, and I end up buying the same type of gift: shirts.  But, I feel  inspired to think outside the box this year. I want to surprise him. Maybe the reason they appreciate gift cards it's because they are so tricky to buy for. On the contrary, we women are always waiting for something bulky or sparkly, right?  I'm also getting gift ideas for men here. Happy Shopping!

Should you buy that gift?

Are the holidays stressing you out? Do you break into hives every time you swipe that credit card? Some people go into deep debt during the holidays, and it's hard to stop when all you want is to find that perfect gift that will make your loved one gasp in delight. Back when the economy was good (better) we used our bonuses to buy presents. I sure hope we get that bonus this year, otherwise things are not looking good (reminds me of Chevy Chase in Christmas Lampoon).

What a funny way of having you reconsider every gift so that you don't go overboard like most of us do. Happy shopping everyone!

My Top 10 Christmas Films

Part of the fun of Christmas is watching the films that celebrate it.  Deep down, a part of us rejoices when the magic of this holiday is captured in films. For a fleeting moment, our spirits are lifted like dust in the air and a little light is switched on, and remains this way, as we partake in family get-togethers, holiday ceremonies and all-around fun and laughter. I cannot think of any other holiday that can transform us this way and makes us feel like a child all over. With so many great and funny movies out there, I can confidently narrow down my favorite Christmas  movies:

10.  The Shop Around the Corner

Did you know The Shop Around the Corner was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"?  I love this movie and Jimmy Stewart is a holiday treat you can't miss. 

9.  A Charlie Brown Christmas
Good grief! Good, ol' Charlie Brown is shaking things up again when he decides to take back the meaning of Christmas by putting the gang on stage for an unforgettable holiday performance.  A must see, even the grumpier, old crowd would love the message of this movie. 

8. Holiday Inn
This wonderful movie is a treat to the eyes and ears. A holiday classic that keeps you cheery from beginning to end.  The explosive musical duo of Crosby and Astaire will have you clamoring for more.  Back then, actors had  to act, sing and dance.  Great performance all around!

7.  A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens' classic tale of greed and redemption is retold in this amazing picture packed with amazing performances and visuals (for the time, 1951).  Your kids would love the storybook version and you can maybe then treat them to the movie, although it might be a challenge to keep them interested in this black and white version.

6.  Home Alone
The kid in me loves this movie for the eternal innocence and resourcefulness of this 8 year old kid, who is left behind by mistake during the holidays.  The first time I saw this movie, I was smitten with Culkin.  Sweet face and cute voice.  And how about that house!  The foyer and staircase had me at hello!  

5.  A Christmas Story
I didn't grow up in this country, but when I saw this film for the first time, I was sold.  The narrator perspective and the quirky parents completely stole my heart.  Who knew I would relish this movie year after year with the same novel excitement I felt the first time I watched it. 

4.  National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
The title might be a little misleading, because Chevy Chase's family doesn't really go on vacation.  But that doesn't trump his painstaking plans of creating the perfect Christmas holiday for his family, even when his cousin-in-law screws everything up!  The laughs will have you shaking.  

3.  Miracle on 34th Street
New York,  Macy's, Santa Claus, lonely but sweet rich girl, dare I say more?  I love this film so much.  It's perfect in everything sense. You just have to believe...

2.  Love Actually
This film is unbelievably heartwarming.  So many stories to choose from and yet, all of them so good.  I love the writer and Portuguese immigrant story, and the prime minister's and his sister's stories are also sweet and real.  I bought the soundtrack many years ago after watching the film in theaters and I took it with me to NYC for Christmas that same year (2003).  With my headphones on the whole time, I had my own personal Love Actually experience while we drove and strolled around NYC. Priceless!

1.  It's a Wonderful Life
"Everytime a bell rings, an angel gets his wings." Those words just melt me in the right place.  My favorite holiday movie, with my favorite actor (Jimmy Stewart) of all time.  It requires no flattery, it's truly special and a commentary on our times, then and now.

How about you, guys? Do tell, what are your favorite Christmas movies?  I know I left out many good ones, but I had to narrow them down to ten.

Lovely Finds: A Darling Clementine Christmas

The paper emporium Darling Clementine, a small Norwegian design agency inspired by Scandinavian heritage, has a gorgeous Christmas cards collection that's going to make you jingle in delight. They have everything from small critters, birds, to snowflakes and trees. They also do commission projects, which in the past have included clients such as Kate Spade. Wouldn't it be lovely to give these out to your loved ones along with beautifully wrapped gifts? 

Source: darlingclementine.no via Patricia on Pinterest

Source: darlingclementine.no via Patricia on Pinterest

Source: darlingclementine.no via Patricia on Pinterest

Source: darlingclementine.no via Patricia on Pinterest

Source: darlingclementine.no via Patricia on Pinterest

Source: darlingclementine.no via Patricia on Pinterest