The holidays are being celebrated very differently this year, and for many of us who are used to being surrounded by friends and family during this time, we will be transitioning into staying home & celebrating virtually instead. Personally, I have found it harder to get into the holiday spirit, which is why I’m writing this blog to share with you my 10 favourite holiday movies that I’ll be binging this weekend to get the holiday spirit going! Keep reading to find my top picks.
Continue reading →holiday season
Local Business Love
With the current global pandemic affecting so many of our local businesses, I have been trying more than ever to make sure I support my local community and the small businesses that make it what it is. To help make your Christmas shopping a little easier, and to encourage everyone to support local, read this new blog post for a list of 12 businesses that offer great gift options for the holiday season!
Continue reading →The Holiday Season Is Here!
Are you ready to bring some holiday cheer into your home? While we’re urged to stay home, it’s no surprise that people are decorating earlier this year. Give this blog post a read to get inspired when it comes to decorating your home, and find some great local businesses to support while you do so!
Continue reading →Fall Decor & All It’s Glory!
Happy first day of Fall! It’s time to welcome the new season in all its glory with open arms!
If you’re anything like me, you’ll be missing the hot Summer weather but you’re looking forward to the cozy feeling that comes along with Fall. You’re also likely looking forward to decorating your home (if you’re not super eager and haven’t done so already) and making it as cozy as possible for the coming months.
Here are the essentials you can do in order to prep your home for Fall:
Get out your cozy blankets and soft pillows
The first step in prepping your home is bringing warmth to your living room which is one of the focal points of your home. Add in colourful pillows such as orange, yellow, and deep red tones in addition to white cozy throws to bring a sense of comfort to your living space.
Spice up your coffee table
Adding a floral arrangement to your coffee table really brings forward the cozy and rich feeling of the Fall months. With prominent colours such as orange and red popping through in your bouquet, this small addition really goes a long way in spicing up your living space! You can stop by Mountain Market, Posy, Stongs Market, Margitta’s Flowers, or Tooka Florist to name a few in order to grab your favourite flowers (plus you can support local in the process!).
Liven up your living room centrepiece
One of the best parts of Fall decorating is getting out your decorative pieces and warm tablecloths for your dinning table. It’s important to balance the colours you’re using in your dining and living room, so make sure to throw in a neutral colour in addition to the pops of yellow or orange decorative pieces in order to bring warmth to your space while also allowing for fluidity within your home.
Make your very own wreath
Although you can purchase a wreath, making your own personalized one is so much more exciting! I made this Fall wreath over the weekend (I know, I was a bit excited for the season change) and it was a lot easier of a process than I expected. All you need to do is stop by Michaels on 1360 Main Street and head to the decorative stemmed section. Once you’ve selected what design you’d like your wreath to look like, you can then grab all of your leaves/floral stems, metal or wooden wreath base, hanger, as well as florist wiring and you’re set. Most of their leaves/floral stems are currently 50% off, so you’re also getting a great deal!
Bring out the seasonal candles
While you’re at Michaels, stop by the candle section and grab a few of your favourite scented candles to bring the cozy Fall scent into your home. I grabbed a large candle with the scent name “Flannel and Football” and it smells seriously delicious – sweet thanksgiving baking smell with a touch of cinammon.
These pointers will definitely get your home feeling Fall ready and super cozy! Have any more suggestions on what to add to your home to welcome Fall? Leave them in the comments section, I’d love to hear what your go-to decor ideas are!
Jenny’s Gingerbread Cookies
To me, nothing says holidays like the spicy sweet smell and taste of gingerbread cookies!
This recipe has become a specialty of mine, and is eagerly anticipated every year at the holidays by family and friends.
Like all rolled cookies, these cookies take time to make, but are absolutely worth it! Make it stress free by making the dough a few hours (or a few days!) ahead of time, and refrigerate until ready to use.
JENNY’S GINGERBREAD COOKIES
1 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
¼ cup water
2 ¾ cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together first 4 ingredients until smooth
- In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients until well mixed
- Add dry ingredients into creamed mixture gradually until all comes together (dough will be sticky)
- Divide into 2 sections, form into disc shape and wrap in plastic wrap
- Refrigerate dough and rolling pin for easier rolling
- Roll between 2 sheets lightly floured parchment paper to ¼ inch thickness
- Cut out will lightly floured cutters
- Bake at 350o for 8-10 minutes until very lightly golden at edges *do not overbake or cookies will be hard
- Cookies will be very soft when you first take them out. Cool on pan for a few minutes then carefully transfer to wire racks.
- Decorate once completely cooled.
Tips: you can minimize transferring the unbaked cookies by rolling on parchment, removing scraps, and then sliding the paper right onto the baking sheet. Be sure to leave a little space between cookies. Cool baking sheets between batches. Bake similar sized shapes on one sheet at a time for even baking.
Enjoy 🙂