best ceiling fans under $200

Surprisingly, one of my most pinned posts is from when I was trying to decide on a ceiling fan for our bedroom last year. I recently went through another ceiling fan search for our new home, and realized most of the ceiling fans I posted about are either no longer available or they are much higher in price from when I originally posted. Here is an updated list of my favorite ceiling fans under $200!

1 >> Hunter Sonic Ceiling Fan <<

2 >> Hampton Bay Mercer Ceiling Fan <<
3 >> Hampton Bay Sussex II Ceiling Fan <<
4 >> Hunter Windemere Ceiling Fan <<
5 >> Allen + Roth Kellerton Ceiling Fan <<
6 >> Casa Compass Ceiling Fan << 

merry, merry

I hope you have the merriest of holidays and an absolutely wonderful 2015!

>> card design via TinyPrints <<

I'll be back on Monday sharing some of my favorite sources for ceiling fans, and in the new year I will be revealing our living room, dining room, entryway, kitchen, and guest bath! See you soon!

christmas home tour

Even though I used almost exactly the same Christmas decorations, this year's Christmas home tour feels totally different. If you missed it last year, check it out in this post. This year felt a bit weird. Just as we were finally getting the house clean and cleared out from the renovation, I dragged out our stuff and filled it back up again. I normally decorate everything at once, but this year I did it slowly because I felt a bit overwhelmed bringing even more stuff into the house. If you've lived in a construction zone, then you know exactly what I mean! Now that we're almost finished, you get to see a sneak peek of all the rooms I'll be sharing in the new year!

We found our Home Depot giving away all of their tree trimmings, so I scooped some up to put into vases around the house. This has been my favorite decoration this year.

I spy Tobias.

We got a fun new tree that has both white lights and big multicolored bulbs. Since I was trying to keep it simple this year, I only put on about half of our ornaments. Also, after many years of searching, I finally found a tree topper I like!

Seriously, I'm loving these tree trimmings. They also make everything smell like Christmas, something we've never had with a fake tree!

diy fluffy ribbon for packages

As promised, here is a ribbon tutorial for the Christmas packages you wrapped yesterday!

 1 | Start by folding in half a piece of ribbon slightly larger than you want your bow.

 2| Fold ribbon around to other side, and continue until you have done at least four folds (two on each side).

3|  Once you've wrapped the ribbon around at least four times (more for a fuller bow), cut the ribbon.

4| Staple the center of the ribbon to hold in place.

 5 | Cut a piece of ribbon to fit around your package.

6 | Staple ribbon at top and bottom to hold in place.

 7 | Place your folded ribbon perpendicular the ribbon you placed on the package and staple once to hold in place.

 8 | Cut another piece of ribbon to wrap around your bow. This will hide the staples you have used

 9 | Pull ribbon taut. This will also rotate your bow around to the correct spot on your package.

 10 | Cut the ends of your ribbon to the same length.

 11 | Fluff up your pretty bow!

This method works best with wire ribbon so you can get a big, full bow. What I like most is that it takes very little time, and by using the stapler to hold it in place instead of your fingers, you don't have to ask anyone for help while tying! 

If you need to see the tutorial in action, or tips on how to wrap a package, don't forget to check yesterday's post. Let me know how this works for you, and I'd love to see pictures of those pretty packages you've made!

how to quickly wrap a pretty package

If you still have wrapping to do, you're in luck because I've put together a simple tutorial on how to quickly wrap your gifts! I have recently created a YouTube channel that I plan to start using to create tutorials on styling and other DIY projects that I will be blogging about in the new year, so to start it off, I experimented with a tutorial for you to see the steps listed below in action!

1 | Start by folding one side, ensuring there is enough left on the other side to completely cover the back side with about 1 inch overhang.

2 | Fold over other side, creasing at overhang. This creates the seam on the edge and not in the middle of the package!

3 | Pull taut and tape seam along the edge.

4 | Turn package to one side. Fold over left side pulling taut, and tape. 

5 | Fold and tape down excess paper at corner.

 6 | Pull other side taut, crease, and tape.

 7 | Crease corners of one side to make them crisp.

 8 | Fold flap and tape. 

 9 | Make corners crisp on other side.

10 | Fold under edges of flap to make even and crisp, tape.

11 | Repeat same steps for folds on opposite side.

12 | crease edges with index finger and thumb to make crisp.

13 | Put a bow on it!

 This sparkly bow takes less that a minute to make, and I'll have a tutorial coming tomorrow! Stay tuned!

look for less

Today's Friday Find also happens to be a Look for Less. These oil dispensers with gold stoppers are almost identical, except one is nearly 75% less!

>> Terrain Recycled Glass Oil Dispenser, $30.00 <<

>> World Market Glass Oil Bottle W/ Gold Stopper, $6 <<

under $30 gift guide for everyone on your list

I'm sure you've seen the enormous amount of perfectly curated gift guides that bloggers have been putting out this year for every possible person and situation. While they are great, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of the choices, price ranges, categories, etc., so I put together some of my favorite gifts under $30 that can work for everyone on your list (including yourself)! 

1 acrylic wine rack ($17) << the perfect bar cart accessory >> 2 brass candle holders ($6) << group these together to add some sparkle to your tablescape >> 3 baublebar cayman studs ($28) << for holiday parties >> 4 cb2 marble frame ($20) << I would use this in the kitchen to hold recipes >> 5 threshold wire magazine holder ($9) << for tidying up home offices and organizing bookshelves >> 6 west elm morrocan inspired pillow cover ($30) << adds some coziness to your sofa >> 7 j.crew jewelry tray  ($13) << nightstand catch-all >> 8 madewell power card ($30) << life saver during long road trips to visit family >>

marsala mixed feelings

Y'all I'm trying really hard to be inspired by this year's Color of the Year: Marsala. I felt a little like this last year when Radiant Orchid was announced, but it definitely grew on me. I've searched high and low for some Marsala inspiration and I can't say that I'm easily finding it. Everything I find seems a bit tired and dated. While I don't love it, I did find myself drawn to it in vintage rugs, or mixed with a soft blue, two things I can always get on board with.

>> via <<

>> via Apartment Therapy <<

>> via Domaine Home <<

 >> via Lonny <<

What do you think? Do you love Marsala, or are you struggling to get on the train like myself?