For all the last minute shoppers and wrappers out there, here are some pics of the presents I put together. It may be a little inspo for you, if you are in a major crunch mode. Nothing too fancy. It's really just paper and some pretty bows and ribbon. Most paper and ribbons were all bought at Homegoods. Homegoods continues to be my favorite for wrapping paper. There is always a large assortment, and some fun, kitschy, and classic patterns. All of which I love to mix and match together. Most gifts I wrapped this holiday go back to natural color (or material), metallics, stripes, plaid and pom poms. This year may be the first time I am finished wrapping before Christmas Eve. SOOO proud of myself for that. xo RCN
Pine Magnolia Garland
Garlands are very festive and naturally beautiful when made out of greens, flowers, and leaves. This holiday I wanted to emphasize our floor to ceiling length mirror with a green garland. When we bought our Christmas tree, the tree farm allowed us to recycle and take as many extra greens as we liked. I took a few dried stems of Magnolia leaves from the bedroom, the extra greens from the tee farm, and voila! The base of the garland is a faux wired garland, that I simply attached and wired the greens onto. At the end of the season, I will remove the fresh greens and save the faux garland as my base for next year, again. xo RCN
Bottoms Up Bar Cart
It's only natural that your bar cart gets a face lift when it comes to the holidays. Not only, does it likely need re-stocking of the booze, but also some festive primping. Here is a snapshot of our bar cart mood and necessities for the upcoming hosting, partying, and drinking that will be had. When it comes to Christmas, I can't help, but be a little over the top with all the decorations. What are your must haves on the bar cart? Oh, and if you are not hosting anyone this year, then I have just the thing to bring along with you to your hostess. Keep scrolling and you'll see. xo RCN
I like to use the bottom of the bar cart for glasses and bottles. I used a polka dot place mat beneath the clear glasses to give them a foundation on our glass and plexi bar cart. The glasses stand out more without mixing into all the other glass.
My Mom gave me a pack of mini trees, from Target, when I was home for Thanksgiving. I went back and bought a couple more packs! $3 and so worth it. The "Party" bottle opener was a $2 find at Homegoods.
If you are going to have the wine flowing, beautiful bottle stoppers are a must. I like to keep a few on hand that mesh nice with the theme. It's nice to include something personal, and something seasonal.
Cocktail napkins are important, especially if you don't want to be cleaning up millions of sticky rings off of your counters and tables. I found these cute "Cheers" napkins at Homegoods.
The confetti was also a Target find. A pack for $3. Can't beat it. I love that they are wood, too.
Straws and stirrers are also a must on the bar cart. I'll admit, not many people love to use paper straws, but they are so darn cute that I can't stop buying them. If not for nothing, the polka dot pattern ties in well with the look of the cart and adds more color.
Our glasses come from many places, Crate & Barrel, Target, Vintage, Anthropologie, Homegoods...I can go on. For Christmas, I like to bring out some of our festive glasses, like the "Oh Deer" beer mugs from Target.
Lastly, if the party is happening elsewhere, pack the booze and bring it with you. If you want to update your wine host and hostess gifts, think about bringing a different liquor. Packaging always sells me, and Smirnoff does a great job with their Peppermint Vodka. I picked up a wine bag for one dollar at Total Wine, added some peppermint candies and a matchy-matchy bow. Easy and different than last year. Cheers!
Pom Pom Wrapping
One of my easiest gift wrapping ideas, is also one of my most favorite ideas. Instead of using tissue paper or scraps of paper confetti, or anything else for that matter, I like to use pom poms for the inside stuffing of a present. Pom Poms are even cushy enough to use for something more fragile, as long as you use enough of them. They are also quite lovely and cute to throw in a box along with some tissue, just to add some festiveness to the package. For Christmas I am coordinating tones of green and red with certain small packages. A double handful of green pom poms worked perfectly in this little gift bag. I threw some poms in the bag first, then added one fragile gator salt shaker, followed by more poms and the paired pepper shaker. I made sure to move the poms around all sides of the bag, and now I am ready to go. I am obsessed with this idea. Chances are, if you receive a present from me this holiday, there will probably be pom poms inside. Sorry to ruin the surprise! xo RCN
All pom poms and gift bags from Target. Target sells color coordinated boxes of pom poms in their craft section.
