Last Minute Thanksgiving Ideas


I just wanted to wish my American friends a very Happy Thanksgiving. 

No doubt, you are busy preparing for your celebrations tomorrow. So, I thought I'd share some last minute ideas for your Thanksgiving table that you might find helpful. Just a little Pinterest round-up :)

last minute thanksgiving ideas


They are simple and easy ideas to pull together using natural elements you can find in your yard, in your fridge or a quick trip to the grocery store. Get the kids involved with helping to set and decorate the table so it's one less item on your to-do list tomorrow.

You can find them on my Pinterest page here.


I hope you have a wonderful celebration with your family and friends.

Debra xo


12 Gift Ideas for Teen Girls - Etsy Gift Guide

1/ Knit Cat Beanie via Slouchy Beanie     2/ Peacock Feather ring via Ruth Reizin    3/ Trees and Stars SHoulder Bag via Jenna Rose    4/ Owl Necklace via Ruth Reizin    5/ Peter Pan Collar via Blum Art   6/ Gold Temporary Bracelet Tattoos via Shine On Tattoos 


Full disclosure: I stole my teen daughters Christmas list for you. It's all in the name of saving your sanity. 

This my friends, is the Etsy version of a 13 year old girls wish list. 

...and yes that peter pan collar is supposed to be here. It's back in style. This time around it isn't laura ashley lace. Do you remember that?!

Spot the trends.... well, my observed trends in the school yard.

Bethany Mota style ie: the cat hat above. She is the teen/tween girls blogging vlogging star du jour. She dishes out advice on fashion, room decor and crafty goodness. She is why every tween girl you see is wearing a hair bow. Please don't bring back the banana clip.

Peter Pan collars, Owls, Jewelry tattoos, Boho, Cacti, Arrows, some others ... Doc Martens, fringed purses


7/ Knit Cacti in Pot via Yeff Knits     8/ Arrows Wall Decal via The Lovely Wall     9/  Porcelain Glove Mold via Klinker   10/ Calligraphy Starter Kit via LineaCarta     11/ Velvet Pouffe via Rangila Rajastan    12/ Art Print via Love Sugar  


Etsy has amazing gift options for girls this age. There are so many cool vintage and handmade accessories, fun t-shirts, and great stuff for her bedroom like wall art, throw pillows. Over the years I've bought my daughter many gifts from Etsy and they are always so unique and special. 

PS. Another idea is to purchase an Etsy Gift Card and let her go shopping!

Have some gifting ideas you want to share. I'd love to hear them!

Happy Shopping :)



Glitter, Gold and Rustic - Etsy Holiday Decor Finds




Some holiday decor items I'm loving over on Etsy right now. 

I try to stay away from holiday decor that is commercial looking and instead like to find pieces that I can use year round but still have a nod to the holiday season. All you need is to add a little glitter, some great metallics and some fresh greenery or something rustic but festive. 

Mixing vintage and modern keeps it interesting, don't you think?

These vintage inspired marquee signs are popping up all over Pinterest. There are loads of great DIY versions of this Etsy pick above. Here are a few versions that you might like to check out herehere and here.



Add art with holiday appeal that will look fresh all winter long such as the vintage print or the brass ornaments that you can display air plants. New linens like these gorgeous pillows (I'm obsessed with these pillows) add some holiday glam that will still hold when the tree comes down.

So there you go, a handful of Etsy finds for you to be inspired by or head over and check them out for yourself. (PS. Links to shop are below images.)

**There is a 20% off sale in my Etsy shop right now! The coupon code is HOLIDAY14SALE. 




Holiday Wrapping Ideas using vintage and recycled materials



These are images from a shoot I did for Gathering's Magazine Winter White issue last year, which I didn't really share with you but I still love and find relevant today.

I like to collect materials for gift wrapping year round. Things to make your gift unique and without spending a ton of money. So I invest in a few things I can utilize in different ways like Washi tape and twine. Then I look for items around the house, at thrift shops and antique markets that can add a unique look and because I'm re-using materials are enviro-friendly too. If you keep your eye out now you won't be under pressure and maybe you'll prevent having to buy as much newly made packaging.






Kraft paper, leftover fabric remnants, pages from old books make great gift wrap or can be made into pretty embellishments.

I save tissue paper, boxes, wrapping paper etc (if it's in good shape) from gifts we've recieved. It's not a big deal. Just smooth it out, fold it up and put it away until you can re-use it. It's not just being thrifty, it's also thinking green.

It's pretty easy to find ways to make your wrapping a little greener if you do a little advance planning and in my case, a little hoarding :)





If you visit thrift shops now you'll be able to pick up (if you're lucky) some vintage holiday ornaments. These make pretty adornments for gifts.

Vintage book pages can be folded into pinwheels gift toppers and cut into little leaves.  Use Washi tape to make your own gift tags.




I really like a monochromatic palette for gift wrap using a little old and a little new.








A little planning well-ahead of wrapping day will make your life easier and your gifts more unique.


holiday season countdown has begun - holiday trends

Halloween just closed up shop and before you could take a breath Christmas arrived. Admittedly, I start thinking about the holidays while we are just starting to feel the first heat waves of summer. It comes with the territory...

I know some of you may find the onslaught of the holidays this early kind of annoying, but as a retailer it is the most important time of the year. As a blogger and stylist, I also like to think about projects and ideas that I can share with you on this space.

So, to gently ease you into the holiday spirit here is a snapshot of my Pinterest Holiday Inspiration board right now.




I attended West Elm Toronto's Holiday preview last week. They are in full holiday mode and the collection is pretty impressive. I thought I'd share some of the collection with you and talk about a couple of this year's trends in holiday decor.





This was my favorite table.

It combines two of the biggest trends this year - animals and metallics and I'm seeing lots of marble and natural stone materials.


The woodland animal trend continues to be popular this year. Many of the retailers have their own take on this trend. I really enjoyed the collection from Artist Rachel Kozlowski. Dapper looking animals dressed up for the holidays. With the popular plaid trend showing up on some of the animals attire.

Wool blankets are always perfect for the holiday season but this year you are seeing more wool blankets on store shelves.

Gold, copper and rose gold. There is a metal for everyone out there. I love all the warm metals and don't you think the holidays are a great time to try out this trend?



I really like mixing natural fibers such as linens with warm metals and adding in fresh greenery. A little glitz mixed with understated works for me. West Elm does it well.


a little florida get-away...including some tips for Universal Orlando

Last week I snuck off to Florida with my daughter for a little mother-daughter holiday. It was so great to spend some one-on-one time with her. I remember doing the same with my mom and treasure those memories.


We spent about four days languishing on the beach at a hotel I used to go to as a child. It's old-school Florida style. You know the kind, on one of those stretches of the gulf that are full of low-rise motels and hotels which have been there forever. It's perfectly kitschy. 


This is what we woke up to every morning. Breakfast on our balcony overlooking the beach. I booked a room with a kitchen so we could stock up on healthy snacks and breakfast essentials. It is a great way to travel with kids. You don't have to worry about finding restaurants for every meal. 


A highlight for Isabella was a dolphin watching boat trip we took. We saw an amazing number of dolphins that day including a baby dolphin swimming with her mama!

Then we headed up to Orlando to meet up with my son who was on an epic holiday to Disney World with my brother and my sister-in-law. He had such an amazing time. Great memories :)




We joined them for a day at Universal Orlando. The kids are HUGE Harry Potter fans so we spent most of our time exploring The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley which just opened this past summer.


It was incredibly realistic and it was easy to get swept up into the whole Harry Potter experience. The attention to detail was pretty amazing. 

The kids visited Ollivander's to purchase their wizard wands and Julian got picked for the wand experience. So fun! If your kids buy the interactive wands they can practice their wizard skills throughout the park where kids (or grown-ups) can wave their wands, recite a spell and try to make magic happen. It's marketing genius.

If you go, make sure you buy the park-to-park pass. This allows you to take the Hogwarts Express between the parks. It's incredible. You board the train at King's Cross Station and travel to Hogsmeade's Station (or vice versa). It's more expensive but I think it's worth it if you want to get the full Harry Potter experience. 

We only spent a day here but I think you could easily budget for two days if you want to catch all the rides and experiences throughout the park (not just Harry Potter). 

We also purchased the Unlimited Express Pass ahead of time. I would say it is worth the extra expense in not having to wait to get on rides. However, check the details because there are some rides in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade where the Express Pass isn't valid. Another tip about purchasing tickets online is to select the Will-Call Kiosk to pick up your tickets. I was told it avoids waiting in long line-ups to get your tickets and it was for us. We pretty much sailed right through.

Although you can stay at a park resort we stayed outside the park at the Crowne Plaza Orlando (Universal) and I found it to be convenient. We had a car so we just drove to the park. We could have taken a shuttle but I found the schedule inconvenient. Parking was reasonable by my big city standards at $17 for the day. Staying out of the park will save you money but it's also worth looking into the park resorts because sometimes they have deals that include park tickets.

We all loved Universal Orlando but the crowd favorite was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter especially Diagon Alley.

If you have any questions about our experience at Universal Orlando let me know. I know I had lots of questions prior to planning this park experience.

So that was our little trip south :)