{Holidays 2012} Home for the Holidays

Welcome to our home for the holidays!  Today, we're going to take a little tour of our home sweet home, dressed up holiday-style.  We don't have a strict theme or color scheme so our home will never win any holiday decorating contests.  But it is decorated with a lot of heart & we love it!

 A fresh wreath adorns our front door & fills our entrance with the holiday smell of evergreens:

When our first two Christmas cards arrived in early December, I absentmindedly placed them on the mirror in our front entrance until I could find a better spot.  I decided I really liked the look & made a small display of the good tidings & cheer sent to us by family & friends:

On our dining room table, we have our modern Christmas tree decorated with a few of our favorite Christmas ornaments:

The dining room shelves contain many Christmas decorations but my very favorite is our glitter platter that dances in the light of our hurricane candle:

The small white chest that holds our wedding shadowbox gets a holiday upgrade with Christmas ornaments, Christmas cottage & green candles:

We don't have a chimney so hung by the white chest with care are our traditional red & white stockings with a bit of snowflake bling:

The top of our armoire is cleared off to make way for my snowy Christmas village:

 

And then we have our Christmas tree, decorated with a mixture of my ornaments, my husband's ornaments & our ornaments given to us at my bridal shower.  So pretty, so special:

Thank you for joining me for a short & sweet tour of our home for the holidays!

Our First Christmas

Our First Christmas as husband & wife ♡

Our personalized First Christmas ornament arrived from Oceanside Designs &, well, it's simply perfect.  I chose our favorite wedding photo, then Mel took it away & designed this amazing ornament that we will treasure forever.  I planned to save it as a Christmas gift for RZ but once I had the pretty package in my hand, I knew there was no waiting.  That baby went right on the tree to be enjoyed & admired!

I am so, so excited to make the beautiful First Christmas memories that we will always associate with this ornament. 

On that note, I'm bowing out from blogging until 2012.  Let's make a date to meet back here on January 2 & continue to have our wedding jollies in the new year ☺   

May your holidays be merry & bright!

Photo by Koru Kate

Holiday Date Night, Take Two

My hubs & I made a very important decision: 2011 could not be the year of No Lights at Rock Center.  We wouldn't let this happen.  Holiday Date Night, Take Two became a reality with one critical change in our game plan: the tree first, dinner second.  You can't accuse us of not learning from our mistakes!

Last Friday night, like the holiday troopers we are, we made our way to crowded Rockefeller Center & breathed a sigh of relief when we were greeted by this familiar, beautiful sight:

LIGHTS!!!!!!!!!  Camera!  Action!

We paused for a bit to admire the graceful ice skaters:

We can't leave well enough alone so we posed for one more holiday photo with the LIT tree:

Seconds after this photo was snapped, we witnessed a man propose to his surprised girlfriend.  (I stopped myself from handing them my business card, ha!)  I felt like we were on a movie set for a moment.  Pure holiday magic!

Our Holiday Date Night, Take Two got even better, continuing with a delicious dinner in the West Village.  But dinner wasn't the best part.  As we strolled through the charming, decorated streets, we were delighted to stumble upon Christmas carolers singing holiday tunes.  I've never seen & heard Christmas carolers in real life.  Let me tell you, it was quite cool.  More holiday magic!!


Now our Newlywed Holiday Date Night will be remembered as The Year of No Lights at Rock Center, followed by Lights & Pure Holiday Magic.  ♡  XOXO   ♥ 

Holiday Date Night

RZ & I have a Christmas tradition that began during our first Christmas as boyfriend & girlfriend: Holiday Date Night in New York City.  Holiday-season Manhattan is absolutely magical from the Lord & Taylor windows to the Fifth Avenue star & everything in between.  I have adored admiring the holiday cheer since I was kid; it's even more special to share it with the man I love.  Holiday Date Night 2011 was hotly anticipated because we would enjoy it as newlyweds. 

Our newlywed Holiday Date Night started out like every other one with the holiday windows at Macy's at 34th Street.  My favorite window was the spinning bucket of champagne:

Next up, Lord & Taylor, always my vote for best holiday windows.  Check out this snowy scene:

Bryant Park is festive during the holidays with ice skating & shopping.  We always pose by their icy blue tree &, well, thank goodness (more on that later):

Dylan's Candy Bar hosted a pop-up shop this year & I couldn't resist taking a peek at the candyland.  Is this candy Christmas tree not a candy-lover's dream come true?!

We never forget to pay homage to my husband's Filipino heritage with a swing by the Philippines Center's gorgeous holiday display of parols (p.s. I still want one):

We strolled up Fifth Avenue, passing Santa, Grinch, Reindeer & Snowmen.  No, not decorations- walking, talking Santa & crew (only in NYC)!  The Rockefeller Christmas Tree was crazy crowded & we decided to come back after dinner.  First, we saw Cartier, tied up with a holiday red bow:

Time to eat, drink & be merry!  We enjoyed a delicious, traditional steakhouse dinner at one our favorites, Wolfgang's Steakhouse.  Bonus: we met Wolfgang:

Stuffed & happy, we made our way back to Rockefeller Center, only to find this disheartening sight:

Sad but true: Lights out at Rockefeller Center at 11:30pm.  In the city that never sleeps!  BOO!!

But hey, we wouldn't let one little glitch ruin our newlywed Holiday Date Night.  Just a few blocks away, we found more holiday cheer.  A bright, happy Christmas light strand put smiles back on our faces:

More holiday smiles at the biggest, merriest Christmas ornaments:

Our newlywed Holiday Date Night was so fun & so special.  I will remember it forever as the year of no lights at Rock Center! 

Photos by Koru Kate

My Wedding Invitation Ornament

From inspiration to reality . . .


One of the first images I pinned was the wedding invitation ornament:

I loved the idea, especially since I had a wedding invitation or ten collecting dust.  I promised myself to make my wedding invitation ornament when the Christmas season arrived.  My Christmas spirit kicked into full swing this weekend & I started this DIY project with my extra-large, clear ornament:

I set out my supplies: my pocket wedding invitation; my outer & response envelopes for color; my ruler & exacto knife in place of fancy cutting matts; & my pencil:

I separated my wedding invitation from its pocket &, I'm not going to lie, I started to freak out a bit about cutting up my wedding invitation.  It seemed wrong!  Then I reminded myself the extra invitation was doing no good collecting dust.  I detailed 1/2 inch strips & began cutting:

I repeated this process with my wedding invitation, response card, reception card, hotel card & both envelopes.  I decided to cut my pocket only if needed.  I had an extra-large ornament to fill; you probably don't need more than a wedding invitation for a regular-size ornament.  As soon as I had a decent pile of strips, I wrapped each strip around my pencil to curl it into a swirl & dropped it in the ornament:

Soon, my wedding invitation ornament was filled to the brim!  I couldn't control how or where my swirled strips landed but they naturally arranged themselves just perfectly.  I spy meaningful details like my maiden name, my husband's first name, our reception location, our zip code & more:

I played around with adding different ribbons & other details to my wedding invitation ornament & nothing looked right.  In the end, my simple wedding invitation ornament is quite lovely on our newlywed Christmas tree:

  
We'll admire & treasure our wedding invitation ornament for years to come!


P.S. I still have extra wedding invitations (the stationer in me ordered plenty of extras just in case!).  Do you have any creative, holiday or non-holiday ideas?


Photo 1 via, Photo 2-7 by Koru Kate

Cranberry Craze

I'm officially dreaming of Christmas.  Nope, not a white Christmas; I'm not a huge fan of the white stuff.  A cozy Christmas with a crackling fire, a glittering tree & a festive table.  A pretty table just like the one above. 

I would love, LOVE this gorgeous holiday tablescape.  I pinned the image forever ago & I'm still a huge fan.  It's the perfect balance of stunning & attainable, unlike many of the images in Martha Stewart that require a professional crew to assemble & display.  Nope, I think I may be able to manage this DIY project!  Fill a glass container with water, cranberries & hydrangea, then add holly & pine needles.  Decorate your table with thick ribbons & sparkly garland.  Be creative: pick ribbon & garland colors & patterns to match your holiday look.  Place your cranberry arrangement on your ribbon/garland runner & you have instant holiday magic for your merry festivities! 

Holiday/Winter Brides, the cranberry hydrangea arrangements are just lovely as centerpieces.  For the sake of simplicity, you could nix the ribbon/garland runner & choose a beautiful table linen instead.  If you're having anything other than an intimate wedding with one or two tables, I'd skip the DIY route & put a florist in charge but maybe that's just me.

If you haven't noticed, I adore the holiday season.  If I'm missing any DIY holiday fabulousness, please share!!!!

Photo via

Koru Kate Finds: Holiday Tree Alternative

Forgive me, Koru family & friends, as I have Christmas on my mind.  I blame Pinterest.  While I can successfully & willfully ignore store Christmas displays until after Thanksgiving, it's really, really difficult to pass up the enticing holiday crafts, decor & recipes on Pinterest.  I caved & pinned an idea for our handmade Christmas cards weeks ago.  Last night, this simple Christmas tree wouldn't let me pass it by: 

Idea & Image via

Today, this Christmas tree alternative comes to you as my latest Koru Kate Finds.  Can you guess what this Christmas tree is made of?  A tomato cage!!!!!!!!  


Yes, that's right: a cheap tomato cage.  You can find them in your nearest garden center or garden aisle of a large store like Home Depot or Target.  Simply flip it upside down, cover it in lights & you have a festive Christmas tree.  


I wouldn't use this alternative tree to replace my actual Christmas tree but I can think of a million & one fun ways to use them for my holiday decor.  A few cage trees in various heights would make for a very pretty lawn or front porch display.  Or perhaps place an alternative tree to add some Christmas love to an empty tabletop or foyer.  Bay windows are the prime spot for alternative trees to be enjoyed from inside &  outside of your home.  


Winter Brides, these cheery Christmas trees are perfection for winter wedding decor!  A few grouping of these alternative trees are a fabulous winter touch for your altar.  Place a few on the floor by your head table or sweetheart table to make a twinkly statement.  Add a few of these alternative trees to make your photo booth backdrop wintery.  Maybe put a few at the front entrance of your church &/or reception space for a winter touch.  Just use your imagination!  


Can you forgive me for bringing up Christmas so early?  Pretty please with a cherry on top?   

Christmastime in the City

RZ & I have a holiday tradition: we spend one winter night in New York City admiring the Christmas decorations. There is nothing like Manhattan during the holidays! The night includes dinner, holiday sightseeing & window shopping. Our wanderings include the Lord & Taylor windows, the Bryant Park shops & ice rink, the Fifth Avenue star, the Saks Fifth Avenue snowflakes & windows &, of course, the Rockefeller Center tree. Hands down, it's one of my favorite nights of the year.


Here are a few highlights from our 2010 Holiday Night:

Empire State Building in the Holiday Spirit

The Glorious Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center

The Rockefeller Center Ice Rink

Our holiday smiles

The Angels & Snowflakes are My Favorite Things

Happy Holidays!

O Christmas Tree

Our Christmas Tree decorated

with the sentimental bridal shower ornaments

Bailey takes a holiday nap by our Christmas tree

Our condo is decorated for the holidays & transformed into our personal winter wonderland. We hauled out the decorations, played Christmas tunes & made holiday memories. This year, we had the most fun decorating our Christmas tree with the new Christmas ornaments handpicked by our beloved family & friends. I don't think our tree has ever looked more beautiful or meant so much to us.

Happy Holidays!

Engaged Elf

Christmas is special this year because it's our one & only as an engaged couple. As such, I donned my Soon-to-Be Mrs. gear as we made like Christmas elves & decorated our condo. RZ snapped this quick photo of me placing the first ornament on our Christmas tree. We're enjoying every precious moment!

Bridal Shower Christmas Tree

RZ & I love decorating our home for Christmas & this year, it's extra-special because we have the bridal shower ornaments. Each guest brought a Christmas ornament to hang on our tree. I came home with two, large baskets of beautiful ornaments. We had the most fun sorting through the ornaments to see who brought us what ornament. We couldn't have picked better ornaments ourselves!

We won't decorate our Christmas tree until Sunday so, in the meantime, I placed our modern Christmas "tree" in its usual spot on the dining room table. I picked the first eleven ornaments from one basket & decorated our modern "tree." Not only does it look beautiful, we look at the ornaments & think of our family & friends. Love, love.

From left to right . . . First is the snowflake ornament from my sister Mary who knows how much I love decorating with snowflakes. Second is the angel ornament from dear family friends Laurie & Julie who know a thing or two about angels in our lives. Third is the Starbucks ornament from my Mom who drinks Starbucks lattes like water. Fourth is a classic Christmas tree ornament from my fun friends Teresa & Marisa. Fifth is the snowman & penguin ornament from our darling flower girl CJ. Sixth is the checker cab ornament- just like our wedding day transportation!- from our beagle Bailey. Seventh is a beagle ornament in honor of Bailey from three sweet kids in our family. Then we have another beagle ornament in Bailey's honor from my Aunt Tami's wild menagerie of cats & dogs. Ninth is a bling engagement ring ornament from my cousin Chloe to commemorate our engagement. Tenth is a framed engagement photo from my Aunt Tami. Last but not least is a cupcake ornament from my Aunt Dee who knows I love a good cupcake.

The rest of the ornaments from the bridal shower are saved for our Christmas tree. We are lucky & blessed to have Christmas decorations hand-picked by our family & friends to treasure forever!