It's coming!

March 12th is sneaking up on us, our wedding day is almost here! Just five weeks from tommorow I get to marry this guy....

*TolentinoHarris Photography

It's coming so fast and I'm not sure if I can wait much longer. I will be busy getting caught up in wonderful wedding bliss, so the shop is closing February 28th until further notice. Now I'm praying for patience as I wait so anxiously to marry my man.

Psalm 37:7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him...

New Item: Lovely Lady Necklace

A perfectly lovely gift for your Valentine, your gal, your woman, your mom, your wife, your daughter or even your friend.....

Lovely Lady Necklace

ENJOY ♥

Sneak Peak

A little glance at what I'm working with in the shop...

GET EXCITED!!

Goodbye Christmas...Hello 2011!

I hate saying goodbye to Christmas, but it's always refreshing to say hello to a brand new year.

First things first, I'll be getting ready for Valentine's Day! In the shop that is. Kyle and I aren't even married yet, and we've long forgotten the V-day dinner dates and love notes. I guess we can blame that on having been together for seven years? Maybe a new marriage will spark some new Valentine's Day interest? Although I'm a huge "cheese-ball" I haven't seemed to miss the cheesey Valentine's celebrations.We shall see!

Humble Heart

Why I ♥ Christmas: Yummy Sweet Treats

Along with Christmas dinner comes DESSERT!! I am a lover of sweets, no doubt. Tonight for our annual Kleckley/Link Christmas dinner I'm bringing a southern favorite...Humingbird Cake! The recipe comes straight out of the Southern Living cookbook. I've been reading and looking at the pictures in my mom's Southern Living magazines since I was in elementary school.  Full of beautiful deisgn inspiration and yummy recipies, it's definitely my all-time favorite magazine! As soon as me and Kyle's home is complete, and our mailbox is put up I'm subscribing!

 

Humingbird Cake

What you'll need:

 3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamin

3 large eggs; beaten

1 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple

1 cup chopped pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)

What you'll do:

*Combine the first 5 ingredients in a LARGE bowl. Add the eggs and oil, stir until moist (do not beat). Stir in the vanilla, pineapples, pecans, and bananas.

*Pour batter into greased and floured pans of your choice (I used two cake pans). Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Let cool in pans for about 10 minutes, remove from pans and cool on wire racks.

*Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top/sides of the cake. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top if you wish! Store in refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Frosting

What you'll need:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter or margerine, softened

1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

What You'll Do:

*Beat cream cheese and butter with mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla.

Merry Christmas & ENJOY ♥

 

Why I ♥ Christmas: PLAID

Graceful Adornment

Plaid Medley

Plaid, plaid, and more plaid! I've been seeing it ALL OVER, and I love it! It's so Christmas. Plaid reminds me of a warm fire inside of a wooden cabin up in the Colorado mountains. Instead I'm enjoying 60 degree southern weather...NOT! Can we just have ONE year down here with COLD Christmas weather? PLEASE. Anywho - I found this vintage plaid ribbon, and I've been using it like crazy around here...if you can't tell already. 



Why I ♥ Christmas: Gift Wrapping

I love to give, because I love to see someone smile! What I really enjoy is gift wrapping before I give. I saw this gift tag idea in a Southern Living magazine a few years ago, and I have used it ever since.

How to: All you need is the cutest picture of that special someone who you're giving to. I usually copy/paste mine into a Word Document and shrink it to a size of 2.5"x1" (if you choose to print from your own computer). 

 Cut it out and glue the picture on your favorite paper. Add it to your gift which ever way you choose, and VOILA! You've got yourself a gift tag that is about as personalized as a gift tag can get.

Merry Christmas and ENJOY ♥

New: SUPER CUTE ETSY SHOP!

My friend Katie FINALLY opened her Etsy shop just in time for the holidays! She has some really cute ornaments in her shop...it's worth taking the extra minute to check out Libby Kate Designs.

This is what I just bought....

Why I ♥ Christmas: Dave Barnes' New Album

I'm taking a break from writing final papers, because I feel the need to share this with you. Dave Barnes has a new Christmas album... "Very Merry Christmas". I downloaded mine on iTunes for $6.99!
I'm pretty sure all of my friends who have been married danced on their wedding night to at least one of his songs, and we are more than likely going to be doing the same for our wedding. I'm already a fan of Dave Barnes, but because of this new Christmas album I'm a way bigger fan now.
From a cover of Bing Crosby's "I'll Be Home for Christmas" to a duet with Hillary Scott (from Lady Antebellum) this is a Christmas must have. In my iTunes window, this album defintely stays on repeat. :)

ENJOY ♥

Why I ♥ Christmas: My Favorite Color is Red

Maybe I'm partial to the color red because it's one of the two Christmas colors...who knows? I do love the color red. I like red walls, red shoes, red ribbon, red furniture, red coats, Rudolph's red nose, etc...It's been hard, but I've done well by not going over board with too many red items in my shop. Check out the couple of red items I DO have. ENJOY ♥

Plaid Medley Necklace

Christmas Rose Earrings

December Blog Series: Why I ♥ Christmas



Organic Bay Chili Wreath by FayeMarie at Etsy



If you've been following for a while, or if you know me well you know that I absolutely love Christmas! There are so many reasons I love Christmas, and I want to share them with you. I've decided a blog series focused on Christmas might help you comprehend the amount joy this time of year brings me. From delicious recipies to gift wrapping ideas,  all throughout the month of December I'm going to share with you several reasons Christmas brings me joy. Stay tuned to get inspired.

Check out the FayeMarie Etsy shop for completely unique Christmas decor.

ENJOY ♥

Monday: Free Shipping + Free CDJ Gift

In celebration of Cyber Monday I'm extending FREE worldwide shipping until tommorow at 7pm Central time. PLUS, a free gift with each Charm Du Jour purchase.

Check out Charm Du Jour HERE...And all new listings next week!

Luminous Holiday Necklace

It's BLACK FRIDAY!!

HAPPY BLACK FRIDAY!!!

Don't forget...FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING at Charm Du Jour!!

ENJOY ♥

Christmas Rose Necklace

Delighted Earrings

Lovely Lady Necklace

I am so Thankful!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm at a point in my life where my list of blessings seem to be as long as the Great Wall of China! I'm in grad school to teach, I have what I think is the perfect job working with the sweetest kids and staff, I'm getting married in March, I have a very loving family (and in March I'm going to have TWO wonderful families), and we are working to build our first home when we're married! I can walk, I can see, I can hear, I have warm meals every night (thanks mom!!)...I have so many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving that my list would take up 5 blog posts (NO LIE).

Grandma's Button Ring

Don't get me wrong...everything isn't always perfect over here every second of everyday, and when it's not I have to remind myself to count the blessings I do have.Don't forget to be thankful for YOUR many blessings!! What are some things you're thankful for?

ENJOY ♥ your Thanksgiving!

Black Friday = FREE SHIPPING EVERYWHERE!!!

It's almost BLACK FRIDAY and everyone gets FREE shipping all around the world...Friday until Sunday!!

By the way have you always wondered where the term Black Friday comes from???

I have! I've always wondered where in the world they (whoever it was) thought of the name "Black Friday". To close out my curiosity, I did a little research. Don't ask why I'm doing research when I don't have to, but believe it or not I did.

We all know it's the Friday after Thanksgiving, the start of Christmas shopping, and the start of insane holiday trafffic! Even the Macy's Thanksgiving parade celebrates the beginning of the shopping season. My sisters and I grew up watching the Macy's Thanksgiving parade EVERY SINGLE Thanksgiving morning...If you haven't noticed, guess who closes out the parade?? SANTA CLAUSE! Santa Clause ends the parade every year with the song "Here Comes Santa Clause". He symbolizes the start of the Christmas season. Watch this year and you'll notice!

Browsing around the internet I found out the term Black Friday wasn't made up just for this shopping day. It was actually first used with a financial crisis way back in 1869. That's kind of funny because I'm sure there's plenty of us who experience "financial crisis" after an entire day shopping from 3 a.m. until midnight!

Anywho the term has recently been used on the day after Thanksgiving, because retailers see a rare increase in sales which puts them "in the black" (if you're an accountant you should know what this means). For those of you who don't know, I found out it means recording losses in red and gains in black. So, the huge boost in sales puts the retailers in the black. THIS is how the crazy shopping day after Thanksgiving gets its name.

Don't forget to check out Charm Du Jour Friday-Sunday for FREE SHIPPING!!!