In addition to showing you beautiful pictures of the many wreaths we hang at Bella Terra during the holidays, the purpose of this post is the “behind the scenes” about wreaths.

I am often asked where we put all our “things”. If you invest in a well-made, substantial wreath you know they can cost a pretty penny. By accident, I found this storage system works for most of our wreaths.

Many years ago I was in charge of the grammar school memory boxes, you know those containers where the teachers put a year’s worth of student work and give it to parents on the last day of school. I found these large “pizza” style boxes measuring 14″ x 14″ x 3″ which worked perfectly for collecting all that paperwork.

With several boxes leftover, I found they also work well for storing our wreaths. I bought them in bulk and am not sure they can be purchased in small quantities. However, if you live in Phoenix, maybe we can get a small group together and split a bundle.

I use so many pipe cleaners in my decorating. I still have many left over from all those school art projects and this tip came from my friend, Janie. I use pipe cleaners to hang my wreaths and also to secure bows to wreaths. They are also great for hanging garland on bannisters because their fuzzy exterior protects the surface. Pipe cleaners are perfect for securing ornaments to tree branches too!

What did we do before Command Brand hooks? It has only been in the last few years that I have hung a wreath on our Dutch door that leads from the mudroom to the back porch. That Command hook is still strongly affixed and now it is so easy to hang seasonal wreaths.

On the much larger wreaths, like the one on the well tower, those are just wrapped in plastic and hung in the garage.

The wreaths in the family are hung with small hooks (that we leave up all year). My husband added grommets to the ribbons which are left attached to the wreath. With this easy system, the wreaths are up in under 5 minutes.

Wreaths are an easy way to transition from season to season. Generally, it is the first decoration we tackle to start the holidays.

Any fun holiday decorating tips/shortcuts you would like to share? December is quickly upon us and now it’s a dash to Christmas! Happy decorating and have a wonderful Tuesday!

I don’t know about you, but I am STILL cleaning up after Thanksgiving. It was a wonderful day, especially with the weather being moody and overcast.

If you are looking for a cocktail (or can be made without alcohol) for Christmas, this one is certainly the right color! I am not a fan of anything too sweet, and these Cranberry Bourbon Sours were tart and refreshing. Click here for the recipe from Half Baked Harvest. We made a pitcher of them this week which was perfect for drop-in guests.

One of our family holiday traditions is collectively selecting a cake from Tessa Huff’s book Layered and then baking it. The Bittersweet Chocolate Orange Spice Cake was not as labor intensive as some of the other cakes we’ve made, but the flavors were rich and perfect for the season. Sprinkled with salt and decorated with kumquats from our tree, made this 3 layer cake even more attractive.

Now we are onto Christmas. Can you believe it is 25 days away? I woke up in the middle of the night a bit worried about getting everything accomplished-our Christmas card, my annual Christmas painting, decorating the house, entertaining~~the thought of it all swirling around in my head. I came to the conclusion at some early hour in the morning that maybe this is the year to just simplify it all.

I know many bloggers have had Christmas up since Halloween, but I am a bit of a traditionalist and remember the days when the Christmas season officially began the day after Thanksgiving.

The downside to waiting is the rush to get it all done. However, I am now debating whether I truly need to build the glitter village and the unpack the numerous snow globes.

Perhaps this is the year to just decorate with fresh greens and a few traditional items like our Christmas art. I am spending this weekend getting the house back in order and then re-thinking a new way to decorate for Christmas. Maybe less is more?

However, it ALL does comes together somehow and that is the magic of the holidays. The goal is to welcome it with a jolly spirit and not sweat the small stuff. Remember to do things that “spark joy”

Wishing you a wonderful weekend. I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with family and love.

I know it is the day before Thanksgiving and I am sure you are busy with recipes, family, friends, guests and just about everything.

So today’s post will be a quick one, completely unrelated to Thanksgiving.

I am wrapping up another painting class session with the amazing teacher/artist Joann Augur. The class is once a week for 3 hours; classes run for 6 weeks.

The focus has been on values, which I really struggle with. Value is the lightness or darkness of color or hue. If a painting doesn’t have value, it tends to be flat, lifeless and uninteresting. Creating dark areas of contrast is my challenge~~my darks are never dark enough.

So this is a great class for me to take. The good news is that if I don’t like what I have painted, I can paint over it. None of these paintings are finished, but I imagine I will try to do so at some point in the future, as they don’t fall under my “absolutely ghastly” category.

We are 5 weeks into this painting period and I believe I missed one = 4 paintings focusing on value. If you have an interest in taking up painting, I encourage you to do so. It has only been a few years for me, and I know I have a lot to learn, but it forces me outside of my comfort zone.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog post today. I am grateful to you for all the support, ideas, and comments that help me be better at this blogging life.

Wishing you and yours a happy, blessed Thanksgiving.

I didn’t intend for the Thanksgiving centerpiece to match the artwork in the dining room but it happily does! Every few months I’ve been hanging different art, trying to find just the right piece.

It’s easy to decorate the same way year after year and there’s comfort in that. But how do I use what I have and put a different spin on it? The crosshatched mercury candleholders in a coppery tone from West Elm was the first step of the inspiration. They were on sale for $5.00 each.

A few years ago, I started using plants as the majority staple in my centerpieces, adding a small amount of cut flowers. Planting them in the yard later is a way of re-purposing and seemed more economical. We are so fortunate to have a fabulous nursery (Whitfill Nursery) right around the corner from our home.

Whitfill has the most beautiful Cinnamon Petunias with lovely rusty, coral flowers. Succulents are a mystery to me, but the green and bronze hues are so perfect with my candle holders. The plant list includes: White Ornamental cabbage, Red Bor Kale; the succulents are Graptoeria Fredives and Vera Higgins Graptosedum.

I am a bit of a garden geek and Whitfill Nursery is one of my happy places. Where else can you go look at a huge variety of plants, see peacocks and goats, interact with a welcoming and helpful staff on a gorgeous sunny day?

The cut flowers are alstroemeria and roses from Safeway.

I transplanted all the plants out of their plastic containers into plain white bowls (Emma pattern from Pottery Barn). Flowers are placed at various heights in small glass vases and tucked into the plants.

Again, my Windsor Ware plates are just perfect for this time of year. I chose to use a darker wood charger, softened with pale pink wine glasses. White and orange pumpkins were added to play down the white bowls.

I had some leftover seeded eucalyptus which I randomly stuffed into the edges.

It’s nice to have the table set and ready to go. Today we will do all the food shopping and pick up the turkey. I expect the stores to be a bit of a madhouse in the midst of the holiday rush. The next few days will include many hours in the kitchen~~a joyful time indeed!

Is your table set? Have you done all your shopping? Or better yet, are you going elsewhere for Thanksgiving dinner?

Happy Tuesday, my dear friends.

When I start my morning off right, it seems like the day follows suit. I wake up to the Birds Chirping alarm on my iPhone. Sometimes I just let it sing to me as it is such a pleasant sound.

I wash my face with Skin Medica face wash. Next I put on their Lumvive Day Damage Defense Serum and then add their HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator. Last step is their Total Defense + Repair Broad Spectrum SPF 34 moisturizer. Gosh, these adjectives make my face sound like an old broken down car! However, I can honestly say I really like the results. I have found that the travel kit is the best deal as these products are not inexpensive. I order them from the Dermstore (here) or Amazon here.

A quick brush through the hair and into my workout clothes for either Pilates or a trip to the gym.

Before I leave, I faithfully have my morning cup of Joe. I really adore my Nespresso Breville machine (one of the best birthday presents ever). In my coffee, I add 2 scoops of Vital Proteins collagen peptides and mix thoroughly before adding my steamed almond milk. I cannot eat first thing in the morning so this is my “breakfast” as the powder has 18 grams of protein. It’s enough to get me through my workout, while providing nutrients to my joints, hair and skin.

An hour or so later, when I get back from exercising, I have a bite to eat. Typically it is something involving eggs, because there is nothing better than the fresh gifts our chickens give us each day. Probiotic and vitamins come next.

Then it is off to the shower to tackle the day. Even on those days where I am home working on the blog, paying bills or doing chores, I try to dress a little nicer than sweats or yoga pants. I recently read Forever Chic by Tish Jett.

The book was loaded with beauty and style secrets French woman possess wherever they are. It is a reminder that it is okay to wear pajama pants at home but not in public. Sometimes it is easy to let ourselves go, especially when we are so comfortable around our homes. It might be adding a spritz of perfume or a fun lip color, but doing a small gesture to make yourself feel put together, sets the course for the day.

This routine works for me. What are your morning rituals? Have a happy Wednesday!

We all have times in our lives where we feel like we have one stress after another. The weight of the world weighs heavily on our shoulders. Sometimes it is fleeting; other times you want to shout out to the universe enough already!

Though it would be nice to have stress-free days, life just doesn’t work that way. And if you don’t decompress every now and again, then Everything is Overwhelming.

I find myself good at handling the big challenges, but sometimes the little things just get under my skin.

So what do you do to relieve the stress? Here are some of the ways I try to redirect the annoyance, anger, problem or just plain crankiness.

Take a break and carve out some quiet time. Making a nice cup of tea, finding a good magazine and just taking 20 minutes to myself with magazine distraction is an easy balm for the soul.

Exercise. I’ve decided that I would be a very grumpy person if I didn’t exercise. It doesn’t have to be to a fancy gym or with a trainer. A brisk walk, a long bike ride, a hike, or stretching are easy, non-costly things that pay big dividends.

Watch a sunset or sunrise. Taking the time to mark the beginning or ending of a day, may help your realize that the sun will be up again tomorrow.

Turn off your technology and get outside. A trip to my garden/hen house magically erases anything that is weighing heavily on my mind. Not sure why that is, but I seem to forget the woes and concentrate on what’s blooming, who’s eating my strawberries or time to pull that weed.

Baking. I tend to do this when I’m a bit aggravated. I throw on my apron, turn on the music and bake. The only danger is that it may be a dessert or something decadent.

Run a bubble bath and light some candles. Easing into warm water with bath salts can provide a well-deserved “Calgon take me away” moment.

My children are such sources of joy. If they are not nearby to hug, I play my many years of memories in my mind and remind myself how lucky I am. I pick up the phone and call them, or send them a funny text. Their quick responses are a reminder of how loved I am. They always put life in perspective!

Love on the dogs/cats. Did you know that petting an animal actually lowers your blood pressure? Our pets love us unconditionally and will provide the love and attention we need when we are feeling our lowest.

Do something creative-for me it is finishing or tweaking a painting.

Do something nice for yourself. Buy flowers. Get a haircut. Taking the time to acknowledge you need some pampering is a good thing.

When all else fails, turn it over to a higher being. Sometimes you just need to let it go and trust that it will all be okay.

What do you do to relieve stress? Wishing you a relaxing Tuesday!