merry and bright

 wrapping up gifts is one of my favorite things to do. 

i surround myself with ribbons and papers and buttons and all sorts of odds and ends...using found objects instead of christmas bows.

and a secret from me to you: i like to wrap the majority of my presents in the brown parcel or craft paper/newsprint. it's timeless and looks great with a patterned ribbon and next to the louder colored packages. also, scrap booking paper and fabric work wonders to wrap with, especially for smaller gifts. spools of everyday ribbon, not christmas ribbon, will get more use year round. not to mention the selection is endless.

all of my paper this year is from ikea, target, and hobby lobby sheets of patterned papers (like the wood pattern below) and fabric ribbons.

matt and i are fond of it's a wonderful life...especially the scene where george offers to lasso the moon for mary. i fall for it every time!

i found a picture of the two of them from that scene for one of matt's gifts this year.

color and scents and warmth is bursting from this christmas house. 

(and you can't escape the front room without running into mistletoe...even in all of this cheap/plastic glory, i can't get past how sweet and simple mistletoe looks)

 

i hope everyone is having a fine weekend. tonight is our 2nd annual fancy christmas! this year is indian food, party crackers, $1 gift exchange, and dancing.
i should hide some mistletoe in my purse for later....