It's Here...Holiday Decorating!

It time to pull out your winter coats, favorite to-go coffee mugs, best knee-high boots, and the Christmas boxes from storage. I spent the majority of my weekend fitting in time swapping my Fall decor for my Christmas ones. I grabbed a cup of coffee in my favorite Christmas mug and put on the Christmas play list from Pandora. It was so much fun and definitely felt like Christmas with it being close to 40 degree's outside.

Now our house is decorated in red, white, green, gold, with a little bit of glitz! Since I have tackled the decorating aspect of this time of year now it's time for the wrapping of the gifts. I sat, happily, on my couch and did some online shopping on black Friday. I have completed my list and now I must wait for the boxes to show up at my door! With my luck I am sure that they will all arrive on the same day and I will be scrambling to get them wrapped so the hubs won't be tempted to sneak a peek at the gifts!

~Drake

Quick Pic

Fabric samples for Drake Men neckties!

Garden Stools...For Sitting or Decor?

Generally these are for outdoor sitting use but I find that they sometimes go best indoors. I fully believe that pieces like this can pull everything together. Don't get me wrong purchasing a beautiful couch and chairs is important but having small decor pieces really complete a look.

A stool, like these, is currently on my wish list. I have been loving this style lately. The hubs and I have a deep red, Japanese style, console table in our entryway and I would love to have something like this next to it. I am thinking that one of the oriental (blue/white) stools would look the best but anyone of these styles would do.

Decor Pad

{Apartment Therapy}

{Design Chic}

{Via}

{Taditional Home}

{Ashley Whtaker}

{Belle Maison}

~ Drake

{Long} Weekend View

I hope everyone had a great long holiday weekend! Our Thanksgiving was filled with cooking, eating, talking, laughing, football, some Black Friday shopping, and finishing the weekend out with some much needed lounging on the couch. As we all know, holiday season is my favorite. When I was younger I couldn't wait to get together with the whole family at my Aunt's house. You would always find us cousins in one of the back rooms playing some sort of game. As we have gotten older that has turned into all the women talking around the dinner table and half the men in the backyard playing football while the other men 'watch' football...aka sleeping! I was always nervous that as we all grow up this time of year would feel different and it is different...but in the best way. My sister and I did the cooking this year, which was so much fun, and our little cousin's that would rather be playing video games or football now have our husbands! This year was so much fun and I can't wait for Christmas Eve when we get to do it all over again.

On Friday night, instead of fighting the shopping crowds, I brewed some coffee, sat on my couch, started and completed my Christmas shopping list. My husband laughed while shaking his head the whole time. He probably would have rather been at the stores but why bother?! You can get free shipping, the same deals, and you don't have to worry about crazy shoppers. Which always puzzled me...why is it that come Black Friday everyone looses their manners and it's a 'free for all'. Here are some of the photos from this past week!

Wednesday- cooking Thanksgiving dinner...Green Bean bundles so good!

While the food was cooking in the oven we had time to workout

to Michael Jackson's dance game on the Wii!

Thanksgiving feast! Turkey, Ham, Stuffing, Mashed Potato casserole,

green bean bundles, gravy, rolls and salad = amazingness :)

Photo time - Me and my beautiful pregnant sister!

Me and the hubs

Of course finishing up with some football.

How was your Thanksgiving?!

Currently Loving...

Hello! Yesterday was filled with Drake Men and some crazy crowded grocery store shopping with my sister for Thanksgiving dinner. We are taking on the task of cooking for our family...30 people! Tomorrow my sisters house will be filled with the delicious smells of stuffing, gravy, green bean bundles, mashed potato casserole, and cookies. Then after a hard days work my family likes to get together for a 'warm-up' dinner at our favorite Mexican food restaurant. It's going to be so much fun!

On top of all of that the Houston weather is playing nice and brought in some very cool weather for the Holiday! Here are a few things that I wanted to share with you that I am currently loving...

All black ensembles

This inviting entryway

Candlelight, wine, and conversation at Thanksgiving

The chandelier and this island...amazing

Enough said.

Thanksgiving Rush!

Thanksgiving is officially just a few days away and everything for has been pushed into high gear! Today will be filled with grocery and party store visits with my beautiful pregnant sister and Wednesday will be cooking day! As we know, this is my favorite time of the year. Crowded stores, chaos going on in the Kitchen, and last little minute 'wardrobe' preparations. Family members have come in for this holiday that allow us to give thanks but also eat some amazing food!

In the midst of Thanksgiving preparations I will be MIA with my posts this week. I may pop in a few 'behind the scene' photos of my sister and I making dinner for 30 people, but other than that I am off! What are you loves up to this Thanksgiving?! Any family traditions?

~Dylan

Fitness Thursdays!

So this past week I haven't been 'on the ball' with going to the gym everyday...okay I haven't gone since Friday. I have been busy with work, and even though that is NO excuse to miss the gym 6 days in a row, I can report that I have been eating healthy! I mean really, really healthy. I went to Women's Health to get a few tips on food items that are filling, healthy, and figure friendly. Here is what I found...

Including all of these foods in my meals everyday makes me feel good. Usually when I haven't been to the gym in a while I end up feeling heavier, having less energy, tired, and just not myself. It really has been six days, I wouldn't lie to you :), and I truly feel great. Yes, my stomach could feel a little tighter and my thighs need some running and squats but I still find myself having the same amount of energy. I also am drinking a lot of water...A LOT! It really flushes out your system.

With finalizing a lot of things for our merchandise with Drake Men I find it difficult to leave the computer. Emailing, making phone calls, researching, it has gotten me out of the 'workout' mode I was in for so long. Tomorrow I will be celebrating the end of a long work week in the gym! Yes I know, it may sound crazy but I need to shock my body back into the fitness mode...the Holidays are technically starting a week from today...Yikes!

Remember eat healthy, take the stairs instead of the elevator (I do!), drink water like you drink your coffee...a lot! Ha-Ha.

~Dylan

Currently Loving...

Vintage suitcases and trunks. I really believe that adding a few vintage pieces to your home brings in the lived in feeling. I came across a fashion trunk last night and started shopping around for one. All of a sudden I was side tracked with these gorgeous inspiration photos of vintage suitcases and trunks being used at decoration. Here in the Heights area of Houston we have some of the best antique stores I may just have to drag my mom and sister with me one day to score the shops for some vintage finds!

Would you use these pieces to decorate your home?

~Dylan

Dreaming...

Over the last couple of years I have saved a ton of interior design photos. Last night I decided to go through my few hundred that I have and pick out my favorites. I quickly began to realize that I was deciding photos based on what my dream home would be and also that each room as a different style! My husband and I say that our style is classic, modern, eclectic, vintage, mixed in with some traditional. It's a lot I know but it's so true. We pick pieces by themselves, we rarely say 'well is this going to match the couch, chairs, and rugs'. Everything flows nicely together mainly because of the colors but we have things that are all different styles. For instance in our living room we have two brown leather vintage chairs but in our entry way we have a deep red Japanese inspired table. Our living room is classic mixed with vintage style furniture but our bedroom is modern black and white all the way. It's different but it's us.

My husband and I have always known that when we decide to leave the high rise lifestyle that we will be moving into a three story townhouse...so here is what it will, hopefully, look like.

Traditional from the outside...

Dramatic when you walk through the front door

Warm and cozy living room to watch our black and white movies...
 

 Simple and clean kitchen that the husband and I will drink
our coffee and make breakfast in every morning.

 Pops of color, black doors, and classic table and chairs that I would home to tons of dinner parties!

  I have always wanted a library where the hubs and I could go

and read our magazines and favorite books.

 Master bedroom...the love of my black and white rooms

 A women's dream to have a huge walk in closet!

 Master bathroom. That chandelier would be my pride and joy!

 His and Her studies and both very different. Mine is much more vintage and I would be able to draw so much inspiration being in there. My husbands is much more masculine, clean, with a vintage feel.

What would your dream house look like?

~Dylan

Wish List {Outwear} Continued

As it is getting closer to Thanksgiving I find myself emailing my mom and the hubs over and over again with new Christmas present ideas. I am, with out a doubt, a coat freak. I have more than the Houston weather allows me to wear but I can't seem to get enough of them. During the winter I feel that the jacket that you wear truly needs to complete your outfit. It will be the first thing people see until you remove it to show your true outfit under the coat. Here are a few winter coats that I just can't get enough of and if I had the space in my closet I would purchase every single one!

Fall Fashion Coats {Wish List} by sdrake75 featuring h&m coats

Blue coat, $66
Cape coat, $80
Old Navy cropped jacket, $55
Black coat, $76
H m coat, $56
Ruffle coat, $95
Double breasted coat, £40
Forever21 coat, $45


What's on your wish list?

~Dylan

Wish List {Shabby Apple}

We know my love of the 1940's and 1950's fashion so this Christmas I have made a wish list of my favorite finds on one of my favorite websites, http://www.shabbyapple.com/.

 {1},{2},{3},{4},{5},{6},{7},{8}

~Dylan

Weekend View

This weekend was full of quality family time, football, the Riverwalk, and a little incident that resulted in being at the ER until 3 am. San Antonio is such a great place for a mini vacation. Lots of things to do, tons of places to eat up and down the Riverwalk, and most places on the Riverwalk have Happy Hour ALL day! Of course I was with family and some of them are not of age yet so there was none of that going on. Here are a few photos of the amazing time we had.

Cousins,#12, playoff game

Some of the cousin's had time to pose for a photo in between the cheering and yelling

Great weather for the Riverwalk the next day

One of the MANY Mexican food restaurants

Some shops

Walking through Downtown

~Dylan