'twas the night before christmas...

'twas the night before christmas and all through the house, 

the creatures are stirring, especially my spouse.

the stockings are in storage but were boxed with care, 

i hope that st nicholas won't stop there.

the baby is nestled all snug in her bed, 

i wonder if visions of new toys and books dance in her head.

santa and his reindeer are on their way,

when he finally arrives, we'll yell hip-hip-hooray!

there are cookies and cupcakes, hope mr nicholas takes a bite,

happy christmas to all...and to all a good night!

diy cake (or any other food) stand

presentation is everything and food always tastes better when it's served on something pretty!  

i love vintage cake/dessert/whatever stands, especially in milk glass.  luckily, i've never purchased any for fear that it will fuel my desire to start a collection.  a few months ago, i came across some cute dessert stands made from repurposed kitchen items and thought, what an easy and brilliant idea...and decided to make some myself.  presenting...the diy cake (or dessert, food, flowers, whatever) stand! 

this is my holiday set!  i found some awesome vintage christmas plates made in England by Strode at a thrift shop for only $1 a piece (most of the ones on ebay are $10/plate)...score!  i also purchased the cute glass cups for $1 a piece as well.  i used epoxy to glue the cups (upside-down so there's more surface area to glue and support the plate) to the plates and let sit for 24 hours.  sooooo easy, sooooo cheap and sooooo cute!  

the prettier the details on the plates and cups, the prettier your stand will be!  you can make this using any cup or vase for the base (wider is probably better for stability) and any plate or bowl for the top surface.  i used epoxy to glue the cups and plates but there are probably other variations on the web.  i personally love epoxy because it works like super glue on 'roids.  just remember to use it in a well-ventilated area.  i think its toxicity dissipates after it hardens.

sara, i think this project is calling your name.  a huge christmas bowl on a chic fluted wine glass is an awesome way to serve your peppermint popcorn!  

save vernazza

in 2009, the hubs and i visited one of the most beautiful places in the world...italy's cinque terra!  here we are standing on the hiking trail to monterosso, overlooking the beautiful city of vernazza!  

 

on october 25, 2011, the towns of monterosso and vernazza were heavily damaged by unusual heavy rains and flash flooding, with some areas buried in mud/debris up to 12 feet deep!  three lives were lost, residents were forced to evacuate, and the town continues to be in a state of emergency :(

below are some before and after photos.  it's so hard to fathom the destruction, especially to vernazza's main piazza (city square), an area usually filled with hundreds of residents and tourists.

all photos above from savevernazza.com

i watch the news regularly and had no idea that this happened until i received an email from the savevernazza.com group recently.  i don't think that this tragedy was heavily reported in the news :(

my heart aches as i look at the devastation but i am so happy that the people of vernazza are hopeful and determined to rebuild their beautiful little town to its original glory and plan to welcome visitors back as early as the summer of 2012.  if you or anyone you know has a special place in your heart for italy, especially the cinque terra, please consider donating something to help save vernazza :)