Countdown.

Just like that, 2013 comes to a close.  It was a good one, and 2014 is hot on its heels for awesomeness.  Not only do I get to marry you-know-who (no, not Voldemort, C!), but I'll watch two of my best friends get married as well.  Oh, and I turn 30 in 6 weeks, but we're ignoring that for as long as possible ;)

So what are you up to tonight?  Any big plans?  We realized last year that going out to dinner is the perfect mixture of going out and staying in on new year's eve, so we're going for a repeat!  If you happen to be throwing a party and need some last minute ideas, I'd say Glitter Guide's NYE Bubbly Bar is a good place to start, perhaps paired with Haute Chocolate's Adorable Free NYE Printables?

Have a blessed, safe and happy new year.

xo. di.

*image via

Grateful | December 30, 2013.

I am Grateful.  

An amazing week celebrating Christmas with our two families, away from work and real life.  Welcome to Picture Overload...

Pictures of the Week.

{Remember this picture of C's family's Long Beach Island beach house after Hurricane Sandy with their 
neighbor's house crashing into their kitchen?  Well, they've rebuilt!  Can't wait to enjoy it in the summer.  
We went down for the day to see it and the beach in winter - absolutely gorgeous}

{The beautiful, quiet town of Newtown, Connecticut, which neighbors C's family's town}

{Christmas at the Flemings}

{Christmas at the Crarys}

Links Worth Sharing.

What a fun gift: a Family Memory Game - via Camille Styles

Poppytalk's Annual List of the Most Influential of the Year is always a great read.

This Elegant Baby Shower from Style Me Pretty is simply gorgeous.

Feeling crafty this winter?  Take a peek at The Purl Bee's Best of 2013 List.

A fabulous and glittery New Year's Eve Fete via 100 Layer Cake

Have a wonderful week.

xo. di.    

*images property of Diane Crary

Happy Christmas!

A couple of cute posts for your Christmas day:

"Christmas in Bugville," created by Disney legend Art Riley, originally for Ideals magazine in the early 1950s.  Here's a little more background on the work and the artist.

And keeping with the Disney theme, I uploaded to my tumblr all the pictures I took of the Mickey's Christmas Carol window displays in Walt Disney World during our half-marathon trip last January.  Enjoy the cuteness, and God bless us, everyone!

And since I didn't do a Grateful post this week, here are my Links Worth Sharing from the past week:

For Christmas, I give you all the feels - via Style Me Pretty

Ann Street Studio's "5 Golden Rings" cinemagraph is exquisite.

Glitter Guide killed me with this whimsical White Like a Unicorn Holiday Party (where's my invite?!)

These Zimtsterne Cookies from Fig + Honey look absolutely delicious.

Design*Sponge put together a great resource guide for pretty packaging.  Save (pin) it for next year :)

Merry Christmas!

xo. di.

*image property of Diane Crary

The Night Before Christmas.

Merry Christmas Eve, Kittens!  Hoping this finds you cozy and happy with people you love.  We're tucked in for the next few days in Connecticut with C's family.  

Above, some of my favorite holiday party inspiration from this year.  Top to bottom: Merry + Bright by Hey Gorgeous Events for Style Me Pretty | A Celestial Christmas by Coco + Kelley | A New Year's Party in a Box by West Elm for Style Me Pretty | Woodland Glam Tabletop by Murphy Deesign for Rue Magazine 

xo. di.

*images as noted above

Festive Fridays | All is Calm.

December 20 already!  Outrageous!  We take off tomorrow for family Christmases (first Connecticut, then Michigan this year), and I cannot believe how quickly this merriest of holidays has arrived.  

Here's hoping your Christmas shopping is coming to a close, your cards are in the mail and your gifts are under the tree, so you can...   

Have a wonderful weekend.

xo. di.

P.S. Heads-up: I'll likely be pretty light on posting next week.  Enjoy your festivities!

*image property of Diane Crary

Suite Dreams.

It's our "on year" for our biennial Date Night to Joffrey Ballet's The Nutcracker, and we're going tonight.  I iz excite!  

I've been saving two lovely videos to share with you of Joffrey dancers being gorgeous and effortless in Nutcracker costumes for photo shoots.  Because the videos show their movement (duh), they're even better than the final pictures.

Some of the Sheridan Road images can be found here.

Chicago Collection images can be found here. 

xo. di.

P.S. If you want to squeeze it in, Joffrey's Nutcracker runs through the 28th!

*Joffrey Ballet's The Nutcracker images via; Sheridan Road Magazine video link here; Chicago Collection video link here

Christmas Printables.

Well I came across some awesome holiday tag/food labels and thought I'd share the wealth.  WorldLabel (had never heard of this company before) has a blog (who knew?), with a whole bunch of free downloadable, customizable and printable paper goods designed by different graphic designers.  Here's a little sampling:

Bonus Round: Style Me Pretty posted some adorable printables last week in collaboration with Paper Source.   

xo. di.

*images 1,2,3,4,5,6

Grateful | December 16, 2013.

I am Grateful.  

An amazingly fun weekend of Christmas Festivities with my sis and her husband and C!  

Pictures of the Week.

{Pretty packages, ready to be gifted}

{Saturday shenanigans at Christkindlmarket}

{Zoo Lights!}

Links Worth Sharing.

Style My Pretty's DIY S'Mores Kit is too cute!

I love love love what Sarah of STS (formerly Fairy Tales are True) had to say about turning Thirty.

Coco + Kelley's Celestial Holiday Table is just gorgeous.

Learn everything there is to know about how Polish Pottery is Made over on Morning Kawa.

Game of Thrones Fans: Here's Arya, The Hound and Hodor doing their best "King Joffrey" impressions.  lolz. - via Warming Glow.

Have a wonderful week.

xo. di.    

*images property of Diane Crary

Festive Fridays | Reindeer Cheer.

{Very pleased with how our "mantel" came together this year}

My cards are sent, my presents are wrapped and I am very ready for Christmas festivities this weekend!  My sister and her husband are on their way to spend the weekend with us in Chicago.  Much wine will be consumed. 

Have a wonderful weekend AND Happy Friday the 13th!

xo. di.

*images property of Diane Crary