I don’t know about you... but I’ve been having the hardest time getting into the Holiday mood this time 'round. You can probably tell by the following tweet:

Random lady: "Ah! it smells like Christmas". . . Me: Smiles while thinking, "Really? 'Cause to me it smells a lot like hot, dirty sewage water." #notinthemood

Don’t judge me, it’s stifling down here in my neck of the woods.

The good part is the the internet provides us with an abundance of daily inspiratio –so instead of wallowing in my weather issues or my drops of sweat, I’ve decided to give the spirit a chance and try all (or at least one) of the following things, so me and my little one can move towards some sort of Christmas enjoyment.

If you, like me, are in need of a little... try these:



Maiju Saw

1. No tree, no problem
Instead of racing out the door to get a Christmas tree just so you can get some excitement, try new and more creative avenues. Scavenge some nice branches and make your own tree.





Elisabeth Heier

2. Christmas gifts wrapping theme
Wrapping presents is usually on our list of obligations and there’s very little enjoyment drawn from a chore. Can we agree on that? I personally always pick a theme for my present-wrapping. The fun in this is that there are no rules and you can go the extra mile by personalizing everyone’s present–from wrapping to gift.





Kim Grimshaw & Aimee Twigger

3. Shake things up in the kitchen department
If you’re a regular here, you might have heard about the disaster that I managed to concoct last Christmas while trying to be an overachiever. Clearly, I wasn’t about to repeat my luck this year... so instead, I’ve planned on doing 2-3 things well. By that I mean if I’m going to embark on making, say, Christmas cookies and side dishes, they better knock everyone’s socks off.

Pictured above: Caramelized Shallots with A Chestnut Crumb and Mushroom Shaped Ginger Cookies that will make part of my repertoire. Wild, I know.




4. Make a one-of-a-kind wreath
This is something I have never tried - but earlier this year I got a brass ring and some materials to make my own… and what better way to get into the holiday spirit than with a simple and inexpensive project you can do at home with a ring and some eucalyptus?





Maiju Saw

5. The smell of Christmas in garland shape
A lot of my childhood memories are triggered by smell. Orange and cinnamon are right up there along with pine and mint for my Christmas memories – so yes, it only makes sense to make a garland out of them and hang it right above my bed. I won’t have any excuse to wake up Grinch-ey anymore, will I?

The best part about these projects are not that they will keep you busy or that they will bring you some “holiday feelings”... but that we can do them with our little ones. Extra family time is the goal, because in the end that’s what the Holidays are about.

Do you and your family have any recurrent DIYs for this season? Do share.

I've recently gotten a new itch to experiment with making some of my own skincare products at home. It truly worries me to think about the amount of chemicals that I've been smudging all over my face for almost a decade. In my search for alternatives I stumbled across the genius site Hello Glow The site was was founded by Stephanie Gerber, a brilliant Writer and mother of three. Their Holistic approach to foo, beauty and anything life-related is extremely inspiring. I'm game for trying anything that they throw at us, starting with this alluring Homemade Jasmine Aloe Perfume wouldn't you like to give a go? For the full recipe, please visit Hello Glow's site.

Recipe: Heidi Bridge
Photography: Hello Glow

Photography © Ana Degenaar Over the past years, I’ve been in what I consider a privileged position of watching along intently, as people get introduced to the blogging world and break stereotypes, barriers and trends. I've invested my life in working with you one on one - and for over a year now I've had the desire to offer those who want to better their changes in this field with more than just a lovely website layout. I want to be able to do more, and for that reason I started writing a book that is almost finished and waiting for the final stages. Once this is published I will continue to send weekly and monthly workshops, newsletters and tips to those who want to learn more about building their career, hear real-life stories of gosh-darn real people and learn more about minimalism. Please join our growing group and sign up here. To start we will surprise one of our friends with a free theme this week. I'm grateful for those who will join me on this journey and I thank you for allowing me to share this with you. Love and Light, Ana.