11 Christmas Decor DIYs

Y'all, we love DIYs. I think you probably know that by now. Because of this, we have made a whole bunch of Christmas DIYs over the years, and we aren't stopping now! But before we get carried away with more projects this year, I wanted to share some of our old favorites with you! These are all great and range from really simple to pretty complicated.

If you aren't the DIY type, check out our blog post where we share a bunch of decor you can buy right on Amazon. We also talk about 5 of our favorites that go with basically every thing. Anyway, let's get into the DIYs! And if you make any of them, share a pic on Instagram and tag us! We love to see what you are up to and share it with everyone!

You may also like:
- 7 Cute Christmas Letter Board Sayings
- 5 Boho Christmas Decorations You Need

1. Cactus Christmas Tree

2. Mini Cactus Christmas Tree

3. Pom Pom Wreath

4. Pom Pom Tree Topper

5. Wrapping Paper Snowflake

6. Clay Sweater Ornament

7. Anthropologie Tassel Tree Skirt

8. Fa La Freakin' La Christmas Print

9. Boho Christmas Stocking

10. 5 Minute Placemat Pillow

11. Minimal Wooden Christmas Tree

Don't forget to tag us in your IG pics of your DIYs! FIND US HERE.

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5 Fall Inspired Table Scapes + 5 Universal Table Pieces

We love decorating a table for any occasion. And you know what? It's really easy because we have a stash of a few things that work for basically anything. Let's talk about the few elements that you need to set up a cute table on the fly. And then keep scrolling to see 5 Fall Inspired table scapes using these same pieces.

And since Thanksgiving is tomorrow, go ahead and check out our last post where we talk about 5 Christmas decorations you need year after year.

1. Table Runner

2. Cloth Napkins

3. Live Centerpiece

For this could use things like greenery, flowers, or even whole foods like pumpkins. You can even head out into your yard and cut things like branches and herbs to create a dreamy centerpiece. Any combination of these bring life to the table!

4. Classy Flatware

5. Neutral Plates

There are so many options in each of these sections, but picking pieces that are more neutral will always allow you to create something that goes together any time you need it. Now let's get to the  fun stuff- the inspiration! Check out these 5 table scapes we've done for past Thanksgivings and Fall dinners below.

1. Colorful Boho. Check out our blog post here to see more!

2. Live Table Runner. Check out more about this table scape here.

3. Fall Tablescape without Pumpkins. Check out more about this table scape here.

4. Pumpkins + Candlesticks. This is one of our simplest table scapes, but it works wonders. Little pumpkins can last for a while and you can move them around as needed. Also this black candlestick holder sits on our fireplace sometimes. Double duty. Check out more details of this table scape below.

5. Minimal Boho. This table runner work for so many different themes. This one is simple and easy. We just used pumpkins we already had in the house and then added some Fall colored flowers. See more details below.

Thanks so much for checking out our blog and this post! Don't forget to save your favorite photo to Pinterest for later use!

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5 Boho Christmas Decorations You Need Year After Year

This post contains affiliate links.

We ALL love decorating for Christmas, that's a given. But we don't all love the time it takes to search for the perfect pieces. Luckily, that's something we love doing for you! This year we have gone through Amazon and found plenty of lovely pieces that would be great for someone with boho/eclectic/traditional style. You can find all of the items over on our Amazon store, or keep scrolling to see a few of our favorite things to decorate with year after year, and where you can find them. Even if your style changes over the years, these things will continue to work for you!

You may also like:
- DIY Cactus Christmas Tree
- 7 Cute Christmas Letter Board Sayings
- DIY Pom Pom Tree Topper

1. Garland Lights. And I'm not talking pre-lit greenery. I'm talking these snowflake or star lights. Even just some copper lights make a big impact in making your decor sparkle and twinkle.

2. Natural Greenery. We always want to use greenery (even if it's fake) that looks more natural. This can be kind of hard and sometimes we just go for the real deal. But if you can find something that looks almost real- it will look 100 times better than cheap garland.

3. Wood bead garland. You can get this in colors, or just the natural wood. If you think you may change your decor every year, go with something more natural. You can even find some cute garland of the same size that is felt and looks just as cute.

4. A "Merry Christmas" Sign. We got ours in Gold a few years back, but it goes with EVERYTHING. The past two years we've put it over our greenery garland over an arch walkway, but maybe we will change that this year....

5. Bottleneck Christmas trees. If you want to keep it simple, go with some that are green or white. But they also come is crazy fun colors if you want to get really creative! All of ours are green, and they look great in a colorful scheme, and even in our all white decor.

And to fill in the spaces between, we have found many other beautiful Christmas-y pieces:

1. Spruce Wreath
2. Gold Garland
3. Tartan Plaid Throw
4. Sweater Stockings
5. Realistic Christmas Tree
6. Boho Christmas Table Runner
7. Furry Christmas Tree Skirt
8. Furry Stockings
9. Red Buffalo Plaid Napkins
10. Copper Lights

We hope these selections make your decorating process a little easier this year. Look around the blog a little while for some more Christmas inspiration, and follow us on Pinterest!

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Pour Your Own Custom Candle at The Paddywax Candle Bar

GUYS. If you haven't heard of the Paddywax Candle Bar, you need to know about it, and you need to go there. We were lucky enough to go to a party celebrating their opening in 2018 and we were in awe of what a great idea Paddywax had come up with. You get to go pour your own custom candles with Paddywax's popular scents and beautiful candles vessels and have an amazing experience while doing it.

If you are interested in more things to do in Nashville, check out these posts:

- Top Ten Coffee Shops In Nashville

- 48 Hours In Nashville

- A Guide To Fall Creek Falls

We are so grateful that The Candle Bar invited us and our friends to come enjoy a candle pouring session. And we are even more excited to share a little more with you about what to expect when you arrive at The Candle Bar!

When you arrive, you will see that there are cute little trays set up with a bunch of science equipment. Don't be intimidated! This is stuff you will soon learn what to do with. Everyone chooses their seat and you get started.

Grab an apron to protect your outfit!

The first course of business is to choose your vessel and scent. They give you 15 minutes to choose these things, and you'd think that would be plenty, but there was plenty of indecisiveness at the end of that 15 minutes. If you are familiar with Paddywax candles, you know how beautiful their candle vessels are.

The fun thing about pouring candles is that you can choose a vessel that you love, but put a scent in it that Paddywax doesn't usually have in that specific vessel. It's literally your own custom Paddywax candle.

Listen to the instructions and assemble your candle!

You will be instructed on how to attach your wicks, exactly how many ounces of scent and wax to mix together....

And then you pour your candle!

You have to leave your candle overnight and then come back and pick it up so the wax has time to cool off and set. My favorite thing about this whole process is that you get to exercise some of your creativity while hanging out with your friends, AND you get a beautiful candle out of it!

Paddywax has these candles bars all over America now, so make sure to see if there is one near you! It's TOTALLY worth it.

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John Muir Trail Gear List

Holy moly batman... we leave to hike the John Muir Trail today. We have been planning for this trip for 6 long months. Honestly, when we decided to do this trip I had no idea how much planning and research was going to be involved. I will confess thought that I'm an over-researcher. I spend entirely too much time reading about items I want to purchase. However, what you can know is that all of this gear listed here is was heavily researched. When our trip is over, I will report back with how we felt about it all after we used it for a month.

When I was doing research I was looking for gear that was lightweight and comfortable. We are definitely not doing this thru-hike as ultralight backpackers. In the backpacking community there is a lot of debate about the weight of your pack because there is a balance between comfort and weight. Some people feel like having the lightest pack is the best way to comfort but others will carry more weight in order to have things with them that help them to be more comfortable. Another factor is the cost of ultralight gear. The lighter the gear is the more expensive it is. So we did our very best to choose gear that we could afford and that was lightweight and comfortable.

I want to take this time to give a big shout out to our local retailer Cumberland Transit. Those guys there have been a HUGE help in helping us pick out gear and making sure we had everything we needed. They were also kind enough to make us Cumberland Transit ambassadors which allowed us to get some free gear and discounts. I can say that without their help we would not have been able to take this trip.

For those of you who don't have access to local retailers like Cumberland Transit, we have linked all of our gear below. These are affiliate links and when you make a purchase through one of these links, we receive a teeny tiny portion. Your use of affiliate links helps keeps this blog alive. With that said, again, we highly encourage you to try out your local outfitter and test out gear, ask questions, and figure out what is best for you. And if you are in Nashville, definitely check out Cumberland Transit.

Packs
Osprey Aura 65

Sleep
20 degree sleeping bag
Sleeping Mat
Pillow
Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL3

Eat
Bear Canister
Cook Pot
Long Spoon
Camp mug
Stove

Wear
Puffy Down Jacket
Hiking Shorts
Hiking Pants
Short Sleeve Tee
Long Sleeve Tee
Altra Lone Peak 4 trail runners
Topo Ultraventure Trail Running Shoe
Camp Shoes
Rain Jacket
Rain Pants
Underwear

Electronics
Solar charger
Power Bank
Canon G7xiii
Tripod
Garmin inReach Explorer
Microphone

Misc
Homemade First Aid Kit (more info to come)
Gloves
Female Urinal
Pee rag
Towel
Trekking poles
Carhartt Beanie
Stuff Sacks
Wallet
Chair
Collapsible Bucket
Headlamp

We can't wait to come back and tell you all about how our gear worked out. Of course, we will have so many pictures and videos!! See you later!

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How To Plan For A John Muir Trail Thru-Hike

This post is sponsored by Sahale Snacks but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Guys, our John Muir Trail trip is coming up so soon! It's one of those things that you plan for so long, that it feels like it's always going to be so far away. BUT, we are less than a month away. Needless to say, we are in crunch mode which means we are in full on planning mode. We have partnered with Sahale Snacks to share with you 5 ways we are getting prepared for living on the trail!

In case you didn't already know, we've been planning to hike the John Muir Trail in California for about 6 months now. The JMT is one of the most beautiful trails in the world which is named after the John Muir who is consider to be the Father of National Parks. Have you ever heard the saying, "The mountains are calling and I must go"? That is a John Muir quote.

The JMT starts at the summit of Mt. Whitney and ends in Yosemite Valley, but we will be hiking it in reverse/Southbound- so starting in Yosemite National Park and ending at Mt. Whitney. The trail is 211 miles long, and we will be hiking about 10 miles per day. This means we will be hiking for about 3 weeks! We will be in the wilderness with few options to get supplies which means preparation is very important for this journey. So let's get to talking about what we've been doing and are working on to be prepared to hike the JMT.

1. Stocking up on delicious snacks. When you are thru-hiking, you have to eat a lot of ordinary freeze dried and dehydrated meals. You do what you gotta do on trail, but it's important to have something more elevated to snack on. You want something to excite your tastebuds and help keep the morale up. Sahale Snacks make these tasty glaze mixes and snack mixes that are thoughtfully sourced and carefully crafted combination of nuts, dried fruits, and exotic spices. I seriously can't wait to try more flavors and take these on our trip! So far we have loved the Sahale Snacks Honey Almond Glazed Mix, the Maple Pecan Glazed Mix, and the Pomegranate Vanilla Glazed Mix. The glazed mixes are this sweet and salty goodness with the perfect crunch- I'm confident that it's going to be a favorite snack on trail.

2. Mailing our food to ourselves. Once we've gathered all of our meals and delicious snacks, we have to mail them to ourselves! Most of the JMT is very remote and we won't be passing any towns or stores along the way. Everything has to be planned out way in advance and shipped to different locations that we will be at along the trail. Some of the locations we will have to hike off trail (sometimes even 15 miles round trip) to get to. Seems a little exhausting, but when you are hiking 211 miles, what are 15 more miles? But really, it is just part of the deal. You hike in the wilderness and have to go a little out of your way to make sure you can eat.

3. Training with our packs on. And hiking. And strength training. We've upped our hiking game since getting our JMT permit, but honestly we could've done more. I hear that people are never really ready- I've even heard this from athletes. But we started hiking with our weighted packs and even completed a 16 mile hike in the Smokies with 25 lbs in our packs. It was pretty hard, but we did it!

4. Planning our route. Okay so yes, the John Muir Trail route is already set. But we have to plan exactly how many miles we will do each day and where we will camp. Those things are not set. We will have to schedule when we pick up our packages and when we will stay in a hotel, and what transportation we will be taking. There are a lot of logistics to figure out about each day. Thank goodness this can actually be one of the last things we do before we leave because there are a lot of things we still have to consider.

5. Finalizing our gear. You'd think by now we would have everything we need, but you'd be wrong. We have most of our main things, but we have a bunch of little things to get and organize. We have to weigh every single thing we are taking with us and make sure that our pack doesn't weigh too much. We are trying to keep our base weight (base weight is how much your pack weighs without the ever changing weight of food and water) low to help keep the hike easier on our bodies.

As you can see there is a lot to do to prepare for a thru hike! We are excited to tackle this challenge and spend so much time in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Thank you to Sahale Snacks for sponsoring this post. And for real, their snack mixes are delicious so definitely give them a try!

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