wine {for a cause} wednesday

wine for a cause - what a fabulous idea!

although i can take no credit for the idea or even for finding it (thank you, mainely home!) but what i can do is share it with you all as a fantastic holiday gift idea....there are a lot of wine lovers in my life and a lot of folks i have left to buy for, so this is just about perfect!

OneHope donates a portion of each bottle (totaling fifty percent of its profits!) to charity. Each variety supports a different cause - autism, breast cancer, our troops, AIDS, children's hospitals and more.

OneHope was started by eight friends who worked out of their living rooms, selling wine out of their trunks, trying to help support a friend in her fight against cancer. Now an enterprise, the company has sold over 20,000 cases of wine - and donated $350,000 to charity, since its inception in June 2007.

Pretty cool, huh?

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the most wonderful time of the year...

happy friday! and what a festive week it has been - i am almost sad to see it come to an end. but i am floating on cloud 9 (more on that later) and can't wait to cozy up with someone special tonight and celebrate this magical time of year! i hope this weekend brings you all sorts of warm and fuzzy feelings as well.

i'll be back in full force next week with lots of holiday cheer and a little bit of news....

until then....make it a great one!

XOXO

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the polar express

hands down, the very best book of all time is the polar express. no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

and this weekend, in vermont, this magical book comes to life - both here in burlington and down the road in hartford. a train ride complete with hot chocolate, homemade cookies, sing-a-longs, conductors, santa and of course, the first gift of christmas! can you imagine a more perfect way to spend a saturday? 'cause i sure can't....

so, what do you think? who's on board?

“though I’ve grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe.”

-the polar express

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a daily dose of holiday spirit

tomorrow is december 1st, and you know what that means: the official countdown to christmas has begun. and growing up in my house that meant one thing: advent calendars. so since i am on the slowboat this year, i am hoping to get a bit creative and do a make shift one at home that will encourage some holiday spirit! (i love mr. frederickson, but he is lacking a bit in that department)

check out all these super cute diy versions...now i just have to decide what little daily treats are going to win over my scrooge's heart this season. any thoughts?

{via etsy - nuvanova}

{via not on the highstreet}

{via oh hello friend}

{via etsy - oh hello magpie}

{via oh, happy day!}

{via twig & thistle}

{via pinterest}

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vermont evergreens.

you know how i feel about simon pearce. everything they do is pretty darn perfect in my book. but i have to admit that my very favorite thing they make are their vermont evergreens. they are simply stunning, weather you have one or a million lined up on your mantle. (although to be honest, seeing a dozen lined up is breathtaking!) they are perfectly vermont and they add the perfect amount of holiday decor to any room....so perfect that when i got the email today, just seeing these beauties put me in the spirit!

also, check out this video of the brilliant craftsmen at work in their quechee shop. if you haven't stopped in there yet, it is a holiday season must do! how cool is this?

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