After watching the winter Olympics last year (and oogling over the gorgeous scenery the whole time), I knew that we just had to add British Columbia to our once in a lifetime trip's itinerary. So on day #3 of our adventures (check out the first two days here!), David and I hopped in our rental car and left Seattle heading north.

Once we made it over the border, the scenery was just breathtaking. Some of my favorite sights were seen while we were on the road.

On our first day in BC, we actually drove straight through Vancouver and headed up to the big ski town of Whistler. We took the scenic route on the Sea-to-Sky Highway and enjoyed every minute of the drive.

Once we got up to Whistler, we ate lunch and tried to shop. I say try because it was a whopping -16 degrees Celsius. That's a minus in front of the number, as in negative. I'm pretty sure that's about 3 degrees Farenheit, plus the wind chill factor. Or as I like to call it, ridiculously COLD! But at least us Georgia kids were dressed appropriately for the weather, right? Ha.... 

The cold may have made us a little crazy :)

We got a beautiful sunset show as we drove back down the mountain to Vancouver.

Vancouver itself is an adorable city. We stayed right on the water, which I think is the prettiest part of town.

David and I opted to explore Vancouver by picking up one of the cheesy walking tours that was in one of our guidebooks.

The neighborhoods and areas of Vancouver are just incredible!

I love how you can see the mountains through the cityscape.

We spent most of our time in Vancouver down by the water. Who could resist?

So that was our trip to "Ohhhh! Canada!" (that's me singing their national anthem to you in case you were wondering!!). Beautiful, beautiful countryside!!! Have any of you ever been?!

For the last couple of years, David and I have been craving a "road trip" type vacation. While we are typically big fans of a slow paced, relaxing beach vacation, it was adventure and exploration that we wanted in this trip.

So, a few months ago, we booked a flight from Atlanta over to Seattle, a flight back to Atlanta ten days later from San Francisco and a rental car to get us wherever we needed to go in between. The game plan? Work out the details (ahem- where are we staying tonight honey?) when we got there.

The first stop on our trip was the lovely Seattle, Washington. I'm not sure if it was because I was wearing the I-love-everything-because-we-just-started-vacation goggles or not, but Seattle was one of my favorite stops on the trip. I was completely enamored. What a gorgeous and fun city!

Here are the highlights.

Clockwise from top: (1) we spent the afternoon at the world's famous Pike Place Market, where we found stall after stall of (2) freshly caught seafood and (3)  amazing and colorful fruits, vegetables, cheeses and more.

 From top: (1) We stopped at the Market Grill counter in the market for some clam chowder and their famous blackened salmon sandwich (I about died over the sandwich's rosemary mayo- amazingly good!), (2) Pike Place Market at night, (3) more fresh seafood and (4) beautiful fresh flowers.

Lucky for us, Oprah named Beecher's macaroni and cheese as one of her "favorite things" last week and so the restaurant right off of the market passed out free mac & cheese for all! It was de.lic.ious.

This would be me, loving the mac & cheese. Yum.

 Of course, we jumped on the Monorail and headed up to the Space Needle for some breathtaking views. Isn't the contrast of the city buildings and the beautiful mountains in the background just gorgeous?!

We also had a chance to visit the Seattle Art Museum (isn't that what rainy Friday afternoons are for?!)

and see their current incredible Picasso exhibit. The museum's regular collection is also really fabulous.

 We ate at lots of fun little spots, including the trendy sushi restaurant, Japonessa.

We also shopped till we dropped in the 5th Avenue shopping district. Hell-o multi-level

Nordstroms complete with a restaurant in the middle!

And, of course, we hit up not only the original Starbucks at Pike Place Market, but about six of them throughout the city! What can I say... I just can't stay away from those Peppermint Mochas :)

All in all, Seattle was incredible. We tried to mix it up and do a bit of the touristy stuff and hit up some of the favorite "locals" spots.... and we simply loved it all.

What do all of you love about Seattle?

Hello, friends! David and I just got back (as in just got back on the red-eye this morning... ouch!) from a fabulous ten day driving trip down the west coast of the U.S. and Canada. We had an amazing time!

I'm super excited to share the details of our trip with all of you and I plan to do so this week, starting off with a fun little treat. I'd like to share my love for all things travel by giving away a geographical print from QA Design. Jenna designs adorable prints that each showcase a little love for various states and countries. Here's an example of her work.

Aren't these prints adorable?! Here are a couple of prints that show some of the states that we drove through last week.

In fact, I own one of these fun prints myself! Ever notice my declaration of love for the Peach State on my office bookshelf?! It makes me smile every day.

This week, in honor of my recent passion for all things travel, I am giving away one 8" x 10" print of your choice from QA Design. If you'd like to enter the giveaway, here's what you do:

Hi there! I’m Lauren from {burns house}. Thanks for joining me today!

Can I be totally honest with you?

{I’m not a Thanksgiving decorator}

Though we do get together, Thanksgiving really isn’t a big deal in our family. So, when Michelle contacted me about doing a guest post, I was a little nervous. By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, I’ve usually been singing Christmas carols for two weeks!

But, I decided to challenge myself.

I don’t think fall has to mean orange, red, and gold. So this year, I decorated for fall very differently than I have in the past. Using a cream, brown, and silvery blue color palate, I made it my mission to embrace all things nontraditional this season.

Here is how I’ve translated this into a Thanksgiving tablescape…

First, shop your house and find various objects you want to include in your setting. Everything I used for this tablescape I already had!

Then, set it up!

Here are some of my details…


{kraft paper placemats for easy cleanup}

 {flatware tied with twine and a silver-painted pumpkin make pretty place settings}

 

 {fall is more than than pumpkins & leaves. bring nature indoors with pinecones and grapevine accessories}

{make a thankful tree for the season. write what you are thankful for on bookpage leaves and hang them from branches from your yard for a fast, free, and meaningful display}

Now, I realize that most of you probably have a much larger space for hosting holiday get-togethers, but these ideas can easily be adapted to fit your space!

{scale your decorations to match your area. a large centerpiece would take up too much room on our small dining table, so I chose smaller decorative accents}

Just because the holidays are all about traditions, it doesn’t mean that you can’t mix things up a bit in your décor! I encourage you to make a change, no matter how big or small, in how you decorate this holiday season.

And you may just find you make a {new} tradition this year :)

Hello!  It's Ashley From Lemon and Lavender guest posting for Michelle while she is on holiday!  I love the holidays.  It's an excuse to indulge and entertain!  I love having dinner parties and Thanksgiving is no exception.  Love setting the table for family and friends with yummy food and wine and goodies.  My granny makes this amazing pumpkin bread every year.  It's hard to put down it's so tasty!  Hope you enjoy the lovely inspiration and please go try the pumpkin bread :)  Have a lovely day!

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups canned pumpkin

1-1/2 cups canola oil

1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) HERSHEY’®S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. In another bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour into two greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves (16 slices each).

via taste of home & my granny :)

 

images via Martha Stewart, Good Housekeeping, HGTV, Mary Ruffle

Hi smart readers of Ten June! (You read this blog, don't you?! That classifies you as smart!) It's Cassie from Hi Sugarplum! Michelle is so sweet and I love her blog! (Does that mean I'm smart too?!) She and I share an affinity for striped walls, Jcrew and all things pumpkin. I was thrilled when she asked to share this post with you, hope you enjoy it and Happy Thanksgiving!

I don't know about you, but when I get a home decor catalog in the mail I'm not typically looking through it for things to buy. I'm looking for ideas, inspiration, and better yet, stuff I can make for cheap less! Suzanne Kasler is a celebrated interior designer...and Ballard Designs teamed up with her for a collection of home accessories. I love what she created, but one thing in particular stood out as a "Oh yeah, I could totally make that!!'

Behold the Burlap Vase....with a $49 price tag:

I love the warm texture of the burlap against the cool sleek glass. And sure enough, the Dollar Store sells a vase in a very similar shape:

I started with a swatch of burlap I had leftover from this project. Cut a piece about 2-inches taller and longer than what you need for your vase, then iron the two long edges down to create a 'hem':

I used hot glue for this project, but if you value your fingerprints, you might want to try fabric glue instead (burlap has large openings through which the piping hot glue passes when you press down!). After gluing down the two long sides, create a 'hem' on one of the short sides:

Run a line of glue along the edge of the other end of the burlap, then press the vase down on the fabric (this is the only place glue touches the vase):

Slowly roll the vase, wrapping the burlap as you go (no gluing necessary). Run another line of glue along the 'hemmed' end and press it down.

Wha-La....Burlap vase!

I filled one with stems, and another with my $1 candle....how do you think they compare?

Hello! I'm Courtney from A Thoughtful Place. I am thrilled to be guest posting at Ten June. Michelle is one of my favorite bloggers so I was honored when she invited me. I love this time of year because the house seems to transform to a warm and glowing space. I don't go overboard with decorating for Thanksgiving, but I love to have little spots that read, "fall." I was so excited when I stumbled upon Jessica's printable here. She designed the cutest piece of Thanksgiving subway art. I printed it in a smaller size and simply backed it with black construction paper. I then used a frame that normally hangs in my laundry room. I felt it was okay to "borrow" it for a couple of weeks. 

This combined with some books tied up with twine, a pumpkin spice candle, and a silver tray makes for a welcoming little spot. 

 What have you done to make your home welcome in the Thanksgiving holiday?