CocoFeed: Our First Christmas Tree

My boyfriend, Jake, and I moved in together this past March after dating for about a year. I haven’t had a Christmas tree is years, since my parent’s stopped putting one up, so this is the first one I have had in a long time. We bought the tree at “At Home” aka Garden Ridge, and the ornament’s came from Hobby Lobby. The tree topper was found on Amazon, and this is the first time I can even remember having a tree topper. I think this style is pretty unique, as most people I know usually have a star or angel on theirs.

CocoFeed: Decorating My Best Friend’s Mortar Board for College Graduation

My best friend is graduating in 2 weeks and she has been freaking out about getting her Mortar Board decorated. Side note, we bought and decorated mine THE DAY BEFORE my graduation… irony? We stopped at Hobby Lobby today and picked up the above items. Here is the outcome:

Hobby Lobby Mortar Board Hobby Lobby Mortar Board Hobby Lobby Mortar Board
We chose the tiara because she has always loved crowns and the idea of being a princess. The apple, pencil, and books represent her love for teaching and her field in Education. And lastly, the zebra flowers because she LOVES zebra, tiger, black/white stripes.

I think it came out pretty awesome!

Personalized Rustic ‘My Soulmate’ Picture Frame by PrinceWhitaker

As I mentioned in my Kanvess review, I ordered a custom frame from the Etsy shop PrinceWhitaker for Jake for our 6 month anniversary. This is the first time I have ever purchased from Etsy, and it went very smoothly.
Personalized Rustic 'My Soulmate' Picture Frame by PrinceWhitaker

Hand engraved with a heart with the happy couple’s initials and the script words “my soulmate“. Each one measures 5×5″ with a 3×3” opening for a photo. Our frames are all natural, unfinished wood. The frames are of a rustic chic style, without a glass panel, and we highly recommend that you display them as is to keep them true to that style. 

I was not only able to purchase a (mostly) one-of-a-kind piece, but I was even able to add my own custom touches with no additional charge (I requested the date we met, 12-10-12, be added to the back). The best part? It was only $12.99 with $3.95 shipping.

Back of Frame, engraved date 12-10-12

I definitely recommend anyone looking for cool, rustic themed pieces to check out PrinceWhitaker’s store. They have a large assortment of wedding gifts and decorations. Plus if you like them on their facebook, they will give you a coupon code to use in their store!

Post-It Notes Pop-up Heart Dispenser

Not sure if this is a steal, but I couldn’t resist this! It was a little cheaper than the online price (about $8+). Even though I have to buy different (slightly more expensive) post-it notes, it’s the perfect decor for my desk! They also have other designs (click to see it at Walmart.com).

Though I kinda scratched it on the plastic box when I took it out 🙁 The OCD part of me wants to exchange it, but it’s not THAT noticeable, only in certain light… but still! lol I hate returning stuff so I’ll just suffer through it 😛

Post-It Notes Pop-up Heart Dispenser Post-It Notes Pop-up Apple Dispenser

Desk Accessories Galore!

I’ve been trying to redecorate my room for the past year or so. I finally got rid of my unused armoire and replaced it with a more functional desk. Here’s what I picked up over the weekend.

Organizer from Marshalls

Pink Umbra Picture Frame from Ross


First up, a pair of pen/pencil organizers from Marshalls. The larger was $5.99, while the smaller was only $3.99. They are extrememely cute, and match the theme of my room (white furniture, black, silver and pink accents). After leaving Marshalls, and putting back a bunch of cute accessories I simply didn’t need nor should waste money on. I could NOT resist this adorable pink Umbra picture frame from Ross for $6.99. I haven’t added a photograph yet, but I plan to put a picture of my friends in it.


Crystal Lamp and Shade from Lowes

Ballard Designs Bourdonnais Desk


And lastly, my favorite find of the day: this BEAUTIFUL crystal lamp and black/silver/white lamp shade from Lowes. The Portfolio Satin Nickel Lamp Base was a little pricey at $40 and the Portfolio drum shade was $15, but totally worth it. I also included a picture of the amazing desk my Dad found for me on Craigslist. It’s a $1,000 Ballard Designs “Bourdonnais” desk that we got for just $250. I’m still working on decorating, but first I have to clean up all of the stuff that came out of my old armoire, so excuse the mess! But the design is sooo gorgeous, I don’t care! Love it!