Happy New Year!!!

It's safe to say 2014 was good to us - it was easily one of the most fun, adventurous and memorable years of my life.  The best part is knowing it is just the first year of many that I will get to spend as one half of the great team my husband and I make!  The Mascias wish you the happiest of New Years!!!

xoxo

The Little Things: Flower Girl Gifts

Happy {almost} New Year!!!  Last week was a total whirlwind....I had an amazing time celebrating the holidays with our family, and then we spent the weekend in Boston visiting friends from school!  I can't wait to share some of the really special newlywed gifts we received this year....but in the meantime I'm going to play a little bit of catch up with some posts I've been meaning to share...

I was very stumped on what I was going to get my flower girls as a gift on our wedding day.  There are so many cute ideas on Etsy and all of the wedding websites, but none of them were really tailored to flower girls as young as mine (ages 3 and 18 months).  So I decided to get creative!  I found these adorable customizable crayon rolls on Etsy, so I got them each one in our wedding colors - navy and blush!  {**Side note, this shop makes only the most adorable things.  I am not very frequently shopping for small children, but if I were....I would spend way more time here!**}  I then bought them each crayons to fill them, a number of Crayola activities books and a mini set of blocks.  They were so cute and simple - and I figured might be a good form of entertainment for the girls later on in the night!!

I love the way they came out - nothing too over the top but definitely special and designed for them, as a way to remember the day!  What did you get your flower girls on your wedding day??

xoxo

Merry Christmas from the Mascias!

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful holiday with your loved ones!!! I know I will be enjoying every second I get with mine....

xoxo

Christmas at the Lake

Every waking minute the last few weeks has been spent either A. working, or B. trying to have as much holiday fun as humanly possible while NOT working!  Which doesn't leave a whole lot of time for anything else.....luckily, I knew December was going to be crazy - so Ant and I took advantage of a couple of well timed days off early on to get the house ready for the holiday season!  I love that I can now invest in holiday decor without feeling guilty about how much use it will get - I'm not decorating a corner of our temporary apartment living situation....I'm decorating our HOME!  As it turns out, that justifies wayyyyy more adorable little trees :)

 First, I came home with three Christmas trees - two for the mantle and one for our wine rack!

We don't host actual holidays - our schedules make it next to impossible...but we did have both sets of parents over for a "between holidays" meal...the table runner I found at Christmas Tree Shops matches our new Restoration Hardware dinnerware perfectly!  I'm also in love with the "M" votive candle holder I found at Marshalls!

The next three are finished views of our mantle.  This is by far one of my favorite parts of the house, especially this time of year.  Our fireplace has so much character, and when the wood stove is roaring there is nowhere I'd rather be snuggled up!  In addition to the Christmas trees and a collection of candles, Ant and I added a garland this year.  I'd been talking about buying one and asking Ant for his opinion - and he suggested we make our own!  So we did just that.  For a first attempt, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out....and it's even more special that it was made from our own backyard!  I'm not especially crafty, but it's fun to try sometimes.

What is your favorite holiday decor?? and how early do you start putting it up?

xoxo

The Little Things: The Veil

Happy Sunday!  I thought I'd get back into wedding details with what ended up being one of my favorites - my veil!

If you remember back in January I was caught VERY off guard when I went shopping for accessories.  I did NOT expect picking out a veil to be as hard as it was!!  A veil is such a traditional aspect of the bridal look, and I honestly think I was surprised by how much of an emotional reaction I had to such a specific detail.  Luckily my mom, MOH and the lovely ladies at TWD did a wonderful job helping me talk through my options and make a decision that worked best for me...

In the end, I opted for a VERY simple and long veil.  It had a very thin ribbon edge, and otherwise no detailing....just longgggg and lovely! I think I expected to want a simple and shorter one, so when I loved the look of the longer one I was a little thrown off.  It seemed fancier, or something....and I was worried in the end it would look less "me" - or not make sense for the outdoor ceremony location.  Jill told me that longer veils often actually work better during outdoor ceremonies - because they weigh more and are less likely to blow around and get unruly...something I never would have even thought about!  As it turns out, this was absolutely the truest advice!  One of my favorite details in some pictures is the veil and how it blows in the wind, just the right amount!  When the wind really picked up during a few of the portraits I ended up wrapping the veil around my arm, which ended up giving the pictures an even softer, more romantic look that I love.

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How did you pick your veil?  Did you find it to be as hard of a decision as I did???

xoxo

Oh Christmas Tree...

On Monday, Ant and I went out on the hunt for our first Mascia Christmas tree!  This is our fifth Christmas living together, and our second Christmas in this house...but our first one as a married couple!  I thought it would be fun to go into the archives and find photos of our Christmas trees throughout the years...

Here are the pictures of our three trees at our apartment...

This picture was hard to find - before the days of instagram and our fancy new computer.  This was our first tree together ever...awww....

I can't find the photo evidence, but I'm pretty sure this is our home depot tree. Thank goodness for Ant, his patience and his ability to think fast in stressful situations ;)

Our last apartment tree - we got a little bigger this time around!

When we moved into our new house, I was determined that we were going to cut down our own tree - since the previous years we had gone to a variety of "pre-cut" places in town.  We successfully found a tree - but wayyyy underestimated the size we could fit in our new home!  We were thinking apartment sized, which translated into tiny in our new home :)

Monday Ant and I both had the day off from work - so we took advantage and went to one of the local tree farms!  It was just about the perfect day for picking out the perfect tree - as you can tell by our outfits it was NOT cold, no hats and gloves necessary! {Ants was more for his bad hair day} ....NOT normal for December in Connecticut.

Hubs on the farm

We found "the one!"

Christmas 2014 - The Mascias 

MUCH better...now it just needs presents!

Lit tree = cozy home.

Couldn't leave without a wreath! Love the deep red bow against our cute black cape :)

Do you have your tree up yet?  Is it real or artificial??

xoxo

Christmas Wish List

So...it isn't even December yet, I realize.  BUT I work retail, and this week is Black Friday week!  To many people, Thanksgiving might be the more important holiday that comes to mind this week...... but if we're being honest, my Thanksgivings have always been a little funky.  This year I will be at work by 3:30pm on Thanksgiving - and we have been CRAZY at work the last few weeks, all prepping for Black Friday.

In the spirit of shopping, I thought I'd share with you my current Christmas list!  Last year's list was all about wants - and this year's list seems to be a little more of a mix.  Here's what Mrs. Mascia is currently wishing for...

Aquinnah shield studs

Jewelry from Aquinnah was on my list last year - and I have been SO good and not bought anything for myself all year!  I was lucky enough to work with her on all of my bridesmaids earrings for our wedding, and gifts for both my mother and mother in law - so now seems like a good time to spoil myself with something! I LOVE these shield stud earrings.  An amazing pop of bling without going over the top

iPhone 6

Ahhh, this one falls into the category of needs, sadly.  I have held out SO long with my darling iPhone 4s, but it is finally starting to show its age.  Time to upgrade to the newest and largest iPhone 6!

iPhone 6 case

If I'm getting a new iPhone - a new case to go along with it would become a "need" you could say, no?  This Michael Kors one from Nordstrom acts as a card holder as well, which would be helpful at work.

Spa Gift Certificate

One thing I NEVER say no to are gift certificates to the spa for either a massage or a manicure.  After the holidays at work, a massage would be the perfect way to relax....and my poor fingers could legitimately ALWAYS use a mani.  

Pier 1 Loveseat

Ant and I would not exactly agree on which category this falls into...I would call it a need - he considers it a very solid WANT.  Sooo, it is probably going to sit on our "to do" list for a little while.  We need a loveseat/chaise/chair in our bedroom - and have found a couple that we love - this one at Pier 1 included.  Sadly, it is not quite high enough on our priority list to justify the expense right now....but if Santa wanted to drop it off at the front door - he's more than welcome!

Paloma's Nest Ornament

This "Our First Christmas" ornament from the Southern Weddings shop showed up on my instagram feed one day, and I fell in love.  It is so simple, and so sweet.  No explanation needed!

So there you have it....a few of the things currently on my Christmas list!  At the end of the day, I'm mostly just excited to celebrate our first Christmas together as husband and wife.  There's something about being married that takes the idea of holiday family time to a whole new level.  I can't wait to build our own holiday traditions together! ....whatever those may be :)

xoxo