Friday, December 24, 2010

Vintage Finds Holiday Edition + Healthy Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

I'm making one last stop in the blog world before Christmas to share some cheer with my dear readers. I'll start by giving you a little tour of our holiday decor, but there's a bit of a story to explain why I'm so pumped up about this season. We lived in a one bedroom apartment before we moved into our first house together in January, so we never really had much space to decorate. This year, we decided to go all out in celebration of our first Christmas as husband and wife. I thought a vintage setup would best fit our quirky style, so I'll give you a little tour of the things I've gathered to give our home a bit of retro flair this season.

Here's a glimpse into our living room. I was trying to achieve a warm, cozy atmosphere by tucking the tree into the corner next to the bookshelf. Judging by my kitty's willingness to snuggle up and pose for photos, I think I succeeded!



All of the vintage ornaments and decorations I'm about to show you were purchased at my job (if you're new to my blog, I work for an estate sale company). Starting in the late summer, I had my eye out for vintage awesomeness to spice up our home for the holidays.






Isn't he the chubbiest Santa ever? I fell in love with him when I saw him, and knew that our tree would be more complete with him dangling from it.

Our angel tree topper is vintage AND handmade. Bonus!



When you come into our front door, this entry table in front of the stairway is the first thing you'll see. So I paid special attention to this area in my holiday decorating. Come on in, my friends!


Back row: Vintage holiday gnome figurines, modern holly mosaic candle holder. Front row: Modern pewter angels and cookie-cutter candle holders (head over to my tutorial if you're interested in making some of these for YOUR home!).

I hate to choose favorites, because I can already tell that all of these items will be precious holiday keepsakes we'll use for years, but I really do have a crush on these little guys. I think they may be some of my favorite vintage finds I've acquired so far, and I might even have to display them year-round.



Mrs. Clause is ice skating in the ivy.



I even dressed our table for the holidays with embroidered linens, holly glasses (not vintage), and a ceramic Christmas tree candy dish with peppermints.



To finish it all off, we hung some fresh mistletoe. We have it growing in our trees, but it's too high to reach so I mostly daydreamed aloud about how much I wanted some for the house. When my husband climbed onto the roof to trim some tree limbs that were scratching our windows (a super creepy sound to wake up to in the middle of the night), he was nice enough to clip a few pieces of mistletoe for me too. As if I needed it to make me want to plant kisses all over that sweet face of his...



His acts of good husbandry didn't stop there, either. To continue our jolly mood on the outside of the house, he put up Christmas lights!



Now that I've given you the holiday tour of our home, it's time to share some cookies! I found a recipe online that claimed to produce some of the softest, tastiest oatmeal cookies there are. I made a few substitutions to create a reduced-fat cookie, and I was pleased to discover that they were still incredibly moist and flavorful. Plus, I think it's nice to be able to indulge in something delicious without throwing off your healthy ways. It's a rare occurrence during the holidays. ;-)



Reduced-Fat But Not Reduced-Flavor Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup Smart Balance Light butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
6 tbs egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups quick cooking oats
1 handful of golden raisins (optional)*
1 handful of chopped pecans (optional)*

*Sorry for the imprecise measurements on those last two ingredients. That's just how I roll when I'm in the kitchen.

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, cream together white sugar, butter, and brown sugar. Beat in egg whites, then stir in vanilla.
2. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda,and salt. Stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. If you are using nuts or raisins, mix into dough, combining well. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (I chilled mine overnight).
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes approx. 36-60 cookies, depending on how large or small you make them.

That pretty much wraps up my holiday post, but I do want to wish you all a wonderful holiday full of family, friends, and as many smiles as you can handle!!

22 comments:

Margie said...

Merry Christmas Holly! Your house looks adorable and welcoming. I've been saving those little cupcake earrings for Lyssa's stocking, I can't wait to see her face when she opens them :) Thank you so much for the sweet pendant as well! Happy New Year Too!!

MelMel said...

Merry Christmas!xxx

JUST ME said...

Merry Christmas you domestic goddess, you! :)

Pili said...

What lovely finds you have all over your house! I'm not usually too big on decorating, but this year I didn't even have the time!

I must try those cookies though, yum!

Happy Holidays!!

alexkeller said...

the cutest ornaments ever!!!
merry merry :)

Christie Cottage said...

Merry CHRISTmas!

Love the decorations!

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apparentlyjessy said...

Holly, I love all your decorating efforts for Christmas, with all those sweet vintage ornaments, the place looks so lovely!
I think it is so sweet that your husband cut you down some mistletoe, how romantic!
I think the cookies do look delicious, I'm going to have to give them a try.
Merry Christmas, thank you for doing such an awesome swap with me, your package really made my day, and my cupcake ornaments really do look beautiful on my tree! xox

Kirsten said...

Thanks for sharing Holly! How lovely your home looks...I hope you enjoy the holiday season and wish you success and happiness in the New Year!

KristiMcMurry said...

I loooooove your vintage ornaments!!! I bet you see some of the best things at your job :) I hope you had a very Merry Christmas!

Jenn Milt Art said...

I'm enjoying all your vintage charm. Also, I plan on making these oatmeal cookies...since oatmeal cookies are my favorite! Happy Holidays Holly! :)

Carla said...

Awesome post!!
xx

Redhead In Law

Rose said...

Hi Holly. I adore your vintage decorations! Im not sure if i knew you worked for an estate sale company, must be an interesting job.
I think you deffinately succeded in making your home look warm and christmasy:) hope you and your hubby had a wonderful christmas!

Rose

Raven said...

You house looks cute for Christmas. =)

Merry (Late) Christmas! Hope it was a great one.

Amy Perrotti said...

Merry Christmas Holly! Love all your vintage ornaments. I have one of the Santa ornaments from when I was a kid!

I know this is nutty but we purchased a white christmas tree this year and the ornaments look so delicious on it. Really I want to eat them it is so darn cute!

This working for an estate sale place sounds like great fun!

LY
Amy

Ink Obsession Designs said...

Vintage Christmas ornaments are my absolute favorite. My mom & grandma have a ton and I am always plotting on how I can get my hands on them! :)

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

What gorgeous decorations you had!

Lolo Sinclair said...

Merry Christmas Holly! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! The vintage ornaments are awesome. Happy New year!

Hugs!
Lolo :))

Heather said...

aw, your house looks so festive! and I want to cuddle that pretty kitty! Hope you had a merry holiday. have a happy 2011!~!

Lemon Shortbread said...

Those vintage gnomes are the awesomest ever! And they look so happy, I also like that sitting red pixie one it looks very familiar. Have a Happy New Year!

I BLEED PINK said...

Happy Belated Christmas!! I love all your vintage stuff on the tree. I hope next year we will start to collect stuff for our first tree.

Audrey said...

I haven't made oatmeal cookies in years! Might have to try this recipe. No chocolate chips should be a good thing right?

Cindy said...

I love the vintage decorations. Love, love, love them!