* This post was sponsored by AllModern, and may contain affiliate links. As always, all opinions are my own

As we are all knee deep prepping our homes for the holidays, we tend to want to refresh everything in our homes. With holiday gatherings being small and intimate this year, things look a little different but that doesn't mean we can't give our spaces a little love even if they won't see a lot of people this year. I wanted to create a fresh new look for this family gathering space which is the heart of the home. The perfect space to create gingerbread houses and decorate Christmas cookies with the kids and to gather in our pj's on Christmas morning for some mimosas and brunch. 

As a modern farmhouse spindle chair. These spindle chairs are not only kid friendly, but they're comfortable too. I love how the black pops against the gray floors and creates a statement for the space. Paired with a sleek tulip style table, it's a great mix of modern with a little twist of that modern farmhouse that everyone loves. The chairs visually keep the space open with the spindle backs and don't overwhelm the space.  A large globe pendant light works well above the space and we topped the table with large ceramic vases filled with seasonal greens which make it look festive. 

 I just received my first Christmas cards yesterday and I couldn't believe it! Sending and receiving Holiday cards is one of my favorite things. I love seeing how everyone's kids are growing over the years and since most of our family lives farther away, I love being able to send them cards with pictures of how quickly our own boys are growing. 

There are so many great options online for cards but one of my favorite places to order Holiday cards is Minted. Their cards are beautiful, from foil printing to letterpress, there is a style for everyone. They offer unique designs that are completely customizable from their community of over 15, 000 independent artists. You can even upload your picture and it will give you a preview of what it will look like on each card which helps you narrow down your favorite. They also make ordering cards a little less stressful with their free address printing. It leaves us a little more time to focus on the more important things this holiday season, like cooking baking and that pile of laundry. Right now Minted has 20% off your order with code HolidayJoy. Even better, if you join the minted more program, you get 30% off plus a free welcome kit which includes cute gift bags, tags, ribbons, a coloring book and colored pencils and discounts for future orders. This has paid for itself many times over the last year so personally I think it is worth it.

A little holiday tip to keep in mind, deliveries are taking a lot longer because of covid and so you may want to take advantage of this sale and get your cards out earlier this year. Not yet ready? They give you the option to order your cards with the discount and you can go back and add addresses in your contact list later. The good news is, once you upload them, they remain on their site for next years cards. 

Here is a look at our previous year Christmas cards with Minted and some of my favorite for 2021! 

 The men in our lives always seem like the hardest ones to shop for but this year I found so many great gifts ideas for the guys! 

 One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving was looking forward to all the desserts on the table and the pumpkin bread was always the first one I went to. It's not a fancy recipe by any means and loaded with all the sugar but if there is a day we ignore that, it would be Thanksgiving, right? I love this pumpkin bread because it doesn't have an overly spice like some pumpkin breads. I like to make this as a loaf or in my pumpkin muffin pan. If you make them into smaller muffin sizes, you will need to adjust the baking time. I baked mine for around 25 minutes and they came out perfect. For the whole loaves, I will bake them for an hour. I finish it off with a little dusting of powdered sugar and they're the perfect little addition to your Thanksgiving feast. 

 Next up in the Gift Guides is the teens! As our kids get older, doesn't it seem like their gifts get more expensive and harder to shop for since trends seem to be changing at lightning speeds these days. I never thought I would be that mom waiting for the newest release of a gaming system but here I am, staying up until 1am hitting refresh as fast as I can hoping I can checkout as fast as I can. I guess that beats camping out in line outside in the freezing cold so I shouldn't complain. 

I consulted with some actual teen boys and girls to get some feedback on the gifts ideas I chose to make sure they were gifts actual teens would want to own. 

 I'm kicking off my 2020 Gift Guides with what to get her. Whether it's your sister, wife, best friend or yourself...no judgement. I mean we all deserve to treat ourself after this year. Normally, I have some cute clothes, a fun handbag but this year I'm keeping it to essentials. The things that would make being stuck at home a little bit more enjoyable. 

FYI: A little public service announcement and I don't mean to add any anxiety but I noticed a lot of stores said to order by the beginning of December for guaranteed Christmas delivery. No pressure....it's fine, we're all fine! 

Wine Purifier: Selective Sulfit Capture technology combines with an adjustable wine aerator in this innovative purifier, designed to give your wine it's most robust taste. I love wine but some gives me an instant headache and I hear this can help. 

Always pan:  Cult- favorite best selling Always Pan. This do it all wonder is designed to replace 8 traditional pieces of cookware. Plus, it looks pretty good too. 

Sorel boots: Sneaker boots. I have these in black and I love them. I hate wearing a big clunky boot all the time and this is a good alternative to the days you're not tredging through the snow. 

Face mask: My girlfriend got me this for my birthday and I was saving it for a special day. Holy cow, this is a good mask for a little at home facial treatment. You may want to not let anyone see you while you're doing it.

iphone case: personalized iphone case, so many cute color and print options 

PURA Diffuser: I love candles but I'm always afraid I'm going to forget to blow them out. No worries with this smart home diffuser. Yep, a smart diffuser you can control from your phone. They even have the famous Anthropologie volcano scent as an option which I have and I also chose a nest Christmas fragrance as well. The packaging is really pretty too! 

Stacking rings: I'm finding I'm wearing simple jewelry these days and I love this little stacking ring set in mixed metals. 

Sherpa jacket: Sherpa is all the rage this season and it has every right to be. It's super warm and cozy! I love this one because if the hood! 

Monogrammed scarf: always a great gift idea is a monogrammed scarf. Lots of color and pattern options available and they have the prettiest wrapping, so you don't even have to worry about wrapping it. This makes a great gift for a coworker. 

Bronzer: This bronzer is pricier but it's huge! I'd imagine it would last forever. It's a cult favorite. Kiss those pale skin days goodbye! 

Kopi Mug & warmer: For the person who reheats their coffee 27 times a day and their phone is always dead. Not naming any names. 

Slippers: Slippers are the new shoes! Also supporting a black owned business. 

Necklace: This little delicate pave horn necklace comes in an adorable box. It's a great layering piece as well. 

Leggings:The top fashion item of 2020! My leggings/workout pants got put to the test these last couple months and Lululemon always comes through on their durability. They've held up the best out of all the other brands I have. These are super flattering as well. 

Stay tuned for more gift guides to come! 

 Just like that, it's November and it's dark at 4PM and everyone is putting up Christmas trees and poor Thanksgiving is being left in the dust. To be honest, I am anxious to decorate as well. I'm not sure if it's that we're looking forward to things that make us happier or that we're just trying to get on with this year but I'm here for all the decorating and trying to make the holidays at home as memorable as possible in 2020. We may not be celebrating with large family or friend gatherings but we can still create a beautiful setting for the ones we love. 

When it comes to decorating for Thanksgiving, I like to mix in pieces that can be used year round and coordinate with my holiday decor. I like to use different textures and materials and go with more of a neutral color scheme that also coordinates with my holiday decor. There's no need to spend a lot of money. Gather some branches from your yard and fill a large vase like this beautiful black one and use it as the centerpiece of your table for some drama. Add different height candle sticks down the table that can be used on your mantle afterwards for Christmas. Those little white sugar pumpkins you bought for Halloween also work great for little accents on the table. Get the kids involved and collect things on a walk, big leaves that you can use as place cards with each persons name written on them is another cute idea. 

Here are some ideas to create a simple yet beautiful table setting for your loved ones at Thanksgiving. Home items are flying off the shelves before they even hit the shelves, so you may want to get a head start even though Thanksgiving is still a couple weeks away. 

It will take just one bite of this apple pie to make you realize you might not want to share this with anyone else. I’m soooo excited to share this recipe with you as it is a family favorite of ours. I think of my Nanny who was one of the best baker’s every time I make it. It’s not your traditional apple pie recipe, more like an apple crisp pie but it’s oh so good! The crumb topping may be my favorite, actually it is. So if you unsure of what to do with all those apples you have laying around from your recent apple picking adventure, this is the recipe to make. 

Rinse and pat dry

Mix in the sugar and flour. I ran out of regular flour and used almond flour and I actually liked it just as much. 

Place apples into the pie crust and add squares of butter and cinnamon on top. The pie will seem really high but don't worry, it won't be this big after you bake it. 

When making the crumbs, you want to have the right consistency. I leave the butter out for a couple hours and then mix by hand. If they seem too wet, add a little more flour. 

Pile them onto your apple pie and sprinkle with cinnamon. 

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees

It's best served warm with vanilla ice cream! Enjoy! 

Apple Pie Recipe:

Serves: 6-8 

Ingredients: 

Pie crust (you can make homemade but I find it easier to buy the pre-made ones)

8 Macintosh apples (I use whatever I have on hand and will mix them sometimes) 

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups flour (you can substitute almond flour)

2 sticks butter

cinnamon/salt

Directions: 

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Peel apples and slice into smaller pieces. Soak in water, drain and pat dry. 

Place in large bowl and add 3/4 cups sugar, 1/2 cup flour and mix together. Place apples in pie shell and add squares of butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and a pinch of salt. 

Crumb Topping: 

Mix 1 cup flour, 1/2 cups sugar and 8 tbsp butter and mix with your hands until crumbs form. Add to the top of apples and sprinkle with cimnamon. You can add cut out pie crust leaves to make it more decorative. Bake on cookie sheet for 1 hour. Best served warm with vanilla ice cream! 

Enjoy!

This post is sponsored by AllModern, but all text, images, and opinions are all my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep The Style Nest running!

I'm excited to share with you our little bedside refresh in our master bedroom. It was so much fun working with AllModern on this space. Small changes can go a long way! Our bedroom is very limited on space. So when choosing a bedside table and new lighting, I wanted to make the most out of the space. I had 2 requirements for our little bedside heros, one was drawers in the bedside tables for all the things you want to keep hidden away like chargers and eye masks and two were wall sconces so that we could maximize the space on top of the tables for water and whatever book or pile of magazines we may be reading. 

 I chose these dimmable swing arm sconces because I love the modern element they bring to the space. My husband and I also have different bedtimes and I like to read at night to help me fall asleep and he can't sleep when my light is on. The dimming feature will come in handy on these. These are hardwired but if that is not an option for you, you can create a similar look with a plug in as well and AllModern has many great options, like these which I also love. 

Since we are limited on space, I wanted our bedside table to have drawers for us to hide all those things you don't want to be seen like chargers, medicine, etc. I love the larger handles on these, they make the smaller table more of a statement piece and the brass detail ties in the brass in the sconce. I also love the detail in the front of these. They come in different colors as well. I chose the walnut because I wanted to bring in a warmer tone but the black is also a great color option. All Modern has so many more options to choose from. 

Nightstands and lighting can make or break a bedroom. This is an area you can bring in some fun elements or textures, different wood tones to warm up the space or a cool light fixture to elevate the space. Having matchy matchy sets in a bedroom make it feel like you walked in the showroom and said "I'll take that set". I like mixing and matching pieces to make it feel more unique. Pairing wood bedside tables with painted dressers or metal bedside tables with wood dressers is a great way to create a unique bedroom retreat and don't forget the ambient lighting. 

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