DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   Celebrating New Year's Eve  with a loved one is great. Spending it in a beautiful locale with fireworks and spectacular activities is even better. Here is a list of the top ten places to celebrate New Year's Eve in, and the reasons why you should be here in one of these cities. London, England Celebrate New Year's Eve with splash of history at the London Eye, and enjoy a wonderful 10-minute public fireworks display. This year is organized by the Mayor of London and put on by the renowned pyrotechnical Christophe Berthonneau. It will be a jam-packed event making the entire downtown area busy  with crowds of people. Here you can bring in the New Year along the banks of the Thames. Rome, Italy The Piazza del Popolo is an historic and lovely spot for the festivities. Here you can listen to concerts and view fireworks throughout the evening. There is something magical about bringing in the new year in the twin churches of Santa Ma

   Every year on January 17th, the people of  San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain , celebrate  St. Anthony's  by riding their horese, donkeys and mules through piles of burning tree branches.     The unique tradition of leaping over and through flames dates back 500 years, but the men and women of  San Bartolome de Pinares  still celebrate it religiously. They gather all the branches they can find in the days leading up to the festivities, and when dusk falls on the eve of Saint Anthony's, they light the branches into a bonfire. Riders jump and run their mounts through the burning piles of the branches in the middle of the village, accompanied by sound of drums and Spanish bagpipes. Drinking wine during the purification festival     Jumping through the flames is said to bring the animals the protection of St. Anthony Abad, acknowledged as the patron saint of domestic animals, ever since the Middle Ages. Locals believe the fire purifies their animals

Fueling my neon obsession but still wanting a fun fall accent, Jodi of  One Simple Dream  and I brainstormed this AWESOME plaster dipped leaf garland. And I love the way it turned out! I'll be honest, plaster of paris gives me a little bit of anxiety for some reason but rest assured, this is as easy and manageable as Jodi told me it would be. Sigh. Here's what you need: Plaster of Paris  (DAP, Joann Fabric & Craft Store) Disposable bowl for mixing POP Leaf garland (We found ours at the Dollar Store! Yipee!) Paint - quart size cans for dipping  (Behr, Home Depot) Water Wax Paper Twine (approx. 5 feet long) Scissors First, you will want to cut the leaves from the garland. Make sure the stem is long enough for you to hold onto for dipping and to tie onto for the garland. Mix the plaster of paris according to the directions on the package. (We used 1 cup of plaster to a 1/2 cup of cold water which allowed us to dip 20 leaves.) Mix well until al