Sorry I disappeared last week, my sweets!  The holidays had Travis and I running around like crazy.  But I’m happy to be back today with an exciting giveaway from Printcopia!  Printcopia creates beautiful custom prints of your favorite photos, either framed or on canvas.

I recently ordered a 8″ x 10″ canvas print to display on our mantle and I absolutely adore it!  (Photo by Susannah Gill Photography.)

I was really pleased with the quality and it was so easy to order and design the look of this piece— wouldn’t these make great holiday gifts?

You can win a 8″ x 10″ canvas print of your own… here’s how to enter:

1) Leave a comment on this post for ONE entry.

2) Leave a comment on another post (and tell me about it here) for ONE entry.

3) Become a fan of {blending beautiful} on Facebook (and tell me about it here) for TWO entries.

4) Follow {blending beautiful} on Pinterest (and tell me about it here) for TWO entries.

5) Post a link to {blending beautiful} on your blog/website/facebook page/twitter (and tell me about it here) for FOUR entries.

All entries must be in by midnight on Sunday (12/2)… a winner will be posted here on Monday (12/3).

Don’t forget to check out the Printcopia sister sites, where you can order custom car magnets, vinyl banners, and lawn signs!

P.S.- Printcopia is having an awesome Cyber Monday sale… 50% off their canvases through 12/3!

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This week officially kicks off the holiday season!  Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday, so I could not be more pumped about this week.

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I’m also in the process of designing our holiday card for this year.  I have a super awesome idea for it and I can’t WAIT to share with you :)  (Last year, we sent out postcards with a photo from our wedding… you can take a look here.)

Are you into holiday cards?  Will you send one out this year?

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KC emailed me this week with a common hair concern…

I have a hair appointment scheduled for this Saturday morning, and I’m itching to go dark. I’ve been blonde my whole life (started highlighting when I was about 16, my natural color is an ashy/dirty blonde), but am tired of the upkeep, and just want to try something new. My complexion is fair, so I’m concerned about looking too washed out if I go dark. Any recommendations/photo examples of what I should do??

I’ve always felt like blondes were lucky because it’s MUCH easier to be blonde and go dark than it is to be a brunette (like me) and go blonde.  There’s a perfect shade for everyone, you just have to find the method that’s right for you.

Here are a few tips for taking your blonde hair dark…

1) Start with lowlights. If you don’t want to dramatically change from one color to the next, weave some lowlights into your hair and increase them over the next few appointments.  It’ll darken your look while maintaining lots of dimension in your locks.

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2) Stick to neutral shades. Hair colors come with three undertones: cool, neutral, and warm.  For your first time going dark, stick to shades with a neutral undertones and you won’t wash out.  After living with your neutral color for a while, you can decide if you want to adjust your color to a warmer or cooler shade.

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3) Go dark on the bottom. Cut down on the upkeep by only highlighting the top of your hair  and going for a darker shade all-over on the lower half of your hair.

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Hope this helps, KC!  Please send pictures of the final product, I’d love to see :)

Readers: help KC out!  Which of these looks do you like best?

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I realized recently that this fall marks TEN YEARS since Travis and I first met!  I was a freshman in high school and he was a sophomore, and although I don’t remember the exact moment we first said hello, I have lots of fun memories of goofing around with him in our theater class :)

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Ten years later, our life could not be more different, but it could also not be more wonderful!

I’d love to know the story of how you and your significant other met!  Mutual friends?  Online?  Bumped into each other at a bar?  Share your story in the comments!

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I’ve mentioned that we’re hosting our immediate families for a “Thanksgiving Part 2″, and I want to mix things up by making some yummy appetizers before dinner…

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I feel like we always recycle the same types of hors d’oeuvres and I’d love to get some new ideas.  So, help me out!

What do you make when you host parties?  (Travis wants to try bacon-wrapped asparagus… anyone tried it?)  I’m up for putting in a little effort… just want to try something fun and tasty!

P.S. These stuffed mushrooms look pretty awesome…

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