Initial on Canvas Project

I am thrilled to the gills with my latest project! I painted a canvas I had green and traced around the top of a medicine jar (Fiber Choice pills to be exact, I know you wanted to know that info) to make the dots and painted them with red paint. I painted the T (Michaels - $1.99) black and hot glued it on. Then I stapled some black and white checked ribbon on the back to hang it and voila - my masterpiece! I am sooooo loving it and how it looks hanging on this old window. I have this window hanging outside near my backdoor and I change what I have on it with the seasons and holidays. I was going to hang a wreath, but I already have one out there with lights on it so I decided to do this project that I can leave out all year long. Alright, I'm going to go now and pat myself on the back some more. I just love doing projects that are cheap and easy and cute!!! Don't you?!

Kitchen Table Centerpiece and Yard Sale Finds

I have the hardest time with what to put on my kitchen and dining room tables. I couldn't think of anything cute and Christmasy, so I put one of my roosters in a basket and put greenery and berries around him. I may change it if I come up with something else. My table has been bare for about a week and I had to put something on it 'cause it was driving me crazy.


My mom and I went to some good yard sales Sat. Here are some of the things I bought. The urn was $3 and the rest was $1 each. I was excited! I also bought some books for my son. I usually get books for like 10 to 25 cents. You can't beat that! I am still decorating for Christmas and will hopefully get pretty much done this week so I can get the boxes and stuff put back up and enjoy everything. I haven't shown too much yet because I don't want to show mine too early. I am so ready to see all your stuff and get ideas. Then I'll have to change mine and copy you! Happy Monday everybody!

Friday Favorites

My favorite things today are my Christmas mantle and the JOY framed letters I made. I just love when I do a project and it turns out even cuter than I'd hoped! I'm really happy with it and everything looks better now that I've added lights to the greenery. I can't say I'm totally finished with it, but I wanted to go ahead and show what I had done. I am now working on decorating my kitchen tree. This cold weather we are having here is really putting me in the Christmas mood! And NO, I haven't forgotten about Thanksgiving. I am looking forward to some delicious food and visiting with family on Thursday. Hope y'all have a great weekend!

One Tree Finished - I Think!

This is a small tree I have in my dining room and I think I'm finished with it, although I have been known to change things right up until almost Christmas! I usually put this tree on my foyer table, but decided to put it on my dry sink in the d. room and I like it here for something different. I think putting trees, whatever size, all around the house is one of the easiest ways to decorate for Christmas. The hardest thing to me is arranging items on tables and the mantle. I have to play with it until I'm satisfied with how it looks. What is the hardest part of Christmas decorating for you?

An Initial Ornament

I made this initial ornament and plan on making several more to put on this tree in my foyer. All I did was glue scrapbook paper and a letter painted black onto a small piece of wood. The letters come in packs at HL and the wood pieces also come in packs. I think they came from Michaels. Then I glued a piece of ribbon to the back as the hanger. I think it would look better with something else added to it to jazz it up, but I'm not sure what. I'm not good at embellishing things so I'm open to suggestions. Or, maybe it's fine as is. I'm not sure. Well, I'm off to make more ornaments. Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!

A Christmas Plaque

I made this plaque to put on my table in my foyer. Love the poem! I have been working on my Christmas decorating a little each day. Mostly I do it when my son is napping or after he goes to bed at night. Things are coming along, but there's plenty more to do. I don't have my main tree up yet. I want my husband to put it in an urn or either build a box for it to sit in. I'm not in a big hurry to put it up since I have other projects to work on. I'm so bad about starting too many things at one time. Like my mantel - I haven't touched it since I posted about it and it is nowhere near finished! I am going to try to finish it in the next few days. Have a great Monday everybody!

Friday Favorites - I Barely Made It!

I love black and white stuff! It just always looks sharp and is great on accent pieces all around the house. Don't you agree?! Hope y'all have a fantastic weekend!

A Cute Project and a Mantel Still in Progress

Here is a cute project that I can't take credit for because it was given to me by my old boss many years ago. She made it and I don't think it would be hard at all to do. It is a piece of scrap wood with a Santa face painted on and Believe written at the bottom. There's a little piece of greenery and a bell glued at the top and a wire hanger attached. I'm not sure how she made the hair look kinda thick and textured. I was thinking you could probably use spackle and then paint over it to achieve the same results. I have always loved this piece and have 2 other cute things she made I'll show next week.


Well, I think my mantel is improving, but I still have more to do to it like adding lights and other stuff to the greenery. I added a berry wreath to the window and put my two toile lamps on either side. The topiaries just looked too dark. I got some great suggestions from y'all and am going to go back and reread them and write them down in case I decide to use them. Right now I put stuff up there I already had so I didn't have to go out and buy anything. I'll probably be working on this Christmas decorating for weeks to come, but hey, that's why I started so early. I love it!!!

Christmas Mantel in Progress

I am working on decorating my mantel for Christmas and this is all I have so far. Sorry for the dark picture! I have tried several things and like the window the best. I may change out the topiaries for some lamps to lighten it up and also add lights and ornaments to the greenery. I want to hang something over the window - maybe a star or one of those cute initial wreaths I've been seeing. I have a hard time getting my mantel to look right. I don't even remember how I had it last year. I probably have a picture I could look at, but I like to do things differently than I did the year before. Of course, that does make it harder and way more time consuming. I usually don't start decorating until after Thanksgiving, but I said, "What the heck!" and went ahead with it! Please offer me any suggestions you may have to make my mantel look pretty!

An Old Purse Gets a New Life

I bought this purse for $1 at a yard sale Saturday. I spray painted it black and then glued on some ribbon and scrapbook paper. Now I am using it in my office to hold small crafting supplies. How's that for an easy makeover?

A Party to Get the Week Started

Oh, it's going to be a marvelous Monday because Chris over at Just A Girl is having a "I Can Make That!" party to show Christmas gift projects. I am so excited to get some awesome ideas! My first one is an initial ornament. I painted dots on it and wrote an initial with a Sharpie and tied some ribbon on. I made some last year and never gave them away so I am going to give them this year. Those of you who read my blog have probably seen the second project. It is a plate with a clear quote sticker stuck on. It is not a rub-on, although that works great too. Both projects are cheap and easy peasy!

Friday Favorites

I love things with a fleur de lis symbol on them. I don't know what it means, I just think it's really pretty!





I have to admit that I have kind of started decorating for Christmas. I brought down 2 of my trees out of the attic so I'd have more room to go through my boxes and start organizing and planning what I'm going to put where. I don't decorate the same way every year. I move things around and try to be somewhat creative. I put this tree in my foyer and am going to put fleur de lis and probably some toile ornaments on it. I bought these gold ornaments for $1 (half off at Hobby Lobby), painted them red, and put a black and white checked ribbon on for a hanger. I am still trying to figure out how I'm going to make the toile ornaments. I have some ideas. You know you'll see whatever I come up with, but only if measures up to my cute quotient. I am going to a Crop Night (scrapbooking) tonight so I'm excited and I'm sure my mom and I will check out some yard sales tomorrow morning. Hope y'all have a super weekend!

My Living Room

Here is my living room, the place I spend a lot of time in whether I'm reading, watching T.V., or spending time with my family. I think it reflects the kind of decor I like - some french country, a little vintage, pretty colorful, warm and cozy. I know I feel happy when I'm in here and that's what's important. I have such a love affair with my home as most of you do too. That's why I enjoy blogging so much because I can relate to you out there who love to try to create a pretty home for your family and for yourselves. And most of you - like me - try to do it inexpensively and put your own hard work into it. I don't want a house that's all matchy matchy and looks like a model home or something out of a catalog. I want my home to be a collection of new and old things I have gathered over the years that I just enjoy being around and looking at. I will never be "done" with my house because I always have something up my sleeve I want to do. Do y'all know what I mean?

Random Post

I received a cool award ( I don't think it has a particular name) from Carrie at
Buzzings of a Queen Bee (www.buzzingsofaqueenbee.blogspot.com) that has an explanation I am supposed to share.

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

Whew, I'm not sure what all of those words mean, but I think they're complimentary. Thanks so much Carrie!!! The eight bloggers/blogs I choose are:

Erin at www.shadesofcolorpoci.blogspot.com

Tricia Anne at www.notesofsincerity.com

Betsy at www.snipssnailsandmommytales.blogspot.com

Sandy Toes at www.shellinyourpocket.blogspot.com

Blanca at www.fortheloveofmyhome.blogspot.com

Tam at www.gypsycorner.blogspot.com

Julie at www.orchardstreetcottage.com

Sue at www.sue-thecottonpatch.blogspot.com

I always have to apologize for putting the address instead of linking you to them, but I can't ever remember how to do it and I don't want to go get my husband. Maybe I'll learn someday!

I was BOOED by two sweet bloggers and I am just now acknowledging them. SORRY! Debbie at www.ribbonwoodcottage.blogspot.com
Julie at www.orchardstreetcottage.blogspot.com

I have been tagged many times and I'll get to them over the next few weeks. I really do appreciate all the awards and tags, I just take my sweet precious time blogging about them. It's the procrastinator in me!

Now on to a little decorating stuff. Am I totally crazy for getting down 2 of my Christmas trees today? Go ahead and say it - YES, ANGIE, U ARE! I am just so ready to decorate for Christmas. Am I ready for Christmas? NOOOOO! I just love the lights and decorations and am excited about it. I usually don't decorate until after Thanksgiving, but I think I'm going to start like mid Nov. this year. No one is coming to my house for Thanksgiving so it really doesn't matter. I have got some things in mind I want to make for Christmas so I had better start on the projects now or they won't get done. I can't wait to see everybody's homes all decorated and I am counting on y'all to give me lots of great ideas like you always do! Check me out on Wed. for a tour of my living room. Have a great day!