Happy New Year!!!

Wishing you all a blessed New Year!

Happy Day After Christmas!

Christmas is over - it came and went so quickly! I am exhausted, but thought I would share a few pictures that I didn't get a chance to post before the holiday.

I found this door mat for my front door at Target and it states my "One Little Word" for 2012.

Surprisingly, I actually got some last minute Christmas crafting accomplished on Friday and Saturday mornings.

I made this Christmas Cloche from a class taught by the Gilded Life Girls in Christy Tomlinson's 12 Artsy Ornaments class.

A cute little glittered tree in a glass toothpick holder.

This cute bird nest ornament is one I made from another of the 12 Artsy Ornaments classes taught by Margie Romney-Aslett.

I found this candle idea on Pinterest using cranberries, fresh evergreens and a floating candle.

We all had a wonderful Christmas (I hope you did too) and like the doggies, I am ready now for a long nap!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Hank and Shooter and ME!

My daughter took these photos of the dogs in their holiday attire. (Be sure to click on the photo to see a larger view....their expressions are so funny!) Our family is so grateful that the boys survived their "adventure" and are here to celebrate Christmas with us.

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas!

The Tree Is Lit

I put up my white feather table top tree instead of my big tree again this year. Last year it was because of necessity. This year it was by choice. I love this little tree and it fits perfectly in the corner of my living room.
It is filled with handmade ornaments from my friends and some from shops like Anthropologie and Crate & Barrel.

And some are made my little 'o me as well.

This fabric Santa ornament was made by my sweet friend Natalea. I think he is adorable!

Big Snow

Yesterday we had a snowfall which lasted for about 5 whole minutes. There wasn't much snow and none of it stuck to the ground, but the snowflakes were HUGE! I wish my camera could have captured the way it looked better than it did.

Here is what it looked like collecting on my deck.

It looked as though cotton balls were falling from the sky - that's about the size the flakes were!

And while all that BIG snow was falling, I decided to whip up a batch of nut breads to give away for Christmas!

Christmas Stocking Swap - Part 2

As promised, today I'm going to share with you what I received from the lovely Kim Gann in Cerri's Christmas Stocking Swap. When I opened the packing box, I found this festively wrapped box.

And when I opened the package, this is what I found!

This beautifully adorned canvas stocking. Here it is hanging above my fireplace.

A snowman card from Kim with some pretty trims.

This metal box with a snow house and sweet snowman on the lid.

And a Santa ornament nestled in these cute star shaped packing peanuts. I've never seen those before - they're so cute!

Here's a close-up of the Santa. I just noticed that his eyes are closed. Perhaps he is resting up before he has to deliver all those gifts to the children on Christmas!

Also included with the stocking were these cute bags full of goodies.

Some wooden shapes - I immediately spotted those people shapes and I'm going to use them to make some of Julie Collings's little angels, shown in this post here.

In the "J" bag, Kim gave me a little kit to make a red mitten ornament. Isn't that clever?

I think my favorite of all the goodies was this pewter ornament in the santa bag.

I have lots of ornaments that mark various milestones in my life - wedding, new house, new baby, etc. But I never thought of getting an ornament (nor have I ever seen one) that would mark my DH's passing.

Here is a close-up of the sentiment. Isn't it a beautiful thought? I love it!

And last, but certainly not least, Kim included some vintage Valentine ephemera to inspire me for the next big holiday. You thought of everything Kim. Thank you so much!

Christmas Stocking Swap

Last month I signed up for Cerri Campbell's Christmas Stocking Swap. This is the second year I participated in this swap and it is so much fun. This year I was partnered with Kim Gann from the Chicken Coop Series and we both said we liked a cream and neutral color scheme. I found this quilted white stocking at Target that I loved and decided to use it as the base for Kim's stocking. Then I went about embellishing it with burlap, handmade muslin roses, vintage cream ball fringe and a burlap glittered monogramed tag. I love how it turned out.
As usual, I forgot to take photos of the goodies I included with the stocking. But fortunately Kim took photos when she opened the package, so you can see it all on her blog post here.

I'll share the stocking Kim sent me in my next post.

A Special Day

61 years ago today my dear George was born.

(Shooter and Hank aren't the only ones who love and miss you.)

Giveaway!!!

Today is the 11th day of Fabulous Holiday Giveaways over on the Where Women Create blog and I am excited to be one of the featured artists. (Thank you so much Paige!)
I am giving away this beautiful, sparkly large ornament. You can hang it on your tree, but it is big enough to hang on your door or wall as well. Be sure to leave a comment on the Where Women Create Blog here to be entered in the giveaway.
I love anything with a touch of glitter or a bit of French influence. I hope you do to.

I also have updated my Etsy Shop with a few Christmas items, with more coming each day. Be sure to check it out here.

Twelve Days of Holiday Giveaways

Today is the first day of 12 Days of Holiday Giveaways over on the Where Women Create blog. Each day, from now through December 12th, the site will feature four artists who are giving away four fabulous prizes. I am so honored to be taking part again in this fun event. Be sure to check it out here.