Christmas Advent Gifts

My grandson Jase is 4 months old already. (My oh my, time sure does fly by quickly!)

One of the things he loves is books. He likes to be read to as well as looking at the colorful pictures.

My daughter wanted to do a "gift-a-day" for Jase, in lieu of an advent calendar. So she decided to check out the local thrift stores and buy children's books to give him each day in December leading up to Christmas. 

As you can see, Jase is enjoying these little gifts quite a bit! Have you ever done an advent calendar with your children? What kind of gifts or treats did you have for each day?

Getting Ready for Easter

I wanted to put together a few spring treats for both Easter and a get-together with good friends. I filled white nut cups with pink grass and Lindt Chocolate mini eggs.

Finally I wrapped the cups in cellophane tied with ribbon decorated with sweet silk flowers and voila!

Project

Photo courtesy of Brandy Faulkner

Isn't this cute? Brandy made it as a teacher gift - yes it's already time to think of these kind of things - but you surely could give it as a gift for friends and family too. And while you're at it you might as well make one or two just for yourself. Brandy shows us all how in a tutorial over on the Joli Paquet blog right here.

Elegant Edibles

~ Photo courtesy of Cerri Campbell ~

Look at this!

Doesn't it look like an expensive box made of alabaster or porcelain?

Well, it's not. It's made of chocolate!

And the best part is, Cerri and her daughter Trin show us how to make a cameo box of our very own right here.

Hungry Reindeer ?

More treats! I made Reindeer Chow yesterday. Sweet and salty - it's a great combination!

~ Reindeer Chow ~

4 cups salted peanuts

1 cup whole almonds

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped dates

1 cup red and green M & M's

1/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Store in covered container.

Makes about 7 cups.

Actually the reason I made the Reindeer Chow was because I found these cute little paper bags during my trip to Hobby Lobby yesterday. Sometimes the packaging idea comes before you have something to put inside of it!

Weekend Wrap-Up

I made some of these over the weekend. These are the white chocolate pretzels. I made milk chocolate ones too. I like both kinds. To me, chocolate is chocolate no matter what the color is.

I packaged them in these cellophane bags from Hobby Lobby.

Now this has nothing to do with Christmas, unless you use this as an ornament and come to think of it, it would be quite nice hanging on the tree I put in my studio. I found this plain white shabby-chic birdcage also at Hobby Lobby and I thought it might look cute all "frou-frou'd" up with tulle, ribbon and satin roses. So that is exactly what I did!

The birdcage goes quite nicely with my flea-market-find pink angel. . .

I guess I really should get back to work preparing for Christmas - I get so easily side-tracked!

Mother's Day Beauty

Every year around Mother's Day, the crabapple trees bloom around here. The beautiful shades of pinks and white are a gorgeous gift that everyone can enjoy.

This sweet little bird hanging was a Mother's Day gift from my daughter and her husband.

The four of us went to brunch and the resturant gave out pink roses to all the Moms.

Last year they gave me a rather wilted rose, but this year's was nothing but perfection!
And my DH surprised me with this beautiful bouquet of red roses as well.

I hope all you moms had a wonderfully special day!

Another Special Gift

Years ago my father-in-law wrote down his autobiography while the memories were all still fresh in his mind. He told about growing up in Poland and being run out of his home by the Russians at the beginning of WWII and how he was sent to a work camp in Siberia. Later he joined the army and fought for the allied forces and it was there that he met my mother-in-law, who also was in the army. They married and relocated to England after their service ended. That is where my husband and his brother and sister were born. Later, when my husband was 5 years old they came to America on the Queen Mary and eventually settled in Chicago.

For Christmas this year, my daughter and two of her cousins published their grandfather's autobiography and presented a copy to each family member. And along with the book, they had calendars printed through the Apple website. Each month of the calendar features a collage of old family photos from my in-laws childhood, to my husband's childhood, to our weddings, and the births of my daughter and her cousins.
These were the first gifts we opened on Christmas and they were such a hit we almost didn't even get to the rest of the presents under the tree.

I knew about the calendar because my daughter had asked me for the old photo albums. However my husband and his siblings were totally blown away by the thoughtfulness of these gifts. Even my mother-in-law, who now suffers from Alzheimer's Disease, could still recall the names of many of the people in the pictures, although locations were not as clear for her. Of course when she saw the picture of her late husband, her eyes lit up and she told us he was a such good man.

And below is my dear hubby - isn't he a cutie? Love that bow-tie!

Back Among the Living!

I'm back and feeling much better than I was a week ago. I think I am at the end of this New Year yukkiness and glad of it. I hate being sick....it seems like everything I try to do is in v-e-r-y s-l-o-w motion. Thanks to all of you for your well wishes...somehow I think all those kind thoughts helped keep me on the road to recovery.

I thought I would share my favorite Christmas gift of all with you. Just look at the picture above. . .yessiree, that is my very own antique chandelier for my studio! It's from my DH and it couldn't have been more perfect! He hit all the marks that I was hinting at all year. . .white, old, hanging crystals. . .it even has a little cherub hanging onto the center post. He made me nervous when he told me one day he was going to Menard's and Home Depot to look for a chandelier for me. I know they have some nice ones there, but not any that fit the look I was after. I think that must have been a diversionary tactic, because in the end, this is the one he bought me and I do love it so! And just like my friend Cerri wrote here about one of her Christmas gifts, I think DH finally gets me!

He didn't waste any time getting the chandelier hung, complete with a dimmer switch which is, as you know, essential to getting the proper aura from the light. What a peach he is! Then after seeing this photo from Holly, I got out a few of my cherished vintage Christmas balls to hang from the bottom. Such a great idea, Holly ~ thanks!
Another favorite gift I received was this little ingenious bit of technology. I've been needing a new phone since my contract expired at the beginning of 2008, but procrastinated and kept putting it off due to not wanting to have to learn how to use a new phone. But so far this one is a cinch to use and I like being able to have access to email and the internet (if needed) wherever I am.

Finally, I wasn't going to mention this little faux-pas that I had this past week, but then I thought, oh why not! It sort of rivals Karin's little miss-step she wrote about here last year. Because I was bustling around trying to get something out of the messiness of the laundry-room-turned-gift-wrapping-room-during-the-holiday-season, which happens to be a very tiny room and currently has very little floor space to walk on, I had a slight accident. Somehow I turned around and found myself tripping over an empty laundry basket and watching (in a sort of out-of-body-experience kind of way) the whole thing occur in the slowest of motion, but was unable to stop the momentum my body was already in and CRASH! There I was sprawled out on the floor, with my head resting on a bag of discards ready to take to Goodwill and the laundry basket popping off all four of it's plastic handles in the force of the impact! My DH, called out from the other room asking, "What fell," and came to my rescue after I managed to reply, "Not what, but who!" He offered to remove the Goodwill bag from under my head, but I told him I liked the way it was cushioning my head, since I wasn't quite ready to get up and see how much damage I had done to my body. Fortunately I came out of it with only some bumps and bruises and a knot on the side of my head. . .all of which is a lot better than a broken bone in the middle of winter here in the Midwest! A friend of mine told me last week that she believes that the way you bring in the new year sets the tone for the way your year is going to be. Oh dear, I hope she's not right about that, because with the awful head cold and now this fall, I looks like I will be in for one heck of a year! Perhaps my DH should up our insurance just in case!

Clever Gift Wrapping

The creative staff at Anthropologie are at it again, spreading lots of inspiration along with holiday cheer. Every year they have the most unique packaging ideas. When you purchase a gift and ask for a box they always have some sort of package decoration to go along with the box. This year they are giving out the button ribbons pictured above, which consist of colorful buttons sewn onto a strip of muslin fabric. To secure the "ribbon" around the package they have ingeniously sewn button holes into the fabric. You can see how it all works by clicking here. I was thinking that it would be fun, as a variation, to do this same thing with pretty ribbon and rhinestone buttons. Or perhaps a length of lace and pearl buttons. The possibilities are endless!

Today's The Day ~ Joli Paquet Kit Sales

It's finally here! The day you and I have been waiting for with much anticipation. The Joli Paquet gals have all been busy in their workshops creating some wonderful holiday kits for you to make for your home or as a gift. I've already seen the kits and there are some really fabulous pretties available at this event, I know I won't be able to resist buying a few of the kits myself.

Pictured below are the two kits that I am selling in my Etsy Shop. The other artists participating in this event are will be selling their kits either at their Web Boutiques or in their Etsy Shops. For a complete list of participants click here.

My first kit is called Snowbird Cottage. This can be made either as an ornament or a table top decoration. Beautiful decorative papers in shades of pale pink, blue, aqua and white. Lots of glitter (included in the kit!) makes the cottage and the bird shimmer as if they are in the middle of a snowstorm! My second kit is called Glitter & Holly Tussie Mussie. This kit features beautiful holly paper covered in shades of soft greens and rich reds. Velvet ribbon, pleated rosette, ice covered nest and a darling glittery red bird.

Everything you need to make these decorations is included in the kits, including full color instructions. All you have to add are a few basic tools like scissors, glue, etc and a bit of spare time. I know it's going to be difficult to decide which kits to buy. . .so why don't you follow my humble suggestion and buy one of each! You can purchase my kits by clicking here ~ Happy Holidays and Happy Creating!

P.S. Don't forget that the Joli Paquet Blog will continue the entire month with tutorials, holiday tips, recipes, etc.

Tuesday Tidbits

Wow, I can't believe it! I am all caught up on my Etsy orders and swaps. I don't know what's gotten into me, being so efficient?! LOL!!! Anyway, it feels good to get everything checked off my to-do list. We're planning a short trip up to the cottage to deliver the shed that my DH built to keep our garden tools and bicycles in, so I kind of HAD to get everything taken care of around here.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day on Sunday and I hope all of you Moms out there did too. We went out for brunch and had a relaxing day. I even took a nap in the afternoon....that never happens! Later my DH and I went to see "Ironman." I wasn't exactly thrilled at the movie choice at first, but there really wasn't anything else worth going to see and we haven't been to a movie in ages. I was pleasantly surprised though as it was a pretty good movie. It was the typical superhero plot peppered with humor here and there. I like Robert Downey, Jr. and Gwenyth Paltrow and I hardly recognized Jeff Bridges in the movie.

For Mother's Day my DH gave me one of these (yipee!) and a beautiful flowering pot for the patio. My darling daughter has discovered Etsy and gave me this and these. One additional item she ordered has yet to arrive, so I still have another surprise to look forward to.

I've been working on the Vintage Workshop Birds and Bonnets Swap that Karla and Beth are hosting. The picture above and those below are a few of the collaged panels I created. You can see all eight of them here.

Well, it's time to make dinner....we're having chili and cornbread muffins ~ YUM! And then it's off to watch American Idol.

It's Time!

The gifts have arrived for The Hippity Hop Swap that Heather is hosting. A BIG heartfelt hug goes out to Heather for packing and shipping all these gifts out. I believe are 60 people in the swap, with each participant sending in 12 gifts - that's 720 gifts altogether! Yikes! It is good that she had Donna, Tamy and Shosh assisting her in this huge undertaking. THANKS LADIES!
I am in the pink group - the swap was so big it had to be broken down into smaller groups! Day #1 in my group belongs to the one and only Miss Holly Doodle.
Holly created this precious little nest with a sweet bird and eggs. It looks all vintage-y and yummy, but then all of Miss Holly's creations are that way. Thank you SO much Holly! I LOVE IT! Everyone from all 5 groups will be posting their gifts for you to see on the Hippity Hop Swap Flickr page here.


I am still continuing to work on my 21 Day Journal pages. If you want to see the lastest pages click here.

And you can still vote for my daughter's Beagle in Bissell's Most Valuable Pet Contest through Monday, March 17th by clicking here.

Inspired by Others

I finally got around to putting some things up on my inspiration board. . .you know, the one I cleared off here. It was getting a bit crowded and although I kind of liked it that way, it was hard to focus on any one thing. Actually the board reflected exactly the way the rest of the room was beginning to look, which is why I began the Big Clean Out in the first place.

Now the board has room for new things, but for the time being I have displayed some of my favorite swap items I've received. I really get a lot of inspiration from other people's art, don't you?

I also added some big pom-pom fringe which are held up by a pair of birds that Cerri (Little Pink Studio) surprised me with last year. I am in love with her glittery birdies!

Who (or what) is that behind the curtain you ask? These are the curtains which I used to replace the closet doors that we removed years ago. I orginally wanted to put the day bed in there, but figured I would loose out on too much storage space. That is one of my daughter's many formals from her high school days. I can't bear to part with them. . .mom is a bit sentimental. The slip is a vintage one I bought mainly for the lace, but it looked too pretty to cut up, so for now it hangs safely on a pretty padded hanger! Open the curtains and this is what you will find. . .three shelving units like this. They used to have doors on them, but I took those off recently too. What is this aversion I have to doors? They were just a hindrance as far as I was concerned, and since the curtain was there to hide the shelves I figured I'd get rid of the doors. I did save them in case I change my mind (which has been know to happen a time or two), but for now I am liking the easy access I have to my supplies.

This corner is on the left side of the day bed and I can hide all sorts of things here because it is less visible. I use a decoupaged metal and wire waste basket to hold rolls of paper. The rose paper covered boxes in the foreground are those paper valises you can get at places like Homegoods. They are handy for storing (or hiding) all sorts of treasures. To the right of the basket of paper rolls is the round table that I showed you here. I forgot to mention that although it looks all pretty and nice on top, it secretly holds more storage underneath the skirt.

The utility drawers shown below used to be hidden away behind the cupboard doors in the base of this hutch. But that proved too impractical because I had to keep getting on my hands and knees in order to find anything. And lots of time I have projects piled on the floor in front of the hutch so I couldn't even open the doors! So beauty gave way to practicality and the drawers were placed in full view. Someday I may get around to painting the blue ones white (or vice versa) but for now they will stay as they are.

The little JOY plaque is from Donna (Under the Red Roof) and although it was a Christmas gift, I am keeping it on display year round because I love the colors and it's nice being greeted by a little joy everyday. In the jar above it is one of Cerri's little Princess Birds which also was a gift. She is in the jar waiting for me to finish a project I am working on with her and the jar.

Speaking of jars, do you all love vintage blue mason jars as much as I do? I think the color is divine and I love the weathered zinc lids too. I use a lot of these up at the cottage too because that aqua blue color is a big part of the color scheme there. I can't resist pretty things that can double as storage pieces.

Below the jars are the shelves my DH built me years and years ago for my rubber stamps. These shallow shelves fit perfectly in the space behind the door to the room. So when the door is open, the shelves are completely hidden and you don't have to look at all the rubber stamps and feel guilty about the amount of $$$ you spent on them. You know the old saying ~ out of sight, out of mind!