Some decor additions

Red velvet cake with cream cheese icing, turkey, dressing, homemade rolls, and glazed carrots are all waiting to get made while I indulge my decorating addiction.

I haven't put all my new purchases in place but these two cast-offs have found spots to call home, for now anyway.

So, where did this pheasant go?

ta-da...

Okay, you don't get credit for that one. My picture cropping gave that one away. lol.

I've been loving the feathers and natural decor this Christmas so I think me finding her was meant to be.

She looks good from any angle.
That shutter is for holding Christmas cards and photos that we get in the mail this time of year. I have extras that we'll spice up for a "Fabulous Friday" gift. ;)

Now, what about the homeless fish?

He has now found a new home here...

I hung him about four inches lower than the door frames in the room. He brings some color to the large gray area above the television and adds height.

Side note ~ My demonic camera seems to wash out color and depth. It's got a flash that could kill a vampire 40 miles away. It turned the screen on the T.V. a creepy white so I blocked it out in black. The wall color is really a light gray and the white background of the two side photos contrast more than what is visible in the photo.

Check back soon for my cheap and easy countdown for Christmas decorating and stay tuned for our Friday gift idea!
(I'm super excited about it!!!)

Goodwill Hunting

Ah! Satisfaction

Don't you love a good find?
Don't you love a good deal even more?

I decided to run into the thrift store for a few minutes and found all this.

(There are actually three more of those wood square plaques sitting in the floor.)
I spent $30 on my entire haul.

Sometimes I wonder how I get so much into 1200 square feet.

My husband wonders how I find so much "treasure". Although, my idea of treasure doesn't always coincide with my husband's idea of treasure. Once I get the items fluffed and puffed he sees what I saw in them.

I'll get some pictures up on Tuesday or Wednesday so you can see where these things went.

Happy Hunting!

A relaxing holiday weekend

This weekend was as near perfect as I can imagine - sans the beach.
We spent Saturday outside enjoying the fall scenery. We all had a wonderful time, especially the ducks.


Afterward, we drove around looking at houses and neighborhoods. I spotted some really nice home in the 1 million dollar range. lol.
I did spot some reasonably priced homes, too. They looked so tidy that I had to snap pics. My hubby said we probably looked like we were "casing the joint" in our minivan.


After all that, the whole family was starving... starving for cookies!... so we went over to this fine establishment.

They have the best butter cookies I've ever tasted. MMMM!
They ship cookies, too. ;) Just click the picture for the link - because I would hate to deny anyone such fabulous cookies.

Sunday we got up to go to church but didn't make it. Our son was sneezing left and right. I'm pretty sure it's allergies but we ended up staying home after thinking that there might be a chance of infecting everyone in his room.

Now, what do you do with a gloomy Sunday afternoon?

Go antiquing, of course.
We headed down to our favorite gallery and looked around. When we first came in I spotted this. I loved the frame.


We wound up not buying any decorative items but it was nice to look around.
The gallery had holiday music playing and a spread of cookies, cakes, and juice. Everyone was in a festive mood and it was relaxing to stroll around amidst all the old treasures in their newly found Christmas atmosphere. I usually don't breakout my Christmas sweater this early but I felt especially festive today and decided to wear it. Very serendipitous don't you think?

(Yes, I love themed sweaters and I wear them shamelessly. Fellow holiday sweater wearers, you are always welcome here.)

Amid all that Christmas spirit, I did find one treasure that I could find a place for... I'm still thinking about getting this table. I'm trying to be more responsible about my purchases. Trying is the key word there.

I'm sure my hubby would like me to pass on it. I do love it though.

I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend, too. If not, take a stroll backwards in time through some treasures like these.


I'm sure your Monday will be much better. ;)

Fabulous, Fantastic, and Frugal Friday - Gift No. 3 - Candle & Candy Set

This week we have a beautiful gift set, or a "keep set" for that matter. At this price you could probably afford to make tons of them.

No, this is not the gift
but
you may remember this from a while back...


I don't like to spend a fortune on decor but... well... um... let's face it... those items at the dollar stores are often too small in scale for most homes. My solution to this has been to meander through said stores and put items together. The above is a Dollar Tree pizza pan stacked on top of a silver tone candle holder.

Here's the link:
http://themanyfacesofmom.blogspot.com/2009/10/always-on-budget.html


This craft is another one of those "put together" crafts.

First, you'll need some supplies...

candlestick(s), vase(s) or bowl(s), strong glue that will work for glass, and paint in the color of your choice IF you don't like the color they are
BTW, be careful with E6000 and heat. It's not recommended for lots of heat. I use it but never at really hot temperatures.
I got my candlesticks and glassware at the Dollar Tree.


I'm usually never without this glue and black spray paint, but I happened to not be able to find my glue and was out of paint. That means that you get the pleasure of looking at a nice new can and tube instead of my icky ones. :)

Next on the list, spray paint or don't spray paint your candlesticks. If you do spray paint... Don't forget to paint the inside of the candlestick - you know, where the candle sits.


(If you click the picture above you can see how well the Dollar Tree candlesticks worked out. Once I painted them black the texture and color made them look like wrought iron.)


While that dries grab your glassware and peel off the stickers. Clean and dry it well. Then, get your dry candlesticks and runs some glue around the part that will touch the glass. Line up the glass so it will be centered over the candlestick and sit it down onto the glued candlestick like this:


Let it your glue dry and your done!


Pretty easy, huh?

... and cost? How about a whopping $4, not including paint and glue???


Now, what can you do with these?

Well, this craft started when I went out to find something to make a bowl on a pedestal for bath soaps. That's one idea.

I spotted these tall vases while I was looking for wood letters for another Friday gift idea.
To be honest, I have been keeping my eyes peeled since I saw this:
http://mag1.olivesoftware.com/ActiveMagazine/welcome/STLM/SouthernLivingatHome.asp

(Page 54, bottom left corner)
They've been out for a while but I liked the look with the top off and the beans at the bottom.
I steal tons of ideas from these catalogs. I've got another Friday gift idea coming from these pages, too.
So, that makes a second idea.

Here are the ones I made, sitting on our mantel.
Candy dish - idea 3


I wanted to use some small pebbles under the candle but forgot to get them. When I saw such large glass vases at the Dollar Tree, I forgot everything else. LOL.


These would be really cute filled with sewing notions in a craft room, too - idea 4.

How about stenciling on some glass etching liquid and monogramming them?

Give them filled with stuff or unfilled. Either way, one or two of these make a fabulous gift.

There's tons you can do with these cuties.

Now, go make them yours or someone else's. :)


Happy Crafting!

"Picture" what you love...

When I look around my home I see the things I love looking back at me. My family gets framed, of course, but I also see the sea, seashells, boats, harbors, signs, fishermen and more. I'm not so lucky that my home is near a sandy beach but I try to have those views, views I adore, in my home.

The sea, once it casts it spell, holds one in it's net of wonder forever. - Jacques Cousteau

Here are some of the items that grace my walls.




All of the above were $2 or less! The one at the top came from T.J. Maxx. The other two are from Goodwill.

These were a Marshall's find - $2.oo each!
The shutters in the floor are for another Friday gift idea.


This was a wonderful find at an antique gallery. It has a driftwood frame and has been stitched out.


Look at the detail! I just love it. It's a very nice size and hangs over the mantle. Can you believe it was $15?




A little tip for those that love all things seaworthy - The perfect time to shop for decor items is upon us. It starts right before Halloween and goes through the winter until it's gone. Stores like T.J. Maxx and Marshall's always mark down "beachy" decor around Halloween and the longer it stays, the cheaper it gets.

Now, go hang up what you love!
... and no, you don't have to spend a fortune. :)


Happy Decorating!