We're Home

Just wanted to pop in and let you know that we are home from our travels. It is good to be home, but I'm not feeling real well - lowgrade fever, congestion, etc. This is not the time to be sick (when is?) because I have way too much I need to get accomplished this week. I'm hoping I feel better soon and no one else gets sick.

I'll have to share some of our holiday pictures with you soon. Wait until you see the fabulous aprons my mom made for all her granddaughters! Check back in a day or two and I will try to get them posted. For now I wanted to share a project I did before Christmas. I couldn't share it until my dear friend received it. She has a birthday right after Christmas. I really hated to give her a birthday present that was technically a Christmas decoration, but when I read the sentiment on the postcard I knew that is what I had to do.

Like always, I apologize for the bad pictures. Someday maybe I will learn. Remember that you can click on the picture to enlarge it.
I am inspired by the beautiful work of artists like Rebecca and Carolyn. They are just amazing! There are others out there, too. I love reading their blogs to get the creative juices flowing.
Isn't this a great postcard? I just love the verse! It was perfect for my friend Pamela. Even though we no longer live close, we have a lasting friendship. God truly blessed me when he brought us together. I hope you had a wonderful birthday, dear friend!

The Colors of Christmas #3

Red & Green

Today I will show you the traditional red & green - with a few other colors mixed in as well.

I always have a little tree in my dining room that is decorated with mini cookie cutters and gingerbread ornaments. These are some of my collection of cookie cutters. I know this isn't a great picture, but do you see that red-handled turner? I love that the holes are in the shape of a star.

I don't remember where or when I got these sweet little Rudolph tin. It is about 4 inches across. I'd love to know more about it. Is it considered a tart pan? A mini pie pan? Not sure, but I like it.

This locker basket is holding all of our Christmas books - some old and some new. Instead of the usual tree skirt I decided to use this old quilt. Actually, this is the back of the quilt. It is a green and red flannel. I think I paid $4 for the quilt at a yard sale. It is sort of a crazy quilt with some wool pieces. Unfortunately, at some time it was washed and dried and the wool shrunk. Even though the quilt is a little misshapen I still thought it was worth purchasing.
Well, this is actually red and teal again. Of course, I found these Shiny Brites at Goodwill. I collect Angels for my Sweet Girl, so I had to buy these. Then at another thrift store I found this vintage bun warmer (is that the right term? Sounds kinda funny). I didn't know what I was going to do with it until I noticed how well it matched the ornaments. Obviously not its intended use, but that is how I like things!
Thrift store again - a card of vintage jingle bells - all still attached!
Are you tired of seeing Shiny Brites yet? Why have I never even noticed these things until this year? Now I can't get enough of them.
Oh, sorry! I forgot I had more Shiny Brites to show you. I love my wire locker baskets - wonderful for so many things!
And last but not least - if you live in Arkansas you have to have a painted Okra Santa hanging on your tree. My oldest son made this last year in school.

Well, I guess that is all. I'd love to show you more, but you would get bored and I really don't have time. Tonight I think I will finish wrapping gifts. Tomorrow I have to do laundry and start packing. Family of five - 12 hour road trip - 10 days - a minivan full of luggage, gifts, snacks - not an easy task. And not a task I am looking forward to.

This likely will be my last post until the first of the year. We will be gone to KS and CO. I will miss blogging. Hopefully I will have some fun things to share when we get back. The kids are looking forward to sledding - something they don't get to do down here.

I hope you all have a very merry Christmas!

The Colors of Christmas #2

First of all, if you are looking for the post about Martilee's new bed, just scroll down. It is the previous post.

Blue & White

For my second Colors of Christmas post, I thought I would show you a few blue and white things. I've had this old cookie tin for a long time and just can't seem to part with it.
I found these ornaments at that wonderful Christmas estate sale I mentioned awhile back. They were all in a box together, but the blue ones are Shiny Brite and the white ones say "made in West Germany." I found the silver bowl to put them in at Goodwill. The cashier said, "Oh, that will be really pretty once it is cleaned up." Notice that I did not polish it. I think it is pretty just the way it is.
Isn't this a sweet postcard? I've collected old books for a long time. Several years ago I found this tucked inside one of my old books. I just love those sweet little blue birds!
And speaking of birds....I was very excited to find this one from Germany. That Christmas estate sale was good to me! I brought him home and clipped him onto this little wire nest votive holder. I tried and tried to get a good picture. Unfortunately, this is as good as it gets. It really doesn't do him justice.

Christmas is getting closer. I'm really starting to stress. So much to do before we head to KS and CO to celebrate with family. Not sure how it will all get done before Friday afternoon. I think some year it would just be nice to stay home at Christmas. We never get to do that.

Well, I hope you all have a blessed Sunday. We are off to church and then my son's very first piano recital. He is playing "Jingle Bells" and "Away in a Manger."

The New Bed

Putting it together....

Trying it out.....
All safe and secure.....
Sweet girl and the master builder.....

Sweet Girl's bed is finished! Tom and his wife have kind of adopted our family into theirs since we do not have any family here in Arkansas. We were so happy when he said he would build a bed for us. I gave him a few ideas, he sketched out a plan and started building. Now, after 5 1/2 years in a crib, our sweet girl has a big bed. She has plenty of room but will still be safe. She may not walk, but man can she rock and roll when we put her to bed!

Thank you, Mr. Tom! We love you!

The Colors of Christmas #1

Blue, Teal, Pink & Green!

My decorating is sort of a hodge-podge of things. I thought I would divide it into a few posts and feature certain colors each time. The first one is very colorful! It's funny how all these things just sort of came together. I certainly didn't set out to collect these colors. I'm generally more traditional.

I can't seem to pass up vintage Shiny Brites and other ornaments this year. I love the pink and teal ones. The long, skinny ornaments say "Poland" on them. I'm guessing they are fairly old, but I really don't know. I purchased them, the box of curling ribbon and the little gift bag from an estate sale. The lady who was selling her mother's things found it interesting that all I bought was the "old" stuff. She had rooms full (I'm not kidding) of brand new Christmas items. I wasn't interested in that.

So, I am getting the ornaments out and trying to decide where to put them. Then I remembered this unique "purse" I bought a few months ago at a yard sale. At the time I had no idea why I bought it. It is one of those things I would look at, walk away and then gravitate back to. I guess it was meant to be.

The jar of light bulbs matches everything perfectly!

I picked up this little velvet tea pot ornament yesterday at the thrift store.

And I have to include a picture of Sweet Girl with her new PINK gait trainer. Look out world! Here she comes!

The Reason

I want to show you all some more of my Christmas decorating, but I thought I would start with the Reason we celebrate.

My favorite part of decorating is watching the boys set out the nativities. They unwrap them and place each piece so carefully.
None of the nativities are expensive - just things we have collected over the years.
This one was added last year.
Isn't this one sweet?
This was my first one - after Christmas clearance from the grocery store.

A very simple wooden set.

This is a fun book of the Christmas story. A different piece of the story pops out each day. By Christmas day you have the whole Nativity set out. If you are interested, it can be purchased here.

In all the busyness of the season, don't forget about The Way In A Manger.

Oh, Joy!

Hello! I hope your day was full of.....
I substituted at my kids' elementary school today, so I'm not sure if that is the word I would use to describe my day. Not that it was bad - just a crazy Friday!

Okay, I put all the names in my little star box and drew one out.
And the winner is.....
....Beckie from over at Infarrantly Creative. Congratulations, Beckie! I will get your goodies in the mail ASAP. Thank you to everyone who left a comment for my give-away. I hope you will stop back by often. I have definitely enjoyed visiting those of you who have blogs. I'm still working on getting to all of them. So many creative folks out there!

Speaking of creative, I need to get ready for Portable Project Night. A gal from church has started this. It is just a fun time to get together with other gals and bring whatever project you are working on. I am taking a collage to finish for a gift. I also think I will take Christmas gifts that need to be wrapped. I know that isn't very creative, but it does need to be done. Tonight is a good time to do it without the kiddos being around. I can't remember if I have mentioned this before - This year I am wrapping my gifts with only vintage paper that I have picked up from thrift stores. It has been fun searching for the paper and it is a good way to recycle.

I hope you all have a good weekend! Remember to find some joy in your days.

It's Beginning to Feel Like Christmas

The only purpose sleds have down here in Arkansas is for decorating. We certainly don't get enough snow to use them. But it is much cooler today and actually feels more like Christmas. I think it is hovering around 39 degrees. We are originallly from the midwest, so this still isn't really cold. In fact, my 10 year old wore shorts to school today - it is not worth a fight. I figure it is his problem if he freezes at recess. Anyway, back to the sled. My mom fixed this up for me several years ago. We just dug around in the garage and house and came up with everything. I think the skates and the sled used to be my dad's. It is one of my favorite Christmas decorations.
Just thought I would throw in a shot of the tree. I know there really isn't much to see. Ours is pretty traditional - each ornament seems to have a special memory. I love decorating the tree with the boys. It is fun to talk about the who, where and why of each piece as we hang it on the branches.Here is my Sweet Girl. This is her special angel bubble light ornament that she got from Grandma Berta a couple years ago. We hang it low in the tree and she scoots herself right up to it and just watches. I know if she had use of her hands she would be grabbing it. Instead, I found her with it almost in her mouth the other day. I don't care how many times I have to move her away from the tree. I love the joy she gets from it.

I will draw a name for my give-away late tonight or in the morning. Probably won't get the winner posted until tomorrow evening because I am subbing tomorrow. It's still not too late to enter. Just leave a comment here. Thanks!

Good Morning!

How pitiful is that? I can't even think of a catchy title this morning. It's still early. I just wanted to do a quick post to let you know I haven't forgotten about you. Thank you for all the comments on my give-away. It is so fun to read them and look at all the other blogs out there. It's not too late to enter. Just leave a comment here before the end of the day on Dec. 6.

Recently I saw a picture on someone's blog with an old typewriter and vintage postcards. I loved the idea and decided to do the same thing here. Sorry I can't remember who to give credit to. I will try to share more Christmas photos soon. I'm almost embarrassed after reading other blogs. My decorations pale in comparison. Oh, well.

Don't forget to enter my give-away if you haven't already. I hope you have a wonderful day!

50th Post & Holiday Give-Away

Finally, I am back! I've been waiting to do a post until I figured out what I wanted to give away. This morning I finally got some things put together. There is a page from a hymnal, a bingo card, a couple math flashcards, a word flashcard, a vintage holiday postcard, another holiday card with envelope, some trim, buttons and a few other little goodies. I may find some other little things to add also.

So, please leave a comment before Dec. 6 on this post. Tell all of your friends! I want to say "thank you" to everyone who reads this blog. I would also love to make some new blog friends. I so enjoy visiting other blogs and getting inspiration from all of you! Such fun!

Hopefully I will have some holiday decorating to show you soon. Right now I just have boxes sitting around the living room. Not very festive! Maybe the Christmas parade tonight will help me get in the mood to decorate. I'm just not feeling it yet. It might have something to do with it being 60 degrees outside. It just doesn't seem like Christmas yet.

Okay, I need to go. Almost time to pick up the kiddos from school. Don't forget to comment on the post to be entered in the give-away. I can't wait to read all your comments!

Blessings

I hope you all had a chance to count your blessings yesterday. Actually, I hope you do that every day. It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and we forget to appreciate all that we have been given. God's blessings are abundant!
This is a journal I made the other day. I love the bird notecards I picked up a while back. So pretty.
This is the inside front cover with a flashcard pocket....
...and this is the back cover with a page from an old diary.

I decided to change the look of my blog. I haven't decided if I am satisfied with it yet. As you can tell, I really don't know how to create a blog header. I just take a picture and try to make it fit. I guess it will have to work for now.

I'm thinking of doing a little give-away for my 50th post. Here's the problem - I really don't know that very many people actually read this blog. If you do, I don't know who you are. So, do me a favor please. Leave me a comment on this post and tell me about your interests (crafting, thrifting, reading....whatever your hobbies may be). That will help me decide what to actually give away. Then check back in a few days for my 50th post and an annoucement of what the give-away will be.

I should have started my Christmas decorating today, but just didn't get to it. Maybe tomorrow.

Give Thanks

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

I Chronicles 16:34

Shiny Brite

I don't know a lot about Shiny Brite ornaments, but I do know that some people collect them. I've found a few at Goodwill and garage sales lately. The silver Christmas tree below has Shiny Brite ornaments on it. I put it in my antique booth on Tuesday and it sold quickly. The box of Holly-Lite lights also sold. Oh, and a couple of the ornaments from the bowl. Now my Christmas display looks a little bare. I will have to look for some more vintage holiday items.

I saw the idea for the Christmas bulbs in a jar last year. I thought it was cute. Not sure if anyone else will. Hey, if nothing else, maybe they will just want the old jars.
I finally made something again this weekend. I crafted a pretty composition journal and then I went and put it in the antique booth before taking any pictures. I'm curious to see if it sells. Trying to decide if I should make more. I love them and think they would make great gifts, but I guess I might be a bit biased.

Not much else to share. Hubby and the boys are at a basketball game and the sweet girl is in bed. I'm just enjoying a quiet evening at home. Well, it is not totally quiet. You see, sweet girl comes alive when we put her in bed. She can't walk or even crawl, but boy can she bounce in that bed! She can't talk, but she sure does jabber and squeal when you turn the lights out. I guess you just have to be here to experience it.

Oh, speaking of sweet girl and beds - she is getting a new bed soon. Special needs beds are hard to come by and really expensive. They also aren't very pretty. A dear man from church is building her a bed. He hopes to have it done by Christmas. It is going to be beautiful! We are so grateful that Mr. Tom is doing this for us. What a blessing!

One more thing....my washing machine broke this weekend. There is never a good time for that to happen. I got the new part today. Now we just have to get it put on. I would love to have a new washer and dryer. You know, those fancy front-loading, water-saving, energy-efficient kind that will hold a weeks worth of laundry in one load. But I guess I can't justify that when all my 12 year old washer needs is a $30 part. Oh, well.

Goodnight and God bless.

Sharing Fall

I grew up on the Eastern Plains of Colorado. For those of you familiar with the area, you know there are very few trees. Fall is just not the same there. So, for those of you from "No Fall" areas, I thought I would share our Fall with you.

There is nothing quite like playing in the leaves - goggles and all!









I love these vines that climb up our trees.












It amazes me how there can be so many different colors on one tree. So vivid.









I thought I would change the look a bit and use small pictures. I chose to put them on the left side of the page. Why, why, why will Blogger not put them where I want them? It just seems to be random. And then I can't get my text to go with my photos. Drives me crazy, but I don't have time to mess with it right now.

Still no new projects to share. I have a list of people I need to make cards for, but I am not sure when I will get to it. It has been a busy week. I was the substitute art teacher on Monday and on Friday I will be the P.E. teacher. I wouldn't want to do it all the time, but it is a nice change of pace every now and then. Besides that, the paycheck is nice - especially this time of year.

Is anyone else shocked that next week is Thanksgiving? Where has this year gone? We are staying home this Thanksgiving. That is definitely something to be thankful for. It is just too hard to travel a long distance in a such a short time frame. We will miss our family, but we look forward to seeing everyone at Christmas.

Once again, sorry for the "scrambled" post. Happy Fall wherever you are.