Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Mad skills

My youngest son wows me with his amazing Origami skills.
Look at this fabulous 3-D creation.
It took him a day to make it...many, many individual paper folds...zero glue or tape.
Astonishing.


We took this shot yesterday when he was in the process of making the ball shape. I think he's on to something...this would make a really cool bracelet.

Vintage Heart Swap

I'm participating in this lovely swap for Valentine's Day. The swap is being hosted by Dolly at From My Cherry Heart. Hop on over to her beautiful site to read about all the excitement for this fun event.



Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Pink Pleasures


You're just in time to share some pink hot chocolate with me.

Don't forget your snowman marshmallow!
Try a few of these pecan dandies...one of my favorites.
Hope you're having a dreamy Tuesday.


Monday, December 29, 2008

Christmas Leftovers

It's time to box up the memories of Christmas 2008 and look forward to the start of a New Year.



Some things linger...

...like the scent of paper whites...can't some horticulturist do something about that acrid smell on such a pretty flower.


...lots of candy and snacks...

...even more candy...


...a really, really hard candy cane bread...


...a few wild and crazy gingerbread men...




...hey, who brought the fruitcake?...




...did I mention candy...and nuts...



...plenty of cookies...



...an assortment of ignored dog toys...

...oh...and in case I didn't mention it...
more candy...





Sunday, December 28, 2008

Pink and Aqua Delights

I wanted to share a few of the ornaments that I made for the pink and aqua Christmas tree that I put up this year. I used a mix of vintage and new materials that I had around the house. I love turning throw away items into treasure...like this jar below.






For the first one, I started with a dollar store hair tie. I love making treasures out of things I find at the dollar store. I got these hair ties in a pack of two...pink and aqua.

Before

Text ColorAfter





























I love these ornaments so much that I'll probably keep them up and incorporate them into Valentine's Day.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

slow going slipper day

My children have off a record number of school days this year, and I'm feeling bummed that we are sitting at home instead of having planned a vacation jaunt to somewhere...anyway. It's so difficult pulling them out of school because they miss so much. It feels like a big waste of a "chunk" of free days to be staying home.

Although, my kids aren't really staying home...they are getting together with friends for bowling and movie parties and dinner... Yeah...it's pretty much me who wishes I were anywhere else but here.

I'm trying to look on the bright side. I can stay in my pajamas all day since there is pretty much open schedules all around. I can sleep in and stay up really late. And, if I were on vacation...I'd surely be eating way too much.

Plus...I can get to all that laundry and organization that I've been putting off...

I hope to make good use of all this downtime, and have spent most of the day cleaning out my closet. Of course, now my bedroom is full of everything that I had in my closet. Fun, I know...but, maybe I'll be better organized for the new year.

Here's hoping your day has been a little more exciting.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Christmas Day is winding down. Soon it will be time to pack up the decorations. It's always much more fun putting them up! I've been collecting Christmas decorations for many, many years. I miss it when the decorations come down. The house looks empty. As for now, I'll enjoy it all for another week or two.



the soldier tree...

...the new pink and aqua tree... (I can't wait to share some cute ornaments with you that I made for this tree...need better light)


...the mantle in the living room...

...my bedroom tree... (bad lighting again)


...the dining room tree is done all in gold...


...part of the tree in the foyer...

...my favorite shelf elf from my childhood...


A green Santa...who looks a wee bit scary don't you think...

...part of the banister decorations...


...a Christmas crown...

...a favorite pillow...


The "junk" tree

The junk tree is affectionately called that because it holds a mix of ornaments. These include ornaments from my childhood, hallmark ornaments and ornaments the kids have made over the years. Although it's our junk tree, it's really our most important tree. The ornaments, like the one below of my daughter as a toddler, are priceless. This year, some of the ornaments didn't make it to the tree. There are boxes and boxes of them. The kids usually put their ornaments on the tree and everyone's schedules were so crazy this year.



Santa brings all of his gifts to this tree.



Later today, we went to Christmas dinner at the kids grandparents. Of course, my camera battery died and I only got a few pictures...mainly of my adorable little niece.



When we got home, there was a gift basket waiting for my daughter on the doorstep. It was a surprise from her boyfriend. A few of the items included in the basket were a snuggle blanket and some cozy slippers. She's always so cold during the winter. It was so sweet.



Find a way

Find a way
a path will take you there...or make your own