From somebody's trash to my treasure. I like to re-style & re-create what was once a cast off. Isn't that what Jesus does with us?


Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Out with the old...In with the New

Happy New Year Everyone!

We had a wonderful Christmas here. Our family gathered together and made some special memories for Christmas 2010. I have to say my favorite presents this year were homemade. One is the luscious curtain my grandma made for me. Another is a wonderful pillow coming from Nesta Usa. I'll share pictures once it arrives! Four days and counting!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Countdown to Christmas ...

My friend Julie and her sister Brenda have their houses all decked out for the holidays. I was giddy with excitement when Julie invited me in to take some pictures of all her scrumptious decorations. Here are a few pictures from their beautiful cottages. You'll love them just like I do. I will be featuring my sister's sweet home in another day, so please come back. Until then, keep decking the halls with white!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Christmas Presence

I played the audio tape of Scrooge for my daughters while we were doing a craft the other day.  It was a good reminder to me of how I need to keep Christ central in my Christmas. Because I know Jesus as my Savior, Christmas has so much more meaning and heart-felt gratitude for me now, than it did in previous years when I celebrated Christmas as a non-believer. My prayer for you is that you also know Jesus. There is no better gift!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Christmas Contentment

You know how the Lord just gives you something neat? Something special in His word and it just gets you right in the heart. Makes you think. And think. Well, I was reading Psalm 17  this week and I got to the last line. It says, "I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness."  I just love the contentment David had at this time. He was surrounded by his enemies everywhere. Yet he rested in the Lord. I like the punctuation here too. The commas make me pause and consider each statement before it. "I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness." Wow! Just to be content with waking up with His likeness is so awesome. I want that. Don't you? Anything else can happen in my day, yet I will be satisfied if only I have His likeness. I really hope and pray this is something I never get over. Blessings!

Sweet and Salty

I made these wonderful treats this week with my three year old (one week away from four) daughter. She was such a great little helper. I was so grateful for her too. It doesn't look like much work, but opening up two bags of hershey kisses and taking off all their wrappers was time consuming. She lined the pretzels up on the cookie tray and placed the kisses on top. Then we baked them for five minutes and pushed an m&m into each top. Just the right combination of chocolate and salt. Thanks Rachel!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

A few of my favorite things

I am a shabby chic girl through and through. I love architectural salvage yards, yard sales, flea markets, my girlfriend's garage...you name it. If it's chippy, vintage, white and shabby it has a place in my home. Well, a girl can wish, anyway! There's so many fabulous things out there. At this point in my life, with two small children to think about, I have to prioritize what I spend my money on. My budget for all -things shabby is pretty shabby too, if you know what I mean. Still, it's wonderful to window shop. That's what I love about so many sites on the web and the magazines I "read." It's so much fun to see what others are doing and enjoy what they have found. I'm sharing a few things that I've found along the way. One is an old window that someone (gasp!) put out for trash on a very well-appointed street near my more humbler neighborhood. I enjoy hanging my wedding cards and Christmas cards on it, depending upon the season. I also found this FABULOUS, chippy, aquamarine shutter that someone had disregarded in the basement of an old apartment building. I only wish I would have found two. It really is my very favorite piece. I went out today looking for a white wreath to hang on it for the holidays and came home empty handed. I just wasn't sure a green one would have the look I was going for. Anyway....thought I would share some of my treasures with you. Hoping you are enjoying the "hunt" as much as I am.  On a side note, tune in over the next few days for a recipe my daughter and I made yesterday. It's where salt meets chocolate. What a perfect combination.  Cheers! 

Monday, December 6, 2010

I love most everything vintage. I dug out a couple pictures from my husband's and my childhood at this time of year-- so many years ago -- and just had to place them on my fireplace mantle along with my daughter's picture's on Santa's lap. It's a real joy to walk by them and see the wonderful memories we all have in common.
I hope you are enjoying this Christmas season and looking for ways that make you smile.

Friday, December 3, 2010

A Little DIY

I was so proud of myself for doing this. AND doing it cheaply! I saw this fabulous picture in a magazine of three wreaths hung with one ribbon. It looked so beautiful on the front door, I just had to start shopping for my three wreaths. Well, as I shopped I discovered that I wasn't going to find any pre-decorated or even un-decorated green wreaths for less than $15-20 each. My heart sank. Weeks later I was in the dollar store and saw greenery wrapped up in a "circle" bundle for $1 each. I bought three.Then I bought blue and silver glittery balls for another $1 for two packs each. I hot glued them to my "wreaths" and tied a burlap bow on the top of each. One burlap ribbon holds all three together. I was so thrilled and everyone has said how great they look.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Don't you just love this time of year? The fresh scent of pine, glittering Christmas lights and the giving hearts of many people. I just love the spirit of the season! We had fun putting up two trees. One we call "the girl's tree" and one we call "our tree." My youngest daughter loves to decorate the tree. But more importantly, she loves to re-decorate over and over. That is why we call it "the girl's tree." If I give them the freedom to decorate and re-decorate their tree, I figure "our tree" will be safe from little hands. So far it's worked.