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29 November, 2009

Decorating with Thrifting Finds...or...Four Dollar Christmas Fun!

IMG_9085 As I mentioned in my Christmas mantel post, I have decided to do something a little different this year…repurpose what I have or use thrifting finds to create a new Christmas look for my home! So my little wheels started turning when I came upon…


pagethese while Goodwill hunting with my friend Linda at Nina’s Nestan old French wire basket for $1.91 and eight silverplate forks for $2.00! (I’m still working on what to do with the knives.) I have to thank Linda for finding the basket, which I absolutely love! It makes me think of my grandmother’s egg basket, with handles worn from years of use.


IMG_8825 I imagine that the original owner would chuckle if she saw what I have planned for this old basket! All I need is candy canes and ribbon, which I already had in my Christmas stash, my trusty hot glue gun…


bk2…and the assistance of our celebrity co-host, Baby Kitty! Are you ready?


basket1 First, I tied the ribbon around the basket and then hot-glued the candy canes to the ribbon from the inside…burning myself several times in the process! Ouch! Do not try this at home unless you are a professional! lol


IMG_9098 Next, I added a bow, some greenery and pinecones …and voilĂ ! What do you think?


IMG_8978 I was so excited about the next project that I forgot to take photos until it was finished! I simply tied some of the ribbon around a pillar candle that I had on hand, forming a nice bow. I spaced the forks around the it and…taaa daa! It’s my new favorite Christmas decoration! I didn’t even polish the forks because I think they look more old-fashioned with a little tarnish. What do you think of this one?


IMG_9102 And there you have it…new Christmas decorations made from thrift store finds and items that I had on hand for less than $4.00! I am having more fun and spending less money this Christmas than ever before! Isn’t that what it’s all about?

Thanks so much for stopping by! Please head on over to Mary’s at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday to see one of her beautiful mosaics and to find a list of this week’s participants. You will be treated to some wonderful photos from some very talented people!

met mon Next, be sure to visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday where you can get a peek at her gorgeous home and see what sorts of changes she is making, as well as find out who else is playing along! I’m betting there will be lots more Christmas decorations today!

deck the hallsAnd then on Tuesday, please join Susan at thoughtsfromovertherainbow for Deck the Halls! We will be showing off our Christmas decorations every Tuesday between December 1st and January 5th, so come get in on the fun! Thanks again for stopping by! See you next time! A la prochaine!

22 November, 2009

Mosaic/Metamorphosis Monday...or...My Christmas Mantel

page I have been in a mantel muddle! I wanted to do something really different this year, but I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I wanted it to involve topiaries and/or lanterns, but I needed help. Sooo…I went in search of inspiration and I found some…at Better Homes and Gardens website at BHG.com. There is even an entire section dedicated to indoor Christmas ideas! Now, I usually go for this look…very traditional, lots of garlands. (However, I am only wishing I had these fireplaces!)


page1 So for a change, I checked out some more simple looks. I love that gate on the mantel..but I don’t have one. The stockings are cute…but Santa won’t be stopping by this year. And neither purple ribbons nor green apples say Christmas for me.


page2 Then I saw these photos and my heart sang! Inspiration at last! And then I realized…what I was loving was what I really already have year round…blue and white and plates!! lol Can you see that there are plates inside the wreaths in the lower right photo? Hmmm…they don’t explain how they did that one. Notice the three wreaths in the top photo…


IMG_7776 …and look at my mantel! Are you getting ideas? I know I am! Sooo…I took a little bit from each one of the photos that I loved and created…


IMG_8851this! What do you think? I’ll bet you were expecting my blue plates, weren’t you? lol My Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles in pink just looked more Christmasy to me! The three little wreaths are actually candle rings. I found the topiaries at Goodwill several months ago and added the ribbon.


good1 I thought I would miss having a big garland with a string of little white lights, but I don’t! I love having votives scattered on the mantel instead.


IMG_8927And I am finally getting to use the Kosta Boda votives that I found on the clearance aisle at TJ Maxx in the Spring for $3.00 each…whoo hoo! Doesn’t it look like an ice sculpture? I love how it glistens in the candlelight!


IMG_8925 Do you recognize these? They are my Pottery Barn copy cat lanterns from my Fall porch! I put cranberries in one of them…a look that I really like. Now if Isabella just won’t fish them out and roll them around!


page And here’s one last look…ahhh! A Christmas mantel that I really love…at last! And all I needed was…plates! Who knew?

Thanks so much for stopping by! Please head on over to Mary’s at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday to see one of her beautiful mosaics and to find a list of this week’s participants. You will be treated to some wonderful photos from some very talented people!

met mon And then be sure to visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday where you can get a peek at her gorgeous home and see what sorts of changes she is making, as well as find out who else is playing along! I’m betting there will be lots more Christmas decorations today! Thanks again! See you next time! A la prochaine!

15 November, 2009

Mosaic/Metamorphosis Monday...or...A Day at the Beach

beach I know you think it’s strange…talking about a beach trip when everyone else is talking about turkeys and Christmas trees…but for the last eight years my childhood friend Nan and I have made our annual pilgrimage to Seagrove Beach, Florida in the Fall. The first trip was for healing our spirits. I had lost my mom to cancer and had just cleaned out her house and put it up for sale. One of Nan’s friends was in the final stages of cancer. So we decided that a trip to the beach might be what we needed…and it was.


day We have returned to the same spot every year and it always seems to be just the antidote for gloomy weather and dragging spirits. This year was no exception.


shells There were lots of little examples of the beauty of nature…pure perfection…


page …and a rather curious wriggling “pickle” creature, which, when rolled into the water…


IMG_8544 …gracefully unfurled its dragon wings and morphed into this! Amazing!


gw Of course, I had to check out the local Goodwill store! lol I left empty-handed, but have not stopped thinking about that chair! But $49.99…hmmm


redbar1 The trip would not be complete without lunch at the Red Bar in Grayton Beach…my favorite, though very funky, restaurant!! That’s the smoked tuna dip salad with the best tomato basil dressing on planet Earth! Yum!


IMG_8702 Of course, we did some sight-seeing...loving Fall in Florida!


IMG_8715 And we saw some beautiful sunsets…ahhh!


IMG_8802 So I am reserving this chair for next November. Won’t you join me?

Thanks so much for stopping by! Please head on over to Mary’s at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday to see one of her beautiful mosaics and to find out how you can play along.

met mon And then join Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday to see what's going on in her beautiful home and to see all sorts of changes! You have to admit that my pickle creature was quite a metamorphosis! lol

See you next time! A la prochaine!

08 November, 2009

Mosaic/Metamorphosis Monday...or...Shifting Sands

IMG_8467 I am back from my first trip to the beach since I started blogging and I must say that I found myself looking at it through very different eyes! Have you found that to be true…that blogging has given you a whole new perspective? I never stepped outside without my camera and I found even the simplest subjects to be fascinating. But perhaps the most interesting to me was…sand!


page1 Of all of the elements of nature, it seems to be the most malleable, changing from one second to the next with the forces around it…morphing from one texture or pattern to another…


page2 …reflecting, if only temporarily, the presence of living beings on its surface…


page …or serving as a canvas for those with an active imagination and an artistic flair…


IMG_8456

…and lifting the spirits of one very weary blogger in need of some relief from constant rain, a leaky roof and all that it entails. Sigh…

Thanks so much for dropping by! Please be sure to pay a visit to Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday to see one of her beautiful mosaics and to find out how to play along.

met mon And then head on over to Susan’s at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday to see some wonderful changes of all sorts and to find a list of this week’s participants! I am hoping that Susan will consider sand castles a metamorphosis and allow me to play along!! See you next time! A la prochaine!