home sweet home

Well you know...in this house, almost everything is grounds for blog fodder, especially when it's creative. lol Monday the kids had some fun making home sweet home...our first gingerbread house in years. While I wasn't part of the procedure, it was super fun, even if it didn't quite turn out like intended. I'm still lovin it! They had fun together and if the icing just did not set up that well...so what!


Here's what our lovely sweet gingerbread house looks like.


Now every house needs a little structural reinforcement. Ours is LUCKY enough to have a lovely blue bow.


Oh that every roof should be so sweet and yummy...



Every roof needs a little ventilation, right?


I guess that icing just didn't want to set up like it should. Note to self...the Costco Gingerbread House kit is fun and quick but next year....make the icing from scratch! This one just did not want to harden into mortar.


Have a sweet day!

Julia

Taking Some Time

Christmas..It's such a beautiful time of year. A very busy time of year too. Today I'm taking a little time out from the hustle and bustle and last minute preparations to think about the beauty of Christmas.




May I never lose sight of the greatest gift of all.

Julia

The Beauty of Christmas Carols

As I sat in church the other night singing Christmas Carols with a group of children, I was impressed with the beauty and truth to be found in the old traditional carols. It's not often that you hear them these days, on the radio or in the stores. Why is Santa Baby the most popular song I seem to hear? This year I'm turning off the radio and turning on some beautiful old carols and remembering the Gift of Christmas.

Hark the herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled"
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With the angelic host proclaim:
"Christ is born in Bethlehem"
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

In searching for the lyrics to enjoy again, I came across this lovely (and free!) little Christmas Carol Printable Booklet from BHG.com Some sweet graphics and 30 traditional songs, most of which include the true meaning of Christmas. I'm planning to print off some copies, gather my family together with some hot chocolate and enjoy a little family time, singing and enjoy each other's company. A beautiful little time out in this very busy season.

Wishing you a beautiful Christmas,

Julia

A Hostess Gift for the Holiday Party & a Digital File

I'm excited about this little hostess gift I put together for a holiday party I'm going to tomorrow night. The hostess is a sweet friend of mine and I wanted to put together something special but still inexpensive.



For the base of my gift I picked up this pretty frame at Home Sense. It has some wonderful scrolls and dimension and can be used to put a family picture in. On top, a couple mercury glass votive candle holders and then tucked in some sweet jingle bells and some silver glittery accents from a Christmas pick. I love it all lit up. Of course, I'll put in some new votives before I give it. I'm going to wrap it up in clear cellophane with a bow and a little card.

To give this gift, a piece of scrapbooking paper would be sweet inside the frame instead of the faux picture is comes with. I actually created a fun little digital file that I printed out onto photo paper to put inside the frame. It's fun and Christmassy. I know...the graphic style and the ornate frame look a little eclectic together but a little funky is fun some times.




And as a little gift to you for stopping by my blog, feel free to use this digital file for your own holiday projects. Put it in a frame or make tags or cards from it. Enjoy! To use, just click on the image to enlarge and then save as a file on your computer. If you're looking for something a little more vintage, you can also check out ideas from Every Thing Creative.

please use this file for your personal use only.
please do not redistribute this file. thanks!

This is a little more gift orientated than party orientated but it's what I'm doing for a party this year. This post links up with



Happy Creating!

Julia

Deck the Halls... last minute and budget solutions

It's never seems as there is quite enough money or time to do everything we want at this time of the year. That's OK. Just make the best of it. Here's a few easy solutions for decorating for the holidays that come to mind.




Mittens - Mittens have to be the cutest things. I love little mittens, especially the handknit variety. Frame them for some festive decorating or hang them up like a banner for a cozy look. If you're really ambitious, fill them with treats.

photo by bhg.com

Pictures - Wall art and picture frames can be easily and quickly decorated for a fun holiday touch. Place family holiday photos from past years in your picture frames,

photos by bhg.com

Ribbon - Ribbon is always festive looking. Use it as a garland, around the tree, tie it around any of the usual decorative accents in your home to give them a festive look.



Epsom Salts - Is this not the coolest thing? I found this Epsom Salts candle idea at the Inspired Room.

Candles - Candles are cozy and while wonderful all year long, they are especially festive at the holidays. Buy some holiday scented candles to make the house smell great and you get double duty for your money. If you buy white or ivory candles, you can use them for other occasions throughout the year making them much more economical. Tie a group of them together with twine and place a spring of greenery behind the knot for a pretty look.



Greenery - If you have access to spruce, pine and cedar trees, snip off some branches here and there and use them for holiday greenery. Yes, the needles will eventually fall but you have a vacuum right? And it's free!



Jingle Bells - This year I invested in a few packages of jingle bells in classic silver. Jingle bells never go out of style and by just adding them to the tablescapes you already have, add a festive touch.

Snowflakes - Love snowflakes as they are more of a winter decoration than specifically for Christmas. You have to like something that you can keep up for a little longer. Snowflake decorations are a classic touch and worth the investment.

bhg.com

Lights - I love white lights. You can never have too many lights and the new led lights are so energy efficient to run.

Sticks - The humble stick or branch is a great economical embellishment. Put them in a planter with greenery. Sprinkle them with glitter and arrange in a vase. Cut branches to straight even lengths and wrap around a candle. Anchor a branch in a pot and hang some sweet decorations from it.

Paper...banners, chains, tags are all great and inexpensive ways to decorate for Christmas. There is no limit as to what you can create from a little paper. And to tie in with the snowflakes theme, why not cut some out of paper? I've always loved how each one is different.



Baking Supplies - I love baking for the holiday and a sweet little arrangement of cookie cutters and other baking tools is a fun accent using things you already have. Baking tins are also great for trays to arrange things on.

So that's a few of my thoughts on decorating for the holidays. Just remember, you don't need to decorate every room. You don't need to keep up with the Jones'. Take time to enjoy the season and most of all, your loved ones.

This post links up with the Holiday Linky Party at the Inspired Room.



Happy Decorating!

Julia

White Christmas Crafting...a canvas tree & a mitten frame

Friday was a super fun day for me. I somehow managed to squeeze in a bunch of simple holiday crafts. While I was out Friday morning picking up the styrofoam wreath for my Tassel Fringe Wreath, they had darling little styrofoam tree shapes as well. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it but thought glitter perhaps. Well, as you can see in this photo, I kind of went the other way and just covered it with long strips of canvas. A simple shabby look. I had some canvas left over from my canvas pillow project and thought a monochromatic look would be pretty. To cover the tree, I just wrapped the styrofoam with 1" torn strips of canvas and pinned on as I went. The fun thing is that if I want a different look next year, I can just un-pin it.


And here it is at night. I love that little lamp I picked up at Wal-mart in the fall for my back hall table. It's so much cozier and more welcoming than the bright overhead light. To complete my winter whites arrangement, I added in a candle, a sequin star, an old clock face I purchased on ebay, a little verse quote display that I have on the table all year and tied them together by grouping onto a white plate from my kitchen. I'm pleased with the simple look and of course the price was just right.


I had thought I was finished crafting for the day and went to work sorting mittens, hats and scarves and just getting organized for the colder weather. I guess it doesn't take too much to sidetrack me though as I came across this sweet little hand-knit mitten in almost new condition. Unfortunately, one of my little kittens had lost their other mitten. As I couldn't match it up, I started thinking. Last year I would have sighed and thrown it out. But not THIS year. Now I'm thinking creatively with more than just paper.


A Goodwill frame I picked up made a great holiday accent when spray painted white. I don't recommend you spray paint in the basement like I did because of the cold. Yuck...the fumes were not nice. After taking out the glass, I filled the inside of the frame with yet another piece of leftover sweater from the sweater pillow, tied the mitten with some of my scrapbooking supplies and adhered it to the frame. Super quick and super fun and I love all the recycling I did on this project.



This post links up with DIY Day at a Soft Place to Land





Have a creative day!

Julia

The Tassel Trim Wreath

I've been having a fun time tasseling lately. I think I'm a tassel addict as they are so fun and easy to create. When I went to stock up on tassel fringe and trim, there was a lot of beautiful trims on sale. I just had to buy a lot. Of course now I have a huge bag of it to sort through every time I want to create a tassel. This ended up a good thing though as I had a light-bulb moment with the green trim. I did not own a wreath and it got me to thinking about creating one.

You Need:

• 12" Styrofoam wreath shape
• 2 yards of green trim (you'll probably have some leftover to tassel with)
• straight pins
• ribbon to hang it with... I used 24" of black and gold ribbon

To Create:

• Starting at the outside edge, start pinning the trim to the wreath base.
• Pin every 2-3" to secure well
• Once the first circle is completed, spiral trim until you have completed 3 passes and wreath is covered.
• Fluff up trim and enjoy.

So what do you think? I'm having fun with it and it looks so pretty and festive. It's fun to find beauty in the supplies you already have.

This post links up with Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special.


And The Inspired Room's Holiday Linky Party



Have a great weekend!

Julia

Getting Cozy in the Kitchen... candle wraps & gingersnaps

Mmmmmm... it's starting to feel and smell like Christmas! I had a productive day getting some holiday crafting done, spending time with the little boys as they had a school day off and this evening we had a little baking fun. Gingersnaps. Yum!

Here's one of the super quick projects I made today. It's a sweater candle wrap. You may remember the sweater pillow I created here. Well, I kept the sleeves as I KNEW I could find a use for them. I love this fun little wrap. I simply cut the sleeve to size and slid it over the candle jar. Originally I was going to hem the edges but I'm loving the rustic look of the raw edges. I think it makes my candle look oh so warm and cozy.


And here's a few pictures of our fun tonight in the kitchen. Three of my five kids and a couple extras just having fun.

Gingersnaps - these melt in your mouth…one of my faves and a recipe I treasure as it came from my mom

2 cups sugar

3/4 cups margerine

3/4 cup lard

1/2 cup molasses

2 large eggs

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons baking soda

Cream and beat first four ingredients. Stir in remaining ingredients. Roll into balls. Coat with sugar and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and cool on rack.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Julia

Hand Crafted Christmas Decorations

Today I thought I'd share a few of the handcrafted holiday decorations that I have created and decorate with each year. If you're looking for some holiday craft projects, they just may provide some inspiration. I hope you enjoy them.

This first one is a 6x6 plaque that has been altered with scrapbooking and stamping supplies. I love this Santa. Right now I have this on my new painted dresser/sideboard.


While I don't quite have my tree up yet, we'll be doing that tomorrow and hanging this paper mache star ornament from it.


This little paper mache wall hanging hangs on a hook at my back door.



I loved wrapped candles and this is one I created last year.

Here's another little wooden plaque. They make great design surfaces. This plaque is in the current issue of Crafts 'n Things magazine.

And lastly, I couldn't resist using that Santa image again for another decoration for the tree. It could also be tied onto a present for a special gift tag.


This post links up with The Inspired Room's Holiday Linky Party.




Have a wonderful weekend!

Julia