I think I may be turning into an elf ...

I've been busting my patooti making holiday ornaments and decor. The house looks like the glitter fairy molted all over it; and my hands ... my poor hands! 

 

 

They are so dried out from paper and glue and mod podge and glitter.

 

Do you think Santa springs for mani-pedis for his elves after the holiday rush?  He should also throw in some massages for their poor aching shoulders and necks from  scrunching over their work. 

 

This last batch of holiday craftiness was inspired by a few things:  First, a friend of mine had a holiday party last night.  We were all told to make an ornament that represented ourselves.

 

The idea was you all bring your ornaments, and then everyone has to guess whose ornament is whose.  So the concept was to make something that truly represents who you are. 

 

What a great idea! My friend gave prizes to the top guessers, and it was harder than anyone thought it would be. I did not even come close.  Another fun way would be to give prizes for the ornaments that get the most correct guesses. I wouldn't have won that way either but I came closer!

 

This is the ornament I made:

 

 

I used vintage images of a girl at a typewriter with a stuffed cat on her lap to represent me at the computer, where I spend half my life, with either a dog or a cat nearby; another of a girl laden down with shopping bags; a couple of dogs--I couldn't fit three dogs and three cats on the ornament--words, and music.

 

Here are some of the ornaments people brought.  You can see it was a creative bunch!

One of my favorites was the one my friend Lynn brought.  It's a pill bottle filled with her prescription for happiness.  When you open it up you find little charms of things like children, hens, horses, a shell from the beach, a raffle ticket to indicate her good luck, a little woman doll to represent the women she helps through her various charity work, her dog's tag, etc.  This one was easy for me to guess because it was so original and so Lynn!

 

 

Other crafty inspiration came from Janet at the Empty Nest and Cassie at Primitive and Proper.  They both made cute Christmas Tree holiday decorations using brush trees.

 

I first saw Cassie's on one of her blog posts, and she made hers with tea cups.  Then I went to Janet's shop to pick up a rug and some paint and saw ones she made with wine glasses.

(And by-the-way if you live anywhere around the Warrenton, VA area, be sure to stop by The Empty Nest if you haven't already -- the store is all decked-out for the holidays and filled with goodies.  I felt like a kid in a candy store!)

 

I stole adapted their ideas ...

 

 

 

 

And then added a couple of my own with some vintage low candleholders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These were fun to make to make, and could be a good project with kids, as long as you did the hot glue work. 

 

Not that that's any insurance there won't be any accidents!  I burnt the heck out of my left index finger and I still don't have any feeling at the top of it. (Yes, I am a klutz.) The kids could help with deciding what trees go with what holders, decorating and glitterizing.  

I also made these sparkly little banners ...

 

 

 

And some cones and ornaments for Mr. P's Emporium.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a couple more ornaments to make as gifts, then I'm packing the craft stuff away and moving on to decorating the house. 

 

Yes that's right ... it's December 2nd and the house has not been decorated yet.  Unless you consider glitter-covered floors, furniture, and dogs with a few speckles decoration.

 

I should be thrown out of blogland.

 

At least I got the Thanksgiving decorations down over the weekend.

 

Sigh.  An elf's work is never done!

P.S. As always, I'd love it if you'd like Mr. P's Emporium's Facebook page! <3

Sharing at:

The Crafty Christmas Link Party at Primitive & Proper
 

Elizabeth & Co: Be Inspired
Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Between Naps on the Porch: Metamorphis Monday

 

Giveaway!!

Why a giveaway?  Because I'm always thinking of you ... my beloved blog readers ... and ways to make you happy ...

What can I say, it's just the type of gal I am ...

Okay, are you about ready to gag now? 

Here's the thing:  I belong to HomeStyle Book Club, and they had a deal in November where if I bought a book I got a book free.  So I bought a book for me, and I bought the same book for a giveaway. See? I was thinking of you all!

Here's what I'm giving away:

I love Rachel Ashwell, and have all of her books. It's been interesting to watch how her style has evolved over the years, but has always stayed true to her inner vision.  In her new book, Shabby Chic Inspirations and Beautiful Spaces, she describes her journey to her new bed and breakfast in Texas, how she gave the old farmhouse her distinct touch, and she shares some other spaces she admires.  Here are some examples:

If you're a Shabby Chic or Rachel Ashwell fan, you'll definitely want to enter this giveaway.  Here are the rules:

1.   Be a follower of my blog.

2.   Leave a comment telling me you want the book.

Pretty easy, huh?  If you'd like another chance to win, refer a friend to become a follower, and leave a comment letting me know you've done so. That comment will count as your second entry. (And don't forget to tell your friend to enter!)  If you're a subscriber rather than a follower it would be great if you became a follower, but if not, no worries--you can enter too.  Just leave a comment telling me your name and that you're a subscriber.

Remember:  please make sure you have your email address on your profile so I can notify you if you win.  Subscribers, you can either send me an email with your email address (see contact page tab above), or just make sure you come back on the announcement date to see if you've won (then send me your contact info.)

Winner will be announced on Tuesday, February 7. 

Good Luck!


Sharing at Type A Decorating: Anything Goes

Giveaway Winners!

Thank-you to you all for entering my giveaway!  I'm now up to 115 followers; plus, thanks to Laura from Cottage & Broome I was able to access the number of email followers which is 139.  Woo hoo!  I know there are some duplicates on the two lists, but I feel like an official blogger now--with people actually reading me!

But you don't really care about that, do you?  You just want to see if you won something! 

So, here we go.  All comments on the giveaway post were entered into a random drawing ...

Third Place Winner, of $20 to spend at my Etsy store Mr. P's Emporium, goes to Tammy.  Tammy doesn't have a blog and didn't leave an email, but her comment said: "Hi! Recently started following you because, I too, am a craigslist junkie! Keep up the good work!" So if that's you, send me an email so we can coordinate your prize! 

Second Place Winner - of Design Sponge at Home by Grace Bonney is Rosemary of VillaBarnes.

Grand Prize Winner - of a $50 Gift Certificate to Michaels is Cassie of Primitive & Proper.

Congratulations to you all! 

Giveaway Follow-up

A couple of months ago I had a giveaway to try to increase my followers. Yes -- I used a bribe to get people to follow my new blog and build awareness.  Pitiful. It was basically extortion.  And let me tell you I'm not above doing it again!    Anyway, the prize was a $50 gift certificate to HomeGoods and the winner was Jane from Cottage at the Crossroads.  When I read her comment after randomly picking her entry, she said that the nearest HomeGoods was an hour-and-a-half away. So I offered to exhange the gift certificate for a $50 Visa gift card or something she could use closer to home.  But she wasn't having any of that -- she was willing to drive miles to get a HomeGoods fix!  It turns out she made it a family affair with her, her husband, and her brother and sister in-law making the drive.  Today she's sharing what she bought.  go check it out!

It's not Perfect, but it's our Home -- #1

Pretty much everyone in the decorating/diy blog-world shows photos of their homes.  Since I started this blog four months ago, I've been putting off a house tour for a couple of reasons. For one thing, it seems like every time I think about taking some photos I'll notice that the furniture is dusty, or there are dog nose smears on the windows, or something needs to be picked up. So I'll start cleaning, and by the time I'm done I've either forgotten what it was I started to do, or need to be doing something else!  But really the main reason is I tell myself I should wait until the room is "perfect."  For instance, we need a new sofa in the living room.  The poor thing is just worn out.  The dogs (who aren't supposed to be on it) love to sit on top of the sofa and look out the window anytime they think they can get away with it.  Apparently they get away with it quite a bit, because the back cushions are now scrunched about two inches shorter than they used to be! 

However, today I realized that as far as I'm concerned, our house will never be perfect.  There will always be something I want to do or think needs to be replaced. So I'm starting a series of room views to share with you.  I'll let you know the things I want to do, and when I do them I'll show you a before-and-after.  In the meantime, it may not perfect, but it's our home.  It shelters our family, provides a playground for our dogs and cats, and gives me an unending list of projects! 

The first in this series will be our living room, with the aforementioned sofa.  We have a basic Colonial style house.  You walk into a foyer, and in front of you are the stairs to the upper level.  To the right is the dining room, and to the left is the living room.

When we first moved in every single room had wall paper.  Each room had a different pattern, and the entry and hall had a dark grass cloth.  Because of all of the trees surrounding the house, it's not particularly light, and all of that wall paper just made it look darker.  So the first thing I did when we moved in was pull down all the wall paper, except for the living room.  It had a pretty, soft blue silk paper that I loved and kept. 

See what I mean about the sofa?  To the right of it is a chair I bought from Miss Mustard Seed at the Lucketts Fair, and an old skinny door or window that I found at an antique shop. My guess is it was probably a panel on the side of a larger door.  I love the patina of the old white paint on the wood.  I originally planned to put mirrors in the top, and I may get to that one day!

(Please ignore the fact that you can see the tag on the pillow -- I just noticed it, but I am too lazy to go take another photo!)

To the left of the sofa is an antique buffet that belonged to my mother.  It's been through many iterations over the years.  My mother used to have it in her kitchen.  Since I've had it, it has been an entertainment center, a dining room buffet, an entry console, and now it's a bar.

Here's a close-up of the Fall arrangement I have next to it.

Here's the view continuing to the left.  You can't really see the watercolor above the chair because of the reflection of the lamp, but my Aunt Peggy painted it and gave it to me for Christmas years ago. I have her paintings throughout our house.

You'll notice that the only window treatments I have in this room are cream-colored valances.  Because of the trees and the way the house sits on the lot, it is very private so we don't need drapes.  I wanted to let as much light in as possible, so I had the valances made.

Directly across from the sofa is this wall.  I found the console table at a flea market.

Here's a close-up of a couple of my recent finds -- a $1 shell I found at my favorite thrift shop, and a first edition of Horace Greely's The American Conflict that I found on Craigslist for $25 and bought for my husband who is a big Civil War history buff. The books aren't in pristine shape, but they're pretty cool!

Continuing to the left is this little reading corner. (Again, I was a bad stylist since you can see the cord to the lamp!)  On the wall are a couple of wall pockets.  I used to collect them, and when I had my cottage in Seattle before I got married, I displayed all of them in my office/guest room.  Now I only keep a couple of the special ones out.

There is a set of French doors that lead from the living room to the family room.  Here's a peek:

So that's it for our living room tour.  It's a mixture of new and old, favorite pieces and not-so-favorite pieces!  One of the things I like best about the room is the cream-colored furniture against the blue walls. My "to-dos" for the room in addition to a new sofa are to paint and reupholster a cane French-looking chair I found on Craigslist to compliment the one from MMS, and I'm looking for a swag Chandelier to add in the corner with the old door.  Of course I'll post those projects when they're done, but by then I'll probably have another list of things I want to do to the room!

Stencil Giveaway @ Reloved Rubbish

I am just about to start a stencil project on a chair, and saw this slipcovered project at Reloved Rubbish.  Not only does she offer a great tutorial, she's also doing a stencil giveaway from Maison de Stencils.  Check it out!

Wow, Winner & Wind!

First of all, thank-you to Kelly at Stylish Patina for posting my giveaway on her Facebook page, to Linda at Coastal Charm for posting it on her blog, and to my FB friends who shared it!  I was blown away by all the people who signed up to follow me -- even if you did have to be bribed! ;=)  Thanks for all of your nice comments, and I hope you enjoy the blog.  You all did a great job of helping me with my Followers-inferiority-complex!!

Some of you mentioned that you couldn't see the Join button on my sidebar.  I looked into this and it appears to be an ongoing problem with Blogger, and it seems to be related to the browser you're using.  But I haven't found how to fix it. I think it's a bigger Blogger issue.  A friend told me if you refresh the page a couple of times you can see it.  Blogger also won't let me see who subscribes by email, which I think is weird.  If any of you more experienced bloggers know a way around this, please let me know!  For this giveaway I included anyone who left a comment saying they signed up to subscribe. I apologize to those of you who subscribed without a comment, but I just can't see you!

With all that said, the winner of the random drawing for the $50 Home Goods gift certificate is Jane at Cottage in the Crossroads.

Speaking of being blown-away, we're getting ready for Hurricane Irene here in the DC area.  It is supposed to pass over us tomorrow afternoon.  We live inland, so all we'll get is lots of wind and rain, but my thoughts are with any of you on the coast.  I hope everyone keeps safe! 

My biggest concern is keeping my dogs from freaking out.  Two of them are storm-phobic. An earthquake and a hurricane in one week is going to be tough on them!  It's the two larger dogs who are total messes; the Chihuahua mix isn't fazed, and while the cats don't like it, they just hide under a bed and deal with it in a dignified manner. But Mosby and Angel shake, cry, and stick to me like glue whenever it storms -- so I'm heading out to Petco to stock up on Rescue Remedy!

Thank-you again for joining my blog, and congratulations to Jane!