Christmas Decoration Exchange Party 2009

You have to understand I am not a big party attendee and I am certainly not one to throw parties but this WAS FUN! I sent out email invites and asked another friend to send out a bunch of invites. I made a fancy pants invitation in Publisher. I asked everyone to bring up to 5 decorations, ornaments, wreaths, lights, candles, etc., and a simple snack to share. I made tickets in Word using a lesson I learned on the web to help with the numbering. When guests arrived they filled the tables in the den and took tickets for the number of items they brought. We had a short devotional and then I started calling numbers. While some "shopped" others visited and got their snacks. Of course, I forgot to take pictures while everyone was here but this picture is of the food table decorations.
I know, very simple, real cranberries--they were 49 cents at Aldies. The candle holders were from SA-1.00 a piece! The silver tray was from GW-2.99 and the ice pieces were left overs from an arrangement I made about 6 yrs. ago. I used Bridge plates to serve the snacks. We had pretzels and dip, brie with cranberry chutney, garlic dip, spinach and artichoke dip and mmm...chocolate pie. The picture frame in this picture is one of the items I chose. I just kept calling numbers until everyone felt they had all they wanted. This is what was left...still some pretty good stuff, huh?
I am looking at the preview of this post and laughing because it looks like I am only 3 expecting people to show up... It was a small gathering-7 people. I just didn't take pictures until I talked to my best friend on the phone. She couldn't attend and wanted pictures. I had already washed half of the dishes and silverware. Too Funny!

PB knock off peace dove pillow

I am finally back with a project...

I have been gone for a while...school started, the flu has been going around ever since... the kids and hubby are super sick. UGH!
When I received the PB catalogue in the mail a few weeks ago I scoured it of course and marked pages. I love the contrast of red and white and fell in love with the dove pillow here. Apparently many others love it too because it is no longer available. Well, you can just make your own. Did you know that HL has embossed felt? Ok, well maybe I am late to the party because I got all excited when I found a pretty red color. I bought a remnant of white cotton at JF. I cut the fabric into two 12' squares. I created a dove template and a leaf template out of paper and traced the shapes on the red felt. After cutting out the felt I glued the felt to the white cotton with this

It bonds REALLY well!! To add a more polished look and to protect the edges of curling, I used embroidery floss to blanket stitch the outlines of the shapes and the cut outs. When I was finished I sewed the two pieces together and filled the pillow with stuffing and voila! A cute pillow that will stay up until the end of February.

I have joined the Linky party over at Kimba's so head on over and take a peak at great ideas! Christmas decorating is around the corner.

Comfort Pack-super easy gift!

I have been wanting to make one of these packs for a while and finally got around to it. I bought a foot of flannel and created a pocket. I made a sack of muslin and poured the flax seed in and blind stitched the edge. The muslin pack fit into the flannel pocket and then I blind stitched it. A super easy, inexpensive project! I paid $1.86 for the flannel and $4.00 for the flax seed-I already had the muslin. I bought my flax seed in bulk at our local organic co-op. The reason for the flax is that the seeds are so small they really help the pack conform to your body. It also stays warm for a long time since flax is about 40% oil. You just pop the pack in the microwave for a few minutes for a hot pack or in the freezer for a cold pack. This one is a gift for a friend who starts chemo. today.

Butterflies in My Garden

We are enjoying this Lord's Day with family. I hope you are relaxing today! These pictures are off my patio. I have a hummingbird/butterfly garden there. These are a few of our visitors.

Cute and Inexpensive Hostess Gift

This is a very inexpensive hostess gift or housewarming gift or teacher gift. I think it is cute. Sorry the pictures aren't great. It is raining cats and dogs today so I had to find some light. I bought the little round trivet thingy at Big Lots for $3.00. Judging with my hand, I think the diameter is about 4 inches. I then went into my Word program and found a font I liked. Now I free-handed mine(perhaps you can tell?) onto my trivet but you could transfer it using the newspaper method or transfer paper method, whatever. Then you use this and paint the letter onto the plate. I did bake my plate as it instructs on the bottle for 30 min.
How sweet, huh? You could attach a hook on the back. I use this little brass stand I bought at a thrift store for 10 cents, gotta love it! Head over to Kimba's and check out everyone's goodies!

By No Means Pretty Yet Necessary!

Ladies, let me just start by saying if I don't get a good night's rest tonight I might just have a melt-down! Some people in our neighborhood have been rehabing their house for a few weeks now. We are talking gutting with gusto! I am absolutely all for it and want them to succeed-really, I do. Just not at 1 and 2 am. I don't know about you but I totally see why we have our babies in our youth and right now 35 doesn't feel all that youthful!
Ok, on with the post. How many of you have one of thesefire-proof boxes? I found one last week at Big Lots for a great deal. If you don't have one, you really need to consider getting one. I don't have loads of valuables that I need to tuck into a safe. No family jewels here! But it is a good idea to keep all of those important papers inside. Here are items to consider: birth certificates, marriage licenses, social security cards, last two years taxes, wills, life insurance policies,titles, deeds, mortgage paperwork, retirement info. etc. If your household is like mine, you are the one doing the bills. In this new paperless age we are paying more and more bills online. If our hubby needed to take over it would be a catastrophe. Shoot! Mine couldn't even log onto my computer without me. SO, this box is a great place to store all of that info. It will all be in one place if needed.
Now don't forget to lock it. Not just because of someone's uninvited eyes but also because if a fire were to strike at your home, that would really not be the time to think about wishing you would have locked the box as it tumbles through the floors of your dwelling. Now about those keys, I have it on good authority that when the box is in a fire the outer shell sorta melts so it will take more than a key to get it open. So just make sure you keep the key in a place convenient for you on an everyday basis and maybe put the other in your safety deposit box.
Not that I wish any illwill on anyone but being prepared is always fashionable. I just know one of you ladies can find a way to make those boxes pretty. Someone will have decoupaged theirs, painted it, scrapbooked it..........

Heirloom Party--Late again!

I am always so late to these blog parties! Sorry. I just don't catch them fast enough.
I am the oldest grandchild/great grandchild on both sides of my family. As far as I can tell I am the only sentimental one in the bunch so when the greats went into the nursing home the year I got married we started with a lot of household stuff. Granted, I am one of the few adult great grandchildren. One of my favorite heirlooms is this china. My grandparents got this china
for their 50th wedding anniversary. The neat thing is I was 5 at the time and remember sitting with them at the head table of their anniversary party. They took care of me a lot when I was very young and I loved them.


This Fostoria glass was my grandparents wedding gift on my Mom's side. A few of the pieces in my collection were part of my great grandmother's collection. I love using these pieces because my grandmother is gone now. I never remember a table set with any of the Fostoria. She had a difficult childhood and I think this collection is one of just a few nice things she had. She was a woman full of fire. I love her for it. See the little precious moments figurine? My husband gave that to me as a wedding present.Today is our 13th anniversary. What a blessing!


This linen is precious to me.
My Mum's grandmother was a divorcee. We are talking about the 40's here. Divorce was not nearly as common then as it is now. Not many jobs were available for women. She had four girls to raise. Rough. She raised her girls by working as a seamstress. She was amazing with her hands. I have doilies, dresser runners and lace edged pillowcases. I even have a runner that was done by 4 different generation...my great grandmother, my grandmother my mother and I. I admire her courage and strength.

Finally, I won't show you a picture but my engagement ring was my grandmother's engagement ring. I will never forget when my grandfather gave it to me he said, "I hope you never have to sell this!" Hmm,that is someone who lived through the depression, someone who went off to war as a boy to help his widowed mother keep the family running, and chose to spend the war in a submarine because it meant more money for his Mum.
I am thankful for the heirlooms, they are reminders of the character of my family and how God has carried my family through difficult times.