Creating a Cozy Christmas Blog Tour

Welcome!

I'm so happy to have you visit our home on the

Creating a Cozy Christmas Blog Tour.

Thank you Katie at Let's Add Sprinkles for hosting. 

Wasn't the last stop at French Etherial adorable?  

Honestly, I use a lot of my Christmas decorations year after year.  There is a magic in seeing beloved ornaments come out of their boxes after hiding away for eleven months.

But, there were two that I took down last January, knowing I didn't really want to use them again.

The swags for the front doors had been an impulsive and expensive purchase the year we bought this house.  They checked the box for a matching pair, but they weren't really my taste.

Five years later, I decided to make replacements for them.

This way I could create two of exactly what I wanted and keep them affordable.

Each swag was made out of a 48 inch garland from Hobby Lobby and embellished with Christmas picks and wired ribbon.

First, I cut off about a foot of the garland and made space to wire the short piece in the middle of the long piece (by bending the garland stems outward).  This gave a fullness and "teardrop" appearance to the swag.   

It still needed a little plumping and I wanted to incorporate some Magnolia and Eucalyptus. The spray on the right came from the floral department (not the seasonal department).  I cut it into pieces and wired them in place.

The bow was made from both striped and solid wired ribbon because the striped turned out to be too flimsy by itself.  I attached it with florist wire, but also used a hot glue gun on spots of the long tails.

Next on today's tour is Blue Sky at Home.  Carol has something very special planned for you!

Let's Add Sprinkles

County Road 403

My Thrift Store Addiction

Hyacinths for the Soul

 Follow The Yellow Brick Home

Sweet Nothings

Decor To Adore

Chasing Quaintness

French Ethereal

My Heart Lives Here

Bluesky At Home

Merry Christmas! Joining: The Scoop Grace at Home

Gift Giving Under Ten

Oh. My. Goodness. It's Ten on the 10th of NOVEMBER!

It's so much better to put together thoughtful gifts now than to scramble for presents in the days before Christmas.  Shopping for gifts at the last minute is so stressful and often results in budget blowing purchases under time pressure. Taking my own advice, I've started picking up some gifts while I'm out running errands. Here are a couple of goodies I found recently: DVD movies from the $5 display bin at Walmart:

This one actually has eight movies in one.  They are classics like Evan Almighty, Flipper, Beethoven's 5th, and Babe: Pig in the City.  I put it in a cute bag ($1) with a bag of microwave popcorn, a drink, and few leftover Halloween candies.

What kid wouldn't love to receive this bag of goodies?

There were also many other movies to select from for teens and adults.

I found this retro style tin recipe box with adorable card, tabs, etc. included in the scrapbook department at Hobby Lobby.  It was priced at 14.99, but 50% off. The cards are 4 x 6 with lines on the back. What a pretty way to pass on family favorites to a daughter. (I'd probably pick a different style of box and cards if doing this for a son!) There is just something special about a handwritten recipe of a family favorite.     The recipe box would also be great for a bridal shower.  With a little planning, each guest could contribute a recipe.   I can't wait to see all the gift ideas my Ten on the 10th friends have come up with! Pandora's Box  Let's Add Sprinkles Exquisitely Unremarkable Poofing the Pillows The Purple Hydrangea My Heart Lives Here Patina and Paint Bluesky at Home The Boondocks Blog

Fall Tour 2018

As a matter of fact,
I am a hoarder.

A few weeks ago, I carried a Balsam Hill catalog in from the mailbox.
I admired the autumn wreath on the cover.

It reminded me of something-
Oh yeah, the wreath I used to hang on the front door at our last house.
(We have double doors at this house, so one wreath didn't work.)
The almost forgotten wreath hidden in the guest bedroom closet begged for another chance to share its fall colors.

Would it look good over the mantle?

I tried it.  I liked it.

I'm a sucker for birds, pumpkins, and pillows.
When I saw all three in one,
I was a goner.

 This funny little retro pumpkin was a recent find in Canton.

This stitched pumpkin pillow came from Steinmart and found just the right spot.

Let it fall, let it fall, let it fall.





Here is my new favorite outdoor decor.

This project checked an item off my bucket list.

I bought one of those kits to make a tower of flower pots and the pea gravel it required, 

pulled out my collection of empty terracotta pots, 

re-potted a few plants, 

and followed the directions to assemble it (on a beautiful sunny fall afternoon.) 

Here it is outside our back door. 

 Fall happiness.

Thank you for stopping by.

Be sure to visit all the wonderful stops on this tour organized by Katie at Let's Add Sprinkles.

 
Monday 

Let's Add Sprinkles

My Thrift Store Addiction

French Ethereal

Decor To Adore

Tuesday

First Day of Home

County Road 407

Kitty's Cozy Kitchen 

Ash Tree Cottage

Wednesday 

The Aspiring Home

Sweet Nothings

Monica Wants It

Thursday 

Opulent Cottage
Bluesky at Home
 Hyacinths For The Soul 

Botanic Bleu

My Heart Lives Here

Poofing The Pillows

White Spray Paint 

Have a wonderful fall day! Joining:

Quick and Cheap Halloween Party Decorations

***

Months ago, I offered to host the annual Halloween party for a group I'm involved in.   Just one small problem, I'm supposed to decorate my house in a spooky Halloween theme.  Everything I have is more the happy pumpkin kind of vibe. *** What's a girl to do when she doesn't have any spooky Halloween decorations?    1.  Search around the house for items that can be used in Halloween ways. 2.  Add some spooky touches from dollar stores. 3.  Throw in some paint and creativity. And write a Ten on the 10th post! ***

***

Here are some things I came up with using my three cloches.

A "skull" and cloth from Dollar Tree are pretty creepy under glass. ***

Dollar Tree sells these little skeletons as garlands. So, with four to a pack, they are 25 cents each!  They are even a little bit flexible which helps with posing. The coffin was a colorful treat box (also from Dollar Tree) that I painted black. The inside of the lid was already purple.

***

It was so much fun putting that one together, that I decided to make another for the bar area.  The wine corks were on hand.  Don't judge.

His hands are hot glued to a rusty old wheelbarrow from my fairy garden.  The cork in the wheelbarrow has the words STONES & BONES as the brand. Couldn't resist giving it a prominent spot.

***

Of course I picked up a few tombstones and a glow in the dark hand for the yard. ***

This owl came in from the backyard and the candelabra was hiding in the dining room. I found the three battery powered candles at Dollar Tree.  With the addition of some spider webs, they will set a pretty scary tone to arriving guests. *** And my grand total spent for all these Halloween decorations is ten dollars.  I hope to think of something else to do with the two remaining skeletons. Suggestions welcome! Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you'll come back tomorrow to see my Fall Home Tour on the Let's Add Sprinkles Fall into Texas Blog Hop.

AND Be sure to visit all today's other wonderful Ten on the 10th posts!



Bluesky atHome Exquisitely Unremarkable Pandora's Box Poofing the Pillows The BoondocksBlog White SprayPaint Patina andPaint The Sketchy Reader
Joining:
Share Your Style