thank you dollar tree

frugality struck our log home mantel today.

wanted to give a shout out to dollar tree for adding that fall touch to our mantel.

the rest of the decor used on the mantel is from goodwill and garage saling. i am not obsessed really i am not....:)






the black birds and pumpkins are dollar tree.

silver pieces courtesy of goodwill.





ummmmm, already had this wreath and pear candles on a tray. yes....ok....they were from frugal adventures too.





wish these pears were lined up a little straighter......





garland made from fall paper doilies(source dollar tree...:)stapled to twine. rocket science happening at our house today.





here's a close up so you can follow along....:)





all put together.....

i still think the wreath needs a heavier hanging material for more impact. maybe some black grosgrain ribbon instead of the twine that is holding it up?




thanks again dollar tree!

paper mache bunnies

Many have contacted me to explain the process of making these. The blog I originally linked to is no longer up and running. So to better see how these are made please refer to this post on the crafty sisters blog. It should give you the fundamentals of the process. 

 http://craftysisters-nc.blogspot.com/2011/04/chocolate-mold-easter-bunnies-using.html?m=1

     The bunnies just out of candy molds. Still to be trimmed and sanded down on their edges. 

 

i found these pastel chalks to highlight a few areas on the bunny with some spring colors. they are a beautiful pearlescent. i wanted a very fine white glitter to apply to the bunnies.....what i found was tulip fabric glitter...very fine. i just used regular elmer's glue spread thinly with my finger to adhere the glitter.





Polka dot pastel bow added. 

g.w.'ing 1.25.10

hadn't been thrifting in about 10 days. here's a few finds for this trip.



found:

1. concrete angel statue
2. black easel
3. pewter vase....made by international pewter.
4. fostoria crystal hearts and diamonds goblet.....avon 1978, i believe this came originally as 2 goblets and included candles. the original adhesive sticker is still attached to goblet.

can you believe this whole vignette was less than 5 dollars? well the candy added another 3 dollars. the candy suckers were 3 for a dollar at dollar tree.





here's a close-up of the goblet.....i love this piece for valentine's day. it's filled with red hots.




cute little white china plates.....already strung with black and white ribbon......soooooo matches the theme in my dining area already. i am impressed that someone had thought of this idea....will look for more plates like these.....and make some more.





pear candles on an iron tray.....most expensive trinket of the day. 4.99.





finally, a 12 inch cornhusk turkey for next fall's decorating. have always wanted one for fall decor. but for now we need to say bye bye to him, he's heading down to the basement storage room. see ya in about 9 months...little gobbler.

linking to.....

romantic feather valentine's wreath

simple and elegant valentine's feather wreath. so very easy to make.


here's the only things you need:

1.pale pink feather boa
2.pale pink gingham or pale pink wire ribbon
3.straight pins






4.straw wreath











*just wanted to update as i got a couple emails on the pink boa.....picked it up at hobby lobby for 3.50 (50% off).....quite the bargain. everything else i already had at home.



and so simple directions(i hate to really even write them out):

1.wrap straw wreath in ribbon, using straight pins to keep in place as you circle around the wreath.

2.wrap ribboned wreath with feather boa and pin into place as you circle wreath.

3.attach valentine ornament or leave simply as feathered wreath.







.........old fashioned romance in a wreath.




linked to http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

repurposed sofa table

we have wanted a buffet for our great room dining area since we moved into our sweetwater bend log home a little over a year ago. i had looked (shopped) and looked(shopped)for one. there were 3 criteria the buffet had to meet:

1)that it wouldn't cost an arm and a leg.
2)it had to fit into a pretty narrow space, so no more than 18 inches in depth.
3)it had to have excellent potential for refinishing. i didn't want to have to repair a drawer that didn't work right, etc.

after having not being able to find something just right, i decided to go up in our attic to see if i could find anything that could work. i had forgotten we had this extra sofa table stored up there. i had the human backhoe help me get it down. i then placed it with an old plate rack i had up in the attic also. of course, i had forgotten about this piece too. this is what they looked like before refinishing and decorating. never mind the dust.



after all the priming and painting and new drawer pulls, hb and i brought them up from the basement and placed them on what has been a bare wall since we moved in. i then did a quick deca-ma-tate to it....secret code word for decorate....in our house....:) note that the plate rack is hung directly on the sofa table. i didn't want it raised up higher on the wall.




a small collection of glass hearts used to deca-ma-tate with....in honor a valentine's day coming up.




i love, love, love this knitted scarf used as a runner on the table.....really warms it up for winter.



and here are the cute little toile bunny hang'em ups purchased a few weeks ago hanging beside the plate rack.




and another apothcary jar found at goodwill recently filled with candy hearts....i love that the two candy hearts that can be read the best in jar when taking the pic said "i want you" and "i'm in love". hey h.b.....did you see that?





linking to

happy new year

may your new year be blessed....

dj.... at sweetwater bend

white stuff......ain't it pretty

yeah!!!! we finally got a bit of snow. not a lot, but enough for a white christmas that's for sure.


let's start from the front porch and head around the house.








around to the side yard.





think we should head down to the lake?





ahhhhhh.....beautiful. i could stay here all day if it wasn't so dang cold.....




let's head back up to the cabin......


looks like human backhoe is feeding the birds with a little bit of help.




think he is a bit warm-blooded?

come inside and i'll share a few xmas goodies....












merry CHRISTmas from sweetwater bend........

i am not a knick knacky person.....

....really i am not. but i wanted to post a few knick knacky christmas collections that i have. plus a few miscellaneous pics that i couldn't really categorize.

first of all and most importantly....center on our mantle in our great room.




i am not a collector of willow tree, but i picked up this nativity scene from craigslist this past july. i bought it from a family that was really hurting from being laid off and this is one of the things they sold to help make ends meet. i often think of that family and pray for them. from july on this was displayed in various areas of our log home. i never did pack it away after i bought it.

btw......i have seen so many of these nativity scenes on everyone's blogs this year. i wonder how many of us have this particular willow tree?

i have also received a few willow tree figures, usually for my bday from friends and family.






here is the small collection that i have. i am amazed the poinsettia cuttings are still holding up in water after 10 days of being massecred.



there are two more small collections that i have related to christmas. really i don't like to be knick knacky......:)




here is the human backhoe's xmas tree....ummmmm, that is in the guest bathroom....hehehe. it is a collection of hallmark's pickup trucks over the last fifteen years. someday, i hope to have a red and white 1960 ford f100. someday......




the other collection i have is of log home style disney ornaments. yes, we are a disney family. we proudly call disneyworld our second home. and no i don't fill my home with any other paraphanalia related to mickey....remember i am not a knick knacky person. but, ask me any question related to disney and the town of orlando...and i am your answer girl.

oh yeah, on the last two trees did you notice the barbwire garland? actually it's a plastic representation of it that i bought on clearance after halloween.





a collection of my cranberry orange jam i canned earlier in november....



next is a couple pics from our kitchen. first is our candle chandelier that is over our kitchen island. simply wrapped with red berry garland.




then, a few pieces of mikasa ultra dressed up for the holidays.





finally, a bathroom pic again....hehehe. soap and lotion from the guest bathroom.



thanks for reading.....i have so enjoyed looking at everyone's blogs to see how you decorate........