Tree 2013 and Topper Tutorial

 

     Of all my posts since I started blogging, the two most popular are my tutorials on making a tree topper and tying a bow. You can find both on my sidebar. I took a little blogging break (unplanned) but I didn't take a break from decorating for Christmas! When I started getting messages asking me where the tree topper for this year was, I decided the break was over. I actually liked my tree decorations last year so much, for the first time I considered using the same theme two years in a row. I did repeat some of my decorations, but I did use ornaments this year along with lots of red, polka dots and bright green.

 

     I found these fun red, green and polka dot balls and used them as the starting point for my topper. They look a little alien to me, but happy.

 

 

Red glittered twigs make the next layer.

 

Another layer, this time with green sticks.

 

     The bunches of sparkling green leaves are added to fill in the front of the topper and are placed slightly lower than the other "ingredients". At this point, using a fine wire, tightly wrap all of the layers together leaving long tails of wire on each side. Don't worry if things seem too close together, once it is on the tree you can pull and adjust the spray of twigs and leaves. Wire the topper to the top of your tree and then add your bows. Just a reminder from past tutorials, many people only put one bow on the top of their tree at the base of the tree topper. I always use 3 or 4 bows (this year I used 3). Tie the bows about the same size and wire them evenly around the top of the tree. It makes your topper much prettier from all sides.

 

 

 

     I used ornaments in green and red/white stripes along with redbirds, ice crystal covered twigs and some wispy green roping that I cut into pieces and layered around the tree for texture.

 

 

     Of course I think a tree is prettiest in the dark, but the picture below shows it in the daylight. I was happy to find polka dot wrapping paper and ribbon too.

 

 

     I don't know about the rest of you, but it certainly feels like Christmas is coming quickly this year. My shopping is done and my packages are wrapped, so I feel like I can breathe a little bit now.

 

     Thank you to those of you who worried about me. We were very lucky when the tornadoes hit our area a couple of weeks ago. The closest was about 20 miles away and we certainly were hiding in our basement. We lost our big Bradford Pear tree in the front yard and had enough roof damage that the roof has to be replaced. I have been dealing with insurance, tree cutters and adjusters and we are still in the process of trying to get things done. So many others in Illinois lost their homes and loved ones that we feel very blessed to only need a roof.

 

     I am anxious to see all of your decorations. Thanks for visiting!

 

I am joining Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for

Wow Us Wednesdays



Bits and Pieces-Halloween Edition

 

     Halloween is my favorite time of the year to host parties. Having a birthday very close to Halloween, I grew up having parties this time of year and old habits are hard to break. I have gotten so lazy about committing to company, but I was so glad that I decided to have a few friends over Saturday night for a casual evening. I didn't do a tablescape, I simply covered the table with black fabric, put my current centerpiece back on it and lit a couple candles. The dishes were stacked, the food was self-serve and simple, it was a no-stress evening for everyone. You don't always have to prepare a sit down feast for your guests. I made a pot of chili, the grilled cheese/tomato soup casserole I recently posted and two kinds of cookies (recipes soon). One friend brought a pie and another brought apple slices and dip. I had s'mores to make over the fire pit, but we were all too full to eat them! I had a great time and it reminded me just how much I really do love to entertain.

 

 

     While I'm showing you the little touches of Halloween that I added to my fall decorations, I want to show you my dining room table. We bought the table at a furniture store tent sale and have used it the past two years with a few scratches on it. It seemed to be getting more and more scratches and chips and my husband just refinished it. I think he did a beautiful job. We put a glossy, waterproof coating on it so I can just wipe it off.

 

This year I didn't really take down my fall things,

I just added a few Halloween items here and there.

     We are actually having a chilly week. I even turned on the fireplace this morning after taking Zoe out in the rain. We were cold. I haven't turned on the heat, or needed to...but the air finally went off yesterday, although I am certain I will have it back on again. This is the kind of day that I'd like to bake (and then eat it all).

 

     I've been asked to keep updating the progress in our family healthy eating/living plan. My daughter recently ran her first 5k since high school (10 years). She is wearing a size 6 and feels great. She would like to lose another 10 pounds or so, but her attitude is that it will happen when it happens. Keeping her calories around 1200 a day and exercising most days is still the norm for her. She said that she started crying about half way through the race because it dawned on her how far she had come in 10 months. I'm very proud of her. She also just started another new project at Disney, which meant that her trip home that was cancelled because of work in August and moved to November, has also been cancelled. I will go 8 months without seeing her, the longest we have ever gone. Her job is so exciting, but very hard on her mother!!

 

     I have dropped my exercising from 6 days a week to 4 or 5, I am still eating healthy 90% of the time and we both still live by the "is it worth it" rule for eating fattening foods. Some things are worth it! Some simply aren't. I am right where I want to be and maintaining it so far, but I know that I can never get lazy about it or I will gain it all back very quickly. We just live it now, we don't really think about it much like we did in the beginning.

 

     Speaking of foods that are "worth it"...coming soon, Trick or Treat Cookies.

 

 

I am joining Marty @ A Stroll Thru Life

for Inspire Me Tuesdays

and

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style

for Wow Us Wednesdays

  

Autumn in the Air

 

     Why is it that I always love changing things for the season, but I am so ready to put it away just a few weeks later? Right now, I love all things fall...but it won't be long before all the colors and pumpkins will be driving me crazy!

 

     It really takes very little to change the look and feel of your home. I found this pillow (I only use one on my sofa) and throw at TJMaxx last weekend for about $35 total. I loved some of the season's pillows at Pottery Barn, but this one has color and texture and was only $19.99.

 

 

     You can see that someone thinks that all things soft and cozy belong to her. It wouldn't make much sense for me to invest much in anything that is within her reach.

 

 

Little bits of fall are tucked all over the house.

Soon, I will add touches of Halloween.

 

If you missed the wreath tutorial,

you can find it here.

 

 

     The bittersweet came in my last bouquet delivered from the area organic farmer. It was very green and the berries were closed. I let it sit for about 2 weeks and they popped open and dried into this beautiful sign of fall.

 

 

I am joining Marty @ A Stroll Thru Life for

Inspire Me Tuesday

 

and

 

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for

Wow Us Wednesdays

 

Getting Ready for Fall-Wreath Tutorial

 

 

     The seashells have been put away around my house and it is beginning to look more like fall. Of course, with temperatures pushing 100 degrees this week...I feel a little silly switching my things, but I was ready for a change. I won't put out Halloween things until October, but I did want to make a new indoor wreath for the season. I saw something in a catalog that I loved, but it was $359! I was inspired to make something that was equally as unique and I love the result...I always like things to be slightly "odd"!



 

     My goal, as always, was to use things I had at home and spend as little money as possible. I put a sheet on the living room floor and got busy stripping old flowers and ribbon off of a grapevine wreath. This wreath is approx. 25" in size. I also had 3 different fall ribbons and 3 different black and white ribbons for this project.

 

     To begin, make 6 or 7 bows (I made 2 loop bows, much smaller than a bow for a traditional wreath or package) of each of the fall colors. I also made 2 bows from each of the black and white spools of ribbon. You can see my bow tutorial in my sidebar. Just make 2 loops per side instead of the normal 3 or more.

 

     My first ribbon was a bronze/brown with a rust floral on it. Using the wire I made the bows with, I attached the bows randomly to the wreath.

 

     The second ribbon was a deep orange mesh, again added randomly on the wreath. You may notice that I haven't cut the tails on the bows at this time. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them at this point. After all the bows were attached, I cut the tails (which were left about the same size as the bow loops).

 

 

     Someone in my house loves ribbon more than I do. After chasing her around and grabbing the bows from her, I moved her bed to my work area and she finally calmed down.

 

     The last of my fall ribbon was a deep chocolate brown with an animal print in rust. Once again, filling in the gaps left by the other bows, these were added. At this point, I hung the wreath on the wall and snipped the tails, fluffed the loops and made sure that most of the wreath was covered with bows.

 

 

     I added the various black and white bows into the mix (this is the odd part) and wired in a sparkly witches hat.

 

I also had a witch tassel that was just screaming

at me, "pick me, I want to be on the wreath too"!

 

 

A few random faux pumpkins were

tucked in for added texture and it is done!

 

 

     I love the fact that it isn't screaming orange and that while it has hints of Halloween, it can be up through all of the fall months. I also love that it isn't covered with faux fall flowers. I can't wait to try a similar technique at Christmas! I was thrilled with the result and only had to buy the black and white ribbons to create it, the rest I already had at home. What do you think? Too strange?

 

I will be joining Kim @ Savvy Southern Style

for Wow Us Wednesdays

Please make sure to visit the party!

A Summer Breakfast

     This table was all about teacups, but there actually wasn't any tea involved. The morning was all about four good friends finally taking time to catch up over a light breakfast and coffee.

It was Christmas when I opened this

fun-shaped box from my dad...

     ...to find these beautiful cups and saucers.

The hat box they came in, the soft colors...

I felt like I had stepped into a cross

between Easter and Alice in Wonderland.

     I knew that I wanted to use the cups and saucers when I had 3 friends in for breakfast last week. I also knew that two of them aren't coffee drinkers and that the two of us who did drink coffee would use the Keurig pot and we would want big mugs for our coffee. So, I came up with a plan. I wanted to use the cups, keep things simple and still be fun for my girls! As you can see, I have switched my formal dining table for my round oak table for the summer. For those of you who don't remember, this table was purchased by my grandmother with her first paycheck as a gift for her mother. My grandmother was born in 1900, so this table has been in the family for quite a while. I am happy to say that this is one of the few pieces that my daughter actually does want.

     I used a simple runner with a large shell on each end. One of my friends is all about polka dots, so I pulled out the dotted plates and fun silverware to match. A simple white plate provides a layer between the blue plates and the pastel cup and saucers. The juice glasses I first used myself at a hotel in Vero Beach, Florida. I loved them and asked if I could buy them from the hotel. Imagine my surprise when the waitress told me to just take them, "she wouldn't tell". Of course I didn't do that. I did find them shortly after that trip at TJ Maxx.

     The centerpiece has been on the table all summer. A silver edged tray with a starfish on it, some beach glass and shells and a favorite "beachy" piece of pottery from an artisan show in Sarasota, FL. Simple, easy and light for summer.

     White napkins, sea glass colored napkin rings and I was ready to add a simple fruit mix to the cups. I always tell you to think outside of the box when setting your tables! 

Breakfast was easy.

 Fruit, juice, cherry scones, bacon and coffee.

Sometimes it is much nicer to keep it all simple.

Don't worry so much about the menu

or the table setting.

It really is about the friends and the conversation!

     I have had an interesting service provided this summer. An organic family farm in a small town near here sends out an email on Sunday nights and I place my order.  Every Friday morning they deliver produce, herbs, fresh eggs and flowers depending on what I have ordered that week. I had her bring my first bouquet on Friday morning and it came like this, in the vase for $5! Needless to say, she is bringing another one this Friday.

I am joining Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for

Wow Us Wednesdays

Kathleen @ Cuisine Kathleen for

Let's Dish

Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

for Tablescape Thursday