Hand Blown Glass Ball Display

I began my hand blown glass ball collection with the birth of my first child. I saw a commercial where the couple had hung an enormous amount of green glass balls over the crib and I fell in love. I purchased 5 and hung them over my daughter's crib. I repeated this with my second daughter.

While we lived in a rental town home, during the construction of our current home, I boxed all of the glass balls up and just this week thought of a way to display them. 

During our annual trip to the Outer Banks, NC I went into a glass shop and noticed a glass ball display in the front window. The shop owner took a large branch (they had painted white) and hung the balls from the branches.

I purchased a birch tree branch from Michaels (AND I had a 50% off coupon) and purchased a two pack of curtain brackets. I painted the unfinished brackets white and my husband mounted them on either side of the window over our tub. This set up roughly cost $12 to create. (minus the cost of the glass balls)

Today was a cloudy/rainy day so I have yet to see what the bathroom will look like when the sun shines thru the window and the glass balls. Will let you know how it looks!

My Christmas Movie Pics

Less than 12 days before Christmas and plenty of time to sit down and enjoy these holiday favorites. Introduce an oldie to your kids this year. My girls love watching my Christmas favorite White Christmas. What's your favorite?

Christmas Movies

White Christmas

The Grinch who Stole Christmas (cartoon version)

The Polar Express

The Muppets Christmas Carol

Meet Me In St. Louis

Mickey's Christmas Carol

Love Actually

The Holiday

Little Women

Santa Clause

Home Alone (1&2)

Elf

Serendipity

Movies that are just shown on TV around this time of year...power of suggestion I guess?

Hook

Night at the Museum

Narnia

Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Any James Bond movie (Spike TV's fault)

My Parents Favs.

It's a Wonderful Life

The Bells of St. Mary's

Miracle on 34th Street

Stretching your Christmas Dollar

Every year my church has an Advent Celebration that is geared for the children of the church. There are crafts, singing, a message and caroling followed by hot cocoa and cookies. Last year I was asked to make 100 decorated sugar cookies to go into the goody bag for the kids. I was in the throws of morning sickness at the time and vowed never to do THAT again. Well it's that time of year again and I did not make cookies but 120 chocolate covered candy canes.

My WONDERFUL husband helped me bag and tie the poem I had found to each bag.

Candy Cane Poem

Look at the Candy Cane

What do you see?

Stripes that are red

Like the blood shed for me

White is for my Savior

Who's sinless and pure!

"J" is for Jesus My Lord, that's for sure!

Turn it around

And a staff you will see

Jesus my shepherd

Was born for Me!

Author Unknown

After I tied the last poem on the candy cane bag I thought what a great gift to give from you kitchen. You can buy a box of 12 candy canes for .94 at Walmart and then purchase some Almond Bark and sprinkles. A very inexpensive gift. My kitchen stretches my Christmas dollar like none other.

For both of my daughters school classes I made gingerbread tree ornaments. I used the recipe from

 Martha Stewart with one change to the recipe. Increase the amount of applesauce from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup. You really do need the extra moisture. I would also recommend buying your cinnamon in bulk. (i.e. Costco) You need 1 cup for one batch and I made 3 batches and did not think of the bulk idea until after the recipe was made.

I used my Martha Stewart snowflake punch to make 4 snowflakes to throw in with the ornament. My girls loved them and my house smelled wonderful after they were made. FYI...do NOT eat the gingerbread. There is glue baked in there!

While candy canes were plentiful in my house I made this cake for my husbands birthday. Devils food (Dunkan Hines...there is none better) with 7 minute frosting and crushed candy canes thrown in. If I do say so myself it was quite good!

You may be thinking I would not step another foot into the kitchen until after the holidays are over but there are still gifts to be made. I'm beginning my list of cookies and meringues to make for teachers and friends. If you do not have the time to go all "Martha" on your baked good gifts just hop on over to the bakery at Costco. They have a great selection of Palmiers, Madelines (dip half into a chocolate ganache) Chocolate Peppermint Bark..the list goes on. Stop by Michaels and purchase some of the festive baked good boxes (if you are lucky they may be on sale now) and fill them up. Your gift will be appreciated even if the flour and sugar never left your pantry. 

A Scandinavian Christmas

Good Housekeeping

I'm not quite sure when my love of Scandinavian decorating began. It may have started with my first trip to IKEA, the simplistic approach taken, or the way everything seems to be hand crafted with love. Regardless of the when or were I LOVE Scandinavian decor.

Good Housekeeping

I first bought straw star ornaments and tree topper at IKEA several years ago and then added to it a straw wreath. Wouldn't you know that my cats loved my straw ornaments as much as I did and reduced my collection by a few. 

Good Housekeeping

You will find a lot of red and white in Scandinavian Christmas decorating. 

Now for a little shameless IKEA promoting. Take a look at what is available this Christmas.

Perfect for lighting up the entrance to your home. Try hanging a few from a sturdy branch over your dining room table.

Perfect for Santa's milk.

Adhere to a throw pillow for an instant Nordic touch.

These cards are perfect for framing and displaying during the Christmas season.

Good Housekeeping

My daughters thought this was the perfect way to display Rudolph. 

I encourage you to explore the ways different cultures celebrate the season as I have. 

You may just fall in love with one.

Nail Polish that Makes me Smile

O.P.I

Who is not a fan of The Muppets? With the new Muppet movie out in theaters I think it only fitting to celebrate with a new nail color to fit the occasion. With names like Gone Gonzo!, Fresh Frog of Bel Air, Gettin'Miss Piggy With It!, Animal-istic, Meep - Meep - Meep, Wocka Wocka!, Warm & Fozzie and many more I have fallen in love. 

Take a trip to your local Target, CVS, or other O.P.I selling store and rock some Muppet color. Even if you prefer a more neutral pallet I would reserve the your little piggies for the Divine Swine.

Operation Christmas Child

I know! I'm talking about Christmas and I've skipped Thanksgiving completely. I'm not entirely skipping Thanksgiving but letting you know about something going on this week. 

As a child my family would fill shoe boxes with gifts for children all over the world who were a little (or a lot) less fortunate. This year I am starting the tradition with my own children and I have to tell you I think I got more out of watching them shop for their child.

My oldest chose a girl her age and my second daughter chose a boy. We made a trip to the dollar store and Target and filled the cart with toys, toothpaste and toothbrushes, candy, a note from my daughters and a prayer. It was THAT easy. I would suggest that if you can afford it buy a plastic storage box the size of a shoe box for your gifts. This way the box can be used for other needs after it is emptied.

Tonight, after Daisies, my daughters and I will take the shoe boxes to a drop off location (usually a local church). 

Samaritans Purse has this wonderful feature that lets you track your shoe box so my children will be able to see where their gift goes. Each shoe box requires a $7 donation to cover the cost of shipping and such.

I would STRONGLY encourage you to start this tradition in your home this year. Go to 

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/

for more information and start shopping!

My Halloween Movie Picks

With every holiday and season I have a list of movies I like to watch more than at other times of the year. Halloween is no exception.  My list differ's from most Halloween lists in that I am not a blood and gore kind of girl. More the corny,old black and white kind of girl. (Who really wants to have nightmares all night? Really??) So I have put together a list of my favorites for this holiday and I would encourage you to check some of them out. They may surprise you!

Halloween Movie Picks

Private Eyes

Topper Returns

The Time of Their Lives

"Arsenic and Old Lace"

Bewitched (Nicole Kidman version)

Ghostbusters

Any Harry Potter movie

Hocus Pocus

Men in Black (1 & 2)

Van Helsing

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Pottery Barn Kids

I have always been a big fan of Eric Carle and the technique he has for creating his illustrations. The patience that man must have to paint tissue paper is more than I possess. The story The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the best children's books ever written and is full of color and imagination. Pottery Barn Kids currently has an entire line of bedding, wall art and bathroom things devoted to Eric Carle's illustrations and it had me looking for party ideas and crafts that I can do at home.

Pottery Barn Kids

Pottery Barn Kids

A Very Hungry Caterpillar party can actually be a very healthy party. Full of fruits and cheeses with some cake of course at the end.

Etsy

This is just too cute!!!

Etsy

Again, too cute!!!

Pottery Barn Kids

The picture that started this obsession.

Cake Pennant Toppers

Life has been busy, but there is always time for birthday's and cake. Recently a friend of mine asked me to make a birthday cake for his wife. Nothing fancy just a cake. I wanted to portray my friends personality which is fun and artistic and she is a new mommy as well. (we had our son's on the same day)

I've made birthday pennants before but none as tiny as this. All you need are two wooden dowels, string, paper, hot glue and scissors. I cut a diamond out of the paper, folded it in half over the string and hot glued it shut. Tie the two ends of string to the wooden dowels and insert into your cake. The hardest part is choosing what paper you want to use.

Here are some of the pictures I used for inspiration. I am henceforth addicted! 

Embellishing Life Everyday

Embellishing Life Everyday

Etsy

My Little Man

Camden 

After taking his precious time in arriving (one week late) Camden has captured our hearts.

His big sisters (aka little mothers) are loving him to bits. He has NO idea what he's in for!

We are all operating on very little sleep but are soaking up every little smile and enjoying this time together.

Posts may be few and far between with adjusting to having an infant in the house again and my "baby" starting Kindergarten next week! I will try to hold it together until after the school bus leaves:)

Wish I Thought of It

Ouch Pouch

Summer, more than any other season, is a time for boo boos. My girls have scrapes and bruises on their legs, arms, chins (you name the body part) from visits to the playground or just playing outside. I've always kept a small cosmetic bag in my purse filled with band aids, Tylenol and antiseptic but never thought of such an attractive pouch to put them in. I was browsing Etsy this morning and stumbled across the Ouch Pouch and had to share with everyone.

Ouch Pouch

There is a huge array of patterns and sizes to choose from and uses for each. My favorite one's are the one's with the clear front flap so that I can see everything inside in a hurry. I love the idea of adding a lollipop to the pouch to help make everything feel better. (seems to always work)

Ouch Pouch

This is more my size. Like my purses, I carry everything I might need with me so I am prepared for anything. (minus the MD) 

Things to Do this Summer

If you're like me the summer is here and gone before you know it. I'm always looking for ways to draw the last drop out of summer and I have the urge to do so even more with my oldest starting Kindergarten this fall. (How is that possible?!?)

Good+Happy Day

I discovered this wonderful idea over at Good+Happy Day and had to share.

Good+Happy Day

Grab some craft sticks and have your children decorate them and allow to dry. Then gather your family together and make a list of things you want to do this summer. Some can be realistic ideas or just pie-in-the-sky dreams. Write one idea on each craft stick and make an effort to pick one each day and try to have fun with it. I made a list with my husband and girls over the weekend and was really humbled by the simple things they wanted to do when I had been stressing over classes to enroll them in and activities to keep them "busy" all summer. 

Here is a sampling of our list and I encourage you to make your own and ENJOY this summer!

Summer Fun List

Play in the rain

Make origami animals

Make ice cream from scratch

Stargaze

Feed the ducks (Anna's suggestion)

Tie Die something

Make rock animals

Catch fireflies

Visit friends

Play a round of golf (hubby)

Make a cobbler (me)

Read a chapter book as a family

Love & Hug our family (Isabelle's suggestion....I nearly cried!)

Camden's Nursery

 

I have mentioned before that Camden's room has taken on many theme's. It started out as an African theme then a world travel theme and then an aviation theme. The result is a mixture of all three and I would like to think that I pulled it off pretty well. 

The changing table is actually an IKEA bookcase turned onto it's side and can later be turned upright for books and things. The circle rugs were found at TJmaxx but IKEA sells similar one's as well. 

The giraffe and zebra print pillows were a great find at Wal-mart in their outdoor section. 

Pottery Barn Kids

This ad for Pottery Barn Kids was the inspiration for the map art I created for the nursery. I searched high and low for old maps and could not find exactly what I was looking for without spending a lot more than I anticipated. I finally found exactly what I wanted (and more) in my mother-in-laws basement where they keep all of their old National Geographic's. The maps inside of the old magazines were perfect and costed me nothing!

The monogram made out of buttons was an idea I had found while searching the web for button art ideas. A quick stop to Michaels for the frame and Wal-mart for the buttons was all I needed. I printed out the letter and traced it onto some scrapbook paper I already had and then simply glued the buttons onto the traced letter.  

My daughters wanted to add their own touch to the room so they painted two airplanes (also purchased at Wal-mart) and placed them on two shelves.

This mobile was purchased when I was decorating my oldest daughters nursery and I never used it but stored it away for a day when I thought I would need it. Well this mobile was turned into.....

This!!!

I used leftover maps that I had from the other projects and made paper airplanes out of them then super glued them to the string. I am now a "master" at making paper airplanes after watching a wonderful YouTube tutorial video. 

It has been a lot of fun to decorate for the arrival of our little boy. I am still finding idea's that I would LOVE to incorporate into the room but there is only so much space to decorate and I think more would just be more at this point. 

It's a room that makes my husband and I smile when we walk into it and I hope Camden grows to love it too.