Christmas Mantel

I know it is a bit late to post about my mantel only 5 days before Christmas. But the reason I didn't post sooner was two fold.  First of all, I hate posting about half finished projects and secondly, I was waiting for this little baby to arrive.

 

I had ordered it from Beyond the Rack about 6 weeks ago and I had so hoped it would come before Christmas.  It came just in time!  So finally I give you my Christmas mantel.

I am quite pleased with it.  I always use the basics each year, the garland with lights and then I usually add some accessories to it, like pine cones and ornaments.  This year because of the teal in my carpet I decided to throw that into the mix as well, so there are some cute little teal cupcake ornaments which I found at the dollar store believe it or not.  Also, I added some branches in vases with some pretty blue and teal stones that I also found at the dollar store.

When my daughter and I were shopping at Michaels one day, we bought this peacock feather because it caught her eye and so it too was added to the display.

Probably, my favourite part of the mantel display is the stockings.  The reason....they were all made by my mom. She is very talented and has over the years made all of these special heirlooms for everyone in our family.

So there you have it.  This will be my last post until after the holidays, so may you all have a very Happy Holiday and a joyful new year! See you in 2013!

Until next time...Lisa

Taking Time

I had a few more holiday posts prepared to publish for you but after the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut last week, I decided that I would rather take the time I would have spent blogging and spend it with my family instead.  I felt like I wanted to hug my babies close and never let them go.

My heart and prayers go out to all the families who were touched by this senseless act of violence and my hopes are that they can someday heal the hole that was left in their hearts.

I'll leave you with this little poem that someone gave me when my first daughter was born almost five years ago.  It has been on my fridge ever since to remind me of how important every moment is with our kids.

To My Child 

by Sally Meyer 

Just for this morning, I am going to
smile when I see your face and laugh
when I feel like crying.

Just for this morning, I will let you
choose what you want to wear,
and smile and say how perfect it is.

Just for this morning, I am going to step
over the laundry and pick you up and take you to
the park to play.

Just for this morning, I will leave the
dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put
that puzzle of yours together.

Just for this afternoon, I will unplug
the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with
you in the backyard and blow bubbles.

Just for this afternoon, I will not yell
once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and
whine for the ice cream truck, and I will buy you one
if he comes by.

Just for this afternoon, I won't worry
about what you are going to be when you grow up, or
second guess every decision I have made where you are
concern ed.

Just for this afternoon, I will let you
help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you
trying to fix them.

Just for this afternoon, I will take us
to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can
have both toys.

Just for this evening, I will hold you in
my arms and tell you a story about how you were
born and how much I love you.

Just for this evening, I will let you
splash in the tub and not get angry.

Just for this evening, I will let you
stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.

Just for this evening, I will snuggle
beside you for hours, and miss my favourite TV shows.

Just for this evening when I run my
finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be
grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.

I will think about the mothers and
fathers who are searching for their missing children, the
mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's
graves instead of their bedrooms. The mothers
and fathers who are in hospital rooms
watching their children suffer senselessly and screaming
inside that little body

And when I kiss you goodnight I will hold
you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then,
that I will thank God for you, and ask him for
nothing, except one more day.............

DIY for the Holidays

Hello again, I know...I know, this is the most you've ever heard from me but I am so excited to share my projects and those of the blogosphere with you that I just can't stop myself.

Today, I'm going to share a couple of little DIY projects that I've done to add some Christmas cheer to our home.

The first is such a quick and easy one that I made it using items I already had on hand.  It looks really cute hanging in the kitchen.

I started with some ribbon that came wrapped around packages of ornaments from the dollar store and then I strung through some cookie cutters.  I alternated the colours of both the ribbon and the cutters, but you could place them however you like or just use one colour.  Instead of ribbon you could use beaded garland or string, whatever your little heart desires.  The only thing I would recommend is to tie a knot or have some kind of stopper at the end of each section where you want to hang it otherwise the cutters will slide down and bunch up in the middle.  Here's a closer look at it.

The cutters that I happened to have had holes in them so I just strung the ribbon through it and then through the shape itself so that the shape was facing out instead of hanging sideways.  If your cookie cutters don't have a hole like these do, you may need to play around with the ribbon to find a way to tie it so that you can actually see the shapes.

This project took me about 15 minutes and the kids helped too!

The next DIY took a bit more time.  I had to do a bit of research and thanks to YouTube, found a couple of online tutorials like this one from Skillins Greenhouse.

I decided that this year I wanted to learn how to make my own bows, so I got some really great rolls of ribbon from Michaels on a fantastic 70% off sale and with this particular pattern, I've made 2.  They found their home on my double front doors which I hung with matching wreath hangers.

I admit, I've gone a little bow crazy around the house because once you learn how to do it, they really are so simple and look beautiful.

I’m sharing this at the Dare to DIY party hosted by Decor and the Dog, Maybe Matilda, Newly Woodwards, and Two Twenty One! So be sure to check them out.

Until next time....Lisa

A Light Dusting of Snow

Hello everyone and welcome to my first Christmas post of the season.  I have so many ideas and projects, I hope I can manage to complete them all and post about them before the holidays are over!

Today I am going to show you how I added a little cheer and just a smattering of snow to my eat in kitchen.

I started with a pretty blank slate of a round, white table and transluscent chairs. This gave me the opportunity to decorate in whatever colours I wanted.  My holiday colours have always been and always will be traditional (red, green, white, silver, gold) and every once in a while I might throw in just a touch of a trendy colour for fun.  For this particular display, I stayed true to myself except for the bowl that I used, which is one that sits on my table anyway and I love the teal colour and the way that it juxtaposes with the traditional decor.

The idea itself is pretty basic, just some ornaments in different shapes, sizes and texture. The variation is what keeps it interesting and I love pine cones, they just seem to add a rustic warmth to everything. 

Now, lets talk about the base shall we?  You may be wondering where the snow came from and did I just grab some from the backyard and throw it in there in order to take this photo?  The answer is a resounding NO! but isn't it fantastic!  

When you look through magazines or on the web, most holiday bowls like this will have a base of greenery, whether it be real cedar boughs or artificial pine sprays.  I decided to defy the standard and try something different.  I found this stuff at Dollarama, here in Canada, it came in a little bottle and it said fake snow, just add water.  I was skeptical and almost put it back on the shelf but I thought, for $1.25, what do I have to lose, I'll try it out and see what happens.  You can be the judge, but I think it turned out great.  It has been a week since I took this picture and the snow still looks like this.

Lets recap the cost for a moment because this is something anyone can do with things you already have in your holiday decor stash.  Ornaments, pine cones and bowl - already owned, fake snow - $1.25.  Total for a new take on an old idea $1.25 and I love it!

Do you have any new ideas for traditional holiday decor?  I'd love to hear about them.

Until next time...Lisa