Sunday, November 29, 2009

Budget Friendly Christmas Decorating Ideas


1. Go branch hunting outside. Spray-paint the branches in a silver or gold, pop them in a vase and voilĂ  ... elegant holiday decor. Take it a step further and dangle some ornaments on them or tie a few bows.
2. Take red, white or green bath towels and stack three different sizes with coordinating ribbon, thus creating a "gift wrapped package." Place on bath counters or tiered rack behind toilet bowl to dress up the guest bath, says Connie Bandstra, author of Tasty Temptations
3. Fill large tubular vases with red cranberries to add a beautiful splash of Christmas red to any room. If you don't have any vases, take 3 or more clear glass wine bottles or other household bottles and fill them with cranberries. You can even take it a step further and add flowers, twigs, or greenery with water. Another easy tip is to fill candle trays with cranberries or even pour them into the center of your dining table with candles here and there and voilĂ !
4. Take clear vases or bottles, fill them with water, add holiday-colored food coloring -- a few drops will do -- and float candles in them or just line several up in a row to add a simple, cool holiday accent!

Home Sweet Home


My home, as the Velveteen Rabbit says, is Real. It's unpretentious and comfortable....a place I can come home to to nuture my soul after a long or stressful day. It's a place that connects with me visually and physically and like a warm smile at the front door is welcoming and friendly. Everything in my home is there because I love it, not necessarily because it's fashionable or the latest trend. And while LOVE is the underlying impetus in my decorating, my home encompasses many other emotional qualities. When you choose to furnish your home with repurposed objects, like I do, it's a decision to live surrounded by stories; sometimes our own, but also those of people we have never known - stories we imagine based on the evidence of living and loving etched into their possessions.

Living with "Trash Can Annie" by Dave (the husband)



I often laugh over the stuff my wife finds "valuable". Inevitably, when she brings home something from one of her scavenging trips, I'll question why in the world she would want such a thing. Most of the time she really doesn't know what will become of the oddities she finds; she's just sure that they needed to come home with her. Usually, they find their way to my work bench....funny how that happens. She will let her junk, er, I mean...."treasures" sit around the garage taking up valuable space for months. A few days ago, I got frustrated and asked her about a strange object that had been monopolizing all the space in the garage. She told me she's "waiting for it to tell her what it wants to be." I told her that just this morning I heard it finally say it just wanted be garbage and live at the dump instead of my garage. She just sighed and said it could live on "her side of the garage" until she figured it out. After 22 years, a man knows when he's in a losing battle.
Click to play this Smilebox slideshow
Create your own slideshow - Powered by Smilebox
Make your own picture slideshow


I changed my font at scrappinblogs.blogspot.com


Beachy Bedroom

Beachy Bedroom

Shabby Chic Living Room

Shabby Chic Living Room
Powered by Blogger.

Shabby Chic Dining Room

Shabby Chic Dining Room