Saturday, October 30, 2010

Putz Villages

Good afternoon... I was busy all morning washing my large picture window inside and out making ready for my Christmas village to be put in place the first of the week... It usually takes me 2 days to complete.... This village is large and not the putz.... but I have been unpacking and setting some of my putz houses and little bottle brush trees......
Oh don't we just love the vintage Putz Villages and bottle brush trees in our decorating today... It turns out that many German-Americans used the term "putz" the way we might use the word "putter". Are you going to quit putzing around with those lights and decorate the tree already... During Christmas many families "putzed" around with the Nativity display... so the nativity and anything around it become 'Putz". These little Christmas houses bring back fond memories of Christmases past when many families displayed miniature holiday villages underneath their yuletide tree. Some of the houses changes through the years as the Japanese in the 1920's manufactured these in bright colors and these were sold to Sears and Roebuck and Montgomery Ward catalogs and F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10 cent stores.... and "yes" I remember those times... Now we have soft colored reproductions with Bethany Lowe and Jody Foster objects... I think somewhat pricey but those vintage and old villages hold high value in this day...because they are loved so much.....pic...BHG

Friday, October 29, 2010

Sacks of Candy

This is Olivia ready for filling her sack.... She is my granddaughter and I will be picking her up on Sunday for a visit and to receive her sack of candy and treats awaiting her at our home..... This is my son's daughter....
We had a visit from Brutus and Jim Tressel last evening to collect their sacks of candy awaiting them... They were really into their parts..... Do you think we are Ohio State Fans in this family? { Do you notice the Christmas mantle in the background?} This is Lance { Brutus} and Landon { Jim Tressel} the grandchildren that live just a across the road from us.... These are Tom's daughter's children... The rest of our grandchildren live out of town and all except one are beyond dressing up for the candy giving event now.... We soon will be sharing the season of Thanksgiving.....

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Happy Halloween

Well my friends, it will soon be the last day of the month. The years has whizzed by quickly. In a couple weeks I will be choosing my menu for Thanksgiving, a very special time and feast... Both Tom and both sides of our families will join us and share in yet another holiday. I plan on getting all done early for the net coming weeks and just sitting back and enjoying.. I know after all the holidays are all behind us comes a few blues and some very rude days of winter... Allowing the beauty of it all to fill my eyes and warm my heart... Then it seems we just want the warmth of the coming days of spring.. But until that time arrives again I want the tranquility of waiting for special moments to take place... I already have 2 special events on the calendar... One for a Christmas Tea and the other for A Christmas Dinner Held at the Elks... I will attend with my sister-in-law... I enjoyed it last year... I received my special addition of Jeanne D' Ark Christmas book and haven't sat down and fully enjoyed it as of yet...Hoping to find some added inspiration... to tuck with existing objects in my home... Not feeling it yet... Maybe you should start visiting some sites and pulling out some old Magazine stored from Christmas past... Getting done early is a good thing...

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Pleasing The Senses

As we are are distributing candy to masked little robbers our thoughts will be thinking toward the next event in the next coming days... First will be the celebration of Thanksgiving, another wonderful time spend sharing with family and friends... Making these a time of joy, is very important... Our thoughts seem to want to think about holidays of our childhood or early days of raising our families... Not saying we have to go back to the days of no electricity to create a old fashion holiday season... What is pleasing to the eye? Candy canes, popcorn strands, home-made gingerbread cookies.. Just precious little cookie cutters hung on a tree or used as a napkin ring can be very sweet. The most favorite sound of all to look forward to however as we give thanks is the sound of laughter... Four of the senses always seem to come into play when you think of the holidays season... Pleasing to the eye.... Pleasing to the ear..... Pleasing to the nose...and pleasing to the taste..... Have you starting your planning or decorating yet? I am working on vignettes in different areas of my home.... My fireplace is now done and a antique table in the corner of my living room completed and as soon as I finish this post I want to do my antique pie safe and the ledge in my front entrance.... and possibly a shelf in my living room... We will be leaving later this afternoon to attend the Tinora girls volleyball tournament that take place in Kalida.... we will have our supper out and cheer on our girls......
ps. picture source http://myblackbook.free.fr

Monday, October 25, 2010

Embellishment




Oh my gosh ... it is 10:45 and I find myself still in my jammies... Hang on... I'll be right back....
While sipping coffee this morning I went upon a site and instantly found inspiration with every single object I viewed there... I found a real touch of Robin Brown in her creations but distinctly hers also... When visiting http://pennriverdesigns.com I took one look at a floor lamp I purchased several years ago for 5.00 and thought it was a candidate for a redo...thinking this would bring a touch of new eye candy for the holidays... A hour and a half later I had scoured the house and found 2 pair of old lace cuffs... a wonderful old piece of hand-crocheted lace that I had purchased to do a altered art journal with { I was able to safe 12 inches to use on a journal also }.. a tag I had made... of course a rhinestone brooch.. another hand-made doily and some crinkle ribbon... I just hand tacked the items on with needle and thread and now have some new eye candy to look at... It is amazing when we look around how much we can find laying ready for a project... especially when you have in mind you do not want to spend any money... I may find a couple other pieces as I search for objects to tuck in for holiday decorating but for right now... the shade is pretty darn cute with the touch of romance I love so much... Lace and the glam of rhinestone's always add just the right touch for me and my style...
Please go to the site and visit... Lot's of eye candy for all you that love altered art and something that's not for everybody.... Enjoy....


Sunday, October 24, 2010

Thoughts and Contentment

Some days that pass by , I ask myself... " who am I " now that I am traveling on my journey of life in my senior years... I have found myself very content to be at home on a daily basis after many, many years of hard work and many hours of survival mode... Now I find my wants to be minimal although I still love many treasured objects ... I find I can live just fine without every desire... I find contentment in every small treat at this stage of life.. Adding a little treat or treasure sometimes as small as a brooch can bring warmth, elegance, and romance in my eye... I love finding new inspiration that has been created on a small or zero dollar budget...
Today I am going to share with you my little socks I made at zero dollars... I free handed a pattern for the socks according to a half of a feed sack I had for a remnant after making a pillow... Of course you may remember the feed sack were given to me for all my summer projects.... I didn't use a sewing machine as I wanted these to have a homemade look so I just hand stitched around the edges... I took my fabric marker and added the numbers 1 and 2 and of course I am No2 so I also stitched a little lace and added a rhinestone brooch to the sock to blend with the rhinestone little bottle brush tree I posted earlier this week... This project took me about 45 minutes and will add some different eye candy for this years decorating... I use many of my same decorations but just move them around in a different way.... I have the rhinestone tree in the glass cloche... the greens and white twinkle lights and now the socks on the mantle.... I have plans of my mica snowman and mica snowballs to be tucked on the mantle yet and I will have the first area of Christmas completed......
If the weather holds today we will be golfing this afternoon with other couples for a couple hours and I will be searching for more inspiration to tuck into vignettes for my decorating for the holidays... Wishes for a wonderful day wished for you today...

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Brown Bags

While visiting the net I found this interesting project on http://www.re-nest.com/
What a great look and budget friendly project.. Brown paper bas... or contractors brown paper... Wouldn't this be great in a shed that you wanted to make into a studio or special area for yourself... Oh I so wish I had a place to make this happen... They started by ripping bags into shapes... After a totally cleaned floor they secured the paper down with 50-50 part of water and Elmer's white glue of which you can purchase by the gallons.... After drying they used the protection coat of Rust-Oleums Verathane Diamon Floor Finish... which is a type of polyurethane... Directions may be found on http://www.yankeemagazine.com/... Table tops and other objects may be finished with the same technique... Let your imagination explore....

And of course there is always the simple brown bag gingerbread ornies to be cut and sewed or glued to make sweet treats for your decorating... you can free hand a pattern or many are available on the net or just use a gingerbread cookie cutter for a pattern... I always like mine to be pleasantly plump...I also found a really sweet site to share on gingerbread http://www.teachingheart.net/ for inspiration.. pattern and decorating and projects for children....for the gingerbread go under holiday...... take a look.....



Friday, October 22, 2010

It's Time For Inspiration


It is time to find inspiration to pack your home with holiday cheer and total contentment... Many of you will theme decorate of which is very lovely most all the time but I also find it to be very costly and mostly can not be my choice unless using aged book pages and glass balls I already possess. Many glamorous, elegant, touches are placed in homes and I also love the glam but love still adding touches of home-made and old fashion ...being these are memories that are dear to me... Who says we can't have it all anyway? I really do not like to pack much of anything away but prefer to just tuck and add to existing objects creating a holiday marriage... To help you get in the mood today I have chosen to share a couple lovely pictures from http://www.myhomeideas.com The top picture just makes me melt as it lights up the night and invites you in so warmly.... Another picture invites you to nestle in and enjoy the simple greens of the season with the addition of warmth... Oh do accompany your self with the special addition of the Jeanne 'd Ark book for Christmas.... and curl up and find dreamy inspiration.......

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Adding Sparkle ToYour Life




Putting on the RITZ with vintage rhinestone jewelry can be a glamorous way to add unexpected twists to your holiday decorating and table settings... The Picture of the silver candelabra is from BHG..and features a couple rhinestone necklaces attached with a thin piece of wire... Oh the sparkle, glitz, and glam... Extra sparkle when accompanied by little Christmas white twinkle lights...
Decorating in this style becomes a reflection on you and your personality... it shows you don't want to be like others... I particularly love doing something that some other person may not choose to do but it is also very rewarding when someone chooses to like your style... Using pieces of your own collection or pieces you find at a secondhand store are more budget friendly... If you use 4.00 or 5.00 pieces or even more you will have quite a ton of money involved and then it must become a very special piece... I love the way new life has been given to this precious sweet little ivory mica coated tree of which now is my first completed and displayed touch of my Christmas decorating.... { Tip... I did take and tie thin yarn around tree where brooches and bit and bobs were glued on and let set overnight... This worked wonderfully for securing the heavy pieces... } I love this look so much I believe I will search for enough rhinestone jewelry for another tree I have and place it with my lovely mirror and perfume bottles.....
I think it is charming to think of uncommon objects you could use for tree ornament hanging... There is not one thing more satisfying as a clever display of treasured belongings or the joy you receive from sharing with others....
Ps... Other ideas for decorating with vintage jewelry....
1. Hang it from a window... Many necklaces can be very pretty sun catchers...

2. Add a vintage brooch with a broken back by gluing instead of a bow....
3. Use a lovely brooch on a lampshade for a touch of glam....
4.Drape necklace across corner of a mirror for amazing sparkle...
5. Add a rhinestone bracelet around a vase or a hurricane globe... This can be stunning.....


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Days Of Summer Have Ended








As the leaves continue to fall and the trees have started to take on a sparse look in our area... the days of summer have ended... We enjoyed many days in the pool and consuming fine foods and attended several black tie events consisting of weddings and anniversaries.. All to become additions to our memories... There were many happy times and some a few sad times as we lost friends dear to us...
Now my mind has started to journey toward the holidays.... I am starting to view tidbits of Christmas on other blogs and in magazines on book stands... Jeanne d Ark has a Christmas special addition that I just ordered and anxiously await seeing for added inspiration... I am thinking I would like to sketch out a pattern for some socks to cut from yet another grain sack to be hung on my fireplace mantle for different eye candy this year.... I need to soak in the inspiration and possibly a trip to the antique store to search for rhinestone brooches for a project I want to do that I shared with you on a earlier post completed on a small bottle brush tree and tucked in a glass cloche.... The above pics were from Country living.... Wishes sent your ways for a lovely day...


Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Brown Bags For Halloween Treats































Yesterday while grocery shopping I also loaded up on Halloween candy... This morning I made a few treat bags from brown lunch sacks for when the grandchildren come.... I thought I would share this simple budget friendly idea with you... Just leave the bag folded as it comes and cut strips about a inch wise or so down to the fold up bottom... Leaving sack bottom to place candy in... Simply fill with desired treats and tie with raffia or ribbon... I used raffia just because I always have it available here... I added some gift tags for you to copy and you can place a name in it... I will add my tags later after my daily chores... This budget friendly sack would make cute favors for a party also... Let your inspiration think of other uses... Enjoy......





Monday, October 18, 2010

Easy Eye Candy


Good morning... Just another short post this morning as I am about to travel to town to fill Mother Hubbard's Cupboards with needed groceries after letting items run out to travel last couple weeks... I think I am slowly accomplishing chores after return home...
Yesterday was a lovely autumn day here in Ohio.. After returning home from mass I made a large breakfast and early afternoon we went to golf a couples mixed scramble... After our return home from that we had a visit from Tom's daughter that lives in Indiana and that pretty well completed our day.. I had placed our supper in the oven before going to the golf course....
I glanced through the pages of my Jeanne d Ark magazine but haven't had a chance to read pages yet and study the lovely pictures... The pictures above are a very speedy way to add some eye candy to your decorating... in a touch of Jeanne d Ark style... A simple tying of vintage lace and a tag or two... For Christmas you could add a small sprig of greenery and a tag and a glass Christmas ball and have a simple touch for your home...
The skies are getting very grey as I post and with the washing of my car I am thinking of maybe waiting a hour to see what the skies produce... I really would like my car to be clean for a day... Oh decisions.. decisions.... Hope you all have a pleasant day.... and are able to do something you love......

Saturday, October 16, 2010

HOME

Good Morning ..... I am back home peering from my own front window instead of on a balcony listening to the sounds of the waves and the ocean this morning... What a difference a day makes...24 little hours... we drove straight through from Myrtle Beach to home...through 4 states and home again... The vacation was very nice... way too much food but I am still glad to be viewing the harvested fields and the leaves in their last stages of making their way to the ground for another season...
I am doing laundry this morning and placing packed items back in their homes... Later this afternoon I will sit to enjoy the Jeanne d Ark magazine that arrived when I was away from home... Looks as though there are many pictures of inspiration to be enjoyed and maybe created in our own homes.... Aways love that....
In the next few days I will be visiting many of you that I have missed during my away time....Today has a chill in the air with the promise of temps to rise to near 70 degrees so that will be a lovely day for this time on October here in Ohio.... It is a wonderful feeling to have my feet back on soil where you were born even though the vacation was very nice... home is much better... Have a pleasant weekend and I will try to find some inspiration to share with you in the next few days and make my posts of more interest as I settle into my life at home once again... Blessings.....

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Beautiful Surroundings.. Yet Thoughts Of Home

Picture taken on Broadway... As Beautiful as it is in my current surroundings as we journey through the week.. my thoughts still tend to travel back to my home... It will soon be time to decorate for Christmas as I am one of these early get it completed type a person... It comes from the designer background and early planning for retail sales in a gift and floral shop... You were gift market shopping for the holidays as soon as January it again for coming year... I usually make some new tags or something different for new eye candy for my little tree and will try to do so upon my return home... Always feeling of gifts to be made and give with love at the holidays... I love the fact that bloggers share their inspiring stories and lovely creations and beautiful homes.... making not a difference to the amount of space as long as the efforts are transformed into something magical, making a lovely space to dwell and to visit... Of course among all my aged pages and vintage finds must be sprinklings of glamour and glitter... I have decided maybe a touch more gingerbread to my kitchen this year as I was sorting through Christmas and found a generous amount of gingerbread ornies that were purchased at wholesales prices when shopping marts and are still very nice and not ready to part with them... I do so love gingerbread for Christmas.... and the winter season...
I have missed being creative the past couple weeks... Yesterday it seems all I accomplished is getting wet... Water every which way... Started with a early morning shower... a walk in the ocean water.... a dip in the pool... a dip in one of the hot tubs... a cool down back in the pool ... lay in the sun... a dip in the pool... a lay in the sun... a dip in the pool... I think you are getting the picture....
Wishing you all could have a place to escape to that melts your stress away and have a serene scene... This is not a real quiet resort as there is allot of action from early morning the cleaning of the swimming pools and lounging areas... hose downs and helpers everywhere... all making ready for the busy day ahead... While all this is a totally different life style... a desire for my own surroundings and style still lurks inside me... Dining has been pleasurable but you do wait a while to be seated everywhere you go... Last evening was seafood... I enjoyed hush puppies... salad... baked potato... and deep fried shrimp... When we have been programed to prepare food for ourselves for many, many years, some nights after eating out becomes a real challenge what to order... Well for a few more days the fairy tale continues but I will not be disappointed to come back to my real life and my home... Tomorrow evening we will be meeting Tom's niece and her husband in Conway... just a few miles from here ..to enjoy supper with them... They are both school teachers in the area... Blessings wished for all of you as you travel through your week....

Monday, October 11, 2010

Good Morning

Good morning... The above photo was snapped at 6:30 a.m. this morning while having coffee and watching the morning come alive..from our resort balcony over-looking the ocean at Myrtle Beach... It is now 9:00 and the sun is bright and a cool breeze but warming from the sun makes it a double dip of loveliness while you can view more movement from visitors at the resort.... I am in my suit and will swim later this morning and maybe hit the hot tub.... Tom and I was both up at 5:30 a.m. but he and 2 other friends went to breakfast buffet and off golfing at 6:00 a.m.
I haven't had time to check in on many of you yet this week but hope to do so..... Wishing you a a lovely day...

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Change Is Good

As I sit down to type my last post for several days I am telling myself that change is good... as we ready to head to the Carolina's... Knowing you have someone tending your home it makes it easier to leave... I have decided I will not most likely take my golf clubs... will leave the playing golf to the guys... Seems golf rounds down there are 60.00 to 200.00 a round and I told Tom I know I would get much more enjoyment from a crystal chandelier.... Hint.. hint... We decided to leave a day early and make our driving time a day less and more enjoyable... 200 mi fri. -400 mi sat.- 200 mi sun. We will be away long enough that it does look as though the kitchen sink is going too after all. But I have no intention of doing dishes or cooking.. I want this to be a true vacation... We do have a ocean front suite so I may manage to pop a couple bags of corn in the microwave... This is going to be a plopdown anywhere with no worry vacation...
I am sure I will be viewing many lovely homes and places of beauty and hope to share some with you by the first of the week or so... from time to time... Both laptops are making the trip.. Wishing you all blessings and a great weekend .....