The Christmas Dining Room At The LIttle Yellow Cottage, 2012

We are counting down the days until Christmas - only 15 to go.  Whew.  Putting that in print kind of gives me an edgy, anxious feeling because I still have so many projects to finish before the 25th.  On top of that, two of our children have birthday's on the 17th (3 years apart - how did we do that?) and one of our grandson's has his birthday on Christmas Eve.  As you can see, December is a very busy month for us.

Today, I thought I would continue with our house tour by showing you our dining area and kitchen. We don't have an official "dining room", it is an area next to the kitchen that is separate, but quite cozy and can be very crowded when the whole family is here for dinner.  But that's quite okay, crowded is fine,  because it's all about being together.

Last year I made a lovely table runner that was ecru in color and it did not survive the season without getting some kind of spot that won't come out.  Surprise!  So, this year I found this beautiful black table runner at TJMaxx for $12.00.  Yay!  It has beautiful holly leaves and berries embroidered on it in red and green and is just perfect for the holiday season.  I put a piece of red deco mesh under it to give it a little oomph and hopefully it won't show stains like last year's.  We will see how it goes.

Texture plays an important part in any centerpiece, so I started by cutting some fresh cedar off a tree in our yard and laying it on the table runner.  In the center, I added a large glass vase that I  already had.  I put a candle in the vase that I glittered by putting Mod Podge on it and rolling it in crystal glitter.  The sparkles don't show very well in the picture, but it is so pretty and easy to do.  They would made beautiful gifts!  I surrounded the candle with fresh cranberries for some holiday color and texture.

There are sequined trees I made on either side of the candle in the vase.  They are very simple but add so much sparkle and glam to the setting.  Simply start with a green styrofoam cone.

I used silver schlung sequins to cover the cone.  Schlung sequins are the flat ones that are attached by thick thread and can be bought by the yard instead of individual sequins.  This makes covering the cone much faster and easier.  I simply used sequin pins every so often to hold the rows in place.

Start at the bottom and place pins every few sequins to make sure they don't slide off the bottom of the cone.  Wrap tightly as you go around the cone and place a pin every few sequins continuing to the top.  Spiral the sequins and pin until you have the entire top covered.  That's it.  Pretty simple isn't it?

These are 6 inch cones and I wanted the trees to have some height so I sat them on some silver flower pots I found at Michael's.  Simply turn the pots upside down and sit your trees on them.  These could be made in any color sequins you wanted.  Another great gift idea!  If you give these as a gift, glue the cone to the pot.

For more candlelight, I added two small mercury glass fish bowl-type candle holders I found at Michael's for $3.99 each.  I had seen the identical holders at West Elm for $12.00 each.  Yes for a major bargain!!

Next I use 2 silver snowflake garlands that I got at "you know where" for $1.00 each (Dollar Tree).  They add some more glitz to the setting.  Simply swirl them around everything in the centerpiece.

For the final texture and contrast, I added a bunch of small pinecones randomly placed.  Ta da!  Done.  It looks very beautiful in the center of the table, especially when the candles are lit and the lights are down low.

By the way, did you see the beautiful mercury glass ornaments hanging from our light over the table?  These were another major find at Big Lots.  They were 6 in a package for $6.99  I simply put some red velvet ribbon through the hanger and tied them over the arms of the light fixture.  I LOVE mercury glass and these were just the added touch I wanted to finish the centerpiece.  Hanging them at varying heights adds more interest.

The corner cupboard holds a collection of glass pieces that are from my grandmother and aunt.  To jazz it up a bit, I added some of the fresh green cedar, some of the mercury glass ornaments and red velvet ribbon which I randomly threaded through the glassware.

It looks so festive and ties everything in with the decor in the dining area.

The finishing touch is the red velvet bows tied on the backs of the chairs with silver glittered snowflakes .  Just that one final touch.  It's all in the details as they say.

When the table is set for dinner, there will be red chargers and gold napkins to finish the setting.  Because we use our table every day, I have not put them out yet.  Just use a little imagination if you will.

This is off the track, but I am telling you this for a purpose.  There is a little restaurant here in Nashville called Taco Mamacita.  It is one of our favorite places to go and the decor is divine.  I would LOVE a house interior that was decorated in such a way.  They have a huge assortment of colored mercury glass balls than hang from the ceiling in one area.  There is another area with lots of tin stars hanging from the ceiling at various heights and then there are all the huge copper bells hanging from the ceiling in another area.  There are old doors with light fixtures hanging from them which makes the dark interior have so much ambiance.  I wish you could see it.  All this to say, the mercury glass balls inspired me to do this.

Our kitchen has a vaulted ceiling with a ledge that runs across it.  That is the perfect place to hang some of those large mercury glass balls.  I was so excited to find these last year at TJMaxx Homegoods.  I tied them with velvet ribbon and teetered on a ladder to nail the ribbon into the top of the ledge.  They are hanging at different heights and I LOVE THEM!  The biggest one is about the size of a bowling ball to give you a little perspective on their size.  They make a nice separation between the dining area and the kitchen.

I do have white lights on top of the cabinets which add a lot of effective "glow" when they are on in the evening.  (These lights are there all year round).  They are just plain old white Christmas lights that lay on top of the cabinets, wound through the decorative baskets.  And, there is just a little decoration over the sink.  I could decorate the tops of the cabinets, but Grandma just plain old gave out.  Maybe next year.

To hang over the sink, I made some of the snowflakes that I wrote about in my post of November 8, 2012.  My daughter gave me some beautiful Martha Stewart  Christmas paper she had left over from a project, so I made some of these snowflakes and a paper chain to hang them from.

 These were easy and didn't cost anything other than time.   These are so much fun to make, check out my post with instructions if you want to make some.

Thanks for touring with us once again.  Things are busy here at the little yellow cottage this time of year.  I hope there are things here to inspire you for the coming holiday season and Christmas' to come.  Remember, it's about making memories.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn't come from a store.
Dr. Seuss 

Welcome To The Living Room- Christmas 2012

Welcome to Christmas at the Little Yellow Cottage.  Decorating began the day after Thanksgiving and has been going on since.  Do you have trouble getting done?  I seem to be continually adding or changing.  There is always another idea, something that could look better, another place or use for something.  Creativity is a curse sometimes, but I am thankful to be cursed.

The tour begins in our main living area.  Our living room is not large, but it is very cozy with the fireplace being the focal point of the room.   When you enter through the front door, there is a small entryway with a rustic cabinet that has old windows for the doors.   It holds our crystal because we don't have enough cabinet space in the kitchen.  The decorations change with the season and here is how it looks this Christmas.

Since I am totally enamored with the shutters I painted earlier in the season, I took my book page wreath down for the holidays and added the ornament wreath I made last year.  My "Joy To The World" sign has been part of our Christmas decor for many years.  It is very dear to my heart so it is used every year somewhere.  For a slightly different look this year, I used the burlap ribbon and the large and small sparkly stars.

There are two small trees in the living area.  I gave up large trees years ago due to lack of space and time.  Small trees are much easier to decorate and place.  With 6 grandsons under the age of 9, three of them under three, it is nice to have them up off the floor.  Grandma does have lots of stuff sitting around and the temptation for little hands is great.

This is the flocked tree in the front window that has all crystal and clear ornaments.  There is a small village under the tree and you can see the big snowflake through the front window.

Here is a closeup of our little village under the tree.  The boys LOVE the ceramic train that I have had for more than 25 years.  Such a temptation for little hands.  We'll see how long it survives.

The mantle is decorated in a winter wonderland theme using lots of white lights, snow flakes (Dollar Tree), candles, and mirrored trees.  If you have not made yourself a regular at the Dollar Tree, do so now.  There are such awesome decorations to be had for very little money.  The mirrored trees came from there 3 years ago.  I had seen them at a high end boutique gift shop for $30.00 each.  I scored mine for $1.00 each.  Yahoo!

They reflect so much light and give such a frosty, wintry look.  They make me happy.  The snowflakes are hung with monofilament line from clear pushpins.  It's very hard to get a good picture of them so that you can see the detail, but they are quite lovely.  These will probably stay up until February.

The small tree in the corner in front of the mirror is decorated with hand made ornaments that I made years ago, lots of icicles and red glass balls.  The reflection in the mirror makes it seem much bigger than it is.

See the large rusty snowflake under the tree?  I have lots of those that get used in different places also.  Have had those for years and years.

Here is a close up of the two trees you can see in the first picture.  They are sitting on a trunk that is used as a coffee table in front of the sofa.  I made these using sheet music.  There will be a tutorial on how to make them tomorrow.  They are beautiful decorations and would be wonderful gifts.   The little polar bear came from you know where.  $1.00.  What can I say?

Need a really easy centerpiece or gift?  I saw these at TJMaxx several years ago and thought holy cow, why should I pay for that.  We have lots of sticks in the yard.  Just gather some up and cut them to similar lengths.  Wrap them with wire in the center to hold them together, spray paint them any color you want.  I added some Christmas greenery and made a nice big bow.  Voila!  A lovely, natural centerpiece.  This sits on top of another small cabinet next to my $2.50 candle holder I found at Gordman's a couple of years ago.  I told you, I am the Queen of Cheap.

The sofa table holds one of my prized possessions, a gift from Dan years ago.  She is a beautiful angel from Mexico.  She sits 12 inches high and holds a candle in her hands and another can be placed inside that shines through her robe.  I hadn't gotten the candle in her hands for the picture.  Details.  It's all about the details.  There are mirrored trees on the table and stars that I have gold leafed, paired with white glittered stars.  You just can't have too many stars in my book.  After all, it was a star that led the wise men to the manger.

And this is my newest addition to our Christmas decorations.  My advent calendar made from an antique Coca Cola case.  I have two of these and have had them for 43 years, as long as we have been married. They have followed us everywhere and have been used for several different things.  This was sitting on our hearth looking at me when it dawned on me it would make the perfect advent calendar!  I found these adorable little ornaments at Big Lots (another one of my favorite haunts).  I used little cup hooks which were screwed into the top of each compartment.  I numbered 24 ornaments and hung them in each little compartment.  There is enough space to put lots of little treats for grandsons to find for each day of the countdown to Christmas.

I used a fine point Sharpie to write the numbers on each little ornament.  I must say, it is adorable.  The boys love to find a treat whenever they are here.

Thanks for joining me tonight.  Hope you got some decorating ideas and tomorrow I will show you how to make those lovely little trees.  Next, we will visit the dining and kitchen area.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

My goal is to make memories for our family and grandchildren.  Yes, it is a lot of work, but so worth it to me.  It's all in the details.

Let It Snow - Make A Snowflake

 As usual, I am a day late with this post.  Sometimes the demands of the day catch me wanting when it comes to time.  I write as things inspire me.  I do not write posts days ahead and then set them to post at a certain day and time.  That is thinking and planning too far in advance.  These baby's are hot off the presses as they say - as they come to me.  There are times when my intention is to post one particular thing, and then some shiny object catches the corner of my eye and there is a whole different post that goes on the page.  That's the way I roll.

On Tuesday, when I had promised this post, we were invited to attend a beautiful Winter Garden ceremony at our grandsons' school.  I did not get my blog written before we went and needless to say, it was too late to write when we returned (that's a nice way of saying my brain had ceased to function at that point).  As for the Winter Garden, I am so very glad we went.  It was one of the most beautiful and inspiring programs ever.

Anyway, here is the promised tutorial with directions on how to make your own snowflakes from craft sticks, better known as popsicle sticks.   When I was in elementary school back in the dark ages, I had an art teacher who would ask for strange things for art projects.  It made my mom crazy and there were no craft stores to buy such things as were requested.  One December we had to have a bunch of popsicle sticks.  Where did one get popsicle sticks in December?  No one knew.  So, we bought popsicles and ate them until we had the required number of sticks.  Thank goodness for craft stores!   I bought a box of 1000 craft sticks at WalMart for $3.99.  Can't beat that with a stick.  (I know, I know).  Just couldn't pass it up.  You can make a LOT of snowflakes with this many craft sticks, or lots of other projects if your heart so desires.

I had seen these snowflakes on Pinterest last year.  They were on an interior wall and painted red which were really quite lovely.  My desire was for snowflakes that looked like snowflakes, the white kind like the ones that fall from the sky.  We have always been taught that no two snowflakes are alike so I created all mine to be different.  Wouldn't you?

This is an easy project.  You need some craft sticks, hot glue and paint.  Feel free to glitter these up if you want.  I was in a hurry the day I made these (and it shows, please forgive), so I did not do glitter.  Simply start by making a base for the flake.  The first one I did was the biggest one that is on the left in the windows.  You will need a protractor and some basic math if you want them to be really straight.  Also, the sticks may move while the glue is still drying, so some of mine are a little wonky which totally goes against my need for things to be straight.  (Ever hear of the galloping horse theory?  We used it in costuming.  On a galloping horse, no one will notice if something is not perfectly even).  These snowflakes are hanging outside, blowing in the wind, and hopefully no one will notice that they are not perfectly straight.  If these were on an inside wall where I could see them, it would be mandatory for them to be straight.  Period.  OCD, I know.

Back to the directions.  Make your base.  The biggest flake starts with six sticks in an asterisk shape.   To be perfectly straight, you want 60 degree angles between the sticks.  Remember basic math?  A circle has 360 degrees, so 180 degrees for half a circle, 3 angles per half circle would be 60 degrees. Have fun with that protractor!  Glue the sticks together.

Now, glue the point pieces on.  Yep, mine is crooked because I wasn't paying close attention, trying to work on several things at once and the glue dried before I could move the sticks.  Arrggghhh.  Add 3 sticks to the end of each point or make a design of your choice.  I then took all the finished flakes outside and spray painted them.

I put a black trash bag on the ground and laid each finished snowflake on it, spray painted one side, let it dry, turned it and finished painting.

I leaned the flakes up against the fence around my little secret garden to take the pictures.  When I looked at the picture, my thought was someone needs to clean up that poor garden.  I will talk to the yard man about it.  Here are some of the other designs I made.  It's really lots of fun coming up with designs.  Yep, that one is crooked on the top too.  : (

It's really just a matter of putting sticks in different places and having fun being creative.  After you develop your design, glue the sticks in place and paint away.

Here is how they look hanging on the porch.  Now they don't look so crooked.  See?  Galloping horse!

They are all different sizes and I really do love the way they look - just the right touch for a winter wonderland, especially in this 70 degree weather we have been having.  One of these would be beautiful on a front door also.

This is a project even your kids can have fun with, just help them with the gluing part!   We don't want any burned fingers.

These snowflakes may hang on the porch when the Christmas decorations come down.  I do like the way they look.  Make your own snowflakes and enjoy the creative process.  It's lots of fun.  When friends and neighbors ask where you got them, just say I made them.  Easy peasy.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Every snowflake that falls is one of a kind - just like you!

Welcome To Christmas At The Little Yellow Cottage

Oh you better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout I'm telling you why..........Christmas is coming and waaaaaay too soon.  Do you celebrate on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?  Personally, we like to celebrate on both.  Why not?

This last week has seen Grandma and the Elves (minus the Elves) busily decorating for Christmas.  Dan put up the outside lights on a beautiful sunny Saturday right after Thanksgiving and my part of the bargain began last Monday and I am STILL tweaking things.  Hopefully everything will be done tomorrow, because I have to get on the gift making train immediately.

I promised my friend Debra that I would post pictures of the house so here we go.  I will begin as if you were walking to the front door and this is what you will see.  Frosty (who has been in the family for almost 20 years) sits on the front porch in his dapper top hat surrounded by beautiful white lights and snowflakes made by yours truly.  The snowflakes were spotted on Pinterest last Christmas season and I knew I would make them this year for the front porch.  They are super simple, inexpensive (my favorite word) and made from craft sticks - what we called popsicle sticks back in the day - then spray painted white.  They are hanging from monofilament line (better known as fishing line) and they look absolutely adorable.  I will give you a quick tutorial tomorrow night.

Here is Frosty in the daytime.

He's such a happy guy, I love to look at his smiling face and he never has to worry about melting.  ♥

On our front and back door, there are wreaths that I made from snowflakes found at my favorite Dollar Tree.  Talk about easy and inexpensive!  I wish the pictures showed how they sparkle in the light  (they probably would if I was a photographer, but alas I'm not).

This is the front door and the next picture is the back door.  The main difference is the color of the door which makes them look slightly different.

Here is a close up so you can see the detail better.

Here is how I made these wreaths.  I just happened to be at  the Dollar Tree (my home away from home) and they had a really nice display of all kinds of snowflakes.  I couldn't choose a particular one I liked so I got some of all of them.  For the base,  I used one of the biggest snowflakes which is about 12 inches across and is clear and icy looking.  They were $1.00 each.  There are 2 large acrylic flakes on each wreath, one of which you can see on the bottom right side in the picture above, the other is at the top left.  They were 2 for $1.00.  The rest of the snowflakes came in packages of 3 - 6 per package for $1.00 per package.  The really white glittered foam snowflakes were 12 in a package for just $1.00

I laid the largest flake on the bottom and placed the others around until I got a look I liked.  Then I went back and hot glued them all in place which is what took the longest.  I made both wreaths in under an hour.  Now, how easy is that?  The finished wreath is 20 inches in diameter and is great because it's flat and fits between the door and the storm door.  It is so hard to find things that will fit between the doors.  I can use these winter wonderland wreaths all the way until Valentine's day.  Yippeee!  I also tied a long piece of sheer white ribbon to each wreath and looped it over the hanger on the door.  That was just for effect, but not necessary.

The total cost for both wreaths was $12.00 making them $6.00 each.  That is a great price for two beautiful wreaths.  These would also work nicely indoors because they are so lightweight and have a crystalline, frosty, winter look which can work after the holidays in that blah time of year before Valentine's Day.  You know that time - when everything is grey and yucky.  Yeah, that time.

It's that time of year when you need decorations and gifts for all kinds of people.  This wreath is a beauty and takes little time and little money and you can put your own spin on it.  Our budget is limited, so I am always trying to come up with things that look great and cost little.  I hope you will give this project a try.

Tomorrow, we will continue our house tour.  Come back and join me.  Who knows?  By tomorrow I may have changed a dozen things or made something new and interesting.    See you then.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

“My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?” 
― Bob Hope

Santa's Belly and Harvest Angel Candles Made For Cheap!

Happy Monday one and all.  Today is the official day to celebrate Veteran's Day, although yesterday was the actual date of the Armistice ending World War One on the eleventh day  of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour.  Thank you to all who have served and are serving so that we may live free.  I pray peace on our world that war shall be no more.

Now, for a really scary update in case you haven't thought of it in these terms -- THANKSGIVING IS NEXT WEEK!!!  EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK.  That means Christmas is right around the corner  (actually 43 days from today) and if you are working on project for gifts, it is time to  get with it.  Since I have been busy making Halloween costumes for the grandsons, and crafts for the Elves' Faire at their school, I am a bit behind on my own projects.  So yesterday, I began in earnest.

If you have neighbors, co-workers, friends, or distant family that you like to remember at holiday time but don't have a huge budget (that would be us), or you like to have a hostess gift to take when going to parties, here is just the project for you that will cost you very little!

These are made using saints (or devotional) candles that I bought at The Dollar Tree.  Saints candles are usually decorated with the likeness of Saints and are very colorful.  These candles come in plain glass and you can do innumerable things with them.  They are only a dollar each.  My.  Kind.  Of.  Price.

This is a blank slate, a palette you can do anything with.  I decided to make "Santa's Belly's" out of these candles.  When I say Santa's Belly, what do you think of?  Red coat, black belt, big buckle - right?

You can buy 9x12 sheets of felt for $.25 or $.35 at JoAnn's or Michael's.  I had two red sheets and one black that I used for this project.  That is a total of $.75 for felt.  Cheap enough, right?  You need a little hot glue, some cardboard (like from a cereal box), white glue, some glitter and I decided to use these cute little snowflakes from a garland that I bought at Hobby Lobby for half price at $1.50.  I got ALL these snowflakes which is so much cheaper than buying them in small individual packages.  You just have to cut them apart.  Easy peasy.

Fold the sheet of felt in half long ways and cut.  This will wrap around the candle with some left over and you have enough for two candles from one sheet.   Place the felt in the middle of the candle, leaving some of the glass exposed at the top and the bottom.  Run a bead of hot glue down the glass, and press one end of the felt to it.  Now, tightly wrap the felt around the candle holder so that you have a bit of felt overlapping your original glued edge.  Trim any excess felt, run some glue down the edge of the glued felt and press the seam down until it holds.  You want a very slight overlap.

Cut across the 9" end of the black felt sheet about 1 inch from the end.  This will be the belt for your Santa. Place the black felt strip in the middle of the red felt and glue one end over the seam.  Wrap the strip around tightly, cut off any excess and glue the felt so it overlaps the first edge you glued down.  If you have some black ribbon on hand, feel free to use that in place of the felt.

Now, to make the belt buckle.  Cut a rectangle of cardboard about 1.5 x 1 inch.  Spread some white glue or Mod Podge on one side of the cardboard and sprinkle with glitter.  Glue the "buckle" to the center front of the belt.  This is when I decided to add one of the small snowflakes for a little extra decoration. I put a little hot glue on the back of the snowflake and center it on the belt buckle.

I plan on giving these to everyone who comes for Thanksgiving.  I also made some burlap angels that look like this.

I used some burlap ribbon that I had left from my Thanksgiving decorations.  I did the same thing with the burlap that I did with the felt.  After you glue the burlap to the middle of the candle, make some wings.  Cut a 10 inch piece of burlap ribbon and twist it in the middle like this.

I put some hot glue on the inside of the twist to hold the shape of the wings.  Put hot glue in the center of the "twist" and press the wings to the top of the burlap in back over the seam.  Now, shape the wings using your scissors.  I kind of cut an arch from the bottom, angling in to the top so they look like wings.  Use your judgment.

Wrap some sisal twine around the middle and tie in a bow.  I glued a couple of snowflakes to the bottom of the twine for weight and decoration.  Look how pretty this havest angel looks on my mantle. Here is another on the book case inside our front door.

These harvest angels look so beautiful with my thanksgiving decorations.  I will be giving these on Thanksgiving also as they will transition to the Christmas holiday season with ease.

Now, lets talk economy here.  The candle cost a dollar, half a piece of felt was 17.5 cents maximum, a little hot glue, glitter, and cardboard, say 10 cents.  The snowflake cost about a penny.  Same for the angel.  For less than $1.30 you have a beautiful hand made gift to give and everyone loves candles (these are unscented by the way).  All you have invested is a minimum of money and a little time to let someone know you are thinking of them.  How awesome is that?

If you want to buy these candles, they are in the section with all the vases and candle holders at The Dollar Tree.  I am sure they can be found elsewhere, just not positive where.  If you find them other places, please let me know so I can tell my readers.

Have fun with these projects, and maybe you will come up with some ideas of your own.  Let me know how it goes.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

A handmade gift says I was thinking of you.