2012 was a year of major projects delayed and devastating loss. Somehow I  managed to get a little decorating done. Lets look back at a few favorites,  In January it was my buffet redo.

Merry Christmas

I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

A Little Christmas Here and There

I'm finished decking the halls, well the living room anyway. It's my favorite time of the year. Lets take a little look see shall we?

This year I put up a tabletop tree instead of my usual 7 footer. I like it so much better. Being in a small space it just feels more comfortable.

Angel Wings

When I laid eyes on these Angel Wings on Dawn's blog I loved them and knew I wanted to try them. Wellll, I ordered the tutorial, check! and then I cut out the pattern, check! everything is going well so far, glued them together,check! cut and tore the strips of muslin, so far I'm crusin and then I started gluing and pinching the fabric to create the ruffles UH Oh, this did not go well for me. I have met my craft nemesis! making ruffles by gluing and pinching... uh no.  When I went from one pinch to the next the fabric would come up and move arrrgh, I just could not find my rhythm making those ruffles. On top of that I kinda glued my fingers together  and then the rows did not line up well.  Needless to say My copycat wings are jacked up! Here are mine,

Christmas Drums

I was looking through the pages of Jeanne d' Arc Living's Christmas issue and saw the most beautiful Christmas drums. They had several different versions of them, all equally gorgeous. I knew right away that I wanted to make a few for my tree. Luckily they had a pretty good tutorial for making your own.

Christmas ''Mantle''

By now we all know I don't really have a mantle. My rehabbed Goodwill buffet is my substitute for a gorgeous fireplace mantle that exist only in my head LOL. At any rate the only thing I knew for sure this Christmas was that I wanted feathers and greenery and candles  and I wanted to keep it as simple as possible. I came up with this vignette,

I bought a fresh garland and added it to some faux greenery that I had to give it a lush look. Then I poked in  silver faux bay leaves and astilbe, along with mercury glass votives, silver balls and icy garland.

Snowy Dollar Village

I've always  been intrigued by those elaborate Christmas Villages, but they are very costly not to mention time consuming to put up and take down. This year I was surprised to find some cute little Christmas village houses and accessories at the Dollar Tree. I purchased a few but they needed a makeover to fit in with my color palette.   I painted them white and added snow only to the roof of the houses.

I tried to create a snowy winter scene. I just painted the houses white, then sprinkled a mixture of railroad model snow, glitter mica snow, and Epsom salt on the roof. Here's a before shot of the houses,

Romantic Candles

 I've bought a ton of holy candles from the dollar store, with the intention of  altering them in some way. I finally came up with a quick and easy way to give them a soft and romantic look.

Christmas Peat Pots

This year I'm trying to make most of my Christmas decorations using things I already have. I've got lots of peat pots, so I thought I would make a few tiny ones to hang on the tree and a few larger ones to place in vignettes. I've always loved  altered peat pots and have been anxious to try making a few. I was so inspired by the ones Dawn at The Feathered Nest makes and Rosemary at VillaBarnes creates that I finally tried a few.

My New Old Basket

I have a desperate need for places to store my vast and some might say obsessive collection of decorating books. While cleaning out my shed I discovered a basket my mom gave me years ago. Light bulb! it would be perfect for storing some of my books. The color and look of the basket was cute but I'm kind of going in a more Scandinavian/ Shabby/ Farmhouse look. What to do? paint of course.

I base coated the basket in a gray gesso and paint mixture, then dry brushed over that with multiple layers of the white paint/gesso and the grey gesso/paint mixtue.

Acorns Wearing Sweaters and Flocking

I saw the most beautiful velvet acorns in the Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Magazine. As soon as I saw them I knew I wanted to make them. Not having velvet on hand I tried using an old sweater instead. Of course I had to add a little glitter to mine.

Fall Porch

Well better late than never, that's how I felt about decorating my porch for fall. The final push came when I went to the produce market and all of the fall plants were really cheap. I had no excuse for not adding a few fall touches. For once procrastinating paid off .

I added kale, mums and pansies to the large urns,then poked in a few faux pepper berry sprays and Chinese lanterns.

Witch's Workshop

When I added Halloween decor to my fall vignette I envisioned a witch's  workshop. Not having a witch lying around I decided to make my pumpkin the witch. I added a witch's hat that I made for my daughter when she was in Pre-K. Then I added ravens, cob webs, a witch's broom, tattered books and a white owl.  I filled my lantern with a ghoul.  Here's how it turned out;

I Bought bat silhouettes from the dollar store, glittered them and made a garland. The skeleton, ravens  and black fabric all came from the dollar store last year.

K.I.S.S. Side Table

I kept changing this table, adding and subtracting but somehow it was not working for me. Then I realized I was over doing it. For some reason I'm in the mood to have everything pared down and simple. It's been a year full of turmoil for my family so maybe that explains my desire to Keep It Simple Stupid or K.I.S.S. So after a lot of subtracting I came up with this;

I just put little white pumpkins on a bed of moss on top of my mercury glass candlesticks, added some books bound with webbing and  jute, added a couple more pumpkins and called it done.

White and Simple Mantle

I really don't have a mantle, so I use my buffet as a substitute. If you visit me often you know it's constantly changing with the seasons. I decided to try something simple and white so I pulled out my white pumpkins, my rooster, some old books and a piece of luggage that I painted a while ago I added  faux wheat, grasses and berries and put it all together and came up with this;

Stacked Trays

I think I have a thing for gluing stuff together to make new stuff. I found a set of trays at Goodwill,hated the design but for 5.00 bucks for three nice trays I thought I could do something with them.

Decoupaged Cake Stand

 Like a lot of us I have a love for collecting. One of my favorite things to collect are cake stands. Whenever I see one that I like, usually in a thrift store I snap it up. I've been wanting to diy one for a while and since I haven't found one lately that I really liked while thrifting I decided to go ahead and make one.

Weathered Carrier

I bought this carrier unfinished years ago from the craft store. Like a lot of things it's sat in my craft closet just waiting for me to do something with it. I've seen so many beautiful rustic tool carriers around blogland that I was  inspired to give mine a makeover, finally.

I dry brushed multiple coats of gray and white paint and wiped it back. I wanted a weathered look and this technique reminds me of driftwood. Here's what I stared with.

Copying Veranda

 At first I couldn't find anything to copy and then I remembered the Ex Votos I started last Christmas.  I saw a picture in Veranda Magazine and  my wheels started spinning. I've been seeing  beautiful Ex Votos   everywhere, so I decided I would try making my own. I molded my Ex Voto copies last November so I pulled them out and finished them. Then I set about trying to style the picture sort of like the inspiration pic. This is what I came up with;

Old Pot New Look

I've had this  pot for ever, it's pretty but I was tired of it and wanted it to blend in with my color scheme. What's a girl to do? paint it of course.

I sprayed on a couple of  coats of primer, the primer took forever to dry because it's so humid here. I had envisioned doing an elaborate distressing technique but that idea quickly went away, with the humidity it would have taken me a lot longer than I wanted to spend on this, so I went to plan B.After the primer dried I painted on two coats of Talc by MS paints that I had leftover from my buffet makeover,  it's a nice creamy off white without the yellow. Here's what I started with;

Blown Away...Almost

Well Hello,

           It's good to be back. We had a terrible storm on the east coast. My area was hit by 80 mph winds at around 1:00 am Saturday and intense thunder and lighting. We were without power for four days, which meant no internet, no TV, no lights no refrigeration and no air conditioning. The temperatures were in the high 90's the whole time. I don't handle heat well and was already not feeling well so needless to say it was an ordeal. for everyone.Some  unfortunate souls are still without power.  Ours was restored last evening around 5:30 pm.Hopefully everyone will have power by Friday. We lost one tree, luckily it was at the back of our property far from the house. Unfortunately for my neighbor our tree hit his shed, but there was no major damage.All of the surrounding neighborhoods had rows of trees down as well as damaged fences and lost roof  shingles. I don't think anyone was injured or killed in my immediate area and we are grateful for that. My husband cleaned up all of the brush and tree limbs and patched up our fence. We're pretty much back to normal around here. We are grateful to be safe and to have our home intact. It could have been much worse. Our home is surrounded by a lot of big trees that are close to the house.  This is our downed tree;

From Cans To Vases

I have a habit of saving jars,bottles and cans, I'm always thinking... hey I can make  something out of that. Mostly I just save them in a box in the shed. Well for some reason I've been in a crafting mood lately, so I decided to try and actually do something with a couple of cans. I had a large can that I wanted to turn into a vase. I bought  wallpaper that looks like tin ceiling tiles for my kitchen and then I saw another tile pattern that I liked better. I decided to use the original roll for crafts. Light bulb moment!  I'll wrap some of that paper around a can. Then I decided to add ribbon and a little bling and came up with this.

Romantic Dreams

I've wanted to make a Romantic Dream Catcher ever since I saw these. When I heard there was a pool noodle party I thought hmm maybe I can use one to make a soft romantic style dream catcher.

 I started with a blue pool noodle from the Dollar store, I split it down the middle and cut off about a three inch wide slice

It's Summer Time

I decided to do a summer vignette on my favorite surface to play with, my buffet.  This thing has turned into my own little decorating lab. A small house makes you get creative with what you have. It's a fun challenge to try and keep things interesting but not cluttered and busy in 1200 square feet.  I kind of wanted it a little beachy but not in a typical way. I drove everybody nuts moving and changing things about a million times.

New Finds

 I've been in a slump for several days. I've started a few projects and have completed none. I have however been shopping! Shopping is my therapy, when I'm sad I shop, even if I don't actually buy anything, it makes me feel better to be around beautiful things. I even love going on virtual shopping trips with fellow bloggers. Post that take us along to flea markets and fairs make me really happy. Since I don't have a completed project  to share I thought I would show you some of my new thrift store purchases.  The first thing is this pretty tiered tray.

Inspirational

Ever since I laid eyes on this wooden rosary by Rachel Ashwell  I've wanted one. The simplicity of it makes it so beautiful to me. However Rachel's is a little out of my budget, but it did inspire me to make a couple of my own. I made one that looks a lot like the original and one that I put more of my own twist on. I'm sharing the latter today. Later I'll show you the other one.  This is my rosary;

I used wooden beads and a wooden cross that I bought from the craft store.  I had seen a cross made from book pages and it gave me the idea to cover my beads with script. I stamped tissue paper and decoupaged it to the beads and cross. I used rhinestone spacers between the beads and threaded them on cotton twine.

A Lamp Makeover

This lamp has been on my to do list for some time. It seemed that every time I had it scheduled the weather wouldn't cooperate. Finally the perfect day presented itself and between about ten other things I got it done. I bought this lamp years ago when I changed my interior to darker colors. I like the shape of the lamp but the colors aren't right for my  return to a lighter palette and the old lampshade just annoyed me. I knew I wanted a two toned silver lamp.  So after a lot of thinking this is what I came up with;

A Thrifted Vignette

My ever changing buffet is dressed up  for Spring in mostly thrift store treasures. I love changing this for the seasons. Its even more fun when done on the cheap. I've collected a lot of white tureens at thrift stores so I decided why not add them to the vignette along with my Goodwill frame. It was a terrible gold before I painted it white. My Husband cut a piece of leftover wood sub flooring for me and I painted it with chalkboard paint and popped it in the frame.

Live

Looking around  my garden I am reminded of the one thing I know for sure...Life goes on.

Another Goodbye

Hello everyone, It is with great sorrow that I must tell you that my father has passed away. As most of you know we lost our mother three short months ago. It was shortly after my mothers passing that we learned my father was keeping a secret. We learned that he was terminally ill. He didn't tell anyone, not even my mother knew. It was only when the pain became unbearable and he was rushed to the hospital several weeks ago that  we learned just how sick he was.  Hospice workers helped us manage his pain and care for him, and someone from the family was always with him. Thankfully his last weeks were mostly pain free. He was comatose the last week of his life and quietly slipped away Monday. It's so hard to believe that we lost our brother, then mom and now our father in less than seven months time. We are all hanging in there but its really tough. I'll be away from the blog for a while.

English Scenic

 I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Mine was quiet although there is a lot going on with my family right now. I've been very busy with lots of things pertaining to my dad, so I haven't had time for projects. Today I want to share an old treasure my husband bought me for my birthday about 23 years ago. We used to frequent a junk store that surprised us once in a while with something gorgeous. I walked in one day and saw these dishes and fell in love with them.

Bunnies and Eggs

It seem as though we just decorated for Christmas and now its time to bring out the Spring and Easter decor. Where did the time go? This year I was in the mood for a little whimsy for Easter so I bought out the tons of Easter bunnies and eggs I've been collecting for ever. I always buy things at the end of the season and literally pay a few cents for most of them. I busted the ole bunnies and eggs out and this is what I came up with after a lot of tinkering.  Sometimes things just wont flow, but eventually I came up with something.

 The vintage look bunnies in the egg and the bunny riding a bunny in the cloche both came from Marshalls, both clearance items a couple of years ago.

Heaven Sent?

 I purchased this beautiful  statue of Saint Therese at The Good Will.  I was immediately drawn to it.  I bought her about two weeks before my mother died. I didn't know anything about Saint Therese or as she's more commonly known the Little Flower. I became curious about her after I received a beautiful sympathy prayer card from a friend and former co worker after the death of my mom. When  I received  the card and realized my mother had been made a member  of The Society of the Little Flower I realized that Saint Therese was the same Saint as my Statue.

Jeanne D'Arced

Its time for another fun Copy Cat Challenge. I love this party. I look forward to it and I'm so happy to be able to participate this time. I copied an ad image from Jeanne D'Arc living. I had everything on hand and I love the images in this magazine.  Here is the picture that inspired me,

A Final Goodbye

 Hello friends, last Saturday my family and I held a memorial to celebrate the life of our beloved mother. It was a beautiful tribute to her. There were many heartfelt testimonials to mom from friends and family. We played her favorite music and served  the foods and treats she loved best. There was video of mom and family photos streaming throughout the memorial. It was our hope that everyone would leave feeling her love and spirit and not sadness. We were able to accomplish just that. Everyone remarked that they felt so much better after the service... the heaviness of grief was lifted, we were so happy for that. Mom's passion was gardening and she had one of the most beautiful gardens I've ever seen. In remembrance of her love of gardening we gave everyone a packet of Forget me Not seeds to plant in her memory. I made all of the floral arrangements for the memorial. I didn't photograph the actual arrangements but I did make some bouquets from the flowers that were left. Moms favorite colors were blue and white so we decorated in those colors.  I just want to share with all  of you some of the flowers from her memorial.

Thanks Tip Junkie

 I just want  to say thanks to Tip Junkie for featuring my   painted leather ottoman. I'm so thrilled that my ottoman still sparks so much interest. I'm flattered more than I can say.  Big thanks to everyone who has visited from there.

Grow your Blog Hop

Desiree at  The 36th Avenue is hosting a fun Grow Your blog Hop. Just link up here or at her site.It would be sweet to follow as many of the host/contributors as you like. Have Fun!

My Frilly Valentine

Somethings come over me, I usually don't decorate for Valentines day... but this year I felt the urge to add some sweetness and frills. It must be having the buffet as another surface to play with that motivated me. So here's my sweet Valentines Day vignette.

Thank You and an update...

I want to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation for the outpouring of  love, support and condolences after the tragic and sudden loss of my mother. I knew the woman of blog land were amazing, but now I also know that you are loving,compassionate, and kind . Thanks to all of you who took the time to leave me uplifting comments and emails.  You all helped  to keep me whole when I thought that I would surely fall to pieces. A very special thank you to Diana for sending out an SOS in blog land and directing so much prayer and positive energy my way, you are an angel. I'm happy to  be able to tell you all that dad was released from the hospital. He is home now with visiting nurses and physical therapist. The family is pitching in to care for him around the clock. Physically he is doing very well, emotionally he is struggling. After so many years of marriage you wouldn't expect anything else. We will all get through this, after all we have our own special angel looking out for us. Thanks again, you all are the best! I'll be back soon.

Crushed

I can barely write this and have put it off  as long as possible, but I think everyone who has visited me and left sweet comments deserves to know why I have been silent. On Friday January 27, my elderly parents were hit by a truck. The impact was on the passenger side where my mother was sitting. She was killed instantly. My father is in critical condition with chest injuries. I can't believe my mother is gone, she was taken in an instant. I'm grateful that she didn't suffer and I'm sure she was gone before she even realized what happened. My family is lost and dazed.  My parents were married for 65 years  I fear that my father will not be able to go on without her and his time with us will not be  long. I have to be away from the blog for awhile while I try to cope and be of comfort and help to my family where I can. To everyone who has visited  and to my new followers thanks for stopping by and thank you for honoring me by following my blog. I will get back to you all when I can.

My Buffet Redo

Well this has been along time coming, but I've finally painted and shot a few pictures of my buffet. I bought the buffet almost a year ago and painted it right before Christmas. Here is the new look,

Scary Birds

There are some very large birds hanging around in the very tall trees behind our house. I think they are some kind of buzzard or hawk. I did a little research on what I thought they might be but I'm stiil not sure. I'm nervous about them because my female Bichon is very small and I know that some types of hawks can eat small animals. I got the camera out and took a few shots. If anyone knows what these guys are please let me know. They were near the top of a huge tree, this is the closest I could get with telephoto lenses that came with my camera.

A New Toy

I hope every one had a  wonderful Christmas and your New Year started out great. I'm so excited to tell you that my husband surprised me with a new camera. I had no idea that he was planning this. A big box arrived for me and when I opened it and saw what was inside I almost fainted! I went right into the ugly cry LOL. He got me good, he and my daughters kept this secret from me for days. I can't believe no one slipped before the camera came. This is the camera  I received,

image source

My camera came with a carrying case two lenses and a strap. It was a great package deal and I'm  so grateful to my husband for this gift.   Here are a couple of not so good shots of Bijoux and Paris taken when I was clueless.  I took them on the day the camera came.