An Early Welcome Wagon Friday 11/26/10

Here we are the day before Thanksgiving. Seems like it was just summer yesterday. Which it is here, sort of. The weather has been in the eighties. But that's supposed to change for us tomorrow.

I FINALLY got my creative mojo flowing. And I've got the mess all around me to prove it.

So for the sake of the holiday weekend, I'm putting this WWF post up today. I know you'll be busy with company and will only get to check in with blogs when you have a few minutes.

And I'm stoked on coffee and have to get back to my glue and scissors and such!

This week I've got for you:

Buckets Of Burlap. Blogger Becky has a heart for the simple life in the country. And BURLAP! Need I say more? We're all a bit crazed right now for that simple nubby fabric, aren't we?

Along A Widowed Road is Viola's blog. She is a South California widowed mom. Her new reality has become learning to tackle life as a single parent, finances, and the prospect of dating on down the road.

And now I'm going to get you started in that vein of Christmas spirit with some holiday crafting.

Dreaming Of Vintage is a blogger from Plainfield, Illinois. She lives with her husband and two fur children. She will show you some lovely altered Christmas bottles.

The Rehab Boutique is Bridget's blog. She lives in New Hampshire. Her real passion is taking discarded pieces and making them into something that can be loved once again. She will show you how to making darling vintage tags for your Christmas presents.

Daydream Designs is Kristin's blog. She happened upon wedding blogs whilst planning her recent nuptials. From those blogs she discovered crafty/design blogs and was immediately in love. She says: "I'm talking...you had me at hello." You'll love her yarn Christmas tree topiaries and the Pottery Barn star knock-off she made.

Shabby, Chic & Charming is Renee's blog. She loves all things French Country and Shabby Cottage. She will show you how to print lovelies on fabric and make burlap bird ornaments for your tree. She will also show you how to make those cute French script candles using a rubber stamp. What fun!

Oh boy, lots more projects to get started. These gals have me buzzed now!

Have a wonderful weekend. And when you're beyond stuffed with turkey and have things cleaned up a bit, stroll on over and meet these ladies. I would bet they'll have you humming while you get out materials and start in on the Christmas decorating we know is coming big-time to Blog Land!

Tell them the Welcome Wagon sent you and that we proudly and merrily run on holidays!

Tuesday Christmas Decorating

Each day I'm getting a little more done. It's of course an ongoing process. And I'll be tweaking, naturally!

Try adding something a little festive to the ordinary objects of your day. Perhaps, as your coffee gets ready, you could add a red doily to a plate for cream and sugar. Start your day off right in a merry mood. Oh, and a little silver bling.

Tuck Christmas decorating in here and there. I've added a red tree on a cake plate to my makeshift kitchen island.

These may be the last of my roses to bloom for awhile. I just had to go outside and pick some for the scent.

Aren't they lovely?

Tomorrow I'm going to share some of what I've completed in my dining room. I'm still working on it. Here's a preview:

And a sneak peak of the opposite corner:

My Dining Room Holiday Decorating

I have two of the three corners in my tiny ten foot by ten foot dining room decorated for the holidays. So let me explain what you're seeing. As this corner, above, has special meaning to me.

Here's a peek inside.

First of all, there are two handkerchiefs draped across a white platter on the back. Those belonged to a dear friend who died four years ago. I was given a trunk that held her linens. And these were among them.

Sometimes I get some of the handkerchiefs out and decorate with them. I set up my iron and ironing board. And lovingly iron out the wrinkles. And I think about our good times together. And about the day I laid in her hospice bed in her living room, holding her until she took her last breath. So they are precious to me.

Some of you may remember "The Trellis Tree" from last year. It is just an old trellis I found in the antique mall. But it too took on special meaning. You can read about that here

and here.

This year I put it in much the same location, but turned it around and put it behind this birdhouse I recently acquired.

And then there's this funny little concoction of bare branch and terra cotta pot. First of all, that isn't simply a branch setting in a pot of rocks. It is hot-glued into a series of three different pots for stability!

Now the branch itself may completely fall apart before Christmas. But the part inside those pots "ain't a-going anywhere!"

The little Santa you see is one I found many years ago at a garage sale. It had special meaning because of its age. And because my husband is Polish.

The embroidered piece it all sits on I found at a local antique mall for a dollar. A dollar, folks. Some poor woman sat and embroidered this so beautifully and someone sold it for one hundred pennies. Sad. I felt guilty even purchasing it.

I don't have as many "children" on the trellis tree as last year. Because I have other plans for them, yet to be unveiled.

What I have added are crocheted pieces I've purchased from some of you bloggers from your Etsy shops. The blue one was a gift from Claudia of Mockingbird Hill Cottage. She and I have become great "phone friends."

And then there's a potholder sent to me from a dear blogging friend. She just lost her husband, so the holidays will be tough for her. She sent me this potholder awhile back just because she thought it looked "like me."

And the unique feather duster is there because my husband took a liking to it in an antique store. And I chose to show case it there!

The birds are here because you all know how much I love nature and my gardens.

The Santas inside are all ones we've picked up over the years, made by Jim Shore. I love them because they all have "patchwork quilts" painted into them somewhere. And you all know of my fondness for quilts. (Although now that I think about it, the poor Santas look like they're in jail!)

I love to decorate with special memories assigned to my vignettes. This little corner has so many recollections of both sad and happy memories!

Now you know full well that some poor soul is going to walk into my house and see this corner and think: my word, has this woman lost her mind?

Without knowing of the symbolism involved, it looks rather "strange," doesn't it?

I can see why you'd question my sanity.

But everything you see is special to me in some way.

And that's the true meaning of holidays, isn't it?

This corner took so much explaining that I will show the opposite corner later.

The Tree Of Course

Did you wonder what I was doing with all those images last week? Some of you thought I was making cards. Well, I was. Sort of.

I was making ornaments for my tall, skinny tree. And oh, is it skinny. At the bottom the tree is only 24 inches wide. But it fit my little spot.

First I printed off images compliments of The Graphics Fairy.

Then I dug into my bits and bobs. Which meant lace and trims and buttons and doo-dads and scrapbook paper and rubber stamps and beads.

I made the winged birds, for which I gave a tutorial last week.

Each step of the way I decided what I would do next. And that's how all this came about.

I decided to make some of the hangers with ribbon and use up some of my bigger beads. I threaded a big needle with my ribbon, and put both ends through the needle and through my beads and punched hole. And then I tied a knot above the bead.

If someone offered me an unlimited amount of money in which to buy ornaments for the Christmas trees, I'd say "no thank you." Because I really prefer the homemade version.

I like making things on the cheap. Things with memories that I thought up myself. To me that's what makes it special.

I started this tradition of making ornaments with my girls when they were still at home. We'd get out the craft supplies and start working on ornaments the day after Thanksgiving.

Those are such precious memories!

This is really a take-off from The Trellis Tree from last year. Taken a few steps further.

I had so much fun with this project.

I've been back at it today with a new project. And I'm still peeling the hot glue from my fingers. I'll be showing you that one. And maybe I'm about done. And then maybe I'm not. Who knows?

I do have a couple of other table top trees you haven't seen yet.

And here's a tip if you have sneaky little pets that like to play with the ornaments. I tie mine on instead of using the hangers. I use raffia and ribbon, etc.

I'm linking up to Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy

Make It 4 Monday at Cottage Instincts

And Show Off Your Cottage Monday at The House In The Roses

Red And White Dining Style

I think I'm finished decorating the dining room for the holidays now. The last project was a red and white wreath.

To make room for the tree and everything, I put the table up against the French door.

I won the black and white dish towel in a giveaway last week. And the cute tote below.

Red and white is just such a cheerful color combination. And a little green added for Christmas.

Here's the bird cage in the other corner. I've taken to thinking of it as "my jail full of Santas!"

Here's how I made the wreath:

I recently did one in whites and creams. Once again, I didn't even take off the plastic wrapping.

This is the same polka dotted fabric I had left over from when I recovered the chairs in my garden room. I ripped 3-4 inch sections of it. And started tightly wrapping it around my wreath.

Every few inches, I'd put a little hot glue along the wreath to glue the fabric on. When you run out of your length of fabric, just start with another torn strip.

Then I got out my stash of red and white trims.

My base was a handkerchief.

Hot glue your choice of trims onto the wreath.

I wanted a flower, but I couldn't seem to decide how to make it. Finally I just cut "petals" out of felt and hot-glued them to a circle of cardstock.

I took a length of lace and "scrunched" it up a little at a time and used hot glue to adhere it. Then I put a button in the middle to cover that spot.

I'm linking to Kim's Boring To Better party at Savvy Southern Style.