Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Peace, Joy and Angels

The Lettered Cottage

I am linking this post to Layla’s mantel party at The Lettered Cottage and to Kim’s Boring to Better party at Savvy Southern Style.

Each Christmas I agonize over how to decorate my mantel.    I love a natural, simplistic look but never seem to achieve that despite my best efforts.

I was recently given a Kirklands gift card so I purchased a couple of things there for this year’s mantel and used other stuff I had on hand.

The battery on my camera died because I took so many pictures trying to get the best shot of the full mantel.     This picture doesn’t accurately reflect how it glows but I am going with it because it was the best of the bunch.     You can see the reflection of  my angel tree in the mirror and of old Saint Nick in the corner.

Thankfully this picture is clearer.    The mosaic angels were a Kirklands purchase.     I bought the Peace sign at Trees N Trends last year.

The bronze and gold beaded garland is so sparkly.    It is back lit by a string of gold lights.

The lit gold sisal tree came from Kirklands and the Joy sign was bought at the same time as the Peace sign.

That concludes the tour of my mantel.    Thanks so much for visiting.    Don’t forget to head over to the mantel party @ The Lettered Cottage and to the Boring to Better party @ Savvy Southern Style

Marlee

Sunday, November 28, 2010

A Charming Village

On Thanksgiving Day the bookcases in my den were full of books, nick knacks and a small Harvest village.

The day after Thanksgiving they were magically transformed into a charming Christmas village.    Each picture can be clicked for a larger image.

If I lived in this village, I would be a regular at the Mistletoe Tea Room since there doesn’t appear to be a Starbucks in town.

The bookstore would be another one of my favorite places to go.

Santa’s elves are having a jolly old time making toys for all the good little boys and girls.

Can’t you just hear the choir’s angelic voices singing Silent Night?  This beautiful chapel, which was a gift from my husband, was the piece that started it all.     He purchased it at Gayfers Department Store (which went out of business in the 90’s) and he is amazed I remembered that because he didn’t.    I still miss that store.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of this charming little village and will visit again to see more of my holiday décor.

I am linking to Metamorphosis Monday.

Have a great week!

Marlee

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Signs of Joy

Do you ever feel like you just have to spray paint something or you will go crazy?     Well that is exactly how I felt today.     Of course, this is not exactly what I had in mind to paint.

Thankfully I did a better job of spraying after the painting of the finger.      I managed to actually get paint on the pine cones and on three wood letters that spelled out Joy.

I painted a few cones gold.

A few were painted a lime green color.

And the remainder were painted burgundy.  When the paint dried,  all the cones then got a light spraying of snow.

For now I have the cones in a produce basket on my table on the sun porch but once I switch out my autumn décor for my Christmas décor I will move them to a nicer basket or perhaps an apothecary jar.    I added a few popcorn tree “balls” to the mix.     I don’t know the botanical name of the tree they came off of….I just always refer to it as the popcorn tree.     It produces these popcorn “balls” in the fall.

As you can see, the popcorn tree is very colorful this time of year.      And as you also can see, it looks like there is bird poop on one of the leaves.    Sorry about that.     I didn’t notice it until just now.    When the leaves fall off this tree, only the popcorn balls are left on the branches and it is a pretty sight to see the leafless tree with just popcorn on it.

In addition to the pine cones, I painted three wooden letters that spelled out joy.    When they dried, I coated them with mod podge and then sprinkled some glitter on them.

I thought about hanging them vertically using  jute, but  I decided that would be beyond my elementary crafting skills so I looked in my honey’s workshop and found a piece of leftover wood that was just the right size to put the Joy letters on.      I almost covered the wood with scrapbook paper that had vintage looking writing on it  but chose to use some leftover burlap instead.    I think vintage sheet music would have been cute as a background also, but I didn’t  have any.

 

I like the way it turned out, but I think it needs a border…perhaps some ribbon around the edges or ????     Do any of you reading this have any suggestions on how to finish this off or should I just let it be?    I think my creative juices have dried up and I would welcome your ideas.

I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Marlee

I will be linking to the following parties which I encourage you to check out for inspiration galore!

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Motivate Me Monday at Keeping it Simple

Friday, November 19, 2010

A Tale of Three Turkeys

Throughout the years, I have collected many different things….small porcelain shoes, lady head vases, seltzer bottles, stained glass, the list could go on and on.     I am always drawn to colorful items so the first time I laid eyes on one of these enamel turkey platters, I was hooked.

I thought it was timely to share my collection with you.     These were all found at local flea markets at different times.    It has been so long since I bought them, that I can’t remember how much they cost but I am fairly certain that I didn’t pay over $10.00 for each one.

My little gobblers are ready for their close up.

The turkeys are currently roosting on top of my kitchen cabinets.     They barely fit up there because there isn’t much space between the top of the cabinet and the ceiling.     That space issue makes it difficult to decorate at times.

I also have orange rope lights up there for the autumn season.    The turkeys and the orange lights will disappear the day after Thanksgiving.

It was a difficult angle to take these cabinet pictures.     I guess I should have gotten out the step stool to get a better shot.

Thanks for visiting me and my colorful turkeys.     I hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Marlee

I am linking to the following parties.    A special thanks to all you lovely ladies for hosting them.

2010 Favorite Things Party at 320 Sycamore

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

I is for Imagine

I am linking this post to  Jenny Matlocks Alphabe-Thursday.

One of my favorite songs of all time is Imagine by the late John Lennon.    This song was recorded  in 1971 but has a timeless quality about it that is still applicable to today’s world.    While I may not always agree with the political messages in John’s lyrics, I do appreciate his creative musical genius.

(This Imagine sign is hanging on my nature tree on the sunporch.   I love it’s white, glittery snow effect.)

Here are the lyrics as a remembrance.    It is hard to imagine this was composed 40 years ago.

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Til next time,

Marlee

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Turkey Day Treats

Southern Fried Gal is hosting a Practice Hospitality Party so I had to hop on the hospitality wagon and join in.

My honey and I always host the Thanksgiving lunch at our house each year.      We prepare a feast.     Even our teen age boys lend a helping hand in the kitchen in preparation for Turkey Day.

A dish that both boys like and request each year is crock pot corn.     It is simple to make and very tasty.

Spray the inside of your crock pot with no stick cooking spray.  Mix 5 cans shoepeg corn, drained, 8 oz. cream cheese cut up, 1 stick butter or margarine cut up and 3/4 cup milk mixed with 3 Tbsp. flour in a crock pot.     Cover and cook on high two hours.    Stir and enjoy.

If you have a sweet tooth like me, you will enjoy my honey’s Boston Cream Pie Cake.     It is one of his specialties.     Sorry for the poor quality of the picture.    It was taken last Thanksgiving before I had a blog.    I would never have left the saran wrap on the cake had I known this picture would end up on my blog one day.

Bake a yellow cake mix (we prefer the Duncan Hines brand) following the directions on the box.    We baked ours in a round 10 inch pan.   

While the cake is baking, mix up a small box of sugar free vanilla pudding per the directions on the box.

Slice cake in half after cooling.  Place bottom layer of cake on the plate you choose to use. After the pudding is set, spoon the pudding on bottom layer of the cake. Place the other cake half on top of the pudding.

For the icing - in a Pyrex bowl, melt 1/2 stick of margarine; add 3 tbsp. of cocoa, 3 tbsp. of milk (half & half if you have it), and 1 tsp. of vanilla. Micro on high for 20 seconds. Stir vigorously with a whisk. Add about 1 box of powdered sugar (may need a little more or less). Stir with whisk. Micro for 30 seconds, then stir with whisk. Micro for 30 seconds, then stir again with whisk. Quickly pour around on  the top of cake from the bowl using a spoon to scrape bowl. (Your micro times may vary, use your judgment to ensure the icing is not too hot yet still thin enough to pour. The icing will harden quickly in the fridge.    Since the cake has pudding in it, it should be refrigerated.)      We also use this icing recipe on brownies.    It is so yummy.

A fun thing to do, no recipe required, is to use fall themed cookie cutters to shape your canned cranberry sauce.

CranberryShapes

I think these cute little cranberry pumpkins, leaves and turkeys add a touch of whimsy to your Thanksgiving menu.

I hope you enjoyed my recipes and will consider trying them.    I don’t think you will be disappointed.    Don’t forget to check out the Practice Hospitality Party for more inspiring ideas.

Til next time,

Marlee

Practice Hospitality 11-15-10

Monday, November 8, 2010

Pine Cone Pickin’

I have been loving all the pine cone decorations I have been seeing all over Blogland and in catalogs and magazines.     I almost bought a bag of pine cones last week until my husband spotted me with them in my hand and gave me that “surely you aren’t going to buy a bag of pine cones” look so I reluctantly put them back.

I am glad I did because yesterday I saw a bunch of big pine cones on the ground at the park close to my home.    I pulled over and picked up two grocery bags full.    Yep, I went pine cone pickin’!

Look at the size of this pine cone!     That sucker is almost 7 inches tall.

I plan on using these pine cones in my Thanksgiving tablescape but for now I have placed them on the hearth in a large hurricane along with a small orange berry garland to add a little pop of color.

This was a very thrifty project….the pine cones were free and I already had everything else I needed to complete the look.   That’s it for my pine cone pickin’ post.

Have a fabulous week!

Marlee

I am linking to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch and Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Mistletoe Marketplace

I took the day off yesterday and headed to the Mistletoe Marketplace which is the primary fundraiser of the Junior League of Jackson.     It is a shopping extravaganza that appeals to all ages from kids to adults.   This awesome event really kicks the holiday season off for me and probably also for the tens of thousands who attend each year.

A wonderful surprise for me was a new vendor whose blog I follow…Laurie Anna of Laurie Anna's Vintage Home.      I got the opportunity to meet Laurie Anna and Tina of Cherry Hill Cottage who helps Laurie Anna in her Shoppe.    I follow her cute blog also.    Both ladies were sweet enough to take time to speak to me even though the booth was swamped with shoppers.     I have to say it was the most beautiful booth there.     It was so sparkly and looked like a winter wonderland.     If I were a rich woman, I would have bought one of everything!     I did not go home empty handed though (like there was any chance of that happening).

These three birds from Laurie Anna’s booth flew home with me.    As you can see, two of them are mercury glass.    The third one, that is sitting on a piece of my pottery, is clear glass and has a little hole in his head.     He is a miniature vase!     You can fill him with water and then place a small flower or a twig in there.   Love how the lights reflect on all three birdies.

I also bought this precious little mercury glass container.     Laurie Anna had some of them hanging on Christmas trees and others were on shelves with silverware in them.

    

I stuck a few pieces of my silverware in there to try and recreate her look, but it doesn’t look as artfully arranged as hers did.    I haven’t decided yet where this beauty will go in my home.

Another purchase was this painted cross that was made out of corrugated metal.     It is hanging on my sun porch.      This came from The Mississippi Gift Company booth and was handcrafted by a Mississippi artist.

This lime green bird was also bought at the Miss. Gift Company booth and is by the same artist who created the cross.     It too is made out of the corrugated metal.    He has found a place of honor on my nature themed Christmas tree which I have already set up for the season.     I will be showing more of that tree in future posts because I am sure you are wondering why there is a disco ball on a nature tree.

I will conclude this post with a picture of my first fire of the season.     The low is expected to be 31 tonight!    We went straight from summer to winter here in Mississippi and skipped fall all together.

I am off to fix myself a cup of hot cocoa with whipped topping and sit in front of the fire.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Marlee

I am linking to these awesome parties:

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Favorite Things at Bargain Hunting with Laurie

Fabulous Friday Finds at FrouFrou Décor

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Greenhouses, Globes & Gnomes

I was checking out blogs that are new to me and found one that caught my eye….Jenny Matlock.     Her Alphabe-Thursday party  sounded like fun to me so I thought I would join in on the fun.    This week’s letter is G.

The letter G immediately made me think of greenhouse.    We are expecting our first frost later this week so all my plants are now in the greenhouse that my hubby built a few years back.  

You can see my pink mandevilla and red begonias still blooming.

I took a stroll around my house to see what else I had that began with the letter G and found this globe that has been in my family for over 50 years.    I have no idea how old it really is.

The camels were a gift from my sister-in-law.    She purchased them on a trip to Jerusalem.    I bought the little wooden elephants when I was in high school so they are about 20 years old.   HA!

And last but not least, here is a pic of my favorite gnome. 

And yes, that is a Christmas tree he is standing in front of.     It is my nature Christmas tree that I always put up in October and don’t take down until February.    I will show more of it in later posts.

Thank you Jenny for sponsoring the letter G.     Guess I will say Goodbye now.

Marlee

Monday, November 1, 2010

Potpourri Pizzazz

Hi friends!    I hope everyone is having a good start to their week.   Can you believe it is November?    That’s crazy.     Where did October go?

My thrifty purchase this week was a bag of potpourri that inspired me to make a few changes in my den.   The potpourri only cost $3.49.    Hard to believe this small purchase set off a chain reaction of changes.    I shopped the house for something to put it in and found my glassy reflective orange bowl I had in a bookcase on my sun porch.  It is perfect.    This bowl really sparkles in the light and if sunshine hits it just right, it creates a prism effect on the ceiling.     I emptied that bag of potpourri in it and placed it on my coffee table.

In order to make room for it on my coffee table I had to move the wire basket full of autumn scatters that was already on the table to another spot.      My one and only side table in the room was too small to accommodate the wire basket so I decided to switch it with a table I was using in my bedroom for my tv.

Much better.    I can’t believe I was using this beautiful table with its curvy legs as a tv stand.   The “book” on the table is one of those fake faux books that opens for storage.    I have my remotes stored in there.    I desperately need a lamp so I will have to be on the look out for one.     Oh how I love having a valid reason to shop.      Should I put something on the bottom shelf of the table or leave it empty?     I would love to hear your ideas.

That’s it for me tonight.     I am off to watch Dancing With The Stars.    I am rooting for Brandy this season.     She is a Mississippi girl!

Have a fabulous week!    I am linking to Linda’s Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm.    Please visit her lovely blog.

shoppingbagpic2[1]

Marlee