A whimsical project to end the year...

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Mine was great. I enjoyed being with my family, and ate way too much. During a slight lull in the festivities I made this little top hat.

Betty (my dress form) is modeling her New Years Eve look. I have wanted to make a mini top hat for a while. It was pretty simple. I think I'm addicted to them now. There are tons of ideas rolling around in my head!

Betty loves leopard and since she has on her favorite scarf, I gave her hat a leopard ruffle. Then she demanded feathers! She can be very bossy. The finishing touch was one of my crown pins. Betty now thinks she is royal. She pointed out that she is wearing a fascinator!

Thanks for letting me share,
                  Kathleen

I'm joining in at : Savvy Southern Style Wow us Wednesday
                        2805 Potpourri Friday
                        My Romantic Home Show and Tell Friday

Christmas 2011...

Here are a few random shots of my Christmas decor, I want to wish my family, friends, blog followers, and viewers a Merry Christmas!

 

Thanks for letting me share,
                                           Kathleen

New stockings for this Christmas!

Well everyone, Christmas  is very near! I have some baking left and a little wrapping to do. I better get a move on it! Last weekend the itch to sew hit. Quaker lace tablecloths are my favorite. I have one in my stash that I already recovered a lampshade in click here if you want to see that. Because it is so busy around here I wanted the sewing project to be a quick one. I decided to make a couple of  Christmas stockings to match my more neutral palette this year.

I should have stuffed them with something, they wouldn't hang straight for some reason.

The stocking body is made of drop cloth. The cuff is made with satin and the overlay is the Quaker lace tablecloth.

It was a quick and easy project. It satisfied that itch, if you know what I mean :). Sadly I don't have a mantle, so the stockings are hung from an antique sideboard. I will have to take some larger room shots after the holidays. I know how everyone enjoys full room views. In my case it will be shoebox views, my house is VERY tiny.
Merry Christmas everyone!  Thanks for letting me share.
 I will be joining in at : My Romantic Home Show and Tell Friday

Deer and a Christmas cone..

Hello, Christmas is quickly approaching! I think, I am finally finished with gift buying. I now have to do some baking. In between all of the holiday activities, I have been crafting . Here is my rendition of a Tussie Mussie or Christmas cone.

It is covered with brown paper"one of my favorite things!" ha ha. Lace was added ,a paper rosette , and ribbon. It is a little hard to see but the brown center on the rosette is a ric rac rose.

I filled it with white pine to match my Christmas tree. It also has silver ball ornaments, and book page branches I made.

And here is the deer part of the post. These were an early Christmas gift.

I just love them.

I think they look stunning with this small white tree. I placed the tree in one of my larger trophies.

Well it's after 3am so I better say goodnight or maybe good morning! Anyway, thanks for letting me share.
                                                                                      Kathleen

I'm joining in on  My Romantic Home: Show and Tell Friday
            

A wreath..

Hello! I wanted to share a wreath I made a couple of weeks ago. I made cone tussie mussies for my Christmas tree this year out of paper doilies. They turned out well and were easy to work with.

I decided to make a wreath with smaller doilies.

I have seen other bloggers add old buttons and other embellishments to the center of their wreaths. I decided to make a rose out of doilies.

The doilies look so delicate and pretty!

I still have a couple more Christmas projects I will be sharing soon. Thanks,
                                                                       Kathleen               

Betty..

I thought I would pop in to share my latest find with you. Allow me to introduce you to Betty. She is my (new to me) dress form.

Here she is dressed for the holidays!

Betty came to me without a base, so I used an antique floor lamp. The lamp had a threaded rod that fit perfectly. She is a little short, but I like it that way. Betty is in my living room right now and her small stature fits in here.I'm not sure if she is staying in here or not. With me you never know,  I am always moving things around.

I found both pieces within a week of each other. I paid under 30 dollars for both. I think that was a pretty good deal. Dress form prices can be pretty steep. Betty and I will bid you goodbye now. Thanks for letting me share,
                        Kathleen

Three years in the making..

Yes, three years. I have wanted to make this tree, but I couldn't figure out the details. Then I found a tutorial from Dollar store crafts . It was exactly what I had envisioned. Once I had the form made then the fun began. I had always envisioned a book page feather tree. I can now say my vision came true!

It looks a little like a Charlie Brown tree with the brown ornaments. I am going to make new ornaments for it when I have a spare moment. I want to use book pages,  vintage images, and maybe sheet music. I would also like to find some mercury glass ornaments and a topper. all this may have to wait until after the holidays. The time passes so fast.

                                                                            

                                                                                      
I also made the garland that is on the tree. I am planning on possibly opening an etsy shop sometime next year. I missed this holiday season but hope to make a bunch for next year.

                                                                                   
 I am very happy to be finally finished with this tree.  Now I need to heal the glue gun burns so I can move on to the next project! Thanks for letting me share,
                                            Kathleen

We need a little Christmas...

I have finally finished this years Christmas decor. I am still working on a few craft projects, but the majority of the decorating is done. This year is a whole new look for the tree. It used to have all pink ornaments. It was lovely and I enjoyed it very much. I have repainted my living room in a taupe color, so the pink was replaced with silver and white

 I made the ruffled tree skirt. No sew! Just glue gun burns! My daughter says I need a glue gun intervention. Ha ha. I would be truly lost without my glue gun.

 I made the arrangement on my corner cabinet. I bought an extra tree so I could use the branches and the top to decorate other areas of my home. 

 I found the large snowflake in the center at Dollar Tree. It is quite beautiful, and looks like ice.

 I will be back soon with more Christmas decor and some projects.Thanks for letting me share!
                                                                    Kathleen
 I am joining in at-
Nesting Place: 2011 Christmas Tour of Homes