Thank You to My Top Referrals for 2011

On the theme of 2011 year end, I just wanted to take a minute to thank my Top Referrals for 2011.

I am so grateful for all the fabulous bloggers who hosted Link Parties this year and especially honored for my featured projects this year.  There are way too many great parties list and I was very flattered by all the features that I did receive this year.

Here are my top 5 referrals for 2011 ~


  

 

I was completely floored when my dresser with ribbon pulls was featured on U Create!!!

My other most exciting feature and complete shock of the year was my Tea Light Wall Art that was featured at Addicted to Decorating!!!

And of course my list would not be complete without Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Fridays!  My favorite day of the week!

I am so grateful to all the generous bloggers out there who take the time to host and feature everyone's projects.

Before & After Features of 2011

I hope everyone had a great Christmas!  I can't believe it is over and the New Year is right around the corner!

In anticipation of the New Year and The Top Projects of 2011 Party over at Southern Hospitality I thought I would share with you my favorite before and afters/projects of this year {click on the titles to read the entire post}...

Wall Decor from a Hutch

Before

After

Tea Light Wall Art

Dresser with Ribbon Pulls

Before

After

Grey Hutch Up Cylce

 Before

I have had such an incredible 5 months of blogging!  I had no idea what I was getting myself into and I have learned so much...I am so grateful for all of you that follow my projects and have been so kind and supportive!  I can't wait to see what this next year brings!

I will also be linking up to these fabulous parties...

http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/ ; http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/ http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/ ; http://goodbyecityhellosuburbs.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.lilluna.com/ ; http://polkadotsonparade.blogspot.com/ ; http://sewmuchado.blogspot.com/ ; http://733blog.blogspot.com/ ; http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/; http://www.somewhatsimple.com/ ; http://thriftydecorating-nikkiw.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.houseofhepworths.com/ ; http://rhinestonebeagle.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.brandyscrafts.blogspot.com/ ; http://alliemakes.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.thrifty101.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com/
; http://whipperberry.com/ ; http://www.missmustardseed.com/ ; http://www.mysimplehomelife.com/ ; http://www.atthepicketfence.com/ ; http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/ ; http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/ ; http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/; http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/ ; http://niftythriftythings.blogspot.com/ ; http://morrowsunshine.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.bystephanielynn.com/ ; http://www.iheartnaptime.net/ ; http://www.flamingotoes.com/ ; http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/
; http://sweetpeasandbb.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.laughloveandcraft.com/ ; http://www.thestuffofsuccess.com/ ; http://www.remodelaholic.com/ ; http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/; http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/ ; http://linesacrossmyface.blogspot.com; http://vanessascraftynest.blogspot.com ; http://kissedbyafrog.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.happyhourprojects.com/ ; http://www.homemakerinheels.com/ ; http://rocaandcompany.blogspot.com/; http://littlebighouseontheprairie1.blogspot.com/; http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/; http://theartsygirlconnection.blogspot.com; http://todayscreativeblog.net/;http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/; http://www.thegunnysack.com; http://caribbeanmissionarywife.blogspot.com; http://athomewithk.blogspot.com/; http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com; http://space46.blogspot.com; http://www.itsoverflowing.com/; http://www.sugaranddots.com/

Christmas times a coming...

I can't believe that Christmas is only 2 days away!

It is bitter sweet for me because Christmas is my absolute favorite Holiday ever, but just a few days after the company I work for will be closing down their location here and I will be out of a job...

We have had fair warning that this was happening, but it seriously came so quickly it is unreal!  I am really looking forward to some time off to spend with my kids and doing some major catch up around our house, but at the same time it is so weird to go into the unknown.

I have the longest list of projects that I want to complete though, so I am super excited to share those with you next month!

Until then I will be enjoying my time with my family, eating way too much and watching Christmas Vacation and Elf over and over...

I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday doing what ever it is that you will be doing this Holiday. 

My thoughts and prayers are with those who cannot be with their families due to the military or other situations that prevent it.  I am so grateful for the sacrifices that so many make so that we may be free.

My hope for everyone is that we try to remember what this season is really about and don't get too caught up in the chaos of the Holiday. 

Merry Christmas to you all!

Christmas Favorites

Since Christmas is less than a week away I thought I would share my final Pinterest favorites of the season!

Drum roll please...........

via

I am just drooling over everything in this bedroom!  I just want to crawl up in that bed with a cup of coffee and a good book!  I don't even have our bedroom decorated :-(

via

I adore these little Elves!  Aren't they just the cutest things ever?!

via

I love the simplicity and rustic nature of this birch wreath.  It is by far my favorite of the season!  Every detail is perfect to me, right down to the burlap ribbon.

via

Last, but not least, this advent calender is perfection!!  You know how much I love me some branches ;-)

This has been such a fun Christmas season for me now that I am aware of the blog world...I can't believe what I have been missing.

If you want to check out some of my other favorite Christmas inspirations, or any other inspirations for that matter, follow me on Pinterest.

I should be Christmas shopping...

But I just can't seem to stop myself!  I seriously have a problem here people!
I was really looking forward to this weekend because for once in my life I had all my work done and no big plans.  I thought to myself, "GREAT!  I will have a nice relaxing weekend just finishing my Christmas shopping and wrapping." 

Is that what I have done all weekend?  Heck NO!  While I was out "Christmas shopping" I managed to come home with little odds and ends to do 6 different projects!  Yes SIX!  No only that, but they are the most tedious and time consuming projects ;-) 

What is even worse than all of that is the fact that my full time job ends right after Christmas and I will have all the time in the world to do projects.  I just can't seem to stop though.  It is like I am on DIY crack!  I have been up every night until well after midnight working like busy bee.

Long story short...I have not fallen off the face of the Earth, I am just held up in my house working away.  You should know by now that if you don't see a post from in a few days that I am working on something big haha! 

Here is a little glimpse of what I have up my sleeve to hopefully show you very soon...



This one may take me a few years to complete ;-)

If you are anything like my husband you may be thinking, "don't you finish one project before you start another?"  Ummmm No, multi-tasking is kind of my thing...I told you I have a problem and can't stop myself.

Hope to show you at least {one} of these completed projects soon!  Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Christmas Tree Debut

I am finally done with our Christmas decorating and ready to show you our tree :-) 

We always go with a live tree...this year we got an 8' Noble and it is decorated with mostly western decor that we received during our first couple years of marriage when my husband was bull riding and I was barrel racing...we haven't changed it much over the years, just added a few ornaments here and there.  I thought about changing it up this year, but after looking through all the ornaments, I just couldn't bring myself to change it quite yet.

and of course we need have a couple light bulbs mixed in since we own an electrical contracting business :-)

I'll be linking up here...

Simple Christmas Decor

I have to admit that while admiring all the gorgeous pictures from all the talented bloggers out there, I start to feel the desire to go to Pier One and shop my heart out on all new Christmas decor! 

I have decided to resist the urge and focus on what I do have, and like I do every year, add in a couple extra finds to take care of that little shopping itch. 

This year I am taking the less is more approach to my Christmas decor.

I am finding beauty in the simple things...candles, Christmas lights, cranberries, and making use of some of my household favorites...

My mason jar candles are one of my favorite things that I have added to my decor this year, and they are so easy and inexpensive!

I love the feel that these lighted branches give our home...

 Of course some of my old favorites, the Nutcracker and Snowman are out...

I have added these pine tree and cranberry mason jar candles throughout our home too, to add a little Christmas spirit to places that might otherwise be missed, like our bathroom window.

 Now on to the outside...we have kept it pretty simple here as well.

At first I was really struggling with what to put on my beloved ladder, but I have since decided that I am really enjoying it with just my lights and a couple random ornaments.  It is a nice clean feel from the busy Autumn decor this ladder boasted.

I am trying really hard to get over the fact that the little outside planters are empty because I haven't had the time to get to the fabulous projects I had in mind for them and that my mantle and tree can't even be shown off yet!  I feel like Christmas is going to be here tomorrow and I still won't be done. 

There's always next year, right?! And we won't even talk about how behind I am on my Christmas shopping or that I keep forgetting to put our elf in a new hiding spot everyday!  I am running out of excuses of why he is still in the same spot in the mornings!!! 

I will also be linking up to these fabulous parties...

http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/ ; http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/ http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/ ; http://goodbyecityhellosuburbs.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.lilluna.com/ ; http://polkadotsonparade.blogspot.com/ ; http://sewmuchado.blogspot.com/ ; http://733blog.blogspot.com/ ; http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/; http://www.somewhatsimple.com/ ; http://thriftydecorating-nikkiw.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.houseofhepworths.com/ ; http://rhinestonebeagle.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.brandyscrafts.blogspot.com/ ; http://alliemakes.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.thrifty101.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com/
; http://whipperberry.com/ ; http://www.missmustardseed.com/ ; http://www.mysimplehomelife.com/ ; http://www.atthepicketfence.com/ ; http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/ ; http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/ ; http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/; http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/ ; http://niftythriftythings.blogspot.com/ ; http://morrowsunshine.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.bystephanielynn.com/ ; http://www.iheartnaptime.net/ ; http://www.flamingotoes.com/ ; ttp://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/; http://sweetpeasandbb.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.laughloveandcraft.com/ ; http://www.thestuffofsuccess.com/ ; http://www.remodelaholic.com/ ; http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/; http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/ ; http://linesacrossmyface.blogspot.com; http://vanessascraftynest.blogspot.com ; http://kissedbyafrog.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.happyhourprojects.com/ ; http://www.homemakerinheels.com/ ; http://rocaandcompany.blogspot.com/; http://littlebighouseontheprairie1.blogspot.com/; http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/; http://theartsygirlconnection.blogspot.com; http://todayscreativeblog.net/;http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/; http://www.thegunnysack.com; http://caribbeanmissionarywife.blogspot.com; http://athomewithk.blogspot.com/; http://www.itsoverflowing.com/2011/12/christmas-blog-link-party-christmas.html; http://www.thenester.com/2011/12/2011-christmas-tour-of-homes-2.html; http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com; http://space46.blogspot.com; http://www.itsoverflowing.com/

Candy Topiaries

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!  The sun is shining and everyone is good and healthy at our house, which means it is a weekend of cleaning, tree decorating, catching up on projects and finishing our outside lights!
I thought I would share with you today a very simple Pinterest inspired topiary that I just completed.

I started out with 2 clay pots (that only cost me 0.25 cents!) and spray painted them gold and a top coat of glitter. 

Then I cut a Styrofoam ball in half and hot glued it inside my pots.

Next I took my spray painted sticks and hot glued them inside the Styrofoam.  I put my other Styrofoam balls on top of the sticks to make sure they were centered.   I then covered them in colored duck tape (this is definitely a must do or you will have white spaces showing in between your candies.

I used Snow Drops that I got on clearance at Craft Warehouse to go inside my pots...

Now came the super tedious fun part!  Simply hot glue the thousands of candies...

Yes, I see the one escapee at the bottom ;-) 

I followed up the finished look with a coat of Polyurethane spray to keep the candies from melting and getting all sticky.

Here are my disclaimers if you choose to do this project yourself...

The large one is super top heavy because the genius making it didn't realize how heavy a million candies are for one piece of Styrofoam!  If I were to do it again I would advise a shorter or wider stick and something heavier in the pot to keep it down. 

Also if you are a perfectionist this may not be the project for you.  The little mints don't like to line up perfectly the whole way around.  I don't mind it at all, since I usually prefer things with a little bit of flaws ;-) but it may make some of you OCD gals crazy! 

Last bit of advice...make sure you buy way more candies than you think you will need.  I way underestimated the amount of mints I would need to make these.  I originally purchased 3 bags of red and green mix and I only had enough red to finish half of the little one.  I ended up going to the store 3 times for mints! 

I will also fully admit that I have one more topiary sitting in my garage waiting for mints, but I have no motivation to do it right now because it took me so long to glue the little suckers on ;-) 

Most of you probably have a lot more patience, skill and common sense than I do and would most likely breeze through this project though...

I will also be linking up to these fabulous parties...
http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/ ; http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/ ; http://goodbyecityhellosuburbs.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.lilluna.com/ ; http://polkadotsonparade.blogspot.com/ ; http://sewmuchado.blogspot.com/ ; http://733blog.blogspot.com/ ; http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.somewhatsimple.com/ ; http://thriftydecorating-nikkiw.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.houseofhepworths.com/ ; http://rhinestonebeagle.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.brandyscrafts.blogspot.com/ ; http://alliemakes.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.thrifty101.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com/ ; http://whipperberry.com/ ; http://www.missmustardseed.com/ ; http://www.mysimplehomelife.com/ ; http://www.atthepicketfence.com/ ; http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/ ; http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/ ; http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/; http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/ ; http://niftythriftythings.blogspot.com/ ; http://morrowsunshine.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.bystephanielynn.com/ ; http://www.iheartnaptime.net/ ; http://www.flamingotoes.com/ ; http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/
; http://sweetpeasandbb.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.laughloveandcraft.com/ ; http://www.thestuffofsuccess.com/ ; http://www.remodelaholic.com/ ; http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/; http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/ ; http://linesacrossmyface.blogspot.com; http://vanessascraftynest.blogspot.com ; http://kissedbyafrog.blogspot.com/ ; http://www.happyhourprojects.com/ ; http://www.homemakerinheels.com/ ; http://rocaandcompany.blogspot.com/; http://littlebighouseontheprairie1.blogspot.com/; http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/; http://theartsygirlconnection.blogspot.com; http://todayscreativeblog.net/;http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/; http://www.thegunnysack.com; http://caribbeanmissionarywife.blogspot.com; http://athomewithk.blogspot.com/; http://www.itsoverflowing.com/2011/12/christmas-blog-link-party-christmas.html; http://jane-adventuresindinner.blogspot.com/

Coffee Lovers Unite

Hi everyone!

I am so bummed because I have a great project and all my Christmas decor to show you and I have to wait until this weekend to get a good picture :-(  I leave for work when it's dark and get home when it's dark and cannot fake the light enough in my house, especially with my cheapo camera. 

What's even worse is there are all these fabulous Christmas Link Parties going on and I can't participate yet...hopefully this weekend I will get all caught up and share my Christmas lovelies with you all!

So, I thought I would take the time today to introduce you to my newest Sponsor, Roaste.com!  I am not one to sign up with a company unless I truly like their product and feel that it could benefit my readers.  After taking one look at Roaste.com I was hooked!  They have literally thousands of coffees, in every flavor and roast imaginable!! 

I love coffee and it is a must have in the morning or I absolutely don't function :-)

Roaste.com has every kind of roast and flavor imaginable and even a selection of fair trade and organic coffees.  It is all roasted to order and shipped the day of roasting to guarantee freshness!  The best part it, they have great prices!!

Here are some of the coffees that I must try ASAP...



Blueberry Bliss Creme



Tanzanian Peaberry Organic Coffee

 If you are a coffee drinker like me, I hope you stop by and check them out :-) http://www.roaste.com/product/roaste/ROASTe-Gift-Certificate?tid=743574