Christmas fun

So I've been expirmenting with the photo editor Picnik and I have to say I am in no way a professional photographer but I love the way you can alter photos and add text! It is really user friendly which is a breath of fresh air because I don't have time to sit and play with photo shop. Here are a few pictures of our little one.

Make your own apothecary jar? REALLY!!

Is anyone as tired of the overpriced apotehcary jars as I am? You can get a 14 inch apothecary jar at Michaels regularly $14.99 and they are super small. If you are lucky you can find them at Homegoods, Goodwill, Marshalls or Ross but you have to be having a really, really, lucky day.

One of my girlfriends sent me this link and I couldn't believe what I was reading! I knew I had to share. The blog Dollar Store Crafts shared this ingenious idea. Make-Your-Own-Apothecary-Jar... Really? Make your own? This is what she shared and she said it only cost her $2.00 to make! Take that Pottery Barn and your $69.00 apothecary jars!

Check out this blog for a tutorial Dollar store crafts.

Here is another really cute idea from her blog. Dollar Store Crafts

I am going to go to my local Homegoods and see if I can track down some vases, jars, bowls, etc. to try out this project myself.

Christmas Decor... Will I ever be finished?

We started decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. I put away all my fall decorations and started to take out my christmas stuff. I started with ornaments in apothecary jars in the dining room and kept going from there. We did our christmas tree two weeks ago (Nov. 28) and this is what it looks like.

The tree is completly us. We use LED lights because it saves money on electricity and our ornaments are almost all ornaments we have gotten over the years. We have ornaments for every christmas we have been together (eight years) and ornaments we have picked up from places we have been. There are about 10 "Baby's first Christmas" ornaments we got last year after Kaitlynn was born and then we have a sprinkling of red, silver and gold balls of varying shapes and sizes. I am on the prowl for a new christmas tree skirt because ours is dwarfed under our 9 foot tree. The ceilings in our living room are 20ft. (The only room in the house that has a ceiling this tall) and it is gorgeous to see as you walk down our stairs. I LOVE Christmas!!

Here is our entry way table. This incorporates an idea I saw on the blog Thirfty Decor Chick (A blog I religiously follow). I had apothecary jars and I absolutely loved how she put little ornaments into them. Hers included fake snow, which I could not find at Michaels so I opted to use beads instead. I bought a strand of bead garland and cut the end off to let all the little balls loose. The snowman is actually a pic that was about 1.00. The snowflake ornaments that are on the lid came off my tree. (Sorry tree but they look better here) I used leaves I had bought around thanksgiving because they are a deep red and will look great once I weave in some greenery. Again I used Led lights to light up the table. I'm not in LOVE with the lights but I think it will look better when they are poking out of garland instead of just laying there on the table. The presents in the background light up as well. I didn't get a picture with the lights on. I plan on adding greenery to the ledge as well.

I LOVE this snowman. I think he is so adorable!

Kaity's First Santa Visit

This weekend my company hosted a christmas at the movies event for all employees. We rent out the whole theater and show a kid movie an a somewhat adult movie. This year it was Tangled and Life as we know it. We decorate one of the theaters with christmas decor, and bring in a Santa and sleigh so the kids can take pictures with Santa. The event is completly free to the employees which is really nice considering the cost of a movie ticket is around 10.00 a person and the concession fees are even higher.

This was Kaitlynn's first visit with Santa since last year she was only about a month old.

With one of Santa's elves

=

Fabric/Rag Christmas Wreath

Last night I made this fabric wreath. I picked up a few different styles of christmas fabric at Joann's. This is what we came up with...

The fabric was a cream color with red, green and blue polka dots, dark green with white polka dots and a red fabric that had christmas trees on it.

I tore the fabric to create a more "rag" distressed type look.

I think I am going to make another one to mirror this and hang them on the outside of the double doors leading into the master bedroom. Our room is situated at the top of the stairs and the wreaths would be a cute decoration to see right as you come up.

Here are other beautiful fabric wreaths.

Courstesy of Creativekistmet

Courtsey of Little Scraps of Happiness

Daily Elf



Thanksgiving Table Decor

The color pallette for my Thanksgiving table was Green, brown, champagne and ivories.

I used champagne/copperish chargers I purchased at Michaels and used my china that I received as wedding gifts. I absolutely LOVE the china and am so excited I have entire place settings for 14 people!

I purchased the silver candle holders at Michaels as well as the candels. I was afraid they would be too Christmasy but they were 50% off and matched my decor. The green and white mini pumpkins were purchased at Wal-Mart on a whim for $1.00/each, and the hydrangea centerpieces were made and used at my wedding in 2008 (I have a whole box full of them!)

At each place setting I folded a regular paper napkin and topped it with small pinecones I already had. I had originally planned on putting name cards in the pinecones but ran out of time. 

Kaitlynn's First Birthday Party

The weather was horrible but I couldn't have asked for a better day! Kaitlynn took her nap on time and did wonderful with all the people at our house.

The water bottles I made months ago...

my first ribbon topiary. I can't wait to put it in her room. This was on our entry table that became the gift table.

Animal cracker favors for the kids.

I bought these at the party store for the kids to drink out of.

Kaitlynn ate half of the buttercream cake and surprisingly did not get sick! After she ate the cake most people left and she went directly into the bath tub!!

Setting up for Kaity's Party

We are a long ways from being completly done but here is a sneak peak at the pink and green, polka dot, lady bug birthday party we are having tomorrow for Kaitlynn's first birthday. I can't believe a year ago today Miss Kaity was born! Time flys!!

This picture is sooo blurry! But it says" Look Who's 1" I made it using scrapbook paper and plan on hanging pictures of her down either side of the doorway.

(Sorry the pics are a little fuzzy they were taken from my husbands iphone. Clear pics to come tomorrow)

Ribbon Topiary and Ladybug Sugar Cookies

My weekend was very productive and I was able to get the ribbon topiary done for her birthday as well as bake 50 sugar cookies and learn how to decorate them with royal icing. I never realized how tedious decorating cookies can be! I think the first half turned out awful and the other  alf are just worthy of showing people. Here are my finished products...


This is what I was aiming to make...

Here is my Topiary...

My ribbons looks like they are pinned looser than the first picture but thats alright.. It would have probably taken more ribbon to make it exact...

This is the cookie I was going for ....

Here are my cookies