A New Spot for some Angels

These 3 angels were bought at an after Christmas sale several years ago. I have used them on my mantel, on top of the piano and now in front of the window above my kitchen sink.

I have enjoyed pulling out my decorations this year and finding new places for them-all of you blogging ladies have inspired me to try some different things.
For more holiday posts, check out Melissa's blog at The Inspired Room.

For Show and Tell on Friday visit Kelli at There's No Place like Home.

The Mantel Garland

The Nester is having a Show and Tell for garland! Please visit her for a peek at lots of wonderful garlands in blogland!

When I first saw the beautiful garland that Nester and Kimba created, I thought I would try to copy them and do my antique oak mantel. It looked okay...but I just don't think I have the touch like they do! And when we turned on the gas logs, the garland in front got so hot-I was worried about it being dangerous.

Here is what my first effort looked like.......

And here it is after I tweaked it. I removed the garland and used a swag of greenery and ribbon. I used some battery operated candles behind it.

I kept the garland around the outside-this is some prelit garland that is VERY long. It came from a 90% off sale at a store we have here called "Dirt Cheap" which is a salvage store. I think it originally was from Target.
What do you think? Which way do you like it? Be honest...it won't hurt my feelings. LOL Here's a couple of closeups.....

I think one thing I'll change for the future is the size lights in the first picture. The large bulbs were all I had, but the garland would have looked better with smaller lights. And I need more 'stuff' to put in the garland!

If you are new to my blog, scroll down to yesterday's post and look at my garland on the banister.

Thanks for coming by and I'm looking forward to visiting all the pretty garland on Mr. Linky!

Christmas Cards and Being Stressed!

Do any of you send Christmas Cards? Some years I do, and some years I don't, but I have to admit I love to get them. I have my cards ready to address, and hope to get it done this week and get them in the mail.

The ones that I get this year will be displayed on my new Southern Living at Home door hanger. I've been using it for photos, but have it ready for the Christmas cards. The little long legged Santas are from Dept. 56 and used to be on the tree. The ornament in the center of the wreath is a Santa made from a crushed coke can, and was given to me by a former student.
Speaking of Christmas cards, I received the nicest surprise yesterday - a beautiful Christmas card from Jan and her husband Tom at Jan and Tom's Place! Thanks Jan...it was such a lovely surprise. Inside was tucked this little tag with this verse: Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. ~Heb. 13:2.

That is some food for thought isn't it?

Sometimes I get too caught up in the 'business' of the season, and feel a little stressed with everything there is to do. I found a blog post that really spoke to me on this. I hope she won't mind if I post her link to share with all of you. I have gone back a time or two to reread this-it's worth your time.

Click here to read 'An Encounter' by Gina on Not So Random Stuff.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jazzing up the Tree

For more Christmas Trees visit Tip Junkie!

Have you ever wanted to change your Christmas tree decor but knew that starting over was out of the question? I started by changing the location of our tree. It has always been in front of one of the windows, now it is between the living and dining areas and is out from the wall.

I wanted to add a little more 'pop' to my tree, but still hang on to my red and white. Here is a picture of some of the red, white, and clear decorations that I've bought in recent years.
And here is the tree after I added my shimmery lime green ribbon and new ornaments to the tree. I also used red and alternated it with the green ribbon throughout the tree. Please excuse the boxes....I make a big mess when I decorate!
It is hard to get a picture of a Christmas tree that does it justice...so here is one without the flash.
I also added these feathery looking things I bought on sale after Christmas at Pier 1. They have little tiny mirrors on them and you just poke them in the branches. I think they really dressed up my tree and reflect lots of light.
Here's an close up view of one of the crystal prism ornaments I bought a few years ago...halfprice of course!
And another close up showing the ribbon and new green ornaments.

I have several of the little pear shaped ornaments with the white swirls. They came from Dollar Tree a few years ago!
I am a self confessed tree tweaker! I have been known to buy tree decorations on sale after Christmas and come home and hang them on the tree before I take the tree down!

So far this year I'm happy with the tree....it's in a new location-and has some added pizazz with the lime green ornaments and ribbon.

What do you do to change up the look of your tree?

Please visit We are that Family for more Christmas trees.

Need a good laugh?

If you want to see a light hearted funny movie this holiday season go to see Four Christmases with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon.

This movie is really silly in parts and hilarious in others. One thing about it...it will make you appreciate your own family! LOL
Thanks for stopping by!

Unusual Pink Decorations

Beverly at How Sweet the Sound is hosting Pink Saturday. Please visit her and look at all the pink inspiration in blogging land!

This week I want to show you the flamingo tree at Merrehope- Meridian's only antebellum home. Merrehope is a project of the Meridian Restoration Foundation which is supported by several groups that are part of the Federated Women's Clubs.

During Christmas this home and a Victorian home on the same property are decorated for the Trees of Christmas tour which last from the week of Thanksgiving though the first of the year. This project is our biggest fund raising activity. The two homes feature 40 displays including trees and mantels this year to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Trees of Christmas. This flamingo tree is in the main living room of Merrehope.

Here's the mantel....A little bear wearing flamingo sunglasses......
And a tablescape set with flamingo dishes!

I am a member of one of the women's clubs, but did not help decorate the tree our club did since I have not been able to go to the meetings. I did help decorate two others-one for Alpha Delta Kappa, my teacher sorority, and one for the MSU Riley Center, where I often volunteer! I'll show those trees in a later post.

Thanks for stopping by!
Diane

Getting Started!

One of my favorite kids authors is Jack Prelutsky. You can read more of his poems at www.jackprelutsky.com

I Ate Too Much Turkey

by Jack Prelutsky

I ate too much turkey,
I ate too much corn,
I ate too much pudding and pie,
I'm stuffed up with muffins
and much too much stuffin',
I'm probably going to die.

I piled up my plate
and I ate and I ate,
but I wish I had known when to stop,
for I'm so crammed with yams,
sauces, gravies, and jams
that my buttons are starting to pop.

I'm full of tomatoes
and french fried potatoes,
my stomach is swollen and sore,
but there's still some dessert,
so I guess it won't hurt
if I eat just a little bit more.

What about you? Did you eat too much turkey? I didn't, but maybe ate too much other stuff!

Now, I am busy getting in boxes from the garage....So can you guess what I'm going to be doing???? One of the hardest parts is getting started! But once I dive in, I usually enjoy decorating my home for the holidays.

My new header, made with Smilebox, features pictures from last year. Cooper has really really changed, but I think Connor looks the same!

Hope you all had a wonderful day, and thanks for stopping by!

Easy Christmas Photo Craft

I love my Christmas pictures from past years, and am always looking for different ways to display them.

Here's an idea that I found in a new Christmas idea magazine. To make these 'photo' candles, you need cylinder candles (these two both have come from garage sales), Vellum paper (plain white paper works too) and
Favorite digital Christmas pictures......
Use a photo editing program to crop the pictures to a size that will fit the candle. I think close ups are more effective. I used Picasa 3 and edited the photos to sepia tone. I printed one of them as a 5 by 7 and also an 8 by 10 to see which fit better.

Trim the pictures to fit the cylinders, wrap around the outside, and secure on back with clear tape. Place a votive inside and when the candle is lit, the photograph will glow!
Here are two that I made. It is hard to get a picture that shows the true effect with or without the flash.

I think this will be more effective in a grouping-I plan to continue to look for cylinder shaped containers so I can add to the collection. The one on the right already has a candle poured in it, so only the top half glows.
Before printing on the Vellum paper, try it on regular paper since the Vellum is more expensive.

I can see lots of possibilities with this project! You could use square glass holders and place a photo on each side. Also, wouldn't this be a great idea to display pictures for for a wedding, birthday or anniversary celebration?

Email me if you want to try this, and have any questions. I hope I made the directions clear.

For more Show and Tell Friday posts, visit Kelli at There's No Place Like Home.

And for more Friday Holiday Linky Fun visit Melissa at The Inspired Room.

Thanks for the visit!