Christmas swappin' with Jenny...

Y'all know by now that Jenny and I are swapping crazy!! Here is some of what I sent to her. I have a few more things that need to go out.

Old-fashioned candy canes and my favorite Bob's candy sticks.

A couple tags I made...

I glittered up chipboard letters and wired them to a mini garland.

Had to make a tassel for Jenny. I loved how this one turned out!!

A fun kitchen wreath rounded out this box of Christmas goodness!!


What did I get??

Super cute snowman doily ornament greeted me as I opened the box!!

All my goodness!! A cute, Christmas plaid basket, Gooseberry Patch Christmas book-LOVE it, fun kitchen towel, a snowy scene embroidery{I have two already-one for summer and one for fall}, primitive candy canes{Jenny has a tutorial}, little Christmas cottage and tree, R typewriter key plaque, cute ornaments, AWESOME handstamped metal ornaments with my kids' names and the year, snowman tag, and an ornament/keychain combo.

See the ornaments?? Jenny stamped those onto washers. I love me some personalization!!

Thank you so much for a fun swap package, Jenny!!

Stuff I've made...

I got an itchin' Sunday to make a doll for a friend's little girl's birthday. I think she turned out cute!!

I participated in Monica's Noel swap and this is what I gave to my partner. We are supposed to fit it all in a shoebox. I made a circle garland that I posted about here. I also made rag balls, shutter ornies, gift tags, and put mini pinecones from my sister-in-law's cabin in a mason jar.

I also participated in Emilie's Thanksgiving mini swap. I sent Lori a cloche, fabric pumpkin, scrabble letters spelling Thankful, and a tag.

What have y'all been crafting lately??

From gaudy to Oh Lawdy!!

Y'all have all seen those gaudy gold paper mache reindeer, right?? I got some from Goodwill a few years ago for next to nothing. Then, sometime later, I got some pinecones that had spanish moss and glitter on them. That gave me the idea for these deer.

Here are the deer before...

And afterward...

What?? You want to know how I did it??

Okay...assemble your ingredients.

*You will need the gaudy deer. You can find them at Michaels. Or Goodwill.

*Glitter...I used Martha Stewart Smoky Quartz.

*Mod Podge

*Spanish Moss
What to do...

*Put your spanish moss in a large bowl and attack it with scissors. You want small pieces of it.

*Water down your Mod Podge.

*Using a sponge or brush, paint on your watered down Mod Podge, starting at the bottom, sprinkle the spanish moss, then sprinkle the glitter. Lather, rinse{or don't}, repeat. Enjoy your beautiful, non-gaudy, woodland deer!!

Oh, I also made the wreath, using some sugar pinecones from my sister-in-law's cabin, little pinecones from Michaels and a grapevine wreath. I just used my glue gun to adhere the pinecones.

I need your opinion, please...

Hey Girls...I need y'all's opinion, please. I am thinking about the children's outfits for Christmas and pictures with Santa. Originally, I was going to do the green polka dots with the red and white polka dots. Then, I got a super sweet deal for the boys' sweaters and it totally changed up my plan. This is where y'all come in...

I plan on making the pink style dress, with layered gathered tiers in the way I have them laid out here.

Here are the boys' sweaters. I got Fisher's from Goodwill for $2.60 and its originally from Holland. Love it!! I got Jackson's from my new favorite thrift shop for 50 cents. Makes Goodwill sound like highway robbery, huh?? Anyway, I am thinking the boys will wear khaki pants?? We already have those and I am all about saving while I spend, you know what I mean?!?!

Okay, here is another view of Lilly's fabric choice. I plan for her to wear tights and black maryjane's. I am going to make more yo-yo's to either cover the headband or cluster to the side.

I plan on getting this sweater from Target to wear with the dress.

My questions are...

*Do y'all like the black, red, and white together??

*Does it pass for Christmas enough??

*Does it look too Disney or UGA{Georgia Bulldogs}??

Thanks in advance!!

Christmas Goodies

I went to a couple Christmas Open Houses this past Thursday and I got a few little goodies. It was so much fun!!

This NOEL sign is HUGE!! Now, I just have to find the perfect spot for it...

Love the candy cane sign and it will look cute hanging on my backsplash by my jars full of candy canes. The cards and snowflake ornament were from Amy{for my birthday}, along with a gift certificate to one of the antique shoppes we went to. Thank you so much, Amy!!

Are y'all putting out your Christmas decor yet??

Feelin' Hoopy...

I have finally completed{for now} my wall of fabric filled embroidery hoops. I've been collecting the hoops for well over a year now to do this very wall treatment. I love it!!

My Mom bought the cookoo clock for me in Germany. I love how it looks surrounded by all the hoops.

I got this Pottery Barn pillow cover at my new favorite thrift shop. I paid pennies for it, like less than a dollar for sure. It didn't have a button. No problem, I just made a covered button for it and I like it better!! Original PB price...$25.99. I believe I like my price much better!!

My Mom watched the kids this weekend and it was bliss!! Cory and I went out yard saling and antiquing and I found a night stand. Love it!! I'll share it with y'all soon.

Hope you all have a great week!!

Tidbits...

Thank you all so much for my birthday wishes!! It made my day so much more special!!

We've been trying to enjoy the last few days of fall here. Tuesday it rained cats and dogs. It was great, though. Wednesday was super windy and yesterday was just perfect. We took these photos on Monday before all that. The tree in my front yard is pretty much bare now. I think this is the first time we've ever raked leaves and jumped in them and the kids had so much fun!!

I also got a few swap packages that I wanted to share. I have other things to share that I've won or purchased but still need to take pics of.

I participated in Emilie's Thanksgiving Mini Swap and got a super cute leaf garland, pumpkin, and squirrel brooch. So cute!!

Oops, the photos are flipped!! Anyhow...here is the pumpkin and squirrel. Jenna made the squirrel. Isn't it cute?!?!

Here is one of the leaves on the garland. Such detail in the stitching...love it!!

I also joined a Christmas swap. Here is what I got, minus the popcorn and M&M's and bowls to serve them in. I got a lighted rag garland, a candle, an ornament, dishrag, mini stocking, cards, and little NOEL tags to tie onto pinecones. Oh yes, a copy of The Christmas Box.

I forgot that the bowls weren't in the photo when I was taking it, so I took a pic of them awaiting a bath. Hahaha!!

Thank you, Jenna and Angie!!

Do y'all remember when I was all in the mood to watch Elf and craft?? Well, Cory ordered Elf on demand for me and I made this garland. I am quite pleased with how it turned out!!

Here is a little more detail. I used homespun, ticking, and calico. I love the color and print combo.

If you hung in here this long, bless you!! Hahaha!! Hope y'all have a great weekend!!