God Bless you all and hope your Christmas was everything you wished for and more!

BlogParties

I love these parties... susually I just "lurk" and go and see everyone's ideas... once in awhile I will link up, but I don't have much right now...

Can't upload PHOTOS because my sd card slot isn't working on my computer? I think it was jammed too many times...sigh...

Well, here's a list- as much for my reference as yours....

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Make it 4 Monday at Cottage Instincts
Brag Monday at The Graphics Fairy
Home for the Holidays at Southern Hospitality
Christmas Tour of Homes at The Nester
A Christmas Tree Party at Thrify Decor Chick
Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage
Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous (Creative Home Expressions)
Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville
Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors



Weekly link parties
http://thepersimmonperch.blogspot.com/
http://www.itssoverycheri.blogspot.com/
http://morethanahouse.blogspot.com/
http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/
http://www.niceandeasyantiques.blogspot.com/
Mon - The DIY Show Off
http://www.sillylittlesparrow.com/
http://diane1876.blogspot.com/
http://www.asoftplace.net/
http://todayscreativeblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.reinventedkb.com/
http://www.wearethatfamily.com/
http://www.lbratina.blogspot.com/
http://www.theshabbychiccottage.net/
http://www.homebodyholly.com/
Fri - It's So Very Christmassy at It's So Very Cheri
http://decormamma.blogspot.com/
http://poppiesatplay.blogspot.com/
http://theinspiredroom.net/
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

Handmade Christmas-SOAP!

Every year we do handmade gifts.. last year it was "Cookie Mix in a Jar" as wells as "Gourmet Hot Chocolate in a Jar" and "Mexican Horchata Mix in a Jar"... it was really fun and they turned out so pretty with all the layers showing through the glass jars..ok but that'll be another post....

This year: Soap!

This was easy.... all I needed was my 40% off Micheal's coupon, went and bought a 10 lb block of glycerine soap base and some color base (I read somewhere you can use plain old food colring, but that the blue looks "muddy" so I sprung the 2.79 for the special soap colorings... cause I love blue)

Got some old tupperwares and some plastic utensils to mix with, my dough cutter-thingy and sent to work!

I had saved 5 half-gallon carboard milk/juice containers...rinsed and coated lightly w/petroleum jelly.

Melted the base in the micro...(first chunked into 2" cubes). Then added color and scents. Here are some of the combos we came up with:

Root Beer (scented with a sarsapilla flavoring base I had in my pantry)
Almond (almond extract)
Mint (peppermint extract)
Cucumber Melon (purchased)
Lavender (essential oil)
Pear-Berry (purchased)
Lemon-Mint (extracts)
Raspeberry-Almond (yummyy... extracts)

You can really go nuts here!

Here are the results after packaging with clear cellophane treat bags and ribbon! I can believe how many we made! Perefct gifts for all the family/friends handmade by us... love it....

I liked up to Funky Junk Saturday Nite Special- check out all the other great ideas here!
Also Linking up to ThriftyGifty at Homebody :

Christmas Past

I found this pic from last year of our blue and white Christmas tree. White lights only. I always get a fight about white lights.. the kids usually win, but last year I insisted on white only, and most of the ornaments were silver, white and blue. I edited a lot to get this "look".

Normally, my tree is very well planned, and each year we change up the colors/theme.

The year I had my first baby girl, the tree was white and pink, pretty sparkly pink bows, and white lights (with wrap to match) in her honor.

Another year it was the "Candy" tree... candy canes, lollipops, both real and faux, with colored lights adorned the tree....

Then we had the "natural" tree-- burplap, homemade dried citrus slices (inspired by one of my favorite Christmas books of all time, Christmas with Marcia Adams..you gotta check her out), cinnamon sticks tied with raffia, gingerbread men, cranberry garland, and punched tin ornaments.

A favorite, the California Beach/Surfer tree.. with a lime green, aqua, pink and orange color palette (I know, crazy but it Worked, I tell ya!)We had starfish, shells, turquoise polka-dot Christmas ball ornaments, little teeny surfboard ornaments, build around a santa in a bathing suit ornament. It was really cute and we got tons of compliments on that one.

I'll have to dig up the photos and try to scan 'em in and revise the post with them when I get to it...

This year, we were barely moved in, when I went crazily through the Christmas boxes and bins to retrieve our tree, lights, and ornaments. My goal was to get something, anything, UP to Christmas up the house even though we are (still!) sitting on boxes......

This is our tree this year: I really like it--initially I was not going to do red, but when I saw that pretty wide red ribbon in my big Chrsitmas decor bin (bought on clearance last year at Sams Club... 3.99 a 25 FT or is it yard? roll-- I mean, HUGE!- ) It looked so pretty... then I had the light blue wrapping paper with the red... I really like the colored lights too. No, not every ornament is red and blue, but how can I not hang the kid's handmade ornaments? and all my babys' "my first Christmas" ornaments, even though they did not "match" the theme? I love all the memories, and it works. Its uniquely ours, this tree. Have a good time Christmassing ( I always loved how Karen Carpenter sings that line in "Merry Christmas, darling... " I wish I were Christmassing with youuuuu....." She made it a verb... I do so love The Carpenter's Chrsitmas album, don't you?

Kitchen Progress

Kitchen ReModel-first 3 weeks....

Wow its been a crazy 3 weeks-- we started here(old, orange cabinets we thought we were painting white):

My Best Helper, demo-ing!

All that work for nuthin'...but keep scrolling to see what the payoff was

....

Then got here(local carpenter makes me an offer I can not refuse for all new all maple cabinets):

Beautiful laminate flooring in walnut..mmmmm....delicioso!

and here, after adding my countertops (beech butcherblock, Ikea, an easy DIY project):

Now here after doors, hardware, and adding about 10 coats of Ikea's behandla oil to the countertops...

Still To Do:

1. Take better pictures of kitchen

2. Complete the island with Granite top

3. Tile backsplash(still trying to decide on color/style)

Gettin' My Christmas Craft On--finally!

Well I kept complaining I wasn't feelin' it... needed a little Christmas. Nothin like a Christmas craft to get me going...

So, I went where anyone would go for inspiration when their budget is blown(kitchen redo--all my $$$ is going there right now)-- Big Lots!!

There I found these great big block of chipboard letters in blacks, whites, and grays... for $1.50! Hey now!

Had some old frames... which I am thinking of spray-painting at some point.... I used one I had laying around. This is what I did:

1. Popped the "letter" part out of the chipboard and left a space there..(used for another craft)

2. Rescued some cute pics out of computer neverland by printing them out on plain paper...

3. Moved the letter spaces around on top of the pics until I got the look I wanted. There's not a lot of space, so an eye here, a smile there... whatever you need to see who it is there. I know my kids eyes..and love how different they are... so I focused on them. I also found a very small pic of my daughter that was included in her school pictures this year, and it worked out perfectly. I overlapped several pics in one letter... it looked OK...

4. Taped the pics in place behind the letters... then used double sided tape to tape the letters with their images behind them to the old frame's mat-- totally the wrong sizes, but its OK, cause its hidden.

5. 10-15 minutes later--here it is! I am gonna paint that frame black or silver... for now I LOVE it!

Need a Little Christmas

Finally feeling a bit settled... kitchen floor went in, then we had a minor flood, had to replace about 1/3 of the floor!!! Still waitng for the carpenter (said he'd be back on Wed and its now...Sun) to finish the cabinets. I hope he makes it back soon. 2morro electrician is coming to make sense of my haunted outlets--sometimes they work, somethimes they not work....

At least we have our TREE and Christmas music courtesy of Blip.fm.com--

(check out my Christmas playlist on blip.fm)

Here's our pretty staircase..always wanted one of these!!! :)

Bye for now....