Christmas in my kitchen

Okay, so the other day I was at Sur La Table and fell in love with these wonderful glass ornaments in the shapes of yummy-cakety-goodness. I thought that they would be so cute hanging in my kitchen. (Recently I've realized that I kind of have a bakery theme sort of going on in my kitchen decor.) As I was looking for a place to hang these, my eyes gravitated toward the chandelier above the kitchen sink--- "Well, of course they should hang there!" I thought. (And yes, I have a chandelier above my kitchen sink! Another bargain I found a couple years ago and put away for "someday".)

Isn't this so fun?! I have to look at it every time I go into the kitchen-- it just makes me smile when I see them dancing above my sink like sugar plum fairies!

... and this, my friends, is my advise in the coming days as you prepare for your Christmas festivities! Keep calm and have a cupcake! (This little sign is hanging over my stove!)

I'm going to be busy preparing for company and probably won't be able to post until after Christmas, so I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas. May you enjoy your friends, family, and the spirit of Christmas this season!

Blessings,

Christmas Bracelet Charm Swap!

Saucy of Saucy Sprinkles recently hosted some charm bracelet swaps that I participated in. This first one has a red/green theme. The collection of charms that everyone contributed were so fun and eclectic! Can you guess which one I made and sent?!

If you guessed the tiny Christmas fruitcake, you are correct! And, true to it's fruitcake nature, it's the heaviest charm on the bracelet. This was my first attempt at sculpting any kind of cake out of fimo. It doesn't look very real. It's more of an "artistic interpretation" of a fruitcake. I think it would be hilarious to see it re-gifted next year in some charm swap!

This next charm bracelet had an aqua/pink vintage theme. I love how it came together. It looks so sparklie and pretty. Any guesses as to which one I made?!

It's the silver angel with pink and aqua crystals! This was an easy charm to assemble, and I love the sparkle.

Thank you everyone, for all your wonderful charms! Thanks also go to Saucy for organizing this fun swap! It's so fun to collaborate with other crafters/artists from around the U.S. and Canada!

Hugs,

Kathi's Five Star Christmas Swap

I recently participated in Kathi's Five Star Christmas Swap. It was a lot of fun to collaborate with other miniaturist. Everyone has their own distinctive, wonderful style. (I'm sorry this photo is so blurry--I was too lazy and rushed to take the time to get the tripod!) I love everything that Kathi made-- the books, poinsettia, beaded tree sculpture, basket of tiny (real!) pine cones, and the beautiful beaded wreath!

This little cabinet and box full of Christmas goodies was created by Kim. It was her first miniature swap, and she went above and beyond!

Look at all the wonderful little goodies! It was hard to choose my most favorite thing-- I love the gingerbread house so much-- and that hand-stitched stocking is wonderful!

Karin made this fabulously detailed plate of goodies (the photo doesn't do it justice) and this wonderful holly wreath.

I just love this trio that Deborah created. I love the beaded tabletop tree. The bells are already hanging above the front door of the Little Pink House... and isn't that little clay snowman just adorable!?

I actually squealed when I opened this! I had wanted to create this, but didn't even know where to begin. Jaime is so creative, and did a wonderful job! Again, I apologize for the terrible photography on this post. The pictures don't do these items any justice. Everything has such wonderful detail, and I did a poor job of capturing it on film. Please stop by Kathi's blog or Deborah's blog. Their photos are so great! If you do visit, you will get to see what I created for the swap. I forgot to make an extra for myself! I really want you all to see what I made, so please do visit them!

More Christmas sparklie goodness...

Just thought you'd like to see the rest of my Christmas decorations. I love this little tag on my Christmas tree that says, "Celebrate the magic and wonder of Christmas. Love, Santa". I don't do much Santa decor at Christmas, but I do love this little sparklie tag.

I broke down and bought a fake tree this year. I miss my real ones, but this was just more practical space wise. My living room is tiny- I mean, cozy- so this slim tree has been the perfect size. The past few years I've been collecting red and silver sparklie goodness to adorn it.

I just love this little church. There is something about white churches in the snow with glowing windows that I just love. I think that they just glow with warmth and comfort.

These little houses give me the same feeling...

And this is another picture of my mercury glass-- from the living room. (The dining room and living room are divided by a fireplace that can be seen from both rooms.) I love bringing out my Christmas pillows. I love the little punch of red in my home this time of the year.

And this is my little Christmas village. I haven't decided how to light it up in this location--maybe some battery operated lights? This little village just looks more magical when the windows are lit up.

I hope that you've enjoyed the little tour. It's raining this weekend, so I'll be nesting and finishing some projects today. I've been busy with mini and bracelet charm swaps, so I'll be posting about them very soon! (I promise!)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted. I've just been busy getting the house ready for the holidays. Today I thought I'd show you a little of what I've done with the dining room. Can you see the glittery snowflakes hanging from the chandelier? I found those at Wal-mart! I love silver glitter... and a good deal.

I collect mercury glass, and I display it all year. I added the red mercury glass for the holidays. When the holidays are over, the turquoise mercury glass gets moved up from the bookshelf below.

I just love all the sparklie goodness. It's especially sparklie in the evenings when the lights are low and the garland lights are on.

I'm expecting company tomorrow morning, so I've got oatmeal cookies baking. The house smells so yummy and cozy. Well, I better check on those cookies...

A Happy Housewarming... and birthday too!

Today I celebrated my new home with a housewarming party! This house was a long time coming-- a big dream come true for me. And you know I love a party!

This was my first "grown up" party, and I had a lot of fun (with the help of my friends) preparing for it. I served appetizers and desserts. My friend, Krista, and I made the little house-shaped cookies for party favors. It was our first attempt at making royal icing. Have any of you made royal icing? Martha makes it look so easy. It wasn't. Krista made the gorgeous pumpkin cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting. The cookies are my current favorite cookie-- oatmeal with raisins and dried cranberries. Yum!

This was the rest of the spread. It just so happens that it was my birthday also, so my friend Cindy baked a wonderful chocolate cake for me!

...And yes, that is a 29 on that cake. Am I 29? Nope. I just thought 29 looked better on the cake than a 43. I'm actually glad to be in my 40's though. In fact, I love it. The 29 just looked better.

Happy Halloween!

I'm ready for my little trick or treaters... are you? I've hung my "I've got flying monkeys, don't make me use them" sign.

Since the removal of the tree in the front yard there's been no landscaping... so I decided to work with what I have and dig a graveyard! I'm not really a morbid person, but my humor can be a little twisted at times.

Apparently, my neighbor's humor can be twisted too! His graveyard puts mine to shame. He's got a body bag, tombstones, "fire" that lights up, and even music with sound effects!

Here's a close-up of what he has going on above his garage. He built it himself-- it has a windshield wiper motor in it to make it move! Brilliant!

Well, I've got some last minute things to do before the little goblins start coming by-- have a safe and fun Halloween!