Lets go shopping...

Well, if we can't be in Paris we can sure dream about it...sigh.  I thought it would be fun to go shopping for evening wear or perhaps we should just spend an afternoon browsing for that right outfit for casual wear.  Which would you prefer?

Gorgeous Dress...but not for me...I don't have the legs for this!

Sophisticated, non?

What Every Party Girl Needs...and it's all laid out for you!

Simple and chic

How about this for daywear?  Love the bag!

This has smart casual written all over it!

Well, all that walking and browsing has made me a bit weak...how about....

Stopping here?

For one of these?

Annnddd a whole lot of these!

Before we decide to go here....

To Rest our Feet!

I hope you enjoyed our little shopping trip and found something that you liked.  I don't know about you, but I was ready for the sofa!

~All images from Pinterest and Google~

A Quote for Christmas

Quote of the Day:


Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.


Enjoy!







Even though we are all busy at this time of the year, don't forget the real reason for the season!

A Bit of Christmas

Well, after procrastinating as long as I could I D-R-A-G-G-E-D down all of the Christmas crates and finally got motivated to put up our tree minus a few things I am still searching for i.e. my tree topper and my santos for Joseph to complete my manger scene.  Hopefully, I will find it before Christmas is over.

All decorated except for my tree topper and Joseph to my Manger scene?  Things don't look right without my tree topper and what is a Manger scene without Joseph?

One of my handmade French Ornaments

A Handmade Ornament From a Friend for Our Departed Dog, Josie .  She is always with us in spirit.

One Of My Favorite Radco Ornaments.  Always So Colorful And Lifelike.

Console Table.  I Still Need to Tack Up the Mirrored Crosses

Josh and Bella's Favorite,  Wind-up Snow Globe...Santa Actually Looks  Like  He is Working In His Toy Shop When It Is Wound Up.

A Small Mercury Glass Votive With Holly And Lights

I still have some tweaking to do before it is all completed.  But the biggest portion of it is completed.  Now, if I could only find my tree topper and Joseph...sigh.
Are you finished with your holiday decorations?

In the Christmas Spirit

Beautiful gold and white decorations via Pinterest

I'm just now getting into the mood for Christmas and will be putting up a tree this weekend...not a real one but an artificial one.  (Did the real tree up until last year)
I found some gorgeous vignettes and decorations and wanted to share them with you.

I thought this was beautiful and a great way to have a tree without the fuss!  LOL

Lovely for an entryway table

A pop of red for your table

Pretty for the door

A natural and rustic look for your mantel

Another mantel setting using mercury glass, greenery, candles, holders and ornaments

A Beautiful arrangement with the Madonna, mercury glass, candles, candlesticks and branches

A simple swag with greenery and ornaments on a door

Silvery blue ornaments

I love these!  Felted acorns with silver tops

Lets tie it all up with ribbon!

These are just a few of the beautiful displays I found!  I love them all!  What is your favorite style of Christmas decorating?

I will be bringing a bit of Christmas to my shop with these lovely festive red and gold sachets to my shop soon (HERE)

Lavender filled sachets

AND....What do you think I will be doing with this?

Ooh la la...Wait and see!

This bit of whimsey will soon be in my shop too!

All images from Pinterest ~ except for sachet and fabric

My Love of Annie Sloan Paint

Hi everyone,

I thought I would share with you a tutorial on using some of Annie Sloan Chalk paint on a very rough, shabby wooden caddy over the weekend.  This is what it looked like before I started:

Very weathered and worn

As I start to paint

With This!

This was a fairly easy re-do.  I love using ASCP as it is virtually odorless, and can be used over any surface WITHOUT any prepping.  Glass, metal, wood...without any work before!!!  This is important because it can take many hours of sanding and smoothing before painting with a regular semi-gloss or matte paint.

The color I am using is called Old Violet and it is beautiful!  But nothing can prepare you for the way this color changes after it has been used.  I put on two coats, letting each coat dry throughly before adding the second coat.  This is what it looks like after you paint your two coats:

It has a deep color and looks a bit chalky

After the paint has dried, I sand lightly with 0000 sandpaper to smooth the wood and the paint.  I also sanded a bit harder on areas that I wanted to have the wood show through some.  With my brush I then used Annie Sloan clear wax and brushed it into the wood.  I let it dry some and then hand rubbed it until the most gorgeous sheen appeared...nothing looks the same after that!  Here is what it looked like after I brushed the wax on and removed the excess:

After sanding and wax was added and removed

Finished and filled with handmade items from my shop

Another view

I just love the way it came out and I am always amazed at how the color changes when it is sanded and the wax is put on.  Annie says not to sand before you paint and she is most definitely right! So that's my tutorial for my caddy.  I hope if you aren't familiar with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and want to totally transform any piece give this a try.  I can't say enough about it.

Quote of the Day:

A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.

Mohandas Gandhi




Fight for what you believe in.

Small Business Saturday

Well, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and was able to leave the dining room table "a little bit hungry".(That bit of wisdom came from my Grandpa who told me when I was around 10 that leaving the table a little bit hungry was the key to controlling your weight. ) Little did I know at that time that I would be following and using it in my everyday life.  To those of you who didn't, there is always tomorrow.


I hope that you will purchase from small businesses in your local area.  In order to celebrate the day tomorrow, everything in my shop will be 15% off.  Use coupon code SBS112611 at the checkout.  Make sure to use the code or you won't get the discount.  Nothing like a bit of shopping to get everyone in the mood for Christmas.  It was always fun for me to shop for others keeping in mind items they had mentioned throughout the year that they may have forgotten about...sometimes it is the smallest things that delight people.

My Lil' French Beret Ferret 

Oui, I am ready to shop...so....

Come right in...

Enter

And take a peek....at some of the new items just listed in my shop...

1800 French Sheet Music Wooden Ornaments

Not Santa But A Sweet And Kind Face...Could this be Santa?

Late 1800 French Music Wooden Ornament

Late 1800 French Music Wooden Stars...Twinkle, Twinkle...Perhaps to Guide the Magi

100% Cotton Tea Towel made with Fabric from French General Fabric Line...To Use In a Breadbasket or Perhaps to dry all those dishes after Christmas Dinner?

A Red One Ooh La La

Hemp Linen Grey Soap Sleeves to Place Your Soap For Gifts and Your Bath

Another one in Stone Linen With A Lovely Black Twill Ribbon For tying the bow.  I think that these are pretty niffty!

So, I hope you will take advantage of Small Business Saturday by purchasing from someone local to help keep small business alive!

You can make purchases from my shop on all items (HERE).  Don't forget to use Coupon SBS112611 at the checkout tomorrow to get the discount.

And now, how about a little Christmas music to get us in the mood.