Christmas is in the Air!

That's right, the Christmas Spirit is in the air, can you feel it? I just love this time of year, it just makes me feel so giddy and good feely inside. Now the trick is to make these feelings last all year long!

I don't know what its like at your place, but one of the first things on my agenda after Thanksgiving was to start on the decorations for Christmas and really create a peaceful enviroment for this wonderful fun time of year!

As a side note: I am also trying to "Up" my blog a little bit with better pictures and such, so any input on how you think it looks would be great.

Now, on to the decorations. . . .

 I saw this cleaver idea from the Dating Diva's, and had to try it out. So far it's been a hit at our house and my hubby is loving it. I am thinking this is gonna be a fun tradition we'll keep up for years to come, especially when our little girl will be old enough to help participate.

In case you don't feel like checking out the original idea from the Dating Diva's on their Spouse Countdown, this is the gist of the idea. You make 25 cards or envelopes, or however works best for you. Then put a note for each day.

 I had this fun shinny gift bag that I thought would be fun to write on. so I cut 25 of them. . .

 Then put my own little "heart" into it, by putting my finger print twice to make a heart shape. Then for each day I put either of the three: 1. a nice memory we had together, 2. something that I love and adore about him, or 3. an activity that I think would be fun to do together. The activity part took a little extra planning and thinking ahead than the others, because my husband is busy working a lot, I needed to make sure the activities were on days he wouldn't be too overwhelmed by it all or that we'd even have time for it that day. Overall it has been going great!

 Remember when I made that fun fall blanket on the couch? Well on the back I made it with fun Christmas like squares.
Then we mustin forget the stockings! The two on the ends our my husband's and mine, that my sister made for us for our first Christmas married, and the one in the middle is my little girl's that I made last year. I love these stockings because they are very similar in style to what we had growing up, that my Grandma made for everyone. Since a house fire that occurred several years ago in my youth, having these stockings are all the more treasure-able because they bring back so many memories!

 Yeah for the tree! Maybe this year for the day after Christmas sales we'll upgrade to a little bit taller tree, we'll see. . . .

 Little villages are a must at this house. Another precious memory treasure that I love having around!

 Then thanks to Pinetrest, I found this cleaver idea from the Vintage Junky. The best part about these lovely flakes is they are in the corner near our heater vent, so each time it kicks on, it makes the snowflakes sway and spin, just slightly enough it is fun to watch, especially for my little girl.

 Thanks again to Pintrest (they'll be getting a lot of thanking from me from now on). I found the cleaver idea of the white sticks from Indie Fixx. I just collected a bunch of twigs, painted them white, and put them in old cream soda bottles I held onto. I put them on our dinner table and also on our kitchen table, which you can see a few pictures down.

 Again, Pintrest idea. From Make and Takes.  You just get a picture frame, put a fun scrapbook paper in the back, and you can write on the glass with dry erasable markers. I first had it as this fun to do list, but then I changed it to. . .

 This fun Christmas tree that has the lovely scripture in it. (also a Pintrest idea, from Two and Under). I love that this is erasable, so each season I can put different quotes or scriptures, or whatever I want. And I can also always change the background too! I love it when things are easily changed around!

 Then my bulletin board in my kitchen, remember how I had for the Fall? Well, I thought it would be fun to have a switch-or-roo again and make it Christmas-y (I know, it's not a word, but you get the idea, right?)

 Then, remember where I had my scarecrows set up for the fall? Well I also changed it around with putting this little tree that I 've had since my single days, and also added some leftover fun village pieces, to add a little Christmas touch to my kitchen!

 Remember the Fall Wreath I made for this door? Well in my laziness in not wanting to make another one, I just dressed it up a little and added some more red, green, gold and poinsettia flowers. Then added our fun bells to the door nob.

 Then we put our regular wreath on our back door, to greet all those who may enter there!

 Here's the lovely white sticks on our kitchen table, I like the subtle winter fun feel they give to a room. Seeing them gives me a fun smile inside.

 Then, remember for fall how I had leaves hanging? Using the same strings we tied these beautiful snowflake ornaments that I got a few years back. It gives a fun sparkle to the room!

 Then remember my lovely window seat bench? Remember how I had fun dressing it up a little for fall with fall pillows and leaves on the end of the brown pillows? Well I had to keep up and do it for Christmas too!

 Then, again much thanks to Pintrest, I saw this idea from Saving Money, Living Life. Plus if you have little ones, it is a great way to still have ornaments up but away from little fingers. I am fan!

 And we mustin forget the mistletoe! Always adds to a fun extra spirit, for this great time of year! :)

Then to finish it all off for today's post, our lovely nativity. I found this lovely set at the local thrift store for only $2. It's so simple yet it tells it all. The wonderful story of our amazing Savior's birth. I also added a fun manger sort of background in the same picture frame that I put the Fall picture background. I love being able to change things around. Since this nativity set is a little more on the fragile side (it's already had one casualty, that was thankfully an easy fix), I saw this fun wood block nativity that I am working on (will post on it soon!), so I can feel more comfortable with my little girl playing with it, especially since it's such a wonderful blessed event, I want her to be able to become familiar with it in as many ways possible. Awe.. . .again, I just love this time of year!

Well, that's it for today. Remember the fun pumpkin salt shakers I made for fall time? Well I made some fun snowman ones for winter, so sharing that and any other fun projects I got going is up for next orders! :) But before all that, I will be back tomorrow for another lovely "Sun-Up Saturday" where I get to share my random, hopefully en-lighting, thoughts on life.

Thanks again for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day, this wonderful time of year!

Fall stuff

I know the feel and sort of "idea" of Fall is fast becoming behind us and is moving very much closer to a more Winter/Christmas feel (especially here with all our lovely snow), but I have finally finished all my "Fall Decor" that I wanted to make this year, just in time to start making my Winter decorations, which I am super excited to get cracking on. But of course won't actually put any of it up until at least AFTER Thanksgiving. There is a time and a place for things, and I am one for strongly believing that holidays/seasons fit into those categories. Speaking of, I saw these two pictures on Facebook, and I just had to share:

So, there. I have officially finished my Fall decor just in time to change it here in a few weeks, but oh well, at least I have something going up my sleeves for next fall!

Ok, enough chatter, on to what I actually came here to show you. . . .

 Remember how I put up this material on my bulletin board?

 And then put some of the same material in a picture frame as a background for my little tree?

 And then used some of the same material to make pillow covers for my window bench?


Well, to finish it all off, I made. . . .

 Some more matching pillow covers for one couch (have I mentioned I like to be matchy matchy?), and finally, last but not least.. . .

Used my last remaining scraps and put together a little "throw" sort of thing with the matching "fall village" material, and threw in some other fall colors I had around. Then on the reverse side I made it "Christmas" like, so in a few weeks I can just flip it over. And then if we get really bored/ambitious, we might do "Turkey Hand prints" on the blank tan squares, just for fun!

Now I am set and ready for a fun a haul of making random winter decorations on the side. I have also been working on some fun books for my little girl along with some toys, which I will be sure to share soon!

My hubby's birthday is tomorrow, a whoppin 24! And for safety of trying to keep his presents a secret from him, I will show you what I made him for next weeks posts, I already struggle keeping gift secrets from him, I probably shouldn't make it harder on myself, just in case he would randomly look here before then.

So keep in touch for some fun new things ahead, I can tell you are already excited to come back, right?? :)

Well thanks for stopping by, and until next time!!

Let's have a Ball!

I love the fall time. I am not sure the reasons for it, but there is just such a special feeling about it. Going off these fun special feelings, our family is starting a fun new tradition.

We were discussing it over on how fun it would be to have our own family annual ball. And what a better time to do it than the fall!

I think the idea of this whole Ball idea clicked for us based on our very first date together way back in high school (it was for a school dance...nonetheless in the fall!)

Then we had our own special dance at our wedding (almost in the fall...)

Then our first full year here at school we went to a Mascaraed Ball, and yes, it was in the Fall!!

Back when I was big and preggo!

With lots of fun decorations!...

So since we have a history with dancing in the fall, and now with a little kiddo (so its harder to get out), we thought it would be fun to make an official family tradition but at home! So here is this years First Jacob Fall Ball in action. . .

This year I actually made it as a surprise, or at least the decorations part, so I timed a decoration run while he was at work, for how long it would take me to put it all together, so for the real night I would know how long I would need while I had Michael run to the store and get something....then SURPRISE! (and it only took me like 7 minutes to whip it all together. . .not bad eh?)

Then here is the decorations of the actual night. ..

You can't have a Ball without a disco ball! I made this by making a paper mache balloon, let it dry, then I wrapped it/glued tin foil on, then I cut up old CDs and glued them on, Wall-ah! A lovely disco ball we can now use for other future balls too!

Then I spread our lovely dance floor with fake rose petals that I got for a $1 at the dollar store, and cut out with construction paper flowers and hearts

Then to have some more fun in reminiscing of our past, since we had a carriage at our wedding. . . .

I made a little carriage as part of the decorations and we also looked at the book Michael made to propose to me with inside our carriage. All I did for this was get large white poster board, cut them out like wheels, then I put our big exercising ball on our dinning table and threw a fitted sheet over the top to hold the ball in place and to give it a fun rounded sort of look. . . .

What do you think? I also thumb tacked sheets to the ceiling to give some fun draping looks (I know its a little cheesy, but that's why its at home for just our family :)

Then remember our little bench? I took off the leaves from my fall decorations and Velcroed hearts to it, then I also tapped stars to the leaves I hung.

Then also at the dollar store I found this lovely plastic glass set and little miniature Sparkling Cider (which worked great since I really don't like soda type stuff, this little thing was the perfect size!)

Then I displayed our lovely crowns, from our wedding, and we wore them later for fun!

I also made us little white sign things. . . . I can't think of what they are called, but you know, the things Miss America wears, well I made some for us too, just for fun! :)

It was "Royally" a fun night! This year Addie didn't join us for our Fall Ball cuz I think she is too little to enjoy and she was in bed, but come next year and on, this won't just be a fun date night, it will become a family event!

Anyway, so there you have it! Sorry for not posting this last week, it got a little busy trying to cram on finishing our costumes. .. which I finally finished! And will also share those with you this week too! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Window Seat Bench

We have had this coffee table for a while, and I actually have some sentimental closeness to it because my mother gave it to me. We don't really use it, and it actually gets in the way a lot of the time, but I wasn't ready to let it go because of its sentimental nature, so I changed it up a little and made myself a window seat!

I love windows, I love natural lighting, and I love that this apartment has such big spacious windows to let it all in! Well what a more better place to put a window seat than right in front of this huge lovely windows. It is my alternative for not have a real window seat (ya know like those cool ones that actually indent and even more when they have the cool little cupboard type thing below the cushion- now those are neat, and I really want one in my dream house some day!- but until then, this is what I got) 

So here is the lovely coffee table, it isn't bad, it just needs a change. It worked great for this little project because it is oak, so it is strong and hefty, fully capable to seat people on it

This little project only cost me $15, for what it cost to get the padding. This was a twin size mattress foam, I found it was cheaper to buy the bed foam, than to buy the actually bench/pillow foam from the craft department

I laid it out and cut it to fit- I also added a little of my own extra cotton for a little more padding, especially around sharper edges

With the assistant of my lovely strong husband and staple gun we stapled on this simple tan material. This was the little set-up I had for a few days...but it needed something, and the green legs needed to go, they just don't match the rest of the furniture (and I like Matchy-matchy!)

So I recovered the blue pillows (i had two, even though only one was shown above), so they will be matchy matchy, and then I had some extra foam an made me some round arm like pillows

Getting rid of the green, it is just too bright for my taste :)

The green has been toned down and the pillows are set. With the brilliant suggestion from my husband, I made straps for the arm pillows to help them hold in place, as seen below

I made these cute little flower deal-os with button holes on them so they could be attached, and then I put straps on to tie around. Because they are just buttoned on, I can take them off if I feel like they don't really go

Wall-a! A new little seat to add to our home! I can't decide how I like the pillow arrangements- but I guess that is what great about pillows, is they aren't permanent and they change around as quickly as my fickle mind :)

Hope you enjoyed! I had lots of fun with this one! Thanks for visiting this way and I hope you have a happy-full-of-natural-lighting sort of day!

Until next time....