Decorating for a New Year's Eve Party – Part Two

There are plenty of banners available at party stores that you could hang near the entry way of your home or even outside the front door. You can make a banner too, if you are the artistic type. A metallic banner can match a more sophisticated theme. If you are having a party where there will be lots of kids, consider having them make the banner as well as the noise makers. All they will need to make a fun banner is a large piece of construction paper, stencils, and markers.

Centerpieces on the tables are a nice touch that can really make your decorating stand out. There is no need to buy one already put together, because there are plenty of ways you can put together a cheap centerpiece yourself that will look great. Floating candles shaped like flower blossoms in glass bowls can look great, just add some glass rocks to the bottom of the bowl in a color that matches your theme. You could also just use a simple bouquet of flowers as a centerpiece in colors that match your theme. Or, place several pillar candles on a pretty plate and fill the gaps in the plate with small clear Christmas ornaments with the hooks removed. The idea is that the clear ornaments will look like bubbles. You can vary this idea by using champagne bottles in place of the candles, or you can mix the two up.

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Ending With A Buy

What better way to end the year than with a thrift store makeover?
If you don't know by now, there are certain groups of items that I have a hard time resisting when I thrift store shop. I love white plates and vases, bowls, old glassware, clocks, metalware, and baskets. So when I saw this little item it caught my eye.How could I pass up such an interesting metal basket? Look at those little details on the corners! I'm not sure what they were meant for, but I immediately had an idea for what I would do.As much as I loved the original galvanized metal finish, there were spots of rust that didn't look very pretty. So out came the black spray paint. Yes, I still manage to do a little spraying even with snow outside!
Next, I took a trip to a shop that sells chemistry supplies (another fun place to shop!) and I purchased some test tubes for fifty cents a piece. I was so excited when I found out they fit perfectly into those corner pockets.Now I have an unusual, yet very pretty way to serve dishes at my holiday buffet!

I wish you all
A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SAFE
NEW YEAR!!!
Thank you SO MUCH for your friendship!

Decorating for a New Year's Eve Party – Part One

Hosting a New Year's Eve party often includes decorating for the night. Decorating doesn't have to be a huge deal, there are several ways you can decorate easily and quickly without having to spend too much money.

First you should pick a theme to go with. Many New Year's Eve parties are adults only, in which case you may want to choose a different theme than if the party is going to be a neighborhood party including children. Fun hats and noisemakers are pretty much a must for either type of party, since kids and adults both get a kick out of these items.

However, especially if you are going to have a lot of kids at your party, you might not want to hand out the noise makers until a few minutes before midnight unless you don't mind all of the racket kids will make with them. Another option if there are going to be lots of children at your party is to recruit them to make the noisemakers as a craft. Have them fill coffee cans with uncooked rice or change. Then they can cover the coffee cans with construction paper with designs drawn on. Hats you should hand out right away. Masks can add a sophisticated air to your party.

Balloons are a cheap way to add some color to your decorating. You can always find balloons in colors that will match your theme. Silver balloons will look classier, colorful balloons will look good for a neighborhood party.

Check back tomorrow for part two of this blog.

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A Little New Year Decor

Almost every year I like to decorate
a small New Year's tree.
It's a fun little tradition to help celebrate the new year.I make it as glitzy and sparkly as possible
with silver and mirrored ornaments and foil streamers.A few years ago I found some ornaments
that look like champagne bottles
(we prefer to think they're non-alcoholic)
with "Happy New Year" written on them.
I bought little glitter "cheers" words for 70% off.I top the tree with a metal horn, and add more horns
on the branches and tucked at the base.Won't this look great as the centerpiece
for the holiday buffet?

The Greatest Christmas Gift Ever Given

"Never has anyone offered so much to so many
in so few words as when

Jesus said, 'Here am I, send me.' "
---Neal Maxwell

Wishing You a Very
Merry Christmas!

Last Minute Christmas Decorations – Part Two

Greeting cards are something that you already have on hand that can easily be used for decorating. You can even use cards from past holiday seasons if you don’t have enough for decorating from this season. Display them on your mantle among sprigs of greenery. Use a hole punch in the corner of each card and string them along a wall.

Gifts that are already wrapped make great decorations. Spend a little extra time wrapping your gifts nicely, and you can use them for decorating also. Make sure to use bows and ribbon if you want to go the extra mile. Place some gifts under the tree as usual, but display others around the house in different places too.


Stack a couple of gifts on an end table, or place a few along your mantle. Place a stack of gifts near your entry way or place a few above your kitchen cabinets.

If you like the idea of decorating with gifts, but don’t have enough around, you can always wrap a few empty boxes. If you want to diversify the theme a little more, you can wrap ribbon around your throw pillows and place a bow in the center to make your pillows look like gifts.

Place a few candy canes in a simple clear glass cup or a small vase. Tie small red ribbons around the necks of the candy canes and display them on your mantle or end table.

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Last Minute Christmas Decorations – Part One

There isn’t very much time to finish decorating for Christmas. If you are hosting a Christmas get together at your house, you may want to do some speedy and cheap decorating. Never fear, there are several things you could do very quickly.

For Christmas dinner if you don’t have any Christmas plates or settings, you can use plain white plates. Use a red or white tablecloth, or use red or white place mats. Then, place one round glass ornament on each plate. This looks classier if you use just one color for all of the ornaments, and it looks more fun and happy if you use several colors. You can even use a variety of ornament types for a more sentimental look. If you want to get more elaborate, you can use small ornaments along with the large ornaments and even add seasonal greenery or colored tinsel.

Next, place a glass or silver pedestal cake stand in the center of the table and fill it with ornaments that match the ornaments you have on the plates.

If you want a more fancy centerpiece for your kitchen table, try placing cream or white colored pillar candles and tapered candles in a ceramic or metal bowl. Fill the spaces between them in the bottom half of the bowl with newspaper. On top of the newspaper place shiny ornaments in the bowl until it is overflowing with them. Silver ornaments and beads look really nice. Then, right when your guests sit down to dinner you can light the candles. Just make sure to blow them out when you’re done, since this display of candles might not be totally steady.
Check back soon for part two of this blog.

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It Takes A Village

The living room tree is known as "mom's tree" because, traditionally, I really enjoy decorating it by myself. I turn on Christmas music and wax nostalgic as I hang the real glass ornaments. Many remind me of the ones from my childhood. Usually I break at least one ornament every year, and if I don't, then our cat or a son does. I chalk it up as part of the Christmas tradition. Fortunately, most ornaments were purchased on clearance or at the thrift store, so I don't make a fuss. This year the tradition changed a bit. I was blessed to have my newly married daughter and son-in-law help decorate the tree. It's so fun to have them here visiting. And, I enjoyed EVERY minute of their help.
After the tree is decorated, the real fun begins. The village gets placed underneath the tree (which is why our tree is on stilts). It's a tradition to have my boys set up the train track before the houses get placed. If you look very closely (click the picture to enlarge) you'll notice lego men on the train track. That's a tradition too! Right after everything is finished, my boys have each enjoyed giving their toys train rides. . .or train crashes.My kids have all grown up with the village as part of our Christmas tradition. We like to lie on our tummies and tell stories about all of the village people. Every year there are certain villagers who have to go in the exact same place.
Santa and the elves are always high on the "mountain" so they can look to see who's been naughty or nice.The kissing couple, my daughter's favorite, always go in the gazebo. The "rich lady" is always leaving her large home to go on a trip for the holidays. The dog always chases the boy on the bike. . .except for the year that my third son decided he needed that little dog and would take it to his room to play. The family is always place by the nativity scene at the church as a reminder of our Christmas Eve tradition of going as a family to see the lights of the city and hear the story of the birth of Christ.I hand painted some of the villagers many years ago. None of the houses cost very much. Super glue is used to repair something almost every year. Our village isn't all that special, but the traditions and the memories associated with it are very, very special and dear to our family.

How Does Your Tree Stand?

The kitchen tree stands proudly in an old crock.It's decorated with fake gingerbread cookies,
cookie cutters, glass candy ornaments
and vintage pieces from a child's kitchen set.The tree in our stairwell sits in a burlap sack
with it's red ornaments and red bead garland.The tree in my daughter's/guest room
stands a top a pretty plant stand. It's decorated with all things girly and pastel.The orphan tree in the bathroom window
sits humbly in an old tin can.The family room tree is in a rusty metal garden urn. It's decorated with ornaments
made or given to us by family and friends,
as well as the cute toy kind.The tree in the computer room has been
plopped in a big basket.It's decorated with stuffed Christmas bears,
felt stockings & mittens and red wooden bead garland.The living room tree, the largest in our home,
stands on a stilt-like box. This helps it look taller and
also serves another purpose.
BUT. . . .
you'll have to come back tomorrow to see.

Dining Delights

I apologize for being so sporadic with my posts these last few weeks. While most people were Christmas decorating and shopping, I decided to make-over my daughter's room. Yes, I know I'm crazy, but look at it this way, I'll have posts to share during the long, cold days of January.I finally finished tweaking the decorations in the dining room. I hung little wreaths on the china cabinet, this time I used beads instead of ribbon. Actually the wreaths are hanging on those little stick-on hangers and the bead string is just taped to the backside of the door. In the kitchen, the wreaths are actually hanging by the ribbon that's tacked on the back of the cabinet.I placed some mirrors on the long shelf/mantle (I've been gathering mirrors to hang a wall of mirrors in the stairwell). I pulled together a bunch of apothecary jars and vases and placed them on the shelf. I poured "snow" into the jars, which is actually Epsom salt from the dollar store. I added strings of white lights along the shelf and trailing in and out of the jars and vases. Then I piled in vintage ornaments and strings of silver beads.
I love the finished look. It's even more beautiful at night.

Decorate for the Holidays Inexpensively - Part Two

Tea light candles are extremely cheap. You can find them at dollar stores easily most of the time. Use tea light candles in clean glass jars. The jars can even be recycled jars that your food items came in, such as applesauce jars or mayonnaise jars. Tie a red, silver, green, or sparkly ribbon around the neck of the jar. Group a few of these candles together on end tables or a mantle for an easy, pretty decoration.

Try looking at thrift stores or discount stores for teddy bears or other holiday animals. Put them through the wash, and most of them will look brand new. When they're dry, tie colorful ribbons around their necks. Next, collect various sizes of boxes from shoebox size down. Wrap them in colorful wrapping paper and tie pretty bows around them. Display these present boxes with the teddy bears for an adorable decorating scheme. Try gluing a box under a bear's arm, or have a bear sitting on a present.

Hang a few ornaments or a few strands of tinsel from a chandelier. You can add a few pieces of greenery too, tied on with ribbon.

Use acrylic paint and some seasonally shaped sponges that you can find in a craft store to decorate your windows. Colors like white, red, green, gold, or silver look very festive. This can be a fun project that kids might like to participate in too.

Christmas tree ornaments can be used in places other than just your tree. Try picking out several ornaments that are the same color and putting them in a small decorative bowl on your mantle or on an end table.

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Blessed With Good Friends

It's such a blessing when you find a good friend! Someone who is always there to laugh and cry with, to listen as you vent your frustrations, who cheers you on, and inspires you to be a better person.
It's an extra special blessing when your husband finds a good friend in your friend's husband.
What kind of Christmas gift do you give to your friends to show your love and appreciation?
How about a personally designed, hand built entry table made from a door.The shelf on the bottom is specially designed to house the family's shoes when they take them off as they enter their home.Don't be too impressed with our gift. We delivered this table unfinished, unsanded, and with a gallon of paint. Minutes before the delivery I called my friend. I told her that I had started too many projects and asked if she would be willing to help me finish one. Without hesitation, and not even knowing how big the project might be, she replied, "I'd be happy to help you out!" That's what I call a good friend!

Decorate for the Holidays Inexpensively - Part One

Many people do not have a lot in their budget for holiday decorating this year. But, you would be surprised how many nice decorations you can create very inexpensively. You may not end up needing to buy any full priced decorations.

Before you buy any decorations or any materials for the following ideas, or spend any time making any of these decorations, take the time to plan out your decorating theme. This can save you time and money that you might spend experimenting, so it makes sense to plan. Some people like to decorate with a more classy looking theme, consisting of a lot of white, clear, silver and shimmery decorations. Some people may find this boring and opt to decorate using more vibrant colors in a toy land theme for example. Some people like to go with a more subtle cabin or ski lodge decoration scheme that will look warm and cozy.

Use what you can for free from your back yard. Trim small branches from pine trees and gather pine cones and holly. These can all be used to make a centerpiece, or to decorate a mantle. Pine cones can be spray painted with gold, silver, or sparkley paint.
Pine tree branches can be used as an accent to almost any decoration, and they smell nice too, so be liberal when you are gathering them. If you have bird houses in your back yard that are going to waste during the cold months, bring them inside. Wash them off, and tie ribbons around them. Add a couple small pine branches, and you have a beautiful hanging decoration.

Check back soon for part two of this blog.

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Quickly Ready your Home for Guests

Getting your home ready for guests can turn into a big ordeal. Here are a few bare essentials you can take care of quickly that will make your home look plenty ready for guests during the holidays.

First, go outside and look at what your guests will see as they walk to your front door. If there are any ice patches to spread salt on or snow to be shoveled take care of that first. Maybe the front house light is burned out and in need of replacement. Set a couple of planters out front with Christmas plants in them such as poinsettias. Big red bows around your porch railing can look very festive and are quick and easy to tie.

Now, open the front door and check out the view. Often we have our favorite jackets, snow hats, and mittens hung over railings or on the counter tops. Gather these things up and put them away for now. You can easily get them all out again as soon as your company is gone.

Clear out a few coats from the coat closet so guests can hang their coats in it. Make room on the floor of your coat closet for guests to keep their shoes. This is especially handy if you have a dog who eats guests' shoes like I do.

Make sure there are plenty of chairs available for guests to sit in. Make sure your couches don't have excessive pillows decorating them that don't leave enough room for sitting.

Don't sweat the details on cleaning. Just wipe down visible surfaces and inside sinks. Make sure there is toilet paper, and clean the toilet if it looks dirty. Fluff the guest pillows and vacuum and sweep if you can see the floors are dirty.

Light candles and a fire if you have a fireplace as a final touch.

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Dollar Store Martha

I have always loved the festive look of

simple wreaths hanging from kitchen cabinetry. There is something so "Martha" about it.
I decided that I could still have that Martha look,
even without Martha's pocket book or her staff. Don't you just love the dollar store!

Old and Dear

Every Christmas there are certain decorations that I take out and display first, even before a single tree goes up. I've had them for years and they're very dear to me. None of them cost a lot, but they mean a lot to me.A vintage looking Santa, given to me more than twenty years ago by my mother. I love him. A few years back, he had a little mishap. Thank goodness for super glue.
I love to stand him next to the little family of carolers that I bought for myself many, many years ago when I had just two children.A buggy filled high with gifts and a happy couple, given to me several years ago by my mother-in-law. Each of these decorations, with their vintage look, remind me of years gone by when Christmas was a lot less chaotic.I always display them together in a prominent place in my home. And even though my decorating tastes have changed over the years, these decorations still bring a smile to my face and warm my heart when I unpack them from their boxes.
Do you have a favorite decoration that you enjoy bringing out each Christmas?

Simply Sweet

I KNOW that I am so very blessed
to have one of the
sweetest daughters in the world!!!!!!!
Thank You My Darling Daughter!

(For all of you young mommies who are struggling through temper tantrums, that last post is evidence that they DO grow out of it and turn into WONDERFUL adults. So have patience, and give them an extra hug on those days when that's the last thing you want to give them.)

Speaking of sweet, I thought I'd share some sweet little scenes from around my home.