Ticking & Toile

Sorry, sorry ~ I captured your attention under {almost} false pretenses.  I promised I wouldn’t show any more of the Christmas things I’m making, but I had to share the stockings I made up for the hubs and I.

Ticking for him and toile for me!  I did a regular cuff on his and I gave mine a little ruffle instead of a cuff, but using the same black and white check fabric.

I’m sorry to say he wasn’t impressed, so I had to turn to my bloggy friends!

I love them and I can’t wait to put them up come Christmas decorating time.

In case you’re wondering, I got all the fabrics for these two stockings at fabric.com.

Meanwhile, I have also started on the other stockings that will be divided up between three places now.  My Etsy, my booth, and now a gift shop for a Dickens Festival in December.  I was invited to display and sell my things in the gift shop for the Dickens Festival at St. Anne’s Hill Historic District in Dayton, Ohio.  I’m honored to have been invited, but that means I need to keep my nose to the grindstone on making holiday themed items.  A little hard to do when it is 80 degrees outside! 

Shutters In The Guest Room

And I’m not talking about on the windows!  I found these shutters at a recent estate sale for $2.00.  Of course, dummy me, I should have bought a few sets even if I just sold them in my booth. 

I picked out a set of white {they had white and yellow} to save me some time on painting them.  When I got them home I took them apart, removed the hinges, and washed them down.

I found a set of wood embellishments in my craft room.  I try and pick up a couple when I’m buying them for a project so I have something on hand.  A package of two was $1.99.

I painted the embellishments white with craft paint, added a glaze of brown craft paint and water, glued them to the top of the shutters with wood glue, and, once they dried, I hung them up in my guest bedroom over the nightstands. 

These are a bit narrow, but if I find the new mirror I have pictured in my head for the dining area, two of the three I have in the dining area now will be painted white and moved in here.  Then I will move the shutters into the master bedroom over our night tables, where I think the narrowness will work better.  So, it all works out.

I hung them with the open/close control piece to the back and where the slats can hold things like pictures.  I stuck pictures from my son’s college graduation in June in so you can get the idea.

I think it adds a little interest to this wall.  It is also making me think about getting the black armoire in here painted already.  I’ve put it off way too long now and I know I am procrastinating about it, because it will be an all day affair.

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for a wreath from Balsam Hill!  Going on now until August 30th!

Linking up with

Blissful Whites Wednesday at Timewashed

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

A Balsam Hill Wreath & A Giveaway

This Giveaway Has Ended.

I have a wonderful giveaway for you today and I am really looking forward to it!  Not only is it lovely and in plenty of time for the holidays, but we haven’t had a giveaway in a long time here on my little blog.  Today I wanted to share with you a wreath I got from the folks at Balsam Hill. 

This wreath is the Cranbrook Orchard Wreath.  A nice big size and beautifully decorated.  I snapped a few pictures of it in three areas of my home, but there are so many others I could think to use it in.  First up, the traditional front door look.

This wreath definitely says “Welcome”!  It makes for an inviting holiday entrance for your guests, friends, and family coming to your home.

Another area I set it up in was on one of the mirrors in our dining area. 

Finally, I tried it on one of the French doors into our sunroom. 

I also thought it would look good over a fireplace mantel, over a bed, in a bathroom, outside your front door, or anywhere you want to bring a touch of the holidays.  The nice thing about this wreath is that, because it is decorated, this one piece alone can bring that holiday feel anywhere, even without adding anything else to the area.

The wreath is very full and the embellishments are attached very well.  The colors are wonderful!  It is packed and shipped in a good sturdy box.  Here are a few others that caught my eye.

Now for the giveaway!  The generous folks at Balsam Hill are giving away a wreath to one of my readers!  You get a choice from this selection or this selection.  Don’t worry if you don’t win, they are also offering my readers 10% off Balsam Hill products {coupon code: CREATIVEHOMEEXPRESSIONS10}.

To enter:

Leave me a comment telling me which wreath is your favorite from the Balsam Hill site {links above}.  Make sure you leave me a way to contact you if you do not have a blog.  Winner will have 72 hours to confirm once I have contacted you, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.  Winner will be chosen via random.org.  This giveaway will end on Saturday, August 31, 2013, at midnight EST.

These next few months go by quickly, so wouldn’t it be great to have one less thing to check off your list!

This Giveaway Has Ended.

 

I received a wreath from Balsam Hill to review; all opinions are my own.

Last Week’s Garage Sale Finds

It was a good week and a bad week for me with garage sales.  Good because I did find quite a few things, but they are all fairly small and for me.  Bad because I didn’t find one piece of furniture {that was reasonably priced} to make over and put in my booth.  Here is what I did come home with.

A bit more up close and with some prices for you.

I finally found a  pair of ice skates ~ $2.00!  I’ve already got visions of how I’m going to embellish them {which might include the jingle bells {$.50} and/or Let It Snow {$.50} I also picked up} and where I’m going to put them for this Christmas.

The ceramic pumpkin {$3.00} will be going to my booth {maybe}.  It is probably the only Fall thing I have so far for the booth.   While washing it I thought it might look good on top of the tablecloth {below} as a Fall centerpiece.  It has “cut outs” but it doesn’t hold a candle.  I also knew this witch was coming home with me as soon as I saw her.  Especially for $1.00!

Can’t resist a handsome snowman!  I found these two at an estate sale.  The cream and brown one {$1.00} I thought would go good on the chest in our dining area {since I have cream and brown in that area}; the bigger, colorful one {3.00} holds a tealight candle and I’m sure will look pretty lit up.  A black metal urn, which I could probably use somewhere in my living room.  For 50 cents I’ll figure it out!

I was so surprised and delighted to find this Irish linen tablecloth and four napkins set.  For $5.00 I just had to get it and the brown will also go well in our dining area.  I’m picturing this with my Johnson’s Brothers Friendly Village dishes.  It doesn’t look like it was ever even used!

This window frame mirror, which I will probably just paint white or Old White.  This is for the booth.

A picture, which I bought for the frame.  I’ll take the picture out and paint up the frame.  I will probably make it some kind of memo board.

Some really pretty lace for $4.00.  It looks like it is about 3 or 4 yards worth.  That will come in handy on different sewing projects, I’m sure.  This cute little wood ornament {$1.00}.  It looks vintage but written on the bottom it says “1991”.  This will go to my booth.

An anniversary clock for $4.00.  Worth it for me taking it apart and making it into a cloche/display piece.  I’m not sure if I will keep it or put it in the booth.

It looks like I won out over the booth this time!

Linking up with

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

 

The Creative Home & Garden Hop

Welcome to The Creative Home & Garden Hop!  The Creative Home & Garden Hop is hosted by me and,

Mary from Back to the Basics and Mary’s Kitchen

Alison from Mumtopia

and Lisa Lynn from The Little Homestead On The Hill

That means that when you link up your posts each week, they will be viewed by even more people! Each host will be sharing her own picks for Featured Bloggers. This gives everyone a better chance of being featured and increases your exposure to new readers. Be sure to check all of our blogs to see if you were featured!

I love this messenger bag sewn by Marci from Stone Cottage Adventures!  I could use something like this myself!

Love the change that Mary Alice over at Chateau Chic made in her kitchen!

Don’t forget to visit the other co-hosts to see who they have featured.

If you were featured, feel free to grab the button and share it on your blog!

Now, on to your latest creations!

• Share up to 3 of your Creative Home and Garden posts. Etsy sellers are welcome to share here too.
• Please link back to the hop in your post. If you don’t take a couple of seconds to do this, you won’t be featured. You can grab our cute button or use a text link in your post. Thanks for sharing the hop with others!
• Pretty please, with cherries on top, go visit as many of the other bloggers posting as you can! The whole point of a hop is to build a community of like minded bloggers who share and support each other. We all love to hear from our visitors, so please leave thoughtful and kind comments when you visit!
• Link your posts once. Please do not link the same post you linked last week! Let’s keep it fresh and fun!
• By linking your posts here you are assuring us that all images and contents are your own, or you have permission to share them. You are also agreeing to let us share your post and images on social media and our blogs.
• Happy hopping!

I’m looking forward to seeing all your links!