The Stockings Were Hung......and a Giveaway!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes of Saint Nicholas soon would be there.
Okay, okay, HINT: You need to use your mouse here.
Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!
About right now everyone—especially little children—are awaiting the night when in a few days the wonder and awe of Christmas will be upon us. I was late in coming up with this idea but it's better late than never. I made these stockings many years ago now to sell but they never did. Trust me, I can't imagine why because they are quite adorable. Just not meant to be I guess. Anyway, I wanted to keep them but I don't need three of them, so I'm giving one away. I love them all equally but one is smaller than the other two so I'm giving that one away. No, it won't be in time for Christmas this year, but what's wrong with having it for next year? In fact, you could absolutely display it all year long. It's a shabby chic, romantic, darling stocking after all. ;-)

Now, as I've said, in my eBay group I've had giveaways but I wanted to challenge them. I didn't want to make it too simple and easy. ;-) So here are the giveaway rules.

1. You must reside in the U.S. It has gotten too risky sending them to other countries. I've lost 3 items in sending them to Peru, France and Canada. I'm truly sorry but I hate to see something get lost as I feel a responsibility to replace it and it had gotten lost twice in going to France. That was an item paid for but I still made good on it. I can't afford to do that anymore.

2. You must be a follower of mine. It's really very simple to just sign up on the sidebar. You can gain many privileges by doing that. :-) You just never know when I'm having a giveaway and I can promise you that you'll never be disappointed in what I'm giving away. Items are being made this very day for future giveaways. It gives me pleasure to do this.

3. You must leave a comment on this post. Now, how much easier can that be, chicks? ;-)

4. There is a secret hidden in this blog post and you have to identify it and tell me what it is. THAT'S a little bit tougher for you, but if you put on your thinking cap you CAN get it. Don't you just love these games?! Hah. I did tell you that I was going to challenge you though, didn't I? Hmmmmm???

The contest will end on Christmas Eve at 7 pm. I'll draw a name at that time. We'll see how many can guess the secret.

This is the one to be given away. While smaller than the other two, it is still a big size. The other two are just huge!

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An Interesting Day and a Little Known Fact...

Being home alone today while the hubs was out running his trains down at his model RR club, I was crafting most of the day. Well, crafting, photograhing and pre-scheduling blog posts and surfing blogs while sitting here and receiving emails from bloggers. I noticed one blogger was having a birthday—yeah, right at the Christmas season; ain't that th' pits!—and I stopped to wish her a happy birthday. Then after a few emails I asked her if she'd like to see what I was doing today and I don't think she understood. It turned into a bit of a laugh for me because I started thinking about how pathetic we are when we sit at the computer most of the day communicating with people across the U.S. we've never met and probably never will. I had to chuckle when most of the women I know best are in my computer—either on the blogs or my eBay group. I do have a very good real friend but she moved an hour away about 4 years ago but we talk daily about our lives, children and our spirituality and how it's going and what we should do to be better women of faith. So to all of you who are finding that most of your better relationships are in the computer, let's hear it for the man who started the internet: J.C.R. Licklider, who came up with the idea in the early 60s and Lawrence Roberts, who was the first man to send a communication in 1965—over dial up. Yes, it's only that old, chicks.

Ooooh, yeah, almost forgot. I made this new tree topper today for our tree. You will never, ever see a blog post from me without some form of "eye candy"! :-)

I did actually switch it out myself with the other one. Hubs will be proud of me for not asking him to do it! ;-)


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A Quiet Day for Me

A friend in my eBay group made this for me. I tell you they spoil me rotten! Kates, my nickname for her, does silk ribbon embroidery and the most elegant things. I can't even begin to thank her for this little mitten she made. It is on my pink and white tree this year.
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These little wreaths are easy to make. Wrap a foam wreath with white ribbon. Then make the flowers out of any color wired ribbon you want. I've done wired ribbon flowers for years. Strip the wire from one side and shape into a round flower and attach to the wreath. Glue on and then add a sparkly button to the center. Lastly, add a length of ribbon for hanging and add something like this button for a little pizzazz and hang.

This one you could make by cutting 4" x 4" little squares of felt with pinking shears, taking a screwdriver and carefully sticking them in a straw wreath and adding whatever embellishments you'd like. Use any color you want.

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Pretty Rooms for Pink Saturday 12/19/09

Happy Pink Saturday. Join Beverly at howsweetthesound to view the other participants. I think you'll enjoy it.

Again, Beverly has asked us to share something and this time it is our holiday traditions. I'm not much into "traditions" for the holidays. I'm pretty much "easy does it" with that, plus I don't bake anymore because hubs and I certainly don't need the extra goodies but he is very specific about the food and it is rather easy also: turkey, mashed potatoes, candied yams, peas, waldorf salad, cranberry sauce, dressing and pie of course. If one thing varies, he misses it! He is such a traditionalist when it comes to his food. If we are invited out for that holiday and one of the things on our menu isn't on our hostess' menu then he doesn't consider it a "real Thanksgiving meal." He's so funny on this, but gotta love th' man for being so sentimental and he is nothing if not sentimental! ;-)
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There isn't much pink in this room but it was so attractive I couldn't let it go by without showing you what just a touch of "the most favorite color in the world" can do to a vintage room.

These walls are about the color of mine and that looks like a Laura Ashley fabric to me. Beautiful, romantic and feminine.

Pink and yellow is my favorite color combination. I've always loved it above all others. They simply complement each other beautifully and dramatically.

No pink here but isn't this room just glowing? It sets a mood as no other room can. Picture yourself on Christmas day in this room. Magnificent!

And now for a few modern day photos of red and/or Christmas rooms.

White, red and pink. Is this not lovely? While modern in a sense, it also speaks to a farmhouse style for its occupants. Darling!

I could definitely find solace in this eye-catching room.

A love red and white stunning vignette. Rich, luxurious and yet very homey.

You would sparkle in this dining setting. Glorious!

Would a guest not feel like a queen in this retreat? I would certainly love to be able to offer my guests this luxury.

Everyone should try a red bedroom at least once in their lives. I had a red wall in our family room in California. The room had a huge bay window and all the people walking by on the sidewalk would just stand and stare at it. Hubs and I would giggle at their reactions. It was quite flattering for them to stop, point and talk among themselves about it.
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Season of My Heart

Merry Christmas. For this post I decided to simply post things that are close to my heart this season.

Anything under a glass cloche. White pumpkins are the best outside of pink pumpkins. ;-)

Sterling silver with red accoutrements.

Our Home Teacher from our church gifted us with a huge canister of pistachios—my favorite nut.

Gift giving is not on our list anymore. I have every single thing I need and very few wants. But the beautiful wrapping on presents sends my heart aloft to heaven. *Sigh*...

Coconut cookies are my favorite ones outside of snickerdoodles. I loooooove coconut. Plus polka dots are one of my favorite patterns.

Little sugar cookies in pretty or unusual shapes set my heart aflutter. Plus having them pass my lips is a sense beyond description!

Family and snow scenes.

Hydrangeas are one of my top 3 favorite flowers.

Bright candy apple red pottery vases set me aglow also.

Silver glittered pine cones. Pink ones are beautiful, but the silver ones remind me mostly of the reason for this season—the Savior of mankind.

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