Here she Is.......

 Miss America!!! Yeah right!!!

I know I have been slacking in posts , but with the holidays there just was not enough time.

 So....... what to show , what to show.....

How about this traveling beauty kit? I got this at an auction a few years back and really have not done anything with it but store it.

Brush, mirrror, and comb all have their special place to prevent moving.

The inner lining is a little dirty but I'm afraid of trying to clean it since it seems to be silk(?)

The handle is also showing signs of dry rot so I do not pick it up by its handle to prevent it from breaking.

Inside the tag reads Miss America travel companion. Was this a token to contestants or just a sponsored item? No clue. I never found another one or even any mention of it in my research. Not that I did a big search though.

No matter it is still something I like no matter what its history.

Joining these parties:

Colorado Lady,

Brambleberry Cottage,

Faith, Grace and Crafts,

Common Ground,

 and My Romantic Home.

Not A Creature Was Stirring

Not even a mouse...?

Well my littlest mouse is though. My daughter is off to see the head mouse in sunny Florida. I have been so busy with getting ready for Christmas along with her trip, that I had little time to post. The high school band is performing at Disney for the parade. It was a early departure at 5:00 am and of course it is snowing for their trip.

I hope every one had a wonderful Christmas! I know some people had a white one where there is hardly ever snow. Both my niece in Tenn. and sister-in-law in NC reported a wonderful Christmas surprise snow. I'm just praying for safe travel to those who have to drive in that mess. We take snow in stride here but other places are not prepared for the removal and conditions associated with snow.

What ever you do be safe!

Merry CHRISTmas!

I hope everyone has a great Christmas full of love and joy!!

JESUS IS THE REASON!

He is our greatest gift!!

Frosty Table

I know everyone is busy getting ready for CHRISTmas, me included. I wanted to show you my kitchen table which I decorated for everyday use with a snowman theme. Nothing fancy, just fun (for the kid in all of us). I usually do the glitzy on Christmas day but until then.

I tried show the actual look of the light from my snowman snow globe as it reflects off the mirrored trees. But it fails to show the full effect.

It really does look better in real life.

I found these plates and snowman mugs and salt & pepper shakers at the dollar store. I love the look without a big price.

The itty bitty snowman is a place card holder. They were an ebay find.

My trees and snow globe are from Big Lots. They had 50% off already so they just had to come home!

These two snowman teapots I have for years. I found these at a local nursery after Christmas sale. Not the usual place to look for decorations but you can find some good leftovers sometimes.

 Frosty here changes colors along with periodically twirling the snow inside.

Cutout snowman embellish the place mats and napkins. Snowman head napkin rings to match. All of which were 50% off  already. I was hoping to find a matching tablecloth but my size was sold out. Maybe next year.....

I'm joining:

A Holiday Haven for a Christmas blog party,

A Stroll Thru Life  for Table Top Tuesday,

and Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

Just One Wish

My Christmas wish is for everyone to have a joyous Christmas filled with family and friends.

Lighted Christmas Present (tuturiol)

Ok, since I had a few people e-mail me on how my lighted presents were made I decided to do a quick how to. By saying quick means also how long it takes to make these. You can find these glass blocks at almost any home building store. Up until recently you had to drill the hole in the side yourself  but I found at Lowes ( I am sure other places have them too ) pre-drilled blocks! What a time saver and hassle free!!! 
 Items needed:

glass block with hole drilled in side

set of 20 light Christmas lights (white or colored )

ribbon 

bow

hot glue gun

scissors

STEP 1:  Stuff the string of lights into the block ( you might need to play with string to get the lights evenly distributed in the block)

sorry got too dark

STEP 2: Cut 2 pieces of your desired ribbon to the size of the block adding extra for a overlap

STEP 3: Hot glue first piece of ribbon to the block ( I put my overlap where the bow will be to hide the ends)

STEP 4: Hot glue the second piece to the block ( I started mine at the edge of the cord and then notched out a piece to go around the cord.)

STEP 5: Hot glue the bow to the top

 All you have to do is plug in to your desired spot and sit back and enjoy your work!! 

These could be used also for other occasions such as baby showers or wedding showers. Just let your creative side run with it!

Be sure to go over to No Minimalist Here with Sherry for her first linky party,
and My Romantic Home.

Oh Christmas Tree!

Since Christmas comes once a year I decided to show a few of my favorite vintage Christmas treasures. First is this Christmas elf. He was the one thing I "stole" when I left home. Not really but he had to come with me. I remember him always among my parents ornaments. Nobody seemed to pay him any attention so I rescued him from the boxes every year and sat him somewhere among the branches. Ahhh childhood memories!

Second are these icicles that my aunt and uncle gave me as they were cleaning up from flooding from hurricane Agnes ? My aunt said she had them for her tree and no longer wanted them The thick ones glow in the dark and give the tree a really cool look after all the lights are turned off for the evening.

  Of course pearls and lace fans are found much to my daughters dislike on the tree.

She says it is time for a new look. Maybe next year when she is in collage. LOL!

 Please stop by Colorado Lady,

Faith, Grace and Crafts,

 Common Ground,

and Hooked on Houses,

also French Country Cottage,

and My Romantic Home,

and How Sweet the Sound,

also The House in the Roses!

Christmas Mantle

I'm slowly getting started decorating for Christmas. I just need a good swift kick. Until I get it all finished I decided to show you my mantle.

 I splurged this year for the pre-lit garland from Lowes. It has such a more natural look about it than cheaper versions. Since my daughter is not a pink fan I did shades of red.

 I added some floral picks and other extras from things  left from previous craft projects.  Ivory bead garland with a few balls  for a more feminine touch were added.

I found this pair of angels at Marshall's and paired them up with my red candlestands from Kmart last year. All in all I'm really pleased with the result. Next time I will have the tree ready and hopefully be able to show it before my daughter tries to de-pink it!

I added 2 "presents" that I made from pre-drilled glass blocks and a string of lights. I hot glued the ribbon on to make a quick easy holiday craft anyone could do.

Be sure to go to Between Naps on The Porch for Susan's Deck The Halls party,

Domestically Speaking for Maryann's Countdown to Christmas party,

 The Lettered Cottage Holiday Home party,

and A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday.