Christmas houses sparkleI bought myself a Tattered Angels paint system on clearance a few weeks ago. I had no idea what to expect. Honestly, I think I was trying to get my craft order to qualify for free shipping…not from Amazon.

I painted a base layer with gesso then standard craft paints…wiping a bit back with baby wipes.  Then it was time to try out each paint in the set.

I really like the way the green turned out, I was skeptical when I was painting with it. The color is called Dirty Martini….it may be that in itself that makes me love it more. :)

Anyway…lots of  experimentation going on here.

20131222_3825 20131222_3826These are an annual tradition in our house.  It’s awesome since they cost nothing and the kids love them as much as any other gift!!

I found a printable on Pinterest for these.  It appears to have disappeared otherwise I’d be happy to give credit where credit is due. Bummer…I even checked my browser history…can’t find it.

I dressed the coupons up with rubber stamping and ribbon.

We usually have a board game night and a movie night each week. The coupon book gives them an extra vote should they choose to turn in that coupon.

I wonder which kid will be the first to redeem a coupon. :)

 

 

 

Merry Christmas

The turkey is thawed and about to go in the oven.  My mom is coming today to celebrate Christmas with us.  The house is all decked in Christmas decor so I thought I’d give a little glimpse into my world.

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We bought a new tree last year on clearance. It’s taller and thinner than the old tree. I let the kids do the decorating this year. They selected all their special ornaments…mostly ones that they’d made in school. It’s a very homespun tree this year.

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The presents are all wrapped and under the tree. Once again I drive the kids crazy by not putting their names on the gifts.  I use a new system each year to keep track. This year it involves washi tape.  The names will be on the gifts Christmas morning.

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Seasonally, I tend change up this side table in our family room game area.

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Little J has been hard at work creating mini star books as ornaments for our twig tree.  You can see one of my treasured Nisse Dolls in the background. They are basically Norwegian elves.

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A little closer look at my part of my tree collection.

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And the smallest poinsettia I’ve ever seen. It’s real!! One of my brunch guests last week brought them for each of us. It’s so cute!!

gingerbread house

And last but certainly not least is the gingerbread house that I baked up yesterday. I free hand cut the pieces and miraculously they fit pretty good. Nothing so bad that a little royal icing couldn’t handle.  Little J and daddy did all the decorating. It looks awesome!!!!!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

20131222_3847 20131222_3848I’ve been having trouble feeling the love for my door journal. I think it has to do with the binding…specifically the tightness of it.  A few of the pages don’t turn very well…in fact, I may remove them.

While returning some library books last week, I spotted this one on the free shelf.  It’s a nice system…they have a little cash box there for a goodwill donation. You can even place books you want to be rid of there. The money goes back into the library system.  I hope when the new library opens they continue that shelf.  But I digress.

I picked this book since it is quite a bit bigger than my current art journal book as you can see. The spine is very flexible and I believe it will stand up well to oodles of paint.

I like to leave the plastic covers on these books until I’m done. It just protects them a little better. Then I’ll do something with the covers. So many options including covering with fabric, paint or papers. We’ll see what strikes me when we get there.

snowman teaGood Morning!!

I actually made it at a regular time for T stands for Tuesday blog hop. Hooray!

I had to share my new snowman mug.  I got it from one of my craft club friends. It’s huge and I love it!!! Thanks Amanda!!

Today is filled with cleaning and errands. I’m hosting a brunch for 9 here tomorrow. Everyone is bringing something so the cooking part isn’t hard…it’s getting my house ready for guests. Especially since many of them have never been here. First impressions and all. After this…they get what they get. :P

What are you doing today?

spritz treatsIt feels as if it’s been non-stop production this weekend. In realty, it wasn’t. I was taken out by a toothache. It had started early in the week but hit the pinnacle of painful yesterday evening.

Today it seems to be better…quickly knocking on wood…but I’m sure a visit to the dentist is in order.

Under the piles if bugle bells and peanut butter on ritz dipped treats are white chocolate dipped pretzels.

Needless to say…I won’t be indulging on these sweet treats. But seriously…I didn’t need a bum tooth to make me stop…or did I?

 

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