~vintage ornament wreaths~

I have never made one of these gorgeous wreaths,

I think I have always been a little intimidated.

However, I have oodles of these gorgeous vintage ornaments,

so I may have to try one this year! Eddie Ross shows a quick and easy method here.

This one from Hazel Ruthe's.
Here is the one from Eddies blog.
Canadian living shares this fabulous blue and brown wreath!

Allen designs shows this one with all kinds of beautiful colors!

I love incorporating a little pink into the season!

Photo courtesy of Good Housekeeping.

Want to make your photos larger like this?

Head on over here to see how!

Have a great Monday!

xoxo

~beauties~

I hope you all are enjoying a relaxing Sunday!

Last night we went to the 5Th Ave. theater in Seattle for a wonderful play,

White Christmas.

It was a magical evening I got to spend with my family....

Today I am wrapping up the Christmas decorating,

looking forward to a week of crafting and getting

ready for a fabulous show on the 11Th!

Mark your calendars

{details on the upper right hand of this page}

email me with any questions

lakeliving4@msn.com French Larkspur

French Larkspur

French Larkspur


French Larkspur

4bp blog

daisy pink cupcake

xoxo

~beautiful simple Christmas decor~

I just love these photos

{found here} I am definitely taking a

"less is more"

approach this season...

I love the simplicity of the Christmas decor here.


A simple wreath is all that is added here,
but it makes a big statement!

One of my favorite things every December is

a gingerbread party my kids have with their friends.

They all ride the bus home and are welcomed by

hot chocolate and a ton of candy and frosting!
It's a lot of fun.

beautiful.

Now, I am off to hopefully finish my decorating!

xoxo

~Black Friday~

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving!

Here's a few

"Black Friday"

images for you! flickr

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xoxo

~a lot to be thankful for~

I am so thankful for all that I have received.

A wonderful Husband, and happy, healthy children.

At night I have a warm bed and plenty of food.

There are others who are not so fortunate.

They have empty bellies and no beds to sleep in.

Thousands of men and women are serving their country in a foreign land, while their children and loved ones remain home.

I saw a list somewhere of things that you can do, simple things, that could make a huge difference in someones life.

Some of these included:

sending a care package to someone overseas

visiting a hospital

donating to a local charity

donating or volunteer at a woman's shelter

sponsoring a child in an impoverished country

inviting extra guests to join in your family dinner

As I sit here in my warm home, kids happily playing, dinner in the oven,

I can't help but feel compassion for those in need, those that are spending the holidays alone.

I know this year will be especially tough on some families.

I feel very fortunate, no, thankful, that we have good health, a good stable family, that we are surrounded by good friends, and most of all that we are happy.

Wishing you all the best this holiday.

xoxo

~having fun crafting~

a sneak peak at a few things I have been working

on for the holiday show at my home on the 11Th of December.

I created these pillows and large burlap bags

with vintage cloth children's books.
The bags could be used to hold toys, laundry, etc.
They are large and sturdy.
I hand stitched the book pages onto the fronts with natural hemp.

Hope you can make it if you are in the Seattle area!
{7 p.m. Dec. 11Th, email me for details,
lakeliving4@msn.com}
xoxo

~quote of the day~

found here

xoxo

~daily dose of eye candy~

Hope your week is going well friends.

Mine if full of appointments, cleaning my house, 3 soccer games,

putting up Christmas decor, painting, packaging, shipping, you name it!

I'm busy, and a little stressed out!

These pictures were so soothing to me,

helps to calm this crazy thing I call life!

~Enjoy~ flickr

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flickr

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xoxo

~gorgeous gorgeous rooms~

Aren't these rooms to die for?

Look how the ironstone plates are stacked on the wall.

ahhhh, wording on the walls....

claw foot bathtub ~center stage
another perfectly shabby bathroom
and I am starting to really get into old silver,
the more tarnished the better!

I would dine alfresco yr. round here check out this amazing island and the tin ceiling!

xoxo

~be still my heart~

It was love at first sight.

I saw this in my favorite little shop this morning

and my heart skipped a beat.

I don't know where I am going to put it,

but it had my name written all over it!

Don't you just love her? xoxo

~the letter K~

A good friend of mine, one from way back in Jr. high school,

got married last night at the Crystal Lake Lodge.

It was a beautiful wedding and I just quickly wanted to share

with you this giant letter K

{her new last name initial}

that I made for the mantle.

She had tons of curly willow and fall leaves, etc.

so this moss covered letter fit in perfectly, especially on the river rock fireplace.

It's just a simple cardboard letter from my local craft store

covered in Spanish moss!

I love how it turned out and I think I will be making more this week!

You could leave it up year round, it fits in perfectly with fall decor and spring decor.

I think it would look excellent on a front door hanging from ribbon!

The flowers were all done by my sweet sister in law Jaime,

and you can see some of her work on her blog here!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

xoxo

~Swedish Style~

Sweden has thousands of years of antique related history of its own.

Swedish style is simple, refreshing and practical.

Here, designer Shannon Bowers shows us her take on this gorgeous style!

I love every photo.

I especially am loving that great distressed green.

I think I feel a trip to the paint store coming on!

Have a great weekend friends!

xoxo