Second Annual Ornament Exchange

Hello friends! I am excited to get my link up for the ornament exchange up a day early! I have had such a busy week. Wednesday night the hubby and I went to pick out our Christmas gifts. We had already decided to get a new large screen TV and a new laptop. I found great deals at HH Gregg, so we went and picked them up and now I am trying to figure out how to operate this new laptop with Windows 8! A tad bit confusing, but I am getting there! Last night was our Christmas Program at school and I was miserable when I finally got home last night. I was so sick, but went to bed early and woke up feeling much better...thankfully! 

Anywho, as promised, here is a link up poat so we can all see the treasures you received from your partners. I sent a package to Karen at The Feral Turtle and I received from Terri, a new blog friend from Christmas Tree Lane . She sent me some lovely things! I also received a box of goodies from my blog buddy Donna from Distressed Donna Down Home and I will share those as well.

I actually received both packages on the same day! How exciting...it was like an early Christmas...:)

Terri sent me a lovely handmade card. 

This was the sweet little post-it note inside!

She also sent me this adorable Spode snowman ornament. 

Here he is hanging on my snowman tree. He's sending you a friendly wave...:)

And this little cutie too! I love angels and snowmen, so this is the perfect combination....a snow angel.

Here she is on the tree.....I just love her wings!

A sweet Christmas apron...sorry for the blurry photo!

A Christmas journal/notebook.

A sweet little crocheted piece with candy canes inside. It hangs and is open like a pocket to tuck treats inside.

And finally this pretty Spode Christmas magnetic notepad which is hanging on my fridge for grocery lists. Thank you again Terri for the wonderful treasures. I love all of it and will think of you when I look at the precious ornaments hanging on my snowman tree...:)

Donna is such a sweet friend.

 Last year and again this year she sent me a box of goodies as a thank you for hosting the exchange. I was surprised to receive a box again this year...:) Look at the sweet wrapping on these treasures.

I love Donna's distressed tags!

And her bleached bottle brush trees!

Aren't these handmade Santa's cute?

Here they are displayed in a couple vintage Pepsi bottles in my bookcase.

I loved these Shakes of Christmas when she shared them on her blog, so imagine my delight when there was one included in my box!

Donna is all about details.

The biggest surprise was these beehive bobbins though! She had shared these on her blog and I commented about how neat they were and I had never seen any. Donna knows I have a subtle bee theme in my dining room and she said these were intended for me all along. She is such a dear friend. So thoughtful! I love how she dressed them with vintage images for Christmas. 

She also sent me some vintage Christmas postcards that I turned into a banner along with a couple I already had.

Thank you again Donna! You are such a dear friend. 

Some of the exchange participants do not have a blog or aren't currently blogging, so I will share here for them. Ann is a sweet lady who received a package from Stephanie from The Enchanting Rose. she writes, "Stephanie sent me beautiful handmade ornaments all in a snowman theme. She also included a magnet, door hanger, bookmarks and a book that holds tea packets. She is definitely talented and you can tell she crafts from the heart." Thank you Ann for joining! Here is what Ann received from Stephanie.....

Next up is Nancy. Nancy is a new friend who happens to be mom to another participant and blog friend, Tania. Tania blogs over at Little Vintage Cottage and you should go check her out. She is an awesome decorator and a vintage lover! Nancy is a toll painter and very talented. She recieved a package from Carol at Art and Sand. Here is what she wrote...

"I received Carol’s package on Nov. 24th. She sent an adorable little stuffed snowman, a heart  ornament she fashioned out of wire, a tiny white clothespin with a Christmas tree attached to it and a journal/notebook. Also included was a glittery Eiffel tower tag. The journal was tied with a red polka dot ribbon and things were packed into a red polka dot bag and a stamped muslin baggie---very cute!"

Here are the things Nancy received from Carol.....

Sweet Belle from Australia has been out of town, so I just updating now with her information. 

She writes...

"My sending lady was Linda Pflum. However I received a lovely vintage style pair of handmade wooden mitts which are so sweet and I think maybe I might even use them during the year and not just at Christmas time as they are adorable. Along with the mitts I received a sparkly white very Christmas' bauble that goes so well in my white sparkly tree. This was all wrapped up nicely in red sparkly tissue paper that I found enchanting to be honest and a lovely hand written card and little notebook and pen which is now in my drawer to be used by all my girls im sure once they find it."

These three ladies were blessed to receive such sweet ornaments from some special ladies. Thanks to each of you for sharing your beautiful gifts.

All of you sweet ladies are such lovely friends and I am blessed to "know" each of you. I can't wait to see the lovely things you received. Thanks to each of you for participating. The link button appears after my signature below. Be sure to link up your post when it is ready.

I hope you were as blessed as I was with the exchange. 

Until next time.....

Christmas Decorating.....Part 4

Two days in a row with a post! That's really unusual for me lately, but I'm happy to have the time this weekend to blog. Today I will share my coffee/hot chocolate station and a couple other things. I have this little area set up year round, but I make it cute for Christmas. I have plans to tweak it a little after Christmas this year as well. We'll see! Anywho, I have quite a collection of gingerbread and sweet treat themed items that I use in my kitchen and dining room. This little corner houses quite a few. 

I love this cast iron tiered stand. It always holds our coffee mugs, but at Christmas, I take the every day cups out and replace them with some of my favorite Christmas mugs. Some are on the little shelf you saw in the first picture. 

The bottom tier of the stand holds packets of hot cocoa and some sprinkles.

This cute container holds sweet treats.

The gingerbread container is empty right now, but with the little spoon on the side, he could be used to hold sugar or mini marshmallows. Paper straws fill the milk glass vase...just for fun! 

The coffee maker sits on a tray, along with a container of sugar. The gingerbread in the background holds hot beverages. See the spout on the front? The base holds a candle to keep it warm. I thrifted it for $2 or $3 a couple years ago. Almost everything in this corner was thrifted...except for the coffee maker and a couple other things. 

I'll show you my second tablescape of the season. I used my peppermint striped square plates and placed them on my every day white plates with the green edge. I like the way they look together.

I used silver bow napkin rings and my red goblets that I bought at the Dollar General last Christmas. The runner is so cute with gingerbread men, peppermint, and gumdrops. 

I used three of my vintage Christmas tree jars filled with different candies for a simple centerpiece.

Last up is my chalkboard that I changed for the season today. Now.....this is far from the truth. It is currently 63 degrees outside and it is 8:30 at night as I am typing this. But....this is one of my favorite Christmas songs.

Here it is above my charging station. It turned out pretty cute I think!

Well, that's all I have for today. I am off to prepare for another busy week in kindergarten. Tuesday is our annual faculty and staff Christmas cookie party. The sign in room will be filled to overflowing with sweet and savory treats of all kinds. It will be a fun day. Thursday night is our annual Christmas program and my kinders are practicing their songs every day for that. I'm most looking forward to the week before Christmas though because that's when Secret Santa begins! I love it...:) It's also out faculty and staff Christmas party that week. We're going to a nice restaurant that night...so fun! I love this season and all the festivities it brings. May you have a bright and beautiful week!

Until next time.....

Christmas Decorating....Part 3

I'm happy to report I survived another week in kindergarten. My kiddos were so excited to see Christmas decorations in our classroom. They are so cute at this age! It was a busy week, but a good one. My resolve to stay as stress free as possible and enjoy the days is working so far! I'm back today to share some more Christmas decor with you. Some of you may remember the shelf we built in the opening between my living and dining rooms. I am still loving it and my white pitcher collection still occupies it. I decided to keep it simple and only added some fresh cedar branches to a few of the pitchers. I added a piece of jute paired with some tiny red clothespins and vintage postcards. I also hung my white Ikea lantern from one of the cast iron brackets. I am loving that little touch and am now wondering what else I might hang from them.throughout the year! 

Here's the back side. I love the postcards from the back as well. Some of these were thrifted last year and some were sent to me by my good friend Donna who blogs over at Distressed Donna Down Home. Go visit her!

The other day I was visiting my friend Sherry's blog and drooling over her gorgeous mantel. Go see it here! Anywho, I don't have a mantel, but I did steal an idea from her and just love it! My TV cabinet is my "mantel"...see below. The idea I stole was using milk glass vases filled with candy canes! (While we're looking at this cabinet...I have a quick question for you. We are purchasing a new big screen TV and can't decide whether to hang it above the cabinet or sit it on the cabinet like the smaller one here. What do you think? I want to hang it so I can have the top of the cabinet to decorate. Hubby wants to sit it on top, but he will do whatever makes me happy. Give me your thoughts...please!) And...yes, that is a Christmas movie on TV. That's practically all I watch during this season. I also read lots of Christmas books. I'm on my second one so far.

Here are a couple close ups. I love the simplicity of this. This was such an easy and  inexpensive project! I had all the milk glass pieces, so no cost there, and candy canes are cheap...$2. Plus, my kinders will  enjoy eating them after Christmas. I love the way they look in front of my plank wall too!

The little vintage elves were thrifted a couple years ago. 

This simple arrangement is on one of my end tables. Fresh boughs of cedar (cut from a huge cedar tree on my parent's property), a snowman light, and a candy cane candle. 

The clipboard on the gallery wall got a new Christmas printable.

A freebie I found online. I like the colors in it!

My game cabinet got a little seasonal decor as well. More fresh cedar, a few Christmas books, and a few other odds and ends. I like the reflection of the Christmas trees in the mirror in this shot.

My truck in the jar sits on my heater, along with more fresh cedar in mason jars in the wood box. 

This small end table has a Better Homes & Gardens candle arrangement I bought on clearance a few years ago.

Last night I had my sister and two of my closest friends over for supper. It was so nice catching up with them. Everyone stays so busy and it's difficult sometimes to all get together. I was thrilled when they were all free last night and could come over. I made a new recipe...Chicken Marsala. I have had it in restaurants, but never made it myself. It was pretty tasty. I made homemade mashed potatoes, asparagus, and rolls to go with it. Heather bought a salad, Jeana bought dessert, and Nancy (my sister) bought drinks. We had a nice, relaxing time just eating and talking. I even got a couple sweet gifts...:) 

Jeana bought me this sweet box filled with my favorite chocolates, a candle, and this adorable lantern ornament. It lights up...so cute!

Nancy bought this pretty vintage looking frame with a bird print inside. The glass is convex which I love. The print actually looks like fabric stretched over an oval shape. Very different..I love it! I'm trying to decide where it will "live". I'm thinking the living room. 

I'll leave you with my favorite view lately. This makes me so happy! 

I can see all of my trees from this angle....I love it! (I'll be sharing each tree in future posts!) My home feels so cozy right now. I just love Christmas time! I'm hoping to get some gifts wrapped and under the tree later today. 

I hope your weekend is spectacular!
Until next time.....