Christmas Tassel

I am sooo excited to get started decorating for Christmas!  This is my favorite holiday!  Metallic reds and greens speak to me and make me happy.  I have a great love for tassels!  I remember admiring tassels as a child while shopping with my mom.  The practical side of me saw no absolute purpose in tassel, yet I loved them.  Imagine my surprise when I came across several blogs devoted to tassels and included tutorials.  SOLD!  I quickly got out my box of unused ribbon from my attempts of making bows for my daughter.  My first attempt was not up to my standards.  But I did not give up.  While shopping this weekend I found the cutest cupcake ornament that screamed, "make me into a tassel!"  So I followed those instructions found on the blogs and away I went.  I must say, I was pretty happy with the end result.  I know I can still step it up a notch with trims and nicer ribbon.  I can't wait to scourer fabric stores and yard sales for reminents to play with.  I have visions of gifting these this Christmas!  Let me know what you think of my little creation!

Here is my favorite blog with a tutorial on tassels! Enjoy!  http://betasseled.blogspot.com/

Glitzy Chandelier & Fun Shopping!

Today I am participating in Metamorphasis Monday hosted by Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch! Check out her blog! It is absolutely fab!

Saturday I had the pleasure in spending the day with my favorite friend and self adopted sister Robin! She and I have a ball shopping, gossiping and eating! Did I mention eating? (Ok, in her defense it was really me doing the majority of eating!) We ventured about 2 1/2 hours south to Lake Alfred to visit The Barn. We had so much fun meandering through each different section of The Barn. I could hardly control myself in The Stable! All the home decor was overwhelming! I could have stayed all day combing through the different displays. We got a lot of ideas for decorating and Robin was coming up with the most genius ideas for my kitchen. Hopefully one day these ideas with come to life and I will be able to share with you!


The creme de la creme came when we entered the Holiday Barn!!! Ooh's and Ahh's were coming from every direction! I wish I had taken pics of all the beautiful trees, ornaments, garland, and so much more. Although Robin did not partake in the retail therapy at the Barn, I sure did! I grabbed up some great garlands that I could use on tassels, jars or tablescapes! I also got some sparkly bling for my chandelier. Which leads me to my contribution for Metamorphasis Monday.

Here is the before of my chandy. Not too bad?

And the after! Bling makes me happy! I love that I can choose to sparkle one day and be plain the next!

I am working on new shades to perk the chandy up just a little more! I can't tell you how thankful I am for my friend Robin! I hope you enjoyed my shopping weekend as much as I did!

The reluctant blogger

I have been stalking many blogs for a few weeks now. This has become my favorite pastime (The boss would refer to this as an obsession)! I have been dying to jump in and try my hand at this wonderful new world. Yet I have been reluctant to put myself out there! Will I be able to even compare to these talented women? Will anyone understand my point of view? Well here I go! Wish me luck!

I have been inspired by so many of the blogs to get out the elusive sewing machine. There have not been many good times spent attempting to teach myself to sew. I am ashamed to admit that dear hubby (the boss) has had to show me many times how to thread the machine, sew a somewhat straight stitch and talk me down from frustration. This has been my nemesis and I refuse to let it get me down again.

With ambitious plans I set forth to make a pillow that I had been dreaming up for quite some time. I had a burlap monogram from a bag that is no longer with us. I loved this bag and especially loved the monogram. I immediately realized that the piece would not be sewn on as an oval shape. Square and simple was the plan. My first mistake was not leaving enough burlap to give a nice fringed edge. Several other plans quickly failed and after a long and painstaking amount of time, I have a pillow. Obviously not the one I had planned on but one I can live with. For now! Any suggestions?