I'm in the mood for love

Cancel the intervention, I finally took down all the Christmas decorations.

In their place are Valentines. Several years ago I bought a piece of pre-cut foam core to fit an open back frame from the craft store. I covered the foam core with velvet and then popped it into the frame. The result is a blank canvas perfect for displaying my Heart Day delights. Some of the Valentines are vintage and others are reproductions. I move them around until I like the pattern and then just attach each one with a straight pin to the covered foam core. This is what I have so far. I plan to add some other bits and bobs here and there for texture. Heaven forbid there be any blank space showing.

Love Among the Ruins

I did not make a resolution to blog less in 2011, but it seems like I have done just that. Please forgive me. Even though Christmas seems like a million years ago, I still have smatterings of decorations here and there that I have yet to put away. And while you might think that doing something about that should take priority, I have found countless reasons (excuses) not to. The above picture features the tags I made for a Valentine's swap. Yep, that's right. I was sitting at my kitchen table whipping up twenty of these babies instead of acting like a responsible adult and packing away the Christmas decor. And if that is not deranged enough, I was seriously considering making a special trip to Hobby Lobby to see if they have the Easter decorations out yet. Yes ladies and gentlemen, it's a sad state of affairs. Oh well, I'll let you know if I find anything good at Hobby Lobby.

Wishing you...

Merry Christmas!

All is calm. All is bright.

Christmas Corners Continued

The tree probably looks the same as last year and the year before, but I still love it.

The mantle is a little bit the same and a little bit different. I know I used some of the same decorations, but maybe omitted one glass jar (insert mock gasp here).

Note to self... work on taking photos without the flash in 2011.

Yes, the flash is soooo 2010.

Ooh, and adding more icicles to things should be a top priority in the coming year as well. Glitter and icicles...always good choices. Happy Christmas Eve eve!

A Glimpse of Christmas

The gifts are wrapped, the cookies are baked, and the house is clean...time to share a few corners of my holiday home with you!

This is part of my dining room decked out for the holiday. I love when things from other parts of the house come together to make new and different Christmas vignettes, don't you? Tomorrow I'll show you some more. Hope you are enjoying the magic hours of Christmas week.

Sing We Now of Christmas...

Christmas music is my favorite music. I love the traditional carols and the Top 40 Hits. I am moved by Silent Night each year at the church candlelight service, yet get the giggles when listening to The Drifters version of White Christmas. I have a little playlist going with some of my favorites to share. No, having the word "bell" in the title was not a prerequisite to being on the list. LOL! What are some of your favorites?

For a glimpse of what other folks might have on their Ipods at this time of year, please pop on over to the blog of our wonderful hostess Beverly.

Merry almost Christmas!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

CHRISTMAS!

I love it! Have you started decorating yet? You can you know. It is after Thanksgiving. The holiday police cannot issue you a citation now. You are in the clear. So go ahead and drag out those Shiny Brites and show them off. You'll be so glad you did!

If you are in need of a little inspiration, pop on over to Beverly's. She is the wonderful hostess of Pink Saturday, and can give you a list of all the folks who are participating today. Hope you have a delightful weekend. Holiday hugs to you!

Caught in the Act

Remember how I told you that the squirrels were taking over my backyard? Well, the saga continues. I spotted this little guy helping himself to our jack o' lantern. It was a moldy, leftover jack o' lantern, but he still has some nerve.

I took these photos from inside looking out the window, hence the graininess, but you can still clearly see his arrogance. He is rather proud of himself in this second photo don't you think? He's acting like he craved the pumpkin instead of being the one that took bites out of it. I hope he has a stomachache.

Houston, we have a costume!

Okay kids, I pulled it off... Barely... By the skin of my teeth... Snipping the last thread seconds before walking out the door... No exaggeration. Six yards of fabric, fifteen yards of cording, one broken needle, and a whole spool of thread later, I finished. But check out the coup de gras... Behold the bubble helmet!

This crowning touch could not have been pulled off without the help of some obliging friends who are handy with a jigsaw.

Much fun was had by all.

My services were paid for in candy. All is right with the world.