Meet our elf on the shelf....

     I wanted to introduce you all to our elf, "Henry".  He's more on the naughty side by getting into things and making a mess.  The kids look forward to seeing what he's gotten into each morning.  He also causes me some high anxiety as I wake in the middle of the night remembering I haven't yet moved him.

     Here are a few pictures I took of Henry's antics last year.

Oh, that Henry.

DIY Holiday Decor Inspiration..

    Here come the holidays, ready or not.....

      I've spent the morning with my 2 yr. old cuddling under the blanket and watching "Barney's Christmas" movie. It's cold today and yes I know it is November after all, but I am being a cold weather wimp.  It's the kind of day where you curl up on the sofa, coffee in hand, and look for inspiration on Pinterest.  You know what I mean? Oh and play a game of peek-a-boo.

     For years I use to buy holiday decorations right after Christmas.  My house looked and felt like a department store. Every square inch of my home had something to remind you of what time of year it was, just in case you forgot.  What I cherished most then, and still do, are the hand-made ornaments my children have made throughout the years.  They are always prominently displayed on our Christmas tree.  Each of them delights in placing their own ornament and sometimes will secretly move the other's ornament out of the way to spot light their own.  Kids, what are you going to do? 

     I've started to move away from the commercial aspects of the Holidays, and really reflect on what I want to give my children as warm, happy memories.  I find myself gravitating towards a more hand-made, relaxing and use of natural elements in my  home decor to bring out the true meaning of Christmas.  An oasis of calm and peacefulness inside, where we can shut out briefly the hustle and bustle of everyday life. 

     This year I'm going to focus more on affordable, simple, DIY, holiday decorating that I can make. I've turned to Pinterest to find many inspiring projects, and I hope you as well find something to be inspired by.

Click here for the full tutorial.

Click here for the full tutorial.

 What a cute and simple ornament to have my children make.  They can even personalize it.  Click here for the full tutorial.

Here's the how-to on this one.

1.You should be able to find these large styrofoam balls at any craft store.

2.  I suggest spray painting these first in your desired color.

3.  Use a spray adhesive,  (Something you can find at your local craft store).

4. Sprinkle some glitter and then spray a sealant to keep the glitter on your DIY ornament.

 Click here for more information.

 Click here for the full tutorial.

I think I'm going to have a fun and festive weekend of DIY projects.  Share with me any creative ideas you might have for the upcoming holiday season.

I've got the fever for decorating this Holiday Season...

I'm not running a real temperature. I do have my heat turned on today, and my favorite blanket over me.  

I tend to wait until Thanksgiving is over before I decorate for Christmas.  I'm in no rush to get through one holiday to get to the next.  It has become a tradition for us to put up our Christmas tree on the weekend after Thanksgiving. It's also a tradition for my children to make something special for each family member.  I try and find a cute but doable kids craft to celebrate the season, and to teach them that "giving" is more important than "getting".  I'm still searching for the perfect project that the 3 of them can work on together.  

Since the sun is shining today, I decided I needed to take advantage of this outdoor weather and get in some spray painting.  I am very excited to show you all what I made.  I purchased this punch bowl at an auction for a quarter....that's right 25 cents.  It's a thick, heavy glass, loved the shape, and the embossed fruit on it.  Now I knew I was never going to use it for it's intended purpose, it just didn't have a purpose when I first bought it, but leave it to me to figure something out.  I have been dying to use a product by Krylon called "looking glass".  It makes any glass look like it could be old mercury glass.  I'm still looking for actual mercury glass but I know it will be more than a quarter.  

Here's what it looks like after 3 coats.  I could have been done in 2 but felt that maybe giving it another quick coat would get all the spots I might have missed.  If you are looking for that "mottled" look then you will want to take a little water and spray that first, and then apply your Krylon spray.  

Once you use this, it is NOT recommended that you place food, beverages or plants in it.  However, I decided to wing it with a small pine tree that I left in it's original container.  I placed some small glass rocks on the bottom.  I had these left over from my daughter's "fairytopia".

 I planted a small pine tree that I picked up at Lowe's for $8.99.  After Christmas, I'm going to look for a small fake one to use every year.

This tree is receiving the feline sign of approval.  That's our "Dolce", one of the sweetest cats in the world.  

I should mention that I added some mulch to keep the tree in place and to make it look nice. I have a huge pile of it sitting in my drive way. 

And this is the first of many Holiday decorations to be put up.  Let me know what projects you plan on doing this Holiday Season?