Decorating for Christmas

I so look forward to decorating the house for Christmas. I get to be creative and change up the scenery and just enjoy being festive and generous with loved ones. So this weekend I put up my Christmas decorations, set a pretty table and of course put up the Christmas tree. I still need to put up my wreaths so I'll work on that next. It can be hard work so I just need a little breather. 

I didn't want to spend too much money so I took a look around the house to see what I could re-purpose and only bought a few new ornaments. Instead of purchasing a new tablecloth or table runner I re-purposed some old curtains. Remember fabric is fabric. Shower curtains, drapes, tablecloths and cloth napkins all started out as just yards of fabric.  

I've held on to these ivory curtains for several years. I no longer wanted them for curtains but knew eventually I would find a use for the fabric. They have a velvety texture with a shadow stripe and were the perfect length and width for a table runner. Sorry about the shadows in my photographs. I have very poor lighting in my house and this time of year we don't get much sunshine. Note to self. Read up on how to eliminate unwanted shadows.

Anyway, to make it even more colorful and festive I layered it with a light blue table runner I already owned. Talk about a no sew project. 

To finish off the table I added some branches to a glass vase surrounded by some aqua potpourri 

and hung a few glittery bulbs on the branches. 

 The final touch was to add my DIY napkins.

How are you decorating your home this year.

Happy Holidays!!


Barbara

Christmas Craft - Fabric Wrapped Balls

Ever order fabric on line only to find out when you get it that it's not what you thought it was. I bought this pretty, shimmery, aqua blue fabric to make a pillow cover. When I opened the package I realized that what I ordered was a knit jersey fabric and totally not suitable for my project. It might have helped if I read the fiber content but what can I say, I was blinded by the pretty blue color. Now I have this very pretty but very stretchy aqua blue fabric that I had absolutely no idea what to do with. Then I remembered seeing on Pinterest a craft project for fabric wrapped balls and thought I could finally use that fabric. 

It is super simple to make the balls. All you need is fabric, some ribbon or strips of fabric and a Styrofoam or craft ball. If you prefer, you can even use an old Christmas ornament or tennis ball. I had a few Styrofoam balls I recently found at the thrift store for only $1.45. I simply cut a piece of my stretchy fabric large enough to wrap around the ball leaving enough leftover to gather at the top. Then I took a piece of ribbon and tied it around the top to secure it.

Since I had some left over herringbone ribbon I also cut it into strips and wrapped it around the ball and secured it using a hot glue gun. You can see full instructions for wrapping the balls in fabric strips at the Better Homes and Gardens link for Fabric Scrap Balls. If you don't have a glue gun you can also use pins to secure the fabric strips or ribbon. There are really easy instructions to follow at This Silly Girls Life blog. 

When I finished wrapping the balls I placed them in this lovely aqua and white glass dish I purchased from HomeGoods earlier this year. To give it a little added sparkle I added in a few gleaming silver bells and some painted white gourds I had on hand. Such a pretty and festive setting for my coffee table. 

I put the bowl on a piece of blue fabric I bought at the thrift store a few weeks ago. I think it cost $1 or $2.

This was a very easy and quick project.  My head is now spinning thinking of other possible projects using this technique. I can't wait to do it again.

Happy Holidays!!

B.

Happy Memorial Day

Photo courtsey of Ms Annie Chambers, ocpamidewest

I am a long time bowler and try to go to at least one tournament a year. This year we went to the TNBA tournament in Indianapolis, IN. Long story short, I bowled great averaging about 180 per game, have nothing good to say about the Days Inn hotel we stayed at but hanging out with my teammates was fun as usual. My doubles partner and I were in second place thanks to her 226 scratch game. Way to go Lady B!!. We hope that holds up but if not, we still had a good showing. We also had our share of mishaps such as me only reserving a room for only one night so I had to crash on a friends bed. My teammate lost his keys so we had to turn the bowling alley upside down looking for them only to find them in his bowling bag. ARGHHH!!! My favorite story was of one gent who set something frozen from the hotel mini fridge on top of a wad of cash and it got soaked from the water. He decided to fast track the drying process by putting it in the microwave. Bad idea because it didn't take long for the money to catch fire. Thankfully he only scorched a few bucks but he has a great story to tell his kids on what NOT to put in a microwave oven. So that was my weekend. I had a great time but am glad to be home.

While I was gone I DVR'd one of my favorite cable news shows where the host was discussing a story bout the origin of Memorial Day. I learned that it began after the civil war by freed slaves in Charleston, South Carolina who used a city racetrack that had been converted into a prison and re-buried union soldiers who had been dumped there in an unmarked grave. On May 1, 1865 freed blacks and some whites came to the burial site to lay flowers and commemorate the dead. On May 5, 1868, the day was called Decoration Day and was soon celebrated nationwide. Eventually it was moved to May 30th and in 1862 the name was unofficially changed to Memorial Day. In 1967 the name became official. 

It occurred to me how we take people who serve in the armed services for granted. I have a good friend that served in the Vietnam war. I used to ask him about his days in Vietnam and although he shares some stories  I can tell he holds a lot back. After awhile I stopped asking because I realized there may be things he doesn't want to discuss and I should respect his privacy. Today he counsels vets coming home from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. I think about how the lives of these young men and women will be shaped long after the wars have ended as I know my friend's life was shaped by his time in Vietnam 

I have often thought about sending something to the troops just to let them know that little ole me is thinking of them but I always felt that I had nothing important to offer. As I was writing this I realized how wrong it is to think that way. When all the small things are added together they can make up something big. I cannot make recommendations on how to give back. I don't even know how but I know where to start. Tomorrow I will call my friend to say thanks and let him know how I appreciate all he does. I will also ask him what I can do in my own small way to give back and then follow through. It may not be a lot but it's a start.

Happy Memorial Day to all the troops who have served and are serving. 

Thank you for all you've done.

Dedicated to my pops, Army PFC Felton Thomas