Decorating for Christmas

This year the Carolina kids are coming to Texas for Christmas.  That definitely puts me in a Christmas spirit.
I have been house bound and slow moving with an eye infection but I have managed to get the inside mostly decorated. This year I decided that I would use turquoise, teal, aqua colors and silver.  The colors make the house seem more calm.  I really need that right now.
Even though the kids are coming for Christmas, we are not spending the holiday at home, so I wanted everything I got out to be easy to put away.
I made a lot of the decorations this fall which was fun. I reused ginger jar vases from the lovebirds' wedding,  I used pages from a garage sale find- an old torn up hymnal for several items.

It was my goal to reuse as much as possible from around the house. Tarnished silver candlesticks from the yellow and grey bedroom, burlap from the wedding, bulletin board from the garage, chalkboards will be used in The Charlotte Wedding.

Enjoy.
The Den

 The tree from upstairs.

 I am 5'9".  Here is the tree with me taking the picture looking up at it from a standing position.

Every year since 1983 my husband has purchased a Precious Moments ornament for me.  He even found a 1982 our first Christmas together ornament so that I have one from every year we have been married.  I love getting them out and putting them on the tree.

 I bought $20.00 worth of silver and teal ornaments this year.  I have spread them through all the rooms.

 The mantle is mostly completed.  The S is cardboard, with sheets of music glued on with watered down glue.  The canvas is a salvaged bulletin board wrapped with fabric. 

The ginger jar vase is covered with dictionary pages adhered with watered down glue.

 

 Not through with the mantle because I want to add garland to the letters.  When I attached them to the twine the first time I got them backwards.

Each letter is stenciled on a page from the hymnal that has a joyful song.

The Farmhouse Table

 I already had everything on the table except the clear glass plates.  They were $1.00 each at Target.

 I have collected crystal globes for years.  They are so pretty on the rustic table.

I found these chargers in my buffet.  I don't even remember having them, but they were perfect.

The Dining Room

 I loved using the chalkboards that will be used at the June wedding.

Wreaths

 I repurposed this wreath.  It used to have mauve poinsettias.  Remember mauve?

I even added a wreath to the mudroom bench.  I found this one at a resale shop for at dollar then ripped all the ugly off.  The silver ribbon looks great on it.

Coldspring Square Christmas Lighting

This year we attended our fourth Coldspring Christmas lighting.  Every year all the town merchants decorate their shops and have a ceremony where they turn on all the lights at once.  It is a fun way for the town to come together to start the Christmas season.  During the day, before the lighting there are vendors set up on the square.

Small Texas towns are very different from the rest of the world.  On the courthouse there is a life-sized nativity scene.  On the city water tower there is a huge cross.  This small town really does remember why we have Christmas.

At 6:00 p.m. the town gathered.  There was caroling, and a country singer who was in visiting his parents from Nashville sang.  I wish I could remember his name... he was good.  Anyway, after the singing the lights in all the local businesses are all turned on at one time.  The picturesque  little square looks great all lit up.

 The singer

 

The theme for Christmas this year is cowboys and candy canes.  I love it.  Next week is the Christmas parade. The parade is at night too.  Two years ago one of the floats had a real fire in the fireplace on the moving float.  It was a good thing the volunteer fire department was in the parade.  They were needed.

The Finished Chandelier Lamp

A while back I turned a chandelier that I bought for almost nothing into a hanging lamp for Sweet Amanda but I haven't take the time to show the finished project. Click here to see the old post. Hubby took this chandelier

 

 from one that would hang on the ceiling wired in to a lamp with a twist on and off switch. This works great in an apartment that has no overhead lighting.

 

 

 

 

It turned out really nice and the lamp shades really add to the piece.

A Bookcase Table for Star Hill

Remember this hint from last week?

I found this little bookcase, end table, night stand... not sure what it is for the amazing price of $2.00 while driving through Coldspring a few weeks ago.  I wasn't sure what I would do with it, but it was solid and made of wood with no obvious wobbles or problems.

I brought it back to Star Hill and started thinking... I really need something small for my iPad, laptop, books, and my lap blanket by the couch.  That something has to be red.  I mean I want it to be REALLY red.  The little bookcase fit the bill.  Someone had even cut holes in the back so that I could run the electronics through without a problem.
I had this particular red table pinned for a while... just calling my name from You Are Talking Too Much Blogspot.

Before I settled on yellow for the hexagonal table, purchased some red paint that I knew would find its' way into Star Hill.  Behr, Red Tomato #170B-7.  This color is going to be used in my Christmas decorating this year too. 

I brought the bookcase back with me to the city because that is where the red paint is and this weekend I got the chance to work on it. I was home with a sick husband so the garage looked pretty appealing.
I Spackled all the holes and primed it.

Then I got busy painting.

I love the red color.  At Star Hill I remembered I had some red fabric that I bought for $1.00 at a garage sale a while back.  It was the perfect color.  I lined the back with the fabric.
I think it adds to the piece.
Here is my $3.00 book case.  It will not look this cute in the front room of Star Hill, because it is going to be a work piece, but I wanted you to see the size with my milk glass on the shelves.

 Nothing sits straight at Star Hill.  The hill plays havoc with pictures.

DIY Monochromatic 3 Dimensional Art

Remember this hint from the Roadside Rescue Blog?

I do love finding treasures in the trash. Two weeks ago on my way to work there it was. A giant framed art piece leaning against a trash can waiting for the truck to whisk it off to the landfill. If you know me at all, you know that I stopped and jammed it into the back seat of my car. I did not have an idea what I wanted to do with this piece. I already have a huge chalkboard and recently made a paint chip piece from another large framed print. I knew something would come to me if I would just be patient. While looking through Pinterest, ran across this artwork for sale.

 

Truly Madly Deeply
I loved it. Our master bedroom is a little lacking in artwork. Something like this piece would be amazing, but $515.00 plus shipping is way out of my comfort zone. I thought the idea of a monochromatic piece above our bed would be restful. I have  been happily married to my best friend for over thirty years. I think that the words from the Savage Garden song just fits in our room. I knew that I had found inspiration for the rescued art piece.
I developed a plan.  Use the frame and hopefully the print, look for letters that are the correct size, map it out, glue it down, paint it then ta-dah.  Oh how I wish things went this well for me...

The plan worked perfectly until I priced out the letters. It cost $40.00 for the letters and spray paint- and that was with a coupon! I was thrilled to find that the print in the frame was glued to hardboard and was stapled into place. I really thought this would go quickly until I discovered the frame was not painted, it was covered with a sort of wallpaper like stuff that had to come off. After I determined that the frame was solid wood and worth the effort, I peeled off the paper that came off easily then got busy with a wire brush on the parts that did not come off easily. Two hours later the frame was clean.

 

As I got ready to put the letters down I recruited the math teacher that lives at my house to help. No way did I want to mess up a $40.00 project.  I have whole pieces of furniture that didn't cost that much!  He mapped it out for me with a ruler. I carefully drew a pencil outline around each letter before I started gluing the letters down one by one with E6000 I already had on hand.

After the glue down process, I applied weight to the whole thing in order to make sure they were stuck to the board completly.
Next I had to fill in the holes in the bottom of some of the letters with painter's putty. It had the nerve to turn coolish this week so I did not get the chance to spray paint the picture for a few days. It was torture to see it sitting there not painted, but I have been feeling a little under the weather so being in the unheated garage was out.
Finally, Friday after work the stars and planets aligned.  Low humidity, no wind and warm enough to paint. I chose Krylon Ivory in a satin finish.

It looked pretty rough afte the first can of paint.  Why oh why do I think I can get away without priming?

 

Sooo after a trip to the store for spray primer and more paint...grrr.

 I ended up with this beauty.  I just couldn't seem to get the picture taken straight, but you have to trust me, it is straight and square.  As soon as I finish the bedroom, I will show it to you on the wall. I love it.