My ornament tradition & Happy New Year!

 It has become a little tradition of mine to buy myself an ornament AFTER Christmas at Kohl's.  They always have an Eiffel Tower ornament and after Christmas, they are on sale at a really good price.  Yesterday I made the trip and crossed my fingers that there were still some ornaments left.  I had no idea what this years ornament would look like, but I loved it the second I laid eyes on it!

 I wanted to make my own ornament just like this, but Kohl's has done all the work for me!  A sparkly Eiffel Tower sits on a circle of script that sits on a medallion of glitter.  The Eiffel Tower is encased in a delicate glass cloche and a sheer white ribbon is attached to the top for hanging.  It is simple and perfect!

 I must admit, I bought all they had.  There were 3 left and at just a little over $2 each, I had to buy all of them!  Even though the script inside the cloche has holiday sentiments, it will be perfect to leave out all year round.  This one is in my Paris bathroom.  The other two will sit in my craft room and serve as inspiration and decoration!

 Even though I got totally spoiled this year at Christmas, I just had to buy myself one little thing...okay, so it was 3 little things!  But can you really blame me?  They are adorable and as you can see, I had a fun time taking pictures with them!

 

Would you like to do a little online shopping at Kohl's and maybe find an Eiffel Tower Ornament of your own?  Here is a coupon code for 10% off on Kohls.com.  This code can be stacked on top of other codes to make the savings even better!  TENFORBLOG can be used anytime between now and March 9th.  Have fun shopping!

Hoping you all had a Merry Christmas!  And wishing you all a very Happy New Year!  Thank you for your friendship in 2012.  I know 2013 will be an even better year!
 Party hats I made for the big night.  I doubt we will even be awake still when the clock strikes midnight so these are perfect decorations!

 

 Linking up with:
Chateau des Fleurs:  French Party
Ivy & Elephants: What's It Wednesday
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs Olson: Share Your Cup Thursday
Common Ground: Be Inspired Friday
Rooted in Thyme: Simple & Sweet Friday
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday

Merry Christmas!

From my little family to yours...Merry Christmas!

Sheet Music Christmas Decor

 A big thank you to all of you sweet friends that left me such loving, caring, encouraging comments.  You sure know how to make a girl feel loved!  

My Christmas tree is up and really making our house feel festive!  I just can't seem to put an ornament on my tree if it isn't white, silver or blue!  I used a cream colored lace as garland around the tree this year and I am so glad that I did.  It gives it a romantic touch!  I used a lot of sheet music in my decorating this time around and I would love to show you all the ornaments I created!

I am still loving my ruffled tree skirt that I made last year.  I have every intention of making more to sell or giveaway, I just haven't done it yet!

When I saw the Frosted and Glittered Wreath that Donna at My Shabby Chateau made, I instantly fell in love and wanted one of my own!  I just took the decorations off of the wreath I was using, had my husband lightly spray it with white spray paint and got to creating it.  Thank you Donna for the inspiration-I love my new wreath!

 You might remember some of these Eiffel Tower ornaments from last year.  I loved creating them and wanted to make more for this year.  It is really fun to come up with new ways to make ornaments using these Eiffel Tower playing cards from JoAnn's!

 In total, I have made 5 different ornaments using these cards.  I am always thinking of new ones to create!

 I love to use sheet music in different ways.  I made medallions and 2 types of rosettes.  Creating with sheet music is so much fun!

 My Christmas tree is sort of French and Vintage inspired.  Eiffel Towers are all over it as well as lots of vintage sheet music!

 Even just changing up an element or two transforms them into a completely different ornament!

 I also created some without the playing cards that I love so much!  These angel wings have glitter, pearls, buttons and a crystal hanging off of them.  The other side has a white rose on it.  I made some similar to these last year.  Someone pinned them on Pinterest and said they were going to create some using copies of love letters that her grandfather wrote to her grandmother during World War II.  What a great idea!

This sheet music medallion has a glittery snowflake glued to the middle of it.  There is a pretty blue gem in the middle of the snowflake.  Simple but cute!

 This sweet little Christmas tree ornament has silver glitter, pearls, a rose and satin ribbon.  Again, super simple but very pretty!

 I just love creating ornaments and decorations with sheet music.  There are endless possibilities!  I am still thinking about making a sheet music chain to go around my tree too...but that would take a lot of work and a lot of my vintage sheet music collection.  Maybe I will just make a small one and hang it somewhere else!  

Hope everyone is having a wonderful December.  Christmas will be here before we know it!

Linking up with:
Le Chateau de Fleurs: French Party on Monday
The Dedicated House: Make it Pretty Monday
Cozy Little House: Tweak it Tuesday
Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Knick of Time: Knick of Time Tuesday
Vintage on a Dime: Welcome Home Wednesday
Ivy & Elephants: What's it Wednesday
Timewashed: Blissful Whites Wednesday
Savvy Southern Style: Wow Us Wednesday
Faith, Grace & Crafts: Pearls & Lace Thursday
{Primp}: Primp your Stuff
The Vintage Farmhouse: Creative Things Thursday
Common Ground: Vintage Inspiration
The Charm of Home: Home Sweet Home
Shabby Art Boutique: Shabbilicious Friday
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday
 Homespun Happenings: Rustic Restorations Weekend
Petites Passions: Passion Parade

A rant about one rude person

I just have to say it to get it off of my chest and out of my mind!  Someone left me a nasty comment last night saying that my ceramic tree and Shiny Brites are not vintage.  They said it was amusing what people considered vintage.  Of course this comment was left anonymously, which I think is quite cowardly!  Didn't anyone ever tell you that if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all!?!  I had to look up the meaning of "vintage" to make sure that I wasn't making a fool of myself.  "Too old to be considered modern but not old enough to be considered antique.  Retro, recently out of style with a potential to make a comeback. Vintage is anything that dates after 1920 and up to the mid-1980's."  So clearly all the "vintage" items that I showed on my last post were truly vintage!  Not to mention that you can find all of these things on ETSY, all listed as vintage items!  This person also told me that Shiny Brites were cheaply bought at the dime store and asked me if I thought the ornaments on sale at Wal-Mart right now will be considered vintage someday.  I really don't think it matters how much the item originally cost.  And I suppose that someday in the future, the ornaments we buy today might be sought after like Shiny Brites of yesterday currently are and they could be considered vintage as well.  Who knows what people in the future will seek from the past!  I just don't understand why anyone would take the time out of their day to be so rude and condescending to someone who did nothing wrong.  I know I should just let this go but I am the kind of person that takes everything to heart.  This hurt my feelings and put a damper on my day and why?  Because someone has a negative opinion about something that I posted on MY BLOG?!  Ridiculous!  I have been so fortunate as to have never received a mean comment until this and I just had to say how I feel.  I am sure the coward who posted it won't read this, but it feels good to get it out there!  Thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a sweet comment about my vintage treasures.  You are the ones that make blogging such a great thing! 

Sound familiar?

I'm dreaming of a Vintage Christmas

 To me, Christmas really is a vintage holiday.  How I wish I could have lived in the days where you really dashed through the snow in a one horse open sleigh.  A time when Christmas was more than just commercialism and spending money.  I wish I could live in a vintage Christmas world.  Since I am caught right in the middle of Generation X and Y, I will never know what that was like.  But that doesn't mean that I can't pretend!  Here are a few of my favorite Christmas decorations-all vintage of course!

 My antique scale is the perfect platform for a vintage sheet music card.  Below it are some vintage bottle brush trees that I bleached and decorated last year.  There is just something about these creamy colored trees and the rustiness of the scale that is so pretty!

 I started collecting vintage Shiny Brite ornaments a few years ago.  I think they are something I will always be on the look out for.  There is just something about those shiny glass orbs that make my heart smile!  I have put them in a cloche that is serving as a centerpiece on my dining room table!

 What a treat it was to find these two Shiny Brites with Christmas scenes in the middle.  The blue one has a snowman with eyes but no mouth or nose!  The green one has a pipe cleaner candy cane and holly.  I love these so much!

 My aunt had one of these ceramic Christmas trees.  She always had it on top of her TV.  I loved to look at it every time I went to her house.  And of course I always wanted one for myself.  One day while at my husband's work, I noticed this one sitting in a corner, dusty and completely forgotten about.  I told him that if they were ever going to get rid of it, that I wanted it.  When they moved shops last December, they were going to get rid of it and he snatched it up for me.  I am so happy to have my very own vintage ceramic Christmas tree now!

You can't decorate for Christmas without having a Nativity Scene.  This particular set was made by my Great Grandma.  She gave it to my grandma and my grandma gave it to me.  It is made of cast ceramic and is totally solid.  It isn't the prettiest or fanciest Nativity, but I love it.  It means so much to me to have something that was made by my Great Grandma and passed on to me!

I am always on the lookout for more vintage Christmas decorations.  There is just something about them that makes them feel even more festive than the newest decorations out there.  I will take an old, scruffy, vintage Christmas over any of the fancy ones, any day!


Linking up with:
 Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Knick of Time: Knick of Time Tuesday
Timewashed: Blissful Whites Wednesday
Vintage on a Dime: Welcome Home Wednesday
Ivy & Elephants: What's It Wednesday
Adorned from Above: Wednesday Blog Hop
{Primp}: Primp Your Stuff
Faith, Grace & Crafts: Pearls & Lace Thursday
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs Olson: Share Your Cup Thursday
ColoradoLady: Vintage Thingies Thursday
Rooted in Thyme: Sweet & Simple Fridays
Common Ground: Vintage Inspiration Friday
Shabby Art Boutique: Shabbylicious Friday

Creating Christmas Party~Vintage Christmas Decor

Sweet little reading nook

 For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to have a bedroom that was big enough to allow a little sitting area.  My current bedroom isn't that big, but by using an old closet, I have created a very intimate and cozy nook for myself.  Come take a look!

 The previous owners of our house built a walk-in closet in the master bathroom but just left the old closet open.  For awhile, it held my dresser but that was about it.  We moved the dressers into the closet and this is the perfect little nook.  We brought in a chair and a table and I decorated it in my favorite romantic style.

 My husband hung my antique 3-paned window for me and I draped a swag of frosted pink roses over it.  He also randomly hung my sweet little mirror hooks.  The one on the right holds my wedding veil and I draped the veil over my lamp.

 My French graphic table fits perfectly in this little space.  The large pillar candle is the unity candle from our wedding.  My dried wedding bouquet and a picture of Cody and I on our wedding day is the perfect little vignette for this table.

 I need to paint and reupholster this chair.  But until I get around to doing that, I have covered it in some very light pink shabby curtain panels.  The ruffles really add to that romantic feeling!  A sweet neck roll pillow makes it look very inviting.

 The lamp gives this space a very romantic glow.  I can't wait to find a good book to lose myself in while sitting here!  Any suggestions for a good read?

 I think the only thing I would add to this little space is a few more pictures, an ottoman to put my feet up on and a luxuriously warm blanket!

This picture shows you just how small it is.  But I think it is absolutely perfect!  I can't wait to finish up the master bedroom soon so I can show you all!

Total cost of this little makeover=NOTHING!  Had it all....it was just waiting to be put to good use!


Linking up with:
Boogieboard Cottage: Masterpiece Monday
The Dedicated House: Make it Pretty Monday
Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Cozy Little House: Tweak it Tuesday
Knick of Time: Knick of Time Tuesday
The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop
Timewashed: Blissful Whites Wednesday
Vintage on a Dime: Welcome Home Wednesday
{Primp}: Primp Your Stuff
Ivy & Elephants: What's It Wednesday
Faith, Grace & Crafts: Pearls & Lace Thursday
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs Olson: Share Your Cup Thursday
Kristen's Creations: Share Your Creations
 The Vintage Farmhouse: Creative Things Thursday
Common Ground: Vintage Inspiration Friday
Rooted in Thyme: Simple & Sweet Fridays
The Charm of Home: Home Sweet Home
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday
Jennifer Rizzo: Fabulously Creative Friday
Homespun Happenings: Rustic Restorations Weekend
Petites Passions: Passion Parade Friday
How Sweet the Sound: Pink Saturday
Hope in Every Season: Homemaking Weekend

Halloween 2012

I love Halloween!  Even though when I was younger, I was always sick with strep throat or an ear infection.  In fact, I got my tonsils out in the 5th grade 3 days before Halloween.  Being sick never stopped me from getting in the holiday spirit!  This year was no different.

(All pictures edited using Picmonkey Halloween effects!)

 I made special treats for my favorite little trick-or-treaters as well as their parents.  Here is a picture of all the goodies on the table.

 For the parents, I made Apple Cider cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream, Peanut Butter Cookies dipped in Chocolate with Sprinkles and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread.  Yummy!

 For the kids, I made candy kabobs.  There are orange slices, gum drops, cinnamon devils and orange pumpkins.  They are inside a pretzel wrap and tied with black and orange ribbon.  We didn't have many trick-or-treaters nor did many special little ones come over.  I guess I will have to get their candy to them later!

 We didn't dress up but we made sure the dogs were festive.  Grady is sporting his red and white skull handkerchief...he looks very amused by it!

 Bella is wearing a very stylish skull sweater.  She looked like a plump little sausage in it!

And this is our favorite little trick-or-treater.  Isn't he a handsome little devil?  

Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!  I can't believe it is November and that we are suddenly in the holiday season.  Here we go!

Wedding gifts and ornaments

 Hi, my name is Trisha and I am the owner of this here blog.  You wouldn't know it though since it has been about 1 month since my last post.  I don't really know what happened to me this last month...I guess life just kind of got in the way.  My poor husband had some bad teeth and 2 wisdom teeth that had to be removed, I have been searching for a new job that is closer to home and pays better.  You know...life.  I have managed to do a few crafty things here and there.  Here are just a few.

 My cousin just got married and I love homemade wedding gifts.,  Much more love and thought go into them!  I painted some small wood blocks red and then mod podged their engagement photos onto them.  I then sanded the edges of the blocks and the pictures a bit.  The block in the middle has a monogram, their names and the date they were married.  This was a mod podge transfer.  I tied the middle block with black satin ribbon.

Thanks to Pinterest for this idea.  My cousin even pinned this to her wedding board after I made it so I know that she loved it!  The wedding invitation is cut into strips and wrapped around a pen then placed inside a clear bulb ornament.  I added red glitter and red heart shaped beads as well.  The silver letters are their initials.  I tied a pretty red ribbon on it and added a small red snowflake to the middle of the bow.  Now their first Christmas ornament is taken care of!

I found this idea on Pinterest too...what did we do before this crazy website existed?  This is a babies first ornament for my best friend Kyla.  I took this picture of Lynlee when she was only 6 days old.  I printed it in color on regular paper.  I painted this little block pink and sanded the edges.  I used the mod podge transfer image for the sides that have her name, date of birth, weight and length.  I glued the picture to the front and sanded the edges of it.  A pink satin bow sits on top as well as a pretty little tiara.  This will be the perfect first Christmas Ornament for my little sweet Lynlee!

***

I am really hoping that I don't continue to be such a slacker.  I just don't know what got into me.  Hopefully it is out and I am back!

Linking up with:
The Dedicated House: Make it Pretty Monday
Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Cozy Little House: Tweak it Tuesday
It's a Very Cherry World: Rednesday
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs Olson: Share Your Cup Thursday
Kristen's Creations: Share Your Creations

Made in the 80's

 My 30th Birthday came and went!  I don't feel any different, I just know that I am now 30!  Even though I was dreading this age, I embraced it with a party and I am so glad I did.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the night!

 Me with my parents.  They were such great sports and dressed up.  How do you like my big crimped hair?  My sister worked her magic for me.  I made my shirt and everyone loved it!

 These are 3 of my friends from college and also my sorority sisters. Lyndsay, me, Lindsey and Amy.  It was so great having them there.  A few old high school friends showed up too but I didn't get a picture with them...sad. 

 This is Cody's little sister April and her family-Madisyn, Hunter and Ryan.  The whole family got into the spirit of dressing up 80's style!

 The little kids loved the photo booth once they got the hang of it.  Toward the end of the night, everyone just wanted their picture taken and had forgotten about the props!

 These are my old work buddies-Debbie, Ashleigh and Kyla.  Joe Dirt in the middle is Kyla's husband Tyler.  He was loving his mullet!

Cody was such a good sport.  He worked so hard helping me get ready for the party and he even dressed up.  This is him as Axl Rose of Guns N Roses fame.  His best bud Jason dressed as Brett Michaels from Poison!

My sister, my neice Bri and me...the 80's called-they want their hair back!

 My mom made me a very Smurfy birthday cake.  All the Smurfs were there and they even had a mushroom house.  It was so cute!

So, here I am 30 years old.  Everyone keeps telling me that their 30's were the best decade ever and I hope it is the same for me.  Here is to my best decade yet!

 

 



Now that all these parties and weddings are all done, I should hopefully be back to a  more normal blogging schedule...thanks for sticking with me!

Turning 30 in a week-eek!

This is very hard for me to admit, but I can't deny it any longer...I am turning 30 on September 20th! I honestly never thought I would ever be 30. I just thought that I would somehow stay in my 20's forever...I don't know how that is possible, but I thought it would be! So here I am, one week away from reaching this dreaded age, still not exactly sure what I want to do with my life. I remember when my mom turned 30-I was in the 3rd grade. I don't even have any kids yet. Since I can't get around it, I thought I should embrace it. Afterall, you only turn 30 once, right! So I decided to throw myself a birthday party. My

"Made in the 80's 30th Birthday Party" I made invitations and sent them out. I have been gathering toys from my childhood to use as decorations. I am making myself a shirt that says "Made in the 80's" to wear. I am creating a playlist of all the best 80's songs to play. I am downloading all my favorite 80's movies from Netflix to show. I have to find an Atari or a Nintendo for people to play. My drink of choice for the night will be wine coolers. My hair will be crimped, my makeup will be frosted and my jeans will be acid washed. I am going to embrace this birthday and live it up 80's style. Because next year, I am turning 29 again!

Mountain Wedding Weekend

I have been busy planning events and let me tell you-I LOVE IT! Nothing gets me more excited than having an event to plan...I love making sure that every detail-big or small-is coming together. This past weekend, I planned a wedding for my friend Lindsey. Here are some of the pictures I took to share.

This was a small and simple wedding. They weren't expecting more than 50 guests. It took place in Stanley, Idaho. Idaho has been on fire pretty much all summer, and this weekend was no exception. We lucked out and didn't have much smoke at the wedding. But driving home that night, we actually saw flames on the hills...it was crazy! The centerpieces were hydrangeas and wildflowers in Mason Jars, sitting on top of a square of burlap, on top of a brown tablecloth. Simple, but so pretty!

The cake was red velvet with buttercream frosting. My mom made it of course! Each layer had different types of piping, the top layer had a monogram on it. I added the flowers and the bird toppers. Everyone enjoyed the cake after they had a delicious BBQ dinner.

Aisle decorations were shepherd's hooks with lanterns and mason jars with flowers and bows. The colors were purple, lime green and white.I love the background. This view is perfect for their country themed wedding. The Sawtooth Mountains are the perfect altar!

I love this look that Lindsey is giving Josh. This is the second marriage for both of them and I can definitely tell that this is the one that will last forever!

Congratulations Lindsey and Josh! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to plan your wedding. I had a great time! May you live Happily Ever After!