Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

This is what it looks like outside my studio window right now! A very unusual sight for us in the south. The snowflakes are still falling!

We've got six inches so far. Is there any snow where you are?

Twelve Days of Christmas Trees: Day 12

Here were are, at the last tree of my Twelve Days series! This tree is my own, with chartreuse green and gold accents, and the occasional kid ornament thrown in here and there.

We started a new tradition for my son. Each year he picks out an ornament at the store. When he's all grown up and has his own tree I'll give them to him. Of course, by that time he'll probably be embarrassed by them--they won't be "cool"!

I still hang some of my childhood ornaments on my tree, mixed in with my "grown-up" ornaments! There's one at the bottom of my tree--the pink styrofoam gingerbread girl.

I like birds. Can you tell? ;P

And there you have it. Twelve decorating ideas for Christmas trees. If you haven't decided on your own, you'd better get to it! Christmas is just a few days away!

Do you have any Christmas ornament traditions? Do you use favorites from your childhood, or new "grown-up" ones?

Twelve Days of Christmas Trees: Day 11

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

The next to the last tree is one done in traditional colors of red and green.

I think some crocheted ornaments would look nice on this tree. Hmmm...
Okay, yeah right, like I have time to make them!

I'm doing a little series featuring a different Christmas tree for a period of 12 days. There's a little holiday shop nearby which is a favorite haunt of mine during this time of year. They have multitudes of fabulous decorator trees, done up in different themes. This year I brought my camera along to show you all the great ideas. Stay tuned for the last installment, day 12, which will feature my own tree!


Which one of these decorator trees has been your favorite? 

Twelve Days of Christmas Trees: Day 10

Almost there! We're up to day 10 now!

A chartreuse and white woodland theme, with doves, twigs, and deer.

Just two more to go. (Will I make it? I'm running out of trees to show you!!)

Twelve Days of Christmas Trees: Day 9

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

A playful Christmas tree loaded with toys!

Can you spot the reindeer, puppy dog, and giraffe?

I love this lion!

One of Santa's elves, hiding in the top!

I'm doing a little series featuring a different Christmas tree for a period of 12 days. There's a little holiday shop nearby which is a favorite haunt of mine during this time of year. They have multitudes of fabulous decorator trees, done up in different themes. This year I brought my camera along to show you all the great ideas. Stay tuned for the next installment, day 10!

Twelve Days of Christmas Trees: Day 8

Here is another pink themed tree, this one has an animal theme with zebra stripes and silver peacock feathers.

They even had a zebra striped table cloth!

I'm doing a little series featuring a different Christmas tree for a period of 12 days. There's a little holiday shop nearby which is a favorite haunt of mine during this time of year. They have multitudes of fabulous decorator trees, done up in different themes. This year I brought my camera along to show you all the great ideas. Stay tuned for the next installment, day 9!

Twelve Days of Christmas Trees: Day 7

Yummy holiday goodness! The seventh day of Christmas is a delicious day!

Such a fun theme with the peppermints, gingerbread, ice cream cones, cakes and candies. *smacking lips*

I'm doing a little series featuring a different Christmas tree for a period of 12 days. There's a little holiday shop nearby which is a favorite haunt of mine during this time of year. They have multitudes of fabulous decorator trees, done up in different themes. This year I brought my camera along to show you all the great ideas. Stay tuned for the next installment, day 8!

Twelve Days of Christmas Trees: Day 6

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

A black and silver themed Christmas tree.

Sorry about the pole. I just couldn't seem to get a good shot of this tree without that durn pole. Cropped it out in the next picture.

I'm doing a little series featuring a different Christmas tree for a period of 12 days. There's a little holiday shop nearby which is a favorite haunt of mine during this time of year. They have multitudes of fabulous decorator trees, done up in different themes. This year I brought my camera along to show you all the great ideas. Stay tuned for the next installment, day 7!

Now that we're halfway through this series, do you have a favorite tree so far? 

Twelve Days of Christmas Trees: Day 5

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...a peacock colored Christmas tree!

This one is my personal favorite. I love the blue and green. Last year I did a peacock, blue, and silver theme. I was tempted to buy some of these ornaments, but this year's tree is chartreuse green. Maybe they'll have some left in the after Christmas clearance sale.

I like the blue gift with the purple bow. That purple adds just the right accent amongst all the blue and green!

I love this beaded garland! I had a crazy idea that I could make my own, but you know how that goes...I'll never get around to it!

I'm doing a little series featuring a different Christmas tree for a period of 12 days. There's a little holiday shop nearby which is a favorite haunt of mine during this time of year. They have multitudes of fabulous decorator trees, done up in different themes. This year I brought my camera along to show you all the great ideas. Stay tuned for the next installment, day 6!

Twelve Days of Christmas Trees: Day 4

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...okay, well my true love would never consider giving me a fuchsia pink Christmas tree because it's not his style, but anyway...

See the little red powder compact hanging on the left? How cute is that?!

Very feminine!

I'm doing a little series featuring a different Christmas tree for a period of 12 days. There's a little holiday shop nearby which is a favorite haunt of mine during this time of year. They have multitudes of fabulous decorator trees, done up in different themes. This year I brought my camera along to show you all the great ideas. Stay tuned for the next installment, day 5!

Twelve Days of Christmas Trees: Day 3

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

A red, purple, and gold Christmas tree!

Look at this brass box they used as a tree topper! I wonder how they got it to stay up there?

I'm doing a little series featuring a different Christmas tree for a period of 12 days. There's a little holiday shop nearby which is a favorite haunt of mine during this time of year. They have multitudes of fabulous decorator trees, done up in different themes. This year I brought my camera along to show you all the great ideas. Stay tuned for the next installment, day 4!

Twelve Days of Christmas Trees: Day 2

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

A Victorian-themed Christmas tree! Accented with pink, peach, cream, and gold, this one is very romantic.

I'm doing a little series featuring a different Christmas tree for a period of 12 days. There's a little holiday shop nearby which is a favorite haunt of mine during this time of year. They have multitudes of fabulous decorator trees, done up in different themes. This year I brought my camera along to show you all the great ideas. Stay tuned for the next installment, day 3!

Twelve Days of Christmas Trees: Day 1

There's a little holiday shop nearby which is a favorite haunt of mine during this time of year. They have multitudes of fabulous decorator trees, done up in different themes. This year I brought my camera along to show you all the great ideas.

This tree features a more traditional harvest type theme with berries, fruits, cinnamon sticks, and pine cones.

They had a little faux room set up complete with an old leather couch with the brass upholstery tacks and fake fireplace. It looked like a cozy library in a hunting lodge!

Holiday Decor for Mantles

Every year I try to come up with a new idea for decorating my mantle. The last several years I haven't done garland at all (because I used all my Command hooks for the stockings and didn't have any left to hang the garland from!).

When I saw these twigs with ornaments hanging from them in the December issue of Country Living the light bulb went off. Of course, perhaps it was the announcement on the page "bright idea!" which gave me a clue, heh heh!

My problem though is that I live in new construction where trees are scarce. The few trees I have are twigs themselves! So I raided the neighbor's wax myrtle bushes. Don't tell him. (They were hanging over my fence anyhow.)

The wax myrtles have the prettiest little purplish grey berries on them. (Not the gold ones, those are fake berries from Michaels!) 

The leaves were impeding the view of the berries, and besides, it looked like a jungle with the leaves on. So I stripped all the leaves off down to the bare branches. 

My family thought I was crazy as I stood in the kitchen with a mound of leaves all over the counter and the floor. I get a lot of, "WHAT are you doing NOW?" questions every time I start a project. You'd think they'd have a little more faith in me, geesh!

New Designs- Name Plates and Monograms

Okay, so these really aren't new, exactly. I've been doing name plates and monograms for a few years now, but this is the first time I've listed them as an a la carte item!

This monogram I did almost two years ago now. I'll be doing some new samples in the next day or two. Provided my nice natural lighting cooperates with me (it's cloudy right now) I should have new pictures of my monograms to show you.

Note 12/1/10: Here they are, ready and listed on Etsy!