Gnome for the Holiday! A Tutorial

 Gnomes or Tomte or Nisse.....Oh My!
Whatever name you give them, you have to admit they are awfully cute!

I guess I am a little "GNOME obsessed" this year. 

When you see how easy it is to make your own Tomten I am sure you will want to join in the fun!

Festival of Trees 2016

Every year the Sweetwater Daughter and I have the delightful task of creating a tree for the Auburn Homes Festival of Trees event.  We have so much fun designing something unique for this wonderful charity.  The theme this year was "A Moravian Woodland Christmas".  Here is our take on "A Walk in the Woods.

Sorry that the photo doesn't show how interesting all the elements were.....but I took the photo with my phone.  I guess I was more interested in doing the "job" than recording it.
The project comes with a hefty budget.  This is a big switch in thinking for me....to actually NOT have to think "thrifty"!

Cornucopia 2016

Source

What could be more iconic than a cornucopia at Thanksgiving?

The cornucopia (from Latin cornu copiae) or horn of plenty is a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers or nuts. The horn originates from classical antiquity, it has continued as a symbol in Western art, and it is particularly associated with the Thanksgiving holiday in North America. (Wikipedia)

This is the 2016 version here at Sweetwater.
I used a collection of artificial fruits and vegetables
with bittersweet, magnolia leaves and pheasant feather accents.
It is finished off with a burlap bow.

Texas Road Trip -Fixer Upper Fix!

A couple of weeks ago Mr. S and I took a trip to Texas.
We flew to Dallas, then drove all over the place!

I am a regular watcher of the HGTV show Fixer Upper.  It made sense to take the time to stop in Waco on our way from Dallas to Corpus Christi.  I wanted to go to Magnolia Market and see how those Silos turned out.

It was a rainy Friday morning.  There was a large crowd gathering at 10:30.  HMMM.....there didn't seem to be any dedicated parking other than some smart folks like the neighboring church who were "letting" you park for a mere $10!  Since Mr. S is less of a fan of the show....he dropped me off and went to find a spot to sit for a spell!

Let me start by saying that I am still a fan!

BUT...I left the Silo's thinking.....