Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree!

The plans for the Christmas Tree we are decorating for the Auburn Homes Festival of Trees are complete!

We are thrilled to be part of this fun event!

The day to decorate is next Thursday!

The theme this year is Christmas Carols!

The theme for our tree is

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree!

 

All of the components ready to go!

It is good that we did a lot of planning ahead of time!

WHY?

we are getting close to the due date for the Sweetwater Grandbaby!

Somehow I don't see the  Sweetwater Daughter able to climb around on ladders by then!

We will let her come and be the "decorating director" if she is still waiting to go into labor!

We have gotten some back-up decorating help from the Sweetwater Niece!

I thought you might like to take a peek at the things we have found to create a unique and fun take on the theme!

What a great score at GoodWill!

4 boxes of these 45s for $3.99 a box.

They will go on the tree using skinny black ribbon!

(note to self....buy some skinny black ribbon)

These "classic hot rods" are really cardboard food trays for a 50's party theme.

What a find for $1.50 each.

Source: nostalgiavilleusa.com

Won't they will make a big impact nestled into the branches of the tree?

We learned last year that larger objects on the trees add a lot of drama!

The records and the cars fill that bill!

We got some of these little cardboard Jukeboxes from the same place!

Not sure if the scale is right....so we may or may not use them.

What do you think?

A Poodle Skirt from Amazon will be the perfect tree skirt!

The black and white ribbon will reflect the "malt shop" theme!

Nothing says the 50s like black an pink!

Source:  CraftOutlet.com

These shatterproof pink ornaments and silver tinsel garland will complete the look!

The garland is from Amazon and the ornaments from Christmas Central!

I can't wait to put this whole thing together!

I think we have come up with a pretty unique take on the Christmas Carol theme!

We are still trying to figure out a tree topper.....any ideas would be most welcome!

Have A Great Day!

 

Link Parties

Savvy Southern Style   

Thrifty No Stress Entertaining Tips!

The Baby Shower in honor of the soon to arrive 

Sweetwater Grandbaby was so much fun!

As usual....I didn't take very many pictures!

I suppose THAT is because the party was SO MUCH FUN!

Instead of beautiful pictures of all the perfectly arranged tables and decor.....

I thought you might be interested in the way this party went together with almost NO stress!

So here is the stress free party planning edition of:

 Decorations don't need to be decorations!

HUH?

Running all over to buy or make kitchy decorations is expensive and time consuming!
 Now...I like to craft as much as the next woman...but adding that to party prep isn't necessary!
  I spent 10 minutes searching for cute ideas for baby themed blackboards....and a little time copying it....big impact.....no money!

For sure this is staying up well past when the baby actually  arrives!

This baby buggy is actually the one MY MOM was wheeled around in....a far cry from the high tech strollers of today....but way more charming as the spot to collect the shower gifts!  Another decor statement for no cost.....unless you count the cost of Mr. S having to wrestle it out of mom's basement, into the truck and into the house!  So maybe NO stress doesn't actually work here!!!!
The two enlarged photos of the new parents was the simple decor in the diningroom/beverage center!  Simple and easy to do ahead of time!



To COOK or NOT TO COOK!

Sometimes using prepared food is actually cheaper than making it!


Since this was an "Happy Hour Baby Shower"...the menu was hearty appetizers! The thrifty/no stress approach here....buy it almost ready made!

Imagine buying and grilling and marinating 8 different vegetables...

Imagine buying and cutting up fancy cheeses and the fruit and nuts to make it pretty!

That would actually be a lot more expensive and add a lot more stress than ordering the trays already made.  The two trays from Whole Foods made four big platters for the buffet. Since people arrived over a span of time....it was great to be able to bring out totally fresh platters mid-way through the evening.

Cost Co has an amazing (and cheap) array of frozen appetizers....again cheaper than making them!  72 little quiches for $9 and 48 Spanakopita for $5....and they are really tasty. 

The ready made Artichoke dip is also a steal....buying the ingredients...much less mixing it up would be at least as expensive....and of course...more stressful!

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends!

This party was not a one woman show!
The Sweetwater fiancée was instrumental in planning and orchestrating the event.  Not only does that reduce stress....it makes it a lot more fun!  

She was in charge of the desserts....so I can't speak for her....but it was stress free for me when this array of yummy treats arrived!
The miniature Red Velvet Whoopie Pies were the star of the show!
Who doesn't love lemon bars?

The super skinny little cookies came from Trader Joe's....these are something I keep stocked in the gift cupboard...they make perfect hostess gifts!

Of course....I have no pictures of the little red dessert cups that went with the black and white striped ones...but trust me....they were very very cute!  
Putting the desserts in the little cups made it easy for people to "graze" and enjoy them without a plate!

Speaking of PLATES!

 




There is no need to keep shopping and buying paper party goods that end of in the trash...I would find THAT stressful....

This stack of dessert plates came from the whole collection of china that was purchased from Goodwill for the Sweetwater Daughter's wedding.  
Instead of renting dishes and glassware for a couple of hundred dollars...we spent fun times buying them at the thrift store!


They are unique and infinitely more interesting than catering dishes....and the best part is that now these dishes can be reused for lots of parties!  A couple of loads in the dishwasher has to be better for the environment than all that paper trash!  

Have Wine Glasses....Will Travel!

I don't know about you....but I HATE drinking wine out of plastic glasses!  Again....I have purchased a bunch of small sized wine glasses at the thrift store over the years!  They are perfect for parties....but would take up lots of space in the cupboard....that space is reserved for the BIG wine glasses.

Instead of storing them in a box on the shelf.....I keep them wrapped in a towel in a picnic basket that actually sits out as display in the family room! 

HUH?  Why is that better than a box on the shelf?

• Because the picnic basket has handles and is easy to carry around!
• Because you can set a few glasses out on the table....and set the basket aside to add more fresh glasses as the party goes on!
• Because the basket isn't taking up shelf space!
• Because my friends know that I have these glasses and I can deliver them to parties on request!

Use What You Have....Thank You Favors!

How clever of the Sweetwater Daughter....this is sooo thrifty...but I am not sure about the stress...I will have to ask her!

• she knew the succulent pallet garden on her deck would fall victim to the winter frost....
• she had a bunch of little glasses from Good Will...
• She wanted something to use as a favor to thank her guests for coming....

Her solution....these clever little miniature gardens!

Sitting on the table in the entryway....they were the perfect send off for everyone!

I am thinking that most people would trade this for a formal thank you note.....that would reduce some stress!

Choose Your Guests Wisely!

The guests really are the most important ingredient for any party!
I am not being funny when I say to choose them wisely!
One of the reasons that this party was so much fun....the people!

The mix of friends from different areas of life....family...and some pretty cute kids....made the atmosphere entirely stress free.....so stress free that it went well beyond the advertised time frame!  That is my idea of a party!

Have A Wonderful Day!

Link Party Goodness
Coastal Charm   House on the Way  

Thrifty and Elegant Fall Flowers

copyright Mary Engebreit

There is a Baby Shower at Sweetwater tomorrow!

The Sweetwater Daughter wants the decor to be "Fall" NOT "Baby"!

The shower is also "non-traditional"...

It's an Open House

 Happy Hour Baby Shower!

 Good idea don't you think?

I really believe that the money spent on parties should be about refreshments NOT decor!

Face it....the decor is really more about the hostess than the guests!

A party needs to be about the guests!

SO.....

  I challenged myself to create some thrifty "use what you have" flower arrangements!

November floral arrangements present a bit of a challenge because the garden flowers have fallen victim to the hard frost and it isn't time for holiday greenery!

 Yesterday I bought one bunch of alstroemeria at Trader Joe's.....cost a total of $3.99!

THEN.....I put on my mittens and boots and walked around the garden looking for possible additions for the arrangements.

 Artemesia

Sedum

Dried Hydrangea

Wiegelia leaves

Black Eyed Susan seed heads

Pampas Grass

All these made wonderful fill for the arrangements!

I always start by putting the foliage and other fill in first.....

I love the little ceramic pumpkin as a vase.  It is really a candy jar with a lid!

....the flowers are a lot less fattening!

Then I put the flowers in....and believe me....you don't need many for a nice look!

Here are the two finished floral arrangements!

While I was in the yard...I found a few white mums hiding under the fallen leaves.

The Pachysandra stays green almost all year....I could cut a few sprigs of that!

This combo was perfect fill for the little GoodWill vase sitting next to the ceramic turkey!

 My floral decor for the shower cost a total of $3.99!

HMMMMMM

I saved so much money....maybe I need to head to Babys R Us!

Have A Great Day!

Recovering Furniture-An Essay!

Recovering furniture is something that I love to do!

Yes....I probably could take things to a professional and have THEM take care of it for me!

But...that costs a lot of money...

and there is no FUN involved in that!

Through the years....I have redone lots and lots of furniture....in fact there are some pieces that have been recovered several times!

This post is NOT a tutorial....

there are tutorials for recovering furniture all over the internet!

If you want to learn the ins and outs of recovering furniture....other people can show you the right way to do it!

This post is about ATTITUDE!

This post is about having a CAN DO ATTITUDE!

This post is to inspire you to find your own can do attitude and just "Go For IT"!

This post is about getting in there and figuring out how to get something beautiful and inexpensive!

This wing backed chair sits in the bedroom and makes me smile whenever I look at it....

The chair is one we bought for cheap 25 years ago....

It was getting pretty worn out....and was certainly ugly!

I was ready to send it to Goodwill...until I found this great fabric!

I figured...what the heck....with a little time and effort...maybe I can salvage it....and the result is more than I hoped for.

Along the way....I learned a lot about how the original upholstery was done....I just got in there and figured out how to staple and tuck and sew....

I am not saying it was easy....but it is so rewarding to see the result!

My reputation....and the fact that I probably tell people toooo much about my projects....has resulted in requests from friends and family to help them with their projects!

The best part of these collaborations.....THE FUN we have!

Here are a couple of stories about those collaborations!

STORY ONE!

 This couch is one that had been sitting in my friends basement for years.

Lovely isn't it? 

But it has a history...it belonged to Kim's grandparents....

We decided that we could spend some quality time together and give this ugly duckling a new life!

The fabric is this great grey/taupe color with subtle darker gray dots. 

The idea was to get a look similar to this!

 I have to tell you that this project was pretty gutsy!

I have to tell you that taking the couch apart was dusty...dirty....hot and sweaty!

Yikes!

But there was a lot of laughter.....and a lot of problem solving that went on in the process!

An aside.....while we were working....Kim's 2 daughters were around watching.....
I think it was a wonderful thing for them to see two women getting the job done!





We worked through the process......

It was way more fun than just going to lunch or sitting around with a glass of wine...

(We saved those activities for when the job was finished!)

 The result of our work!

It still needs a little tweaking.....but what a transformation!

STORY TWO

The Sweetwater Daughter scored a Pottery Barn upholstered rocking chair for the nursery on Craig's List for a real bargain.....but of course the low price meant it needed to be recovered!

We spent a couple of afternoons and evenings in some good mother/daughter bonding and got the job done!

Here is the chair waiting for the cushion....

Recovering the cushions is the LEAST favorite part of these jobs...a job I need to do all alone so that no one is around to hear my #$^$#^ words while I work!  

The cushion turned out well....and only took about as long as redoing the whole chair.

The fun part of this project was the process....watching an "old grandma" and a pregnant lady crawling around on the floor....figuring out how to get all the pieces from the fabric we had.....fixing the staple gun when it broke....and finding the right screw driver for the screws to take the rockers off....

Now that would probably make for a pretty funny YouTube video....that YOU will NEVER see!

Now the rocker is just waiting for that baby to arrive!

STORY THREE

This love seat and chair are over 30 years old....they were in our living room before we had kids....then they went through several reincarnations through the years....

When the Sweetwater Daughter opened her law office....there was no extra money for furniture....

Time for more of that CAN DO ATTITUDE!

More mother/daughter bonding....and a happy result!

We also redid these Craig's List chairs in this snazzy fabric....

I love the fact that when I tell people where the law office is in Hopkins....people say....

"Oh...is that the place with the cool chairs you can see through the window?"

PRICELESS!

Enough stories for now....

I just wanted to share....

Maybe you will find yourself looking at furniture in your house....on Craig's List....at the thrift store....and figure out that with the right ATTITUDE....you can "Just Do It" too!

I would love to hear your stories....and of course...I will keep sharing mine!

Have A Wonderful Day!

Link Parties
Handy Man Crafty Woman  A Vision To Remember  French Country Cottage
The Purple Pumpkin Blog  Rooted in Thyme 
Funky Junk Interiors  Treasure Tuesday  

7 Sweet Things at Sweetwater-Fall Decor Edition

The time between Halloween and Christmas presents a bit of a decor dilemma!

I absolutely REFUSE to rush into Christmas Decor....

don't even get me started about the fact that stores are in FULL Christmas mode already....really!

Since we were actually home to sleep in our beds for 5 days in October...

I want to enjoy fall around here for a little while!

Here is the Fall Decor Edition of:

I have added links to the posts that give more details about these decorations....
hop over and look if you have a moment!

I really don't use cookbooks anymore.....a Google Search makes quick work of finding recipes....

That means that the little cookbook shelf over my desk can be an area for seasonal display!

Remember when I shared my cleaning tip for my collection of copper items?  I wasn't sure where I would use them......

But look!  Would you believe that the leaves in the copper bowl are some that were piling up on the deck?  The color was right....so I scooped them up and plopped them in the bowl. 

POST ABOUT A LAZY WOMAN'S COPPER CLEANING TIP!

Nothing says Fall quite like College Football.  "Go Gophers" and the den is a perfect place to have Minnesota Maroon and Gold on display!
And no.....that is not a Golden Gopher sleeping on the couch....it is just Marvin!!!

These pumpkins and a little Fall inspired art add some nice touches to the laundry room/back entrance.

Making the switch from cool summer colors to a warmer fall/winter palette in the lower level family room is a simple matter of changing out the "slipcovers" on the couch and box cushions on the window seat.  I made the happy discovery that the throw I had been using in the living room was the perfect color for this room!  I am surprised how nicely the recovered ottoman looks with the red patterned fabric.

POST FOR HOW TO MAKE ALMOST NO SEW BOX CUSHIONS!
POST FOR SIMPLE SLIPCOVERS TO CHANGE OUT THE COUCH BY SEASON!

Some cornshocks and a few artificial  leaves and pumpkins fill the planters on the front steps.  I left the asparagus fern in there and it will stay looking nice until it is time for evergreens. The baker's rack has a few fall looking items I scrounged from storage.

Some Autumn words on the chalkboard remind me of all the things I love about fall.....

It is almost time to make a cornucopia.....I have the pumpkins and a small potted mum ready to go....but for now they are a simple arrangement on the island!

POST FOR HOW TO KEEP PUMPKINS/GOURDS FROM SPOILING!

I have a few more things to add around the house.....but for the last few days I have been permanently connected to the vacuum cleaner as I tried to "De-cat fur" all the furniture as it went back into place now that the floors are refinished.
Now if there was just a way to keep the fur ON the cats....life would be simpler!

Have A Great Day!

Link Party GOODNESS
House on the Way Coastal Charm