Christmas 2010

I hope everyone has had an amazing Christmas! I know I sure have! It has been a long time since I have blogged but I have missed it so much and finally wanted to take a little time this evening to show off some of my Christmas goodies.
For the past few years I have been making ornaments for my Christmas tree little by little. The goal was for a 100% handmade tree (except the tree itself of course). The final touch this year was some burlap that I cut and used as garland. I loved the natural look of it! A few of these items were gifts or swap wins from other bloggers that look oh so awesome on the tree! I used some red and white homespun as the tree skirt and loved how it all came together!

Also, I decided to make our stockings this year. I had been using primmed Santa hats upside down but wanted something that would coordinate more with the tree...so I made burlap stockings! I lined them with a softer fabric and added the cutest stars!

I had an old nail barrel that needed a little life to it so I bought a few cheap candy canes from the Dollar Store and covered them in some prim fabric. It was super easy... I just stained some fabric strips and glued them around the cane. Then I added some left over greenery and lights and there it was...I had a few extra strips of stained homespun left over so I just used it around a little tree that I had in my bathroom. I just put the tree in an enamelware bowl that I have had for years....

I made a few candy canes out of pine cleaners and sprinkled with Mica flakes, put them in an cute basket and added some berries that I had picked up from Olde Tyme Marketplace. Found the cutest place for it on an old scale.
I was really happy with how everything turned out this year! Kinda hate boxing it all up in the attic for another year!

I also wanted to share a few of my favorite prim gifts that I received this year! My mom found me the most wonderful prim picture. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Saltbox houses and this one was full of them...

Then my most wonderful boyfriend got me some things that any prim lover would DIE for! First is an old desk that he fixed back up ....
(See the snow falling on it!! We are actually getting a white Christmas here! It has been like 55+ years since we have had a White Christmas here! YAY!)

He also found an old mattress and cut me over 90 something bed springs! He had them in a wheelbarrow there were so many!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! I hope to be able to get back to blogging...I miss you guys! Merry Christmas and have a very safe New Years!

Prim Hugs ~ Nicole

Peppermint Trees for under $5 each!

I came across this idea on HGTV the other day and thought I would give it a try. I think they look so festive - a great centerpiece during the holidays! I finally "hunkered" down last night and made a few trees and they were so easy! I couldn't get my camera to download so I found some photos online to share.

~Supplies~

*6-x-3 white Styrofoam cone
*9-x-3 white Styrofoam cone
*12-x-3 white Styrofoam cone
*3 candleholders made to hold 3-inch pillar candles
*Red and white candies: round peppermints, red hots, candy canes
*Hot-glue gun and glue sticks

I picked up my Styrofoam cones and my bags of candy from the Dollar Tree for $1 each!

First, take all of your peppermints out of their wrappings. Lay aside. Plug in your hot glue gun so it can be warming up.

Take each peppermint, dab a bit of glue on the flat side and press it onto the bottom of the Strofoam. You will want to start at the base and go all the way around with peppermints. Once you get all the way around, if a full peppermint will not fit, don't worry, just break one in half. Start on the next row. Be sure to fill in the peppermint in the grooves of the previous row. Do not put them directly on top of each other. Continue going row to row until you get to the top. You can top your tree off any way you like. I stood a peppermint on it's end and glued it to the very top of the cone (almost like a tree topper).

You can do all three cones the same way or you can use different types of candies. The picture shows one tree with peppermints, one with red hots, and one with miniature candy canes.

Tip #1: When making the "Red Hot" tree, you may want to paint the foam cone red before you start gluing the candy to the tree. This way you do not have as much white showing behind the candies.

Tip #2: The miniature candy cane tree takes a little more time because you have to line up the canes and be sure to allow room for the next rows canes to be glued.

The candy cane tree was topped with ribbon just tied in a bow. Any way you want to top them will be perfect!Now, you can put your trees onto your candle holders and enjoy a beautiful centerpiece! If you don't have candle holders, just put them on a plate and sprinkle the base with candies or ornaments! These make great gifts too! Just wrap them in cellophane and top with a festive bow! VIOLA! I think they are perfect for teacher gifts or even a small thank you to the party host!Hope you enjoy!

Lookie Lookie what I got and a Parade!

I am glad to report that the whole family is feeling a lot better this week! The husband's finger is taking a little time healing. He is a diabetic so any cut or wound takes forever to heal. This one was a doozy . . . I do not normally have a weak stomach. I grew up with two older brothers and let me tell you, there wasn't anything "Girlie" about my childhood! I have seen broken bones, smashed fingers, you name it. But this one grossed me out! He smashed it somehow and split the whole thing open. I will spare you the details but the doctor at the hospital said there was no way to put stitches in it - there was nothing to stitch to. So, he brings this busted finger home and needs the bandages changed out each day. YUCK! I try to do what I can without looking at it but it doesn't work. Luckily, things are a little healed so it isn't as bad.

Anyway, both kids are feeling much better. The bug only stuck with them for a day or two and then it was gone. Thank goodness! As for me, I feel a little better too. I could not hardly move over the weekend thanks to 3 injections the doctor gave me last week. I go tomorrow for the results from my MRI so we will see how that goes. In my wildest dreams, I would have never imagined that a little wreck would have caused so much damage to my neck and back. I feel like I was ran over with the car instead of driving it! I don't think the folks that pulled out in front of me were even injured! That is what gets me!

On to more pleasant things! With the usual hussle and bussle of this time of year, we all tend to forget things! Heck, I tend to forget things even when it isn't Christmastime! I came home from work today to find a package waiting for me. It was the giveaway that I won from Tammy at The Olde Hollow Crow! Of course, being so impatient, I tore right into the box without snapping a shot of how cute everything was wrapped! Boy did I hit the jackpot!

I got a wonderful handmade stitching that reads "He is the Light", 2 star shaped Sleighbell scented tarts, a bundle of prim chenille candy canes, a bundle of pip garland, a bottle of the most delicious smelling Room Spray EVER . . . Spiced Cranberry, and 3 handmade candlesticks glued onto an old clothespin. TOO CUTE! I immediately started setting things around the house and realized, "I haven't took a picture yet!"

This picture shows how I put the candlesticks on my tree. They look great next to the gingerbread man that Suzie sent me in the Honeypot Swap! You can also see the cute Mason Jar light covers that I picked up at the Southern Christmas Show.
This was my first Giveaway win and boy, was it worth the wait! You have to get over to Tammy's website and check out her amazing goodies! You will not be disappointed!
Thanks Tammy for such an incredible giveaway!

I also wanted to share pictures from the Waxhaw Christmas parade on Sunday afternoon.

My husband and I love these guys!

This is our local High School band - GO PARKWOOD!

These guys are with the Shriners - They play the coolest music on these big steel drum barrels! Of course bringing up the rear of the parade - SANTA himself stopped by our little town!

Last but not least, my dear friend, Merrie over at Where the Blackbirds Sing, asked me about our Bulldog, Cane. She has several English Bulldogs and we love to talk about them! I wanted to show everyone that he loves Christmas!

He stands there forever watching the lights. I think he is trying to figure out how to eat those ornaments without getting caught! Sorry for the long post this time but I had so much to share!

I hope everyone has a great week!

My goodies from my Honeypot Swap!

I was planning on participating in Whatcha Working on Wednesday but during work yesterday I received a phone call from school that my son, Colton, was sick and running a fever. A few minutes later, I got a call from my husband, who had busted his finger open at work and was headed to the hospital for stitches! Needless to say, things were a bit crazy!

When I finally got home, there was a package waiting for me . . . from Germany! I don't know anyone from Germany and couldn't for the life of me think who this was from.

As I tore open the package, I found the cutest Christmas card. Inside it read, "Merry Christmas to you and your family - From Suzie - Your Honeypot Swapie!"

She had all of the goodies wrapped up so I couldn't immediately see what she had sent.

I did find a few packets of German Gummybears on top! My kids and I thought these were so neat. I started tearing into the wonderfully wrapped gifts like a mad-woman! She sent so many wonderful treats - lots of Chocolate goodies - I can't read what they are but the pictures look yummy! She also sent me a Gingerbread Man ornie. He has a gingham pocket on his front and it is filled with Christmas sprigs. I also got a Gingerbread man stocking filled with lots of little pieces of German chocolate!

The other ornament I received was a small Christmas Tree carved out of wood. It is very detailed to be so thin! Wonderful craftsmanship on this piece!I haven't gotten into the chocolate yet - my daughter ate a small piece that was in the stocking and said it was good so I am gonna give it a try tonight. I did get the ornaments hung on my tree but that is as far as I got! Now my daughter and son are both sick. The husband is home nursing his badly injured finger and I am planning for my neck and back MRI tomorrow. There are 4 of us and not one feels like moving! It will definately make for an interesting few days!
I hope everyone has a great evening!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I know I have been missing in action lately! There has been A LOT going on around here! We hosted Thanksgiving at our house from my side of the family this year. We had a great day! My nephews came over and they are like little tornado's wherever they go! I realize how my house is not child friendly! I start moving things to higher shelves and hiding the breakables whenever it is time for them to come over. Problem is, I forget where I hid things after they have left! I spend a lot more time looking for things I hid than it took me to stash them in the first place!
I started doing a little Christmas decorating before Thanksgiving. I usually do it the day after but I was feeling pretty good so I thought I better take advantage of the opportunity. Every since the wreck, I have terrible neck and back pain so I am at Physical Therapy a few times a week getting things corrected. We got the tree up and the lights strung and the back pain really set in. It was another couple of days before I could finish the tree like I wanted.
This is the first year that I got the tree just like I wanted! I made all of the ornies on the tree and of course filled it with stars. I am not sure if I like the topper or not though. I had a small grapevine star on top but you couldn't even see it. I had this one at the shop so I stole it to see if it would work.
At the Christmas show this year I bought the cutest Mason jar light covers. They attach over the little light bulbs on the strands. I love them! I will buy more for next year. They are so easy to attach and I haven't had any problems getting them to stay on!
I also wanted to do a little something different for my mantle. I wanted to make some old fashioned stockings - you know the long, skinny, grubby ones. Since the accident, I haven't really been crafting so I never got around to it! I bought four Santa hats from Dollar General. I stained them in coffee and cinnamon and attached a hanger inside and am using them for our stockings. I really like how they turned out too! I haven't completely finished the mantle yet but wanted to show off the hats! We have to work "around" my hubby's prized deer, Bucky. I sure a lot of you know what I am going through on that one!
These are the candy canes that I was working on a few posts back. I grubbied them up and put them in an wicker sleigh that I have had for years. They look great sitting on my grandmothers piano!
Finally, I have a little bit of sad news too. I have decided to close my shop here in town. I can't be there most days because of my back, physical therapy, lawyers appointments, doctors appointments, . . . It really has just gotten to be too much.
I moved my goodies to a booth at a local indoor market - The Curious Cat. This is the same place I started out. What a great bunch of people that are there! They have been so great in finding room for me and helping me get my booth in order!
They are having their Christmas Open House this weekend so I wanted to get what I could to the booth for display. I am glad I did! I went by today and have already sold a lot of things!
I figured this way, I could still make a lot my prim goodies as I am able to and can take them by when I can. I think this is going to be the best situation for me so I am just thankful that I have a place to display my items and I didn't have to put everything in storage! I will try to get some pictures of my booth and share them in a future post!
I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Nicole

Candy Cane Land and a Thank You!

I wanted to say Thank You to everyone that sent messages about our car accident. You all were so helpful in letting me vent. Things are going a little better here - we have been looking for another car. Ours was totalled. I have had to go to the Doctor about my neck and back and they have now sent me to physical therapy. Yesterday was my first appointment with PT and I feel about as bad as I did after the accident!

Each day is looking better so I am very thankful for that. I am also very thankful to all of you for your kind words and generous thoughts! Words can't express how much your words meant!

Okay, Okay, enough of that!

Today, I went to Dollar General here in town and picked up the cutest door mat. I love that the "Primitive" look is becoming more popular. It is getting easier finding some really cute things!

I thought it was adorable! It has a red saltbox house and some cute prim sheep. It reads " Bless this country home!" Best of all, it was only $3! Let me tell you, I almost did the dance . . . you know we all have one. . . the dance that you do when you find a really good deal or something you have been looking for and are so excited. Yeah, that one! Right there in Dollar General! I have been busy working on some candy canes for a few customers. I made some out of muslin and painted them with red stripes. I have several different sizes of those. I also made a few muslin stars. I grungied them up and gave them cute hangers for the tree. I dusted a little bit of mica flakes on the stars.

I picked up a pack of red and white pipe cleaners at Walmart. I twisted them together, grungied them, shaped them into candy canes and dusted them with mica flakes. I think they turned out great. (But what do I know!) I am going to bunch them in groups of 3 or 4, add some Christmas sprigs and a rusty bell and put them in an old grungy jar. I will get more pictures once I get all of that done.

I haven't gotten around to putting my Christmas tree up yet. I wanted to have completely handmade ornaments on the tree this year. I finished my rag garlands a month ago and have been stitching ornies ever since! I plan to try to get our tree up over the Thanksgiving holiday.
I will definately take pictures when I get it finished to share with all of my great blog buddies!

Take care!
Nicole