Swiss Avenue

Demo Done!!

2011-09-29T11:03:00.002-05:00

Words cannot describe how happy I am with our rennovations! Yes, I feel like I have a brand new house, but it feels so much better than that! It is great to be in the same house that I feel comfortable in and turn it into something that I also LOVE the look of!
Here is the BEFORE picture, huge fireplace and support wall taking up 50 square feet.

DURING the demo process, wall is down to the studs and hole in the ceiling!

AFTER, I cannot believe how much space there is! The fresh new paint, new larger baseboards, new wood floors all look amazing!

So happy with how everything turned out!! Next stop: Operation Decoration!!

Hallmark Hallway!

2011-09-25T08:09:00.002-05:00

I am totally obsessed with our updated hallway! We are so excited about our open living and dining room too, but this hallway has had a dramatic facelift. I apologize in advance that I dont have a complete hallway before picture! Im my defense I didnt know I would be so happy and excited about the hallway enough to do a whole blog posting about it!
Before; 1980's globe hall light fixture:

Before; 1980's parquet flooring:

And more before; carpet, chipped baseboards, and parquet:

After; new industrial light, wood floors and tall fresh painted baseboards:

Also notice paint color change and white painted doors!
1980's before:

Updated after:

I'm obsessed! It's still 1 single light but much brighter and more beautiful!

Home Stretch!

2011-09-24T01:34:00.004-05:00

Wood floors are down, TV is up! Here's some before, during, and after pics!
Closet before:

Closet extension framing during:

Closet/TV niche dry wall during:

Closet/TV niche painted after:

Chair rail, new paint, hung TV complete with wireless remote receptor thingy! All TV components are inside the closet. Oh and I promise you that the TV is centered exactly equally within the niche from left to right!! This picture doesn't look that way, but you better believe that it is. I measured it about 8 times and it's exact. The vertical measurement is a little off but I could care less about that.

Before, boring old coat closet again:

And after, larger, closet TV niche combo, again:

Amazing!! This really makes a difference in the living room. Not only will we have more space, but it looks sooooo cool and modern!!

Also seen in this after photo you get a sneak peek of the new floors here in the after shot. More to come on that later!
- Swiss Avenue

Straws and Jars!

2011-09-23T20:11:00.002-05:00

I am so happy how my mason jars and straws turned out! These are the wedding favors!!
They have tiny kissing buffalo and our initials and wedding date!

- Swiss Avenue

Without a Trace!

2011-09-16T11:19:00.002-05:00

Any sort of trace or hint of a fireplace and a wall are completely gone now!
See here before with wall and massive fireplace:

The progress of taking out the fireplace and wall to the studs:

And now, nothing left, still in progress though, with an addition of a new support beam:

I cannot wait to get paint on the walls and trim!!!!

In The Closet!

2011-09-15T10:18:00.002-05:00

Again, here are some more before and after pictures of the closet reno. This is the before shot of our coat closet looking at it from the center of the living room:

And here is the same look of that closet in progress of adding a pantry and TV niche to it:

So the existing closet remains but gets opened up on the other side to create a pantry. A new coat/TV component closet gets built out into the wasted space of the foyer:

And here is a shot of the dry wall completed closet/ TV niche:

Also here is a shot from the hallway of my new pantry!! I don't even know what I'm gonna do with all that storage space:

We have been kicked out of the house since Sunday! They are painting all the trim and doors and walls! Can't wait to see it this weekend!

Demo Derby 3!

2011-09-03T08:30:00.003-05:00

Last night we came home to this:
A new built in TV niche and a new closet!!

So this is before:

And... This is after:

On the right is the exisiting closet that's now opened on the other side to form a shelved pantry. I can't wait for all the extra storage!! The framed out left side is the new coat closet. It will be basically the same size that it was. The center outside cut out is what will house the flat screen. Inside the coat closet will be all the tv components. We are getting a wireless remote thingy. I hope all renovations will move this fast!

Frank Lloyd Wright Weekend!

2011-09-02T10:27:00.000-05:00

I have always been a huge Frank Lloyd Wright fan and a few years ago I was in Arizona for work and we were put up in The Biltmore Hotel. This was an amazing hotel that opened in 1929 where Frank Lloyd Wright oversaw the design and construction.

Arizona Biltmore History

It has an amazing entrance and lobby area. There are also little bungalows that were added later to the property that were so cute. You could really see the influence that FLW had over this property.

What added to this amazing place was the landscaping! Poppy's, cactus, orange trees were everwhere:

During the trip I took myself out to Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and instructional school. From the website:

"Frank Lloyd Wright began building this desert masterpiece in 1937 as his personal winter home, studio, and architectural campus. Located on the beautiful Sonoran desert in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains in northeast Scottsdale, the site offers a broad range of guided public tours. Visitors experience firsthand Wright’s brilliant ability to integrate indoor and outdoor spaces."

This place still operates as an artictectural school and most of the rooms are still functional as classrooms, dining rooms, and boarding rooms.

Again, the landscaping was amazing. It also helped that my whole entire trip to Arizona (in January), there was not 1 single cloud in the sky. The sky was this amazing blue color. None of these photos have been touched up or enhanced in any way.

We also got to tour the inside of the buildings. These chairs were original designs. He built most of the interiors out and designed all of the furniture. Its so interesting to me to design everything within the house as well:
"Wright's creative mind was not confined to architecture. He also designed furniture, fabrics, art glass, lamps, dinnerware, silver, linens and graphic arts."

All over the property were these "sprites" seen below, designed by Wright. They were so pretty and whimsical.

There were a ton of little gardens and spots throughout the property. They all were meaningful and related to the area.

I loved my trip to Taliesin! I have also seen several other buildings designed by Wright. Look for their entries in future posts!

Demo Derby 2!

2011-09-01T08:50:00.002-05:00

The fire place, parquet, baseboards, and carpet are all GONE!

Check out before:

And standing, viewing the same place, after shot:

I will miss decorating it for the holidays, like here: Mantle Times. BUT you cannot beat the added space with a stick! We are going to love it!

Today the wall framing should be coming down! Stay tuned for progress shots!

Demo Derby!

2011-08-31T17:25:00.004-05:00

So after much deliberation and hard work we have decided to stay in our house and rennovate!! We did have it on the market: listing photos here. But now we want to stay and make it our own!

So excited to go home tonight to see the progress on the fireplace demo! I know people are going to read this and think I'm totally insane for demo'ing a fireplace, normally I would agree, but this thing was MASSIVE! We calculated and estimated that we will gain about 50 square feet in the living/dining room when adding in the dead space next to it that wasn't usable. Yes, you read that correct, that's a 5-0, not a 1-5, in square footage! It also will open the living and dining room into one large "open concept" living space. We are also doing other renovations which I'll get into at a later date.

See before of massive, yet charming, yet cluttered, fireplace:

De-cluttered for demo:

Side view:

So huge:

Stay tuned for after photos!

Oh Lord!

2011-08-27T15:29:00.003-05:00

It is Jade-ite AND it's mini!! I'm in love! Maybe someone will purchase for my b-day!? **hint*hint**

- Swiss Avenue

Year Wrap Up!

2011-08-25T11:49:00.001-05:00

With my birthday fast approaching I decided to look back at all the happenings of the past year.

September:
Amazing birthday party, thanks to my hunny, in a suite at The Melrose.

October: The Rangers went to the World Series:

December: hard month, Dad had a heart attack Dec 26th. Also my puppy that I got for my 16th birthday, Kayton, passed away. Kayton is on the right, this was his last picture.

I went to NYC!! Again, amazing!

It snowed in Dallas. Enough for a few snow days at work!

I saw Lady Gaga live in concert, about 10 feet from my face.

I met Lisa Loeb!!

Riann and I took wedding engagement pictures!

The Mavs won the Championship. This is a CAKE someone sent to congratulate!

I went to California with my sisters and best friends! The view from our beach house:

Now all that's left is another birthday!!

Swiss Avenue

Engagement Party!

2011-08-05T09:16:00.007-05:00

The count down has begun, again. Our vacation officially starts in T-minus 6 days. I cannot wait. We are flying into Spokane, Washington and driving the four hour drive across the border this year. (Way cheaper!) Check out here, my countdown last year to our vaca!

We are actually getting married on Thursday of next week and then having a HUGE fun engagement/celebration party on Saturday Aug. 13th at a beautiful vineyard in Penticton called Blasted Church.

The picture below is shot from the street to the back of the wine house. The pool and reception area is in front of the house on the Skaha lake side.

Blasted Church Vineyard

Blasted Church Pool

The party is around the Blasted Church Pool!

This is a picture of the gazebo at the end of the pool. Arielle took this picture a couple of weeks ago. The flowers are blooming and the pool is filled in and ready to go now!

So excited for the party and to see everyone!

Molly's Gift!

2011-08-04T09:28:00.002-05:00

I love wrapping baby gifts! I did a onesie flower pot bouquet for Sweet Baby James and a Tiger Onesie Set for Nolan's gift.

This is Molly's gift, complete with her initials; MTV, Molly Tate Vardell!

Wrapped in cellophane with a pink satin bow. Everything her tush needs, butt paste, powder, and wipes.

Diapers around the back of the pink and chocolate brown diaper caddy!

Cute little bundle for a cute little bundle!

Baby Gift!!

2011-03-26T12:27:00.002-05:00

Babies, babies everywhere! It seems like with my group of friends we are blessed with an average of 3 new babies a year! Well today we are "sprinkling" Alison's baby boy!

Since we are in the process of selling the house all my gift wrapping supplies are packed away. So I grabbed a clear plastic merch bag from work that we use for shipping online orders and (it's free!).

And then ran to a gift store this morning to buy a yard of orange ribbon and they gave me two remnants (for free!).
Here's what I came up with:

Tiny newborn tiger shoes tied to the top!

Then flip it over and I added this bib:

- Congrats Ali and John!!

Our House!

2011-03-11T15:45:00.001-06:00

So it is officially official, our house is on the market. We are planning on staying in the same city, close to my parents, but looking to get into something a little larger.

Riann's sister Dana has a panorama camera and came over last night to take pictures. They turned out good and that camera is so cool! I want one! Here's a few photos of what we captured! They are so cool! I can't imagine how cool of a picture it would be if it was something more scenic!

Front of the house.

Living Room

Kitchen/Dining Room

Another one of Kitchen/Dining

Hall Bathroom. You get to see a little bit of the striped paint.

Master Bedroom (Where's Waldo, Im in this pic!)

2nd Bedroom

We have a open house this Sunday!! Let me know if you live in DFW and are interested in seeing it!!

Mums for the Moms!

2011-03-09T18:03:00.001-06:00

I know it's been forever and a day since I last posted but life happens!

We recently threw a baby shower for our good friends Brooke and Dee who are expecting a baby boy very soon! We came up with this great and fun idea of doing Mums for the Moms! Tina made Dee a beautiful mum by hand!

Then in lieu of cards everyone brought their favorite childhood book. It was really funny and brought back a lot of memories at Barnes and Noble looking through these books!

Tina made the book basket by adding grosgrain ribbon to some storage boxes. They turned out really cute!

I used old Animal Cracker tins that I saved from the garbage can for the flower arranging and the blue's and reds looked great!

I also stuck in some pin wheels to all of the vases, they were cute! (Ignore the Gin bottle in the background, we didn't break into that for this party, ha!)

We also made a baby clothesline, which was so adorable on the fireplace mantle. There were little socks hanging in between the onesies.

Group Shot: (From left to right, Tina- made the Mum, Ali- hosted at her house, Dee-pretty pregnant lady pictured in the middle, Nikki- hostess, then me, and Brooke- new momma to be, far right) were very happy and loved everything! I think it was a success!

Baby Showers!

2011-01-13T15:15:00.000-06:00

I was just looking through all my picasa album and finding pictures from a couple of years ago of a baby shower I threw with Jessica for my friend Lindy. Im looking at these now because Im throwing another one in March and I need some inspiration!

We did a "clothes line" of onesies spelling out REESE, Lindy's baby daughter's name.

We also did milk glass vases filled with tulips throughout the house.

There was plenty of food, desserts, and pink lemonade on hand:

We asked all of the shower guests to bring a baby photo of themselves. We then put them on a board with a cooresponding number for people to guess from the shower guests which baby photo was theirs.

(Hint: I'm # 8!)

I think I've got some inspiration now for the next baby shower!!!

2010-12-21T22:00:00.001-06:00

My favorite ornament circa 1987.

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Silvery Scene!!

2010-12-12T10:00:00.001-06:00

I just hung the NOEL sign and captured a pretty scene!

The NOEL sign was unpainted raw wood and I silver spray painted it.

I'm spraying everything silver that's not nailed down! Watch out dogs, you're next!

Hot Chocolate Bar!

2010-12-11T21:37:00.001-06:00

At our annual holiday party I did a hot chocolate bar. I made a huge batch of hot chocolate and put it in th crock pot. Ingredients were: 20 cups of water, 21 envelopes of instant milk chocolate hot cocoa, and one pint of half and half.

Wisk briskly together!

I had small bowls with chocolate shavings, marshmallows and chocolate chunks. I also put out the whipped cream and cinnamon.

Homemade chocolate dipped spoons were on hand!

There were also adult beverage add ins like Baileys and schnapps.

So many guests at the party enjoyed mixing up their own hot chocolate concoctions!

Rosemary and Hydrangeas

2010-12-11T09:22:00.003-06:00

My mom has huge rosemary and hydrangea bushes in her yard. The flowers are now their fall/winter red and green. I can't believe they are still blooming this late in the year!
Reddish one:

Reddish-greenish-brownish one:

I love their colors! I also love the look of rosemary sprigs in bubble vases!

But by far, my favorite is how the rosemary looks in my mercury glass vase:

It's so festive to me! It looks like little evergreen trees.. When you don't have native evergreen, rosemary is a perfect substitute. And the smell is amazing!

Fancy Frames

2010-12-06T10:34:00.027-06:00

Every year I get together with my best friends for a holiday party and gift exchange. Well in the past there are usually different themes to the gifts. This year we are doing the home made, recycled, or green gifts. We do the whole steal the gift from someone else if you want to, it creates some fun and hilarious drama.

I home made my gift and it was super easy.
Supplies:

Buttons, different shapes and sizes.
Photo Frames- (mine are from Dollar Tree and held a 3x3 photo)
Spray Paint- only if you want to change the color of your frames
Glue- I used white craft glue.
Ribbon for hanging- a large grosgrain ribbon and a small ribbon for the scarf.
Scissors
Fancy paper or fabric.
Tiny twigs for snowman arms.

I forgot to snap a before picture of the front of the frame before I sprayed it silver, it was a washed out brown color. I got one of the back so you can see the color before. It looks good in sparkley silver. Remember! Silver spray paint is my favorite December thing!After they were spray painted silver:

I then glued some brown grosgrain ribbon on the back to make a hanger.

Then cut out some fancy paper and insert it in the frame and started messing around with my button collection.

I started arranging the buttons to make a snowman and a tree. It was so easy!! The tree had a "star" that was a small rhinestone that I found in my buttons.

I added twig arms, from my yard, and a scarf to my snowman.

Everything was glued down to the paper with craft glue. This project took in total about 35 minutes. (Probably less for someone else, but I had to keep getting up to yell at the dogs.) Plus they were really inexpensive! I had the majority of the supplies on hand already! Shhhhhh!! Don't tell whoever gets my gift this year!! If you are the recepient of this gift this year I paid One Million Dollars for these!

*UPDATE*- My gift got stolen and stirred up some gift exchange drama!! It was a fun night had by all!

Silver Santa

2010-12-06T09:57:00.000-06:00

I've had this cute ceramic Santa for years and it always kinda gets lost in the background of all the Christmas deco. This year I decided to give him a shine a sprayed him silver!
Santa before: such a cute face!

Silver Santa after:

Now he stands out and makes a statement and it's so simple!! Silver spray paint is my December favorite thing!!

Mantle Times are Here!

2010-11-30T17:12:00.001-06:00

Over the weekend I primped and picked at my fireplace mantle. I love the added glow the lights give off to the living room, it makes it feel so warm! Every year the decor gets tweaked slightly and I think I'm finally done with it for this December 2010! I did the same blueish, greenish, greyish, and silver color scheme as last year's mantle.

Here is the before every day mantle: cluttered with stuff collecting dust all year-

I first removed all the clutter and added the greenery (which had the key still tied in it from last year's Christmas-ized mantle, whoopsie!)

I then added my mercury glass tree, felt snow flakes in browns, blues, and greens. Also a key plaque that I made from an old canvas:

I added air plants this year in tall vases. They are a greenish grey color that I love! I love that I can add stuff I had laying around the house too!

Our sage green snowflake stockings were hung with care, and by care I mean cream colored ribbon.

I added cut out kraft paper initials to each stocking to represent who they belonged to. This way Santa will know which one to put coal in... Riann's.

Here is the boring before, again:

And the festive after:

In the words of Riann: "Holiday [and mantle] Times are here!!"

Flour Sack It!

2010-11-03T16:28:00.000-05:00

I've been eyeing these flour/feed sack pillows for some time now from Wisteria. I want to use them as chair cushions for my new dining room chairs. (I got them for my birthday!! Thanks Mom!!)

Wisteria

The lumbar, smaller size, pillow is exactly what I want, but I cannot bring myself to pay for the insanity. They originally cost $149.00 EACH!! They are now on sale at $74.50 each. Still ridiculous!

So I'm on a mission to make these things for a fraction of that... Stay tuned...

Succulents!

2010-11-02T14:29:00.005-05:00

I've been in love with succulent plants for forever. They are so cute and mini plus easy to maintain. This summer I planted all my outdoor pots with succulents and before they get put up for the winter I wanted to revisit how good they once looked!

Aloe, chick and hens, and jade plants are among the plants I used.

The picture below is the arrangement on the front porch.

Pumpkin Ice Cream Cake!

2010-11-02T12:24:00.001-05:00

Hope you had a great day Mom!

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Happy Birthday Mom!

2010-11-01T10:04:00.001-05:00

Hope you have a great day!!! I love you!!

Grama and Mom- Summer 2009 in Penticton

Happy Rangerween!!

2010-10-31T09:51:00.000-05:00

Check out this cool Texas Rangers pumpkin my friend Heather carved!!!

Happy Halloween everyone!! Have fun and be safe!!

Go Rangers!

Gift Tag!

2010-10-30T11:50:00.000-05:00

Gift wrapping and tag making are fun for me and I made these tags a while back for a bottle.

I used my Congrats stamp and added 3 buttons to the tag. Also I wrapped a fabric grosgrain ribbon around the bottle.

The glue wasnt dry yet when I took these pictures.... Make sure to use fabric glue to close the ends.

This was so simple and easy to do with materials I had around the house. I think it totally dressed up this "presentation" of the bottle and made it unique! Perfect for holiday, birthday, and congrats gift!

Behind!

2010-10-28T17:23:00.000-05:00

I'm so far behind on my blog postings. There are so many projects and DIY's that I need to add.

Stay tuned for:

my bathrooms before and afters- painting stripes, staining cabinets, removing textured ceilings!
Nora's halloween homemade skirt- Alison created the fabric then created a cute skirt!
my bedroom before and afters- new bedding, drapes, and a de-clutter!
Plus there is another baby shower in my near future! So excited to be throwing it!

Sorry people... I dont know how people work full time and blog full time!! Ill try to keep up!

Pillow Talk!

2010-09-11T15:43:00.001-05:00

On a trip to Home Goods today I found this gorg round graphic pillow. I was immediately in love.

The aqua was awesome and the bold pattern was what I've been looking for! Two left on the clearance shelf. They are big too, about a 2 foot diameter.

Ohhh don't be jealous!!

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Mums the word!

2010-09-10T13:52:00.001-05:00

Mums, a Texas Time honored tradition. I have no idea why, but every year for homecoming high school girls wear mums and the boys wear garters. I had the opportunity to assemble one of these mums Thursday night. It's pretty simple because you buy the pieces at Micheal's and just glue it all together.

I cut ribbons various lengths (the girls like them long). Then just hot glued everything to the back.

We tied cow bells and beads to it and I curled up some ribbon too. People around town charge $55-$80 for these things!! I think mine turned out ok.

Cristina seemed to like it alright except she wasn't too happy with her date, Jared, who was supposed to buy/make it. Oh the high school drama!

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Nora's First!

2010-09-10T11:40:00.002-05:00

Alison's daughter Nora had her first birthday last month. It was mermaid themed and check out these cute invites Alison created!

She tied up tiny little sand dollar and/or star fish punch outs with twine around the hand delivered invite!

The inside was really cute too. She glued on some die cuts and printed on vellum. The whole party was "under the sea" inspired! It was so cute!

Great job Alison!

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Alpha Stamps and Koozies!

2010-09-09T10:32:00.000-05:00

I love my Martha Stewart Alpha Stamp Set. I use it all of the time! I make tags with it. See BABY tag here.
I also used it on a wedding gift for Jenna and Tom.

I bought super cute (and inexpensive) foam koozies for beverages. I then stamped BRIDE and GROOM on each one. They turned out great!

I also made a tag for Jenna and Tom to go with the koozies:

I wish the alpha stamp set had numbers in it too.. My handwriting is not so good looking next to the stamps. Ill just have to save up my monies for the numeric set!

Baby Gift!

2010-09-09T10:10:00.001-05:00

I havent had time to do a lot of creative projects lately, so when it comes to wrapping presents recently I have unloaded some of that creative energy onto it!

Shannon's baby girl is due soon, so we had a shower to celebrate. I was in charge of wrapping the gift. I wrapped the box in aqua colored tissue paper and used aqua colored ribbon. I also made a tag that I stamped BABY on, because she hasnt decided on a baby name yet. (Is it going to be Payton??)

I found these really cute felt baby bottle and pacifier cut out shapes at the dollar store. They were attached to organza bags that I just cut off. Then I tied the shapes to to the ribbon. There was still some organza left on the shapes so I left it on there for added pretty stuff.

I think the stamped tag is the best part though!

I love my Martha Stewart alpha stamp set!! I use it for everything! I dont buy cards anymore, I just stamp tags!

The pictures dont really do it justice. It turned out really cute, if I do say so myself!

Un-VAMPED Guest Room!

2010-08-12T15:28:00.003-05:00

My guest room was dark like a VAMPIRE's Lair. It had all the un-dead's desires; dark leather and wood furniture, a dark red quilt that had little bite marks on the corner, (Not a vampire's but a dog's.)

Here is a shot of before, Vampire's Inn:

Dark and boring for the living.

Well I thought when I travel and stay at a friends house I always feel more comfortable if there is a nice guest room to retreat to at the end of the day. So when we had guests a while back I realized beforehand that I DON'T have that. I have a cave fit for Sookie and Bill. So I set my sights on brightening and exercising the demons.

Cheerful and bright after:

I placed some artwork that I had painted a couple of years back, originally for over the fireplace, up over the bed. I eventually hung that picture a couple of inches above the headboard and didnt just leave it sitting on top of it. I wasnt looking to spend even $100 on this so this was all done with recyling and re using a lot of things I already owned. I did purchase a few things to which I will tally up below.

With the additions of white and soft blue colors, it made a major transformation from dark and dreary to crisp and comfortable.

Total spent on the re-vamping, or un-vamping, or whatever:
2 new fluffy pillows: $6.00 Wal-Mart

1 Blue quilted throw pillow: $4.00 Home Goods

1 White subtle striped comforter: $30.00 Home Goods

1 Quilted pillow sham: $7.00 Home Goods (There was only 1 there or else I would have gotten 2!)

2 white 300-count pillow cases: $8.00 Home Goods

1 Blue throw blanket: $20.00 Home Goods

2 Brown and blue striped pillows: Free! Previously owned

1 Set blue sheets: Free! Previously owned.

2 Pieces of artwork: Free! Painted myself and previously owned.

Furniture: Free! Previously owned in my vampire phase.

3 Blue mercury glass candle cups on bedside table: Free! Previously owned!

1 Everyday Reading Bible on bedside table: Free, incase we have to use it for an exorcism.

Grand Total: $75.00

Dining Room Chairs

2010-08-10T16:39:00.002-05:00

I just asked for some Tolix aka Marais AC chairs for my birthday! I have been in LOOOOVVE with them for forever now. I thought they would look so nice around my dining room table. Technically they are outdoor garden chairs, but I think with a cute cushion they could be really nice dining room chairs.

Here is an original French ad for the antique outdoor garden chair:

Can I tell you how this antique French ad made me love them even more!

Well they are ridic expensive, especially the antique originals. I stumbled across the blog Thirteen and South who talked about the knock offs they found for a fraction of the price!! Im no chair snob so of course I love the knock offs and the knock off price ($99)!

I have a dark wood table like the one below so I thought they would look perfect! Imagine this scene below with little cute (possibly hand sewn) cushions.

Pic from Thirteen and South

So maybe I shouldn't be dreading this upcoming (30th) birthday after all! Ha ha! Just kidding, chairs aren't gonna make me feel any younger!

Central Park!

2010-07-28T17:08:00.000-05:00

Going through my iPhone photos this week and noticed some landscapes that I needed to show off.

I was in New York, New York last January and took these pictures in Central Park. Can you tell how freezing cold it was?? The coldest I have ever been!

I would love to frame these photos and do some sort of photo collage on my wall. Which wall though?! I'm out of wall space already!

Hilar!!

2010-07-27T15:25:00.000-05:00

Jenna just turned me on to Catalog Living and Im seriously laughing out loud! It is a satire on the funny still lifes that make up home catalogs like Pottery Barn and Ethan Allen. It is hilarious! Please visit this site! You won't be sorry!

"While Gary and Elaine were in the kitchen getting popcorn, the brave yellow sweater attempted its escape."

5 Days!

2010-07-26T11:33:00.000-05:00

5 days until we are here: Kits in Vancouver- close to where Sister Smelly lives.

This was a live shot from the web came today. Check out the live web cam here!

We will also be here in English Bay: Sunny and warmish right now. (65 degress currently.)

Another live shot of the web cam from today. Check out live web cam here!

English bay with many sail boats at sunset.

English Bay Sunset

So excited! We cannot wait for this vacation!

Love Letters!

2010-07-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm LOVING these letters.

You can buy the whole alphabet in note cards at Laughing Elephant!

Maybe something useful for wedding time? Hummmm...

They also have these Art Deco cards that I want, I want, I want, I need, I need!

And this is just making my heart bleed...ouch. We talked about going to Capri for a honeymoon. Money wise probably can't swing it, so I'll just have to look at this wood sign and daydream instead!

Wouldn't this Little Bo Peep wooden sign be so sweet for a babies room? I love it!

I love it and want it all!!

Brooch Part 3!

2010-07-23T14:56:00.000-05:00

I bought another antique brooch. It was listed as art deco, but in the item description they said it was really Edwardian from 1914! I love it and it makes a good collection with the other two! Check them out here!

So pretty! I love love love it!

The Doors!

2010-07-15T16:07:00.001-05:00

Come'on baby light my fire! I have a huge wall with a vaulted ceiling in my living room and for a while now I have been thinking about hanging an old door there. Riann doesnt really agree, but I think I can change her mind. I dont want another framed print, or canvas. I want something that is textural and dimensional.

This is what I had in mind:

Wooden, beaten down old doors, just hanging on the wall? Am I crazy? Other people have done it! Check out Completely Costal! I wouldnt adorn it with anything, just leave it plain and beaten down.

Maybe add an antique knob and lock? What do you think? I think I'm convinced.

22 Days!

2010-07-09T13:33:00.000-05:00

22 days until our vacation. I seriously cannot stand it! I am so excited to be going to Penticton. I was born there almost 30, gag, years ago! I have been going back every summer since!

View from Munson Mountain

Penticton has a peach on the beach where you can get the best peach juice!

Penticton Peach

Penticton also has tons and tons of vinyards, for more adult kinds of beverages.

Penticton Vinyard

It also has my most favorite restaurant in the world: Theos where Greek food is at its finest!

22 Days and COUNTING! We will also be in Vancouver visiting Smelly for the first leg of the journey. Then we will all together drive to Penticton! It's a dream come true! I cannot wait!

More DIY, less boring Wedding stuff!

2010-07-08T11:37:00.001-05:00

I'm worried about paying for it, #1, worried about picking out the right things that really express you and your partner #2, and worried about having the time to do all the DIY you want to do, #3. The wedding that is.

I think I waited so long, well I was busy too, to post about being engaged because I wasn't exactly sure I wanted this blog to turn into THAT kind of a blog, if you know what I mean... Also not sure if I wanted to start a different blog with all the wedding happenings, or keep it all on one?

From my findings though, bloggers who do two separate blogs find it hard to keep up with both blogs on top of all the wedding stuff... after their wedding, the wedding specific blog just kinda falls by the wayside.

I know that I'm going to make aka DIY a lot of things and would like to showcase them here. But let me preface this with saying that the wedding fru fru, glitz, and overpaying for flour and sugar are the exact opposite of what I am trying to achieve with the wedding.

So I will stick with the DIY and fun postings here I think, bc thats my favorite thing to read about and blog about! Some fun wedding thingys may be thrown in there too!

Thank you for everyone's well wishes and congrats!

I'm ENGAGED!

2010-07-07T11:35:00.000-05:00

This posting is long over due, but I have been very hectic and busy!

R and I got engaged on April 10th, 2010 during what I thought was a party to commemorate both of us getting new jobs/promotions. We were calling it a Career Year Party, because we are both having a "Career Year!" (See, I have been hectic and busy!)

Well little did I know R was planning on proposing at the party in front of all of our friends and family. Everyone was in on it EXCEPT ME!

R loves surprises as much as I love jadeite and antiquing. I always make fun of R saying that she is like that SNL skit of the lady played by Kristin Wiig, who can't keep a surprise because she's so excited!

Photo Credit

R emailed/called everyone ahead of time and got them in on all of the details! I guess I should have known something was up when all my (usually fashionably late) friends showed up at exactly 2pm. R also flew in my sister Smelly from Vancouver, brought in her sister, Jen and nephew Jack in from Arizona.

We were all visiting and our friend Polly suggested we play a game of Catch Phrase, which isn't an unusual request coming from Polly!

We all got in a MASSIVE circle around the back yard to play. When it got to R's turn, she first yelled out "This is when you just get eachother and everything is better because they are there?" and I yelled "soul mates!" R said "yes, but this is when you know you want to spend the rest of your life with someone and you propose and ask them, will you..?" and I then yelled out "will you marry me?" R whipped out the ring from her pocket and got on one knee in front of me and said "well, will you?"

I couldn't believe it was happening! I was in total shock that everyone was in on it! The ring is beautiful, exactly what I imagined it would be!

My sister Smelly yelled from somewhere in the crowd "well, what's your answer?"

It was "YES!", without a doubt!

Art Deco Brooch Obsession Part 2

2010-07-01T09:03:00.001-05:00

I told y'all I was obsessed!! I bought another vintage art deco brooch on ebay today... I'm totally addicted. Description reads: Vintage Rhinestone Silver Brooch 1940s. I love these so much!

I actually have a really really really good use for these, I promise, Im not just hoarding! (My use will soon be revealed so check back soon! Its a surprise!)

This first photo below is the one I just purchased on ebay. (Both photos credited to ebay). The second is the brooch I purchased yesterday. These were both well under $20 each.

It makes a nice collection with the one I bought yesterday! Check it out here.

Art Deco Brooch Obsession Part 1

2010-06-30T16:42:00.001-05:00

I'm recently obsessed with these Art Deco Brooches that I sumbled across in an antique store. I couldn't stop thinking about them! So I recently just purchased one on ebay! The description says it is: Rhodium Art Deco Brooch with set crystal rhinestones. Northern Bohemia cca. 1920´s

I am so in love and I can tell that this is going to be the first of many! (Hence the Part 1 in the title.) I couldn't stop thinking about them! So I recently just purchased one on ebay! I am so in love and I can tell that this is going to be the first of many!

I love everything about this brooch! The lines the that make it so art deco! My new obsession!

Popcorn!

2010-06-18T09:39:00.000-05:00

Popcorn by far is my favorite snack. I like it salty, sweet, savory, and spicy. So when I came across the Catamount Microwave Popcorn Popper I just had to have it! Made from borosilicate glass or laboratory glass, it is heat resitant up to 675 degrees. You can add butter to the melting lid or not, your choice, plus there is no need to add any oil. There are also no added chemicals like you get sometimes with the processed bag of microwave popcorn. I could go on and on of the benefits of cooking popcorn in this thing. Not forgetting to mention that a bag of popcorn kernels, enough for at least 30-50 batches of popcorn, costs about $1.99 at the grocery store! Compare that to a 6-pack box of microwave popcorn, usually around $3.99-$4.99.

Catamount Popcorn Popper

It tastes just like the homemade popcorn my mom used to make in her old 1980's electric machine. Minus all the cooking oil!

1980's Electric Popcorn Popper

Because I love my Catamount Popcorn maker so much I decided to give Jenna and Tom one as a wedding present!! I normally try not to stray too far of the registry list for wedding presents, but for something that I use so much, I thought they wouldn't mind!

I included a jar of popcorn kernels, some popcorn napkins, and a melted butter pourer to the gift.

I hope Jenna and Tom love this as much as I do!!

Jenna's Wedding Part 2

2010-06-15T15:58:00.000-05:00

Let's continue the wedding convo!

Jenna had a great collection of clear glass vases. Mostly cylindrical and different heights, also very green! She purchased these moss covered rocks, grass leaves, and river rocks to make a really pretty contrast to the bright pink gerbera daisies she planned on using. We came up with the idea of floating the moss rocks and gerbera daisies above the river rocks. We also spun a layer of the bright green grass leaves beneath the moss rocks. So the day of my duties included setting up the center pieces, guest book table and cake table.

The center pieces turned out really pretty with so many layers of color:

She also had some goldy brown tulle that I tussled (is that a word? It's the only one I can come up with right now.) on the center of the table to create these little "nests" for the pillar candles and vases.

Jenna wrapped each pillar candle with the shards of grass leaves to give them some visual interest and tied it back in with the vase.

Once I had all of those done I was out of the cylindrical vases, so I called in for reinforcement from the Mother Hoarder of them all... my mom. She brought me three extra vases, two of which I used on the head table.

They weren't exactly the cylinder shape of the others so I sort of disguised them with the tulle. It worked somehow and was a pretty compliment to the sprig of orchids in the middle.

I wanted to keep the orchids in tact because they made a bold statement in the center of the head table. I floated the moss rocks and sunk the river rocks to make the stem stand straight. I also added a wooden V (for the newly married couple's last name), that I painted black under the center orchid vase. Barely noticeable to anyone but Jenna and Tom, which was the point!

Jenna and Tom were so appreciative and I kept telling them, "Don't thank me! I just love doing it!"

Kissing Balls!

2010-06-03T14:58:00.003-05:00

For Jenna's Wedding this past Memorial Day weekend I made kissing balls among other items.

Jenna wanted to order these kissing balls off etsy:

Black Berry Kissing Balls via Etsy

At the time of ordering they were $20 each. (Right now they are on sale 50% off). Well I couldnt swallow that price. I knew I could make them for much less than $20 plus shipping each! So I thought using plastic bead necklaces, and wrapping around 4" styrofoam balls may work!

I hot glued the strands of mardi gras beads. (Which I cut first to make it one continuous piece.)

Then I punched a hole it it at one end with a phillips head screwdriver so I would be able to fill it with hot glue and insert a 30 gage wire:

Then I hung the wire from a broom stick so I could easily spray paint each ball (they do drip a lot!):

I then tied ribbon to the wires and cut the wires off as short as I could with out unwinding:

I tied two knots at the top and made robin's tales with the ends of the ribbon.

They looked really good out on the white ceremony chairs:

The ceremony site was really pretty:

If you look closely you can see the balls hanging at the end of the three rows. I estimate that Jenna and I spent $20 total making these 6 kissing balls. Not bad at about $3.33 each!

The wedding was beautiful. Congrats Tom and Jenna!

Stay tuned for the centerpices and other things related to Jenna's wedding!

Alison's creative and cute treasures!

2010-05-13T12:51:00.001-05:00

I cannot get over some of this stuff that my friend Alison makes! So stinkin' cute!

These felted acorns are made with the traditional felting method, which amazes me to no end.

Then she adds all the felted pieces and other adornments to these amazing yarn wrapped wreaths! This "Welcome To Our Cabin" wreath she made for her parents cabin. So cute!

Here's what Alison says about the wreath: "I made this one for mom and dads cabin. The cabin sign was an ornament I got after Christmas on super sale. Then I added real pinecones and foliage. The acorns are felted with real acorn tops."

She also made these adorable hair clips and hair clip holder for one of our friend's daughters, Reese. It is all felt and super sweet!

For Alison's own daugher, Nora, she made this Worry Doll Wreath:

Alison says:

"I made this one for Nora. It's small probably 4" or 5". It has felt roses and fabric flowers. Then I put a worry doll on it that I made when I was younger."

I love the addition of the worry doll she made! So cute to pass down to your own daughter!

And yet another Felt Rose Wreath from Alison's creative collection:

The white bird on this wreath was also felted, using the same technique as the acorns. So perfect for a little girl's room or to dress up a living room!

Thanks Ali for sharing all of your creative treasures!!

Party Hats!

2010-03-18T08:42:00.000-05:00

Jessica just sent me another picture of her freaking cute party hats that she made. I love all of the colors and different patterns! Thanks Jess, they are amazing!

Luke is One!

2010-03-17T20:05:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe it has been as long as it has since my last post. Some crazy stuff has happened in the last couple of months, and basically blogging went on the back burner. But I'm back Jack, so get ready.

Jessica is throwing baby Luke his first birthday party in a week and has homemade the cutest decorations.

First is this birthday party wreath, which she is now an expert at making:

It is yarn wrapped wreath form in delicious colors.

Then she made the cutest banner out of paper. She can't decide where to put it, though. Here it is hanging on the mirror:

Or hang on the highchair?

Either place it is so cute, including cut out letters and numbers and the birthday boy's photos!

She outdid herself on the party hats, they are totally adorable:

I love the yarn pom pom.

Thanks for sharing Jess. I love everything you made and I can't wait for Luke's big birthday!

Oxford Shirt Pillows

2010-01-05T20:24:00.002-06:00

I made pillows for my friends out of some of their dads oxford button down shirts.

I cut out the pockets then attached them to the front of some cotton houndstooth fabric.

Then I used the back of the shirt and sewed some cording for the edge of the fabric.

Then I sewed all the pieces together.

See the cording? I used the shirt fabric for the back of the pillow too.

Then I stuffed it with pillow stuffing.

I cut off the button placket and tied it around the pillow as a ribbon for Megan. I had that cardboard M at the house and thought it would look cute as the "gift tag".

It seemed like there were a lot more steps as I was doing it but that was pretty much it! (Jenna, yours is coming soon!)

Crazy!

2010-01-05T14:06:00.000-06:00

It has been a crazy couple of weeks and I have been way behind on my postings! Just wanted to share a few pictures of the dogs on Christmas morning!

This is Tate all excited and freaking about her new bandanna and purple blanket.

And here they are sleeping together on the floor with their matching bandannas!

Hope everyone had the happiest of holidays! I'm still crazy right now, so talk to you soon!

Dramatic Wreath!

2009-12-22T11:15:00.003-06:00

Shannon is at it again with her Holiday wreaths!

This one is so dramatic and I love it! It looks vintage and glamorous!

I love the bird feathers and the silver and glittered Merry Christmas sign!

Great Job Shannon!

If you want to see how she made this and her pointsettia wreath check it out here!

Salt for Christmas?

2009-12-21T10:51:00.000-06:00

Yes, I gave my friends salt for Christmas. Does it have a deeper traditional meaning, you ask? A metaphor to represent the night Joseph gave Mary a salt dried hunk of lamb right before she gave birth to baby Jesus? No, blasphemy! I totally made all that up, plus you can't eat meat on Christmas Eve!

Ok, that was weird, but I think my salt gifts looked really cute!

First I started with all this stuff below. (Which is a scary picture considering my hoarding past. Or I mean my past, present, and future. I swear these were all gifts! I will give them all away, all except the one blue one that I'm keeping. God I'm sick in the head.)

It is a Martha Stewart mess! Tiny metal colanders in vintage blue and yellow colors and salt cellars in flower and leaf shapes! Oh and don't forget the Martha Stewart signature magnets!

So here's where I put the salt and pepper. I thought what else could go with salt cellars??

Then I wrapped it all up in cellophane and tied a ribbon! Cute right?

Oh, and don't forget the magnet I attached to the front! It stuck to the metal colander!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

Nicole's Wreath!

2009-12-19T09:58:00.003-06:00

Shannon and her sister Nicole have the wreath making bug! Look at this beautiful one that Nicole made!

This is what Shannon says about her sister's wreath:

She took a Styrofoam circle wreath and covered it in ribbon. Then she took the bulbs and hot glued them on. Also I know she put wire behind the ribbon to hang the wreath with for a little strength. I think this is just FABULOUS! I wish I had done this kind instead. I think I may still do it anyways for next year!

You are right Shan, it does look FAB! Good Job Nicole! Shannon estimated that Nicole spent about $35 on the supplies, but that was before all the ball ornaments went on sale, so we were thinking now we could get it done for $12-$15!!

Thanks ladies for the picture! Check out Shannon's homemade wreath here!

Mantle all Christmas-ized!

2009-12-18T11:57:00.000-06:00

Last night I finally got a chance to work on my mantle.. Something that I dread every year because of the dis-mantle.. he he!

So here is my mantle before: Greenery is up, but nothing fancy is happening here.

Mantle after: Greenery is up and the lights are on!

Stockings are hung with care!

Christmas books and snowflake ornaments are stuck in the greenery.

And I hung a key in the center, don't know why I did it, but I like it!

So this was all stuff I had around the house, except for the stockings. I just bought those last night because we didnt have any! They were $7.99 at Garden Ridge. They are silk dupioni-esk, (or polyester made to look like silk), with little embroidered silvery snowflakes trimming the top. I love them and you can't beat them for $8 each!

Happy Holidays! T-minus 7 days!

Mom's Ornament Party!

2009-12-16T12:32:00.003-06:00

My mom had an ornament gift exchange party and we made her invites here. The table was so pretty I just had to take a few quick pictures!! Wish I got some more!

She placed a white table cloth with silver and gold plaid stitching down like a runner. Then placed individually hung glass ornments on their own little hooks on top down the center of the table.

The red place settings really stood out on the white table cloth witht the white plates! Love the Christmas Crackers!

And she added a few bubble vases with rosemary! Smells so good!

It looked great!!! Mom reported that the party was a success!

Check Mom out here making Margaritas!

Rosemary Stuff!

2009-12-14T14:30:00.000-06:00

So what do you do with this stuff?

(A big ol' rosemary bush with leaves in it?)

And these:

(Clear bubble vases?)

Well, you make THIS!

A cute little arrangement for a corner of the house! Oh and it smells amazing! OH and it was FREE!! Bubble vases were a purchase from years ago, so they cancel themselves out (hoarder), and rosemary plant is older than the house.

You could make them extra cute by putting little ribbons or bows around the neck of the vases, but I left as is. I liked how clean and fresh they looked!

This was my mom's idea so I will give her the idea credit, but I put the thing together, so I get the doing credit! Thanks mom!

Okanagan Relish!

2009-12-11T09:27:00.002-06:00

Another famous recipe from my Grama. I just so happened to make this on Thanksgiving so here is the step-by-step instructions so you can make your very own. It is the best and you can use it on crackers, burgers, chips, toast! (I eat it just by the spoonful as well!)

Start with six clean pint size canning jars then heat jars in oven on a cookie sheet at 150 degrees for the amount of time the relish is cooking.

Dice and peel 3 pears, 3 peaches, (I used frozen peaches, 3-4 cups, since they aren't in season. Let thaw.) 3 onions, 3 green bell peppers, 6 tomatoes. Put in a large stock pot. Add 2 and 1/4 cup of white sugar, 1 cup of white vinegar, 1 tbsp. of salt.

Simmer on low heat at least for 2 hours with one 1oz. bag of cheesecloth full of pickling spice. Uncovered.

This time I made a bag out of cheesecloth, but next time I make this I am just going to use a tea ball.

Here are all the veggies and fruit cut up with cheesecloth bag.

When the 2 hours are about up, boil the lids for about 15 minutes so the jars seal tight.

Pour the mixture into the hot jars and clean off tops and the seal with lids. (My aunt was in town while we did this and she said to not tighten lids too tight at first, then a day later after all the lids seal you can tighten tighter.)

The relish turned out great! It is sweet, tangy, and delish! We have already gone through half of the batch!

NOEL Tags Winner!

2009-12-10T16:27:00.000-06:00

Sorry it has been delayed, but there is a WINNER!!! Random.org chose lucky follower # 3!!

Congrats Alison, email me at swissavenue@gmail.com to claim your NOEL Tags prize!

Ornament Exchange Invite!

2009-12-09T10:05:00.001-06:00

I helped my mom make invitations for her annual Ornament Exchange party!

I used green paper that I have had for years! I bought it all on clearance from a store that was closing!

(It also happens to be the same paper I used for my NOEL gift tags! Check out the Holiday Giveaway! Ends December 10th!

Our supplies included:

Fancy edged scissors, a hole punch, matching ribbon, snow flake charms, and vellum paper.

We folded the cardstock in half and inserted the printed vellum. Then hole punched two holes at the top to tie a bow with the ribbon. When we tied the bow we added the snowflake charm so it would hang under the bow.

Then the inside looked like this when you opened the card:

They turned out really cute! I like the font and wording too we picked out too!

"He's makin' a list and checkin' it twice.

Join us if you're naughty or nice!"

Join me if you are naughty or nice and enter my Holiday Giveaway!

Fort Worth Stock Yards

2009-12-08T10:53:00.006-06:00

A couple of weekends ago I went to the Fort Worth Stock Yards and it was so fun to see it all decorated for Christmas!

Boughs of Holly! Poinsettias! Twinkle Lights!

Grennery galore on old rustic buildings.

And some beautiful old architecture!

Plus a longhorn named Big Jake!

It was a beautiful day and got me in the Holiday mood!

Don't forget to enter my Holiday Giveaway! Ends December 10th!

Hot Chocolate Supreme!

2009-12-07T09:46:00.000-06:00

Look what I got last night!! I'm still dreaming about it today!

Hot Chocolate Supreme is what I am calling it!

Made with whipped cream, marshmallows, and shaved milk chocolate!

It was the best way to finish of a cold, wet, football watching Sunday!

Get in on the actions! Enter to win my Holiday Giveaway!

Tin Angels!

2009-12-06T17:43:00.001-06:00

My mom and I are frequent craft fair goers and here is the latest from Coppell High School Christmas Craft Fair. WARNING- Some hoarding commenced here. Turn away if you are under the age of 13.

We stopped at the best craft booth I have ever seen. A husband and wife team create the most unique and fabulous angels out of "junk" that I have ever seen.

They use everyday items like old dominos to creat the bodies. On this particular one there were wooden wings and wooden legs and old keys for heads. All attached by hand with wire.

I absolutely love the legs on this one made out of an old ruler. They have used an old keyhole and brooch for the body and drawer pulls for the head.

There were also letters from old printing press blocks.

This was an old hardback book with a spoon for the head!

They also used old scrabble pieces to spell out a special message!

I was so lucky to buy some of these beauties and bring them home with me!

These babes are made out of antique tins, from tobacco to oil.

This tin is a Monarch Cocoa Tin! I love the rust on it!

I have a family member with the last name Stewart so they are getting this one for Christmas! It is a metal lid from a jar!

This oval shaped tin I think is my favorite! It is a Mellomints tin and these pictures do not do these babies justice.

Side Mellomints tin view. Notice the 10 cents!

Back view of the Mellomints tin. All attached with wire and screws.

The legs are priceless on this one. Made from an old ruler.

Prince Albert Tobacco tin. I love the look of the tin.

Another old tobacco tin. Raleigh Tobacco.

I cannot tell you how much I love these. Im considering giving some of these as Christmas gifts this year but the hoarder in me just wants to keep them all and hang them some where to watch over my home!

Don't forget to enter into my Holdiay Giveaway!

Poinsettia Wreath

2009-12-05T08:08:00.001-06:00

My friend Shannon is a natural at making these GORG Holiday wreaths.

Here is her step-by-step instructions on how she did it!

1. I bought the branch wreath and sprayed it with silver paint.

2. Once dry I took berry branches and intertwined w/ branches of wreath.

3. Then I attached w/beading wire (from Michaels)

4.Then I arranged ornaments, flowers, pinecones and attached them with wire.

And that's it!

She said she got all the stuff at Michaels, Joann's or Garden Ridge!

I love the glittered reindeer! Thanks Shan for this picture! It turned out great, I love the silver and red!!

Also, don't forget to get in on my Holiday Giveaway! Ends December 10th!

The Making of NOEL tags!

2009-12-04T09:30:00.003-06:00

If you haven't seen my Holiday Giveaway of these tags check it out here!

To make these tags on your very own all you will need is:

1. Cardstock paper cut to the size of tag you want. (I used scraps I had left over from another project.)

2. Scissors

3. Hole Punch

4. Sharpie (I used silver)

5. Letter Stencil (I have used in many projects and they are inexpensive to buy.)

6. Ribbon to tie them all up.

To start trace and color in the letters spelling out whatever you want on your cardstock. (I did NOEL.)

Then hole punch the top so you can tie with ribbon.

Then tie together and hang wherever you would like!!

Or you can put on apothocary jars like I did with my BOO tags!

Again, if you would have your very own set of NOEL tags, without lifting a finger, check out my Holiday Giveaway!

The First NOEL!

2009-12-03T09:28:00.000-06:00

I am having a Holiday Giveaway!

Check out my NOEL Tags I made this year for my Holiday decorating!

To win your very own set of NOEL tags, all you have to do is be my follower or become my follower and you get one entry into the giveaway random.org drawing! If you tell someone to become my follower, leave me a comment saying that you told someone to become my follower, and then you get two entries into the giveaway drawing! I will draw the follower randomly and announce the winner at noon (central) on December 10th!

Thanks, Happy Following and Happy Holidays!

(All winners must be in the Continental United States and must be 18 years or older.)

Let It Snow!

2009-12-02T12:29:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe I am even saying this, but I woke up to snow this morning! Ummmm, ya, it was 75 degrees last week?! Anyways, the snow was totally unexpected! I snapped a quick shot of it coming down in huge fat flakes out my back door... Please ignore the messy backyard! There was more accumilation than this picture is showing, but I had to hurry and get out the door becuase I knew traffic would be a beast!

Happy Snow Day!

Wow! December Already?

2009-12-01T15:47:00.000-06:00

I seriously cannot believe today is December 1st! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Where did the fall go? I know I have been slacking on my postings but I vow right now to try to post as much as possible in December! I am sort of in panic mode today thinking about all the upcoming events and projects for the Holidays!

So in my panic/anxious mode today I ordered pictures to stick in my Christmas cards. I decided not to buy the full blown picture cards this year. I opted just to use the cards I had left over from years past and stick a new picture in of the dogs.

Oh, FYI! On Shutterfly they have a coupon code for $10 off your purchase! (coupon code: USE10) Hurry because I think that ends tomorrow!

Anyways, this is by far my favorite picture I have taken of the dogs this year. Look for it coming soon in a Christmas card to you!

Perfect Roast Turkey!

2009-11-25T07:50:00.001-06:00

I love Ina a.k.a. the Barefoot Contessa.

So when I made my first Thanksgiving turkey about 3 years ago, I naturally turned to her for guidance. I found this recipe for Ina's Perfect Roast Turkey and I have made this turkey every year since. It seriously is the best turkey I have ever had in my life! (Sorry mom!) I am making it this year again for about 18 people, so it will be the biggest one yet!

The flavors of the lemon and thyme are subtle but it is one juicy bird!

Good Luck tomorrow with your turkey!

Ginger Crackles!

2009-11-20T10:06:00.001-06:00

My Grama is an amazing cook, baker, and canned goods maker!!

In honor of Thanksgiving, I'm posting her acclaimed Ginger Crackles.
Perfect for Thanksgiving dessert with tea or coffee, (and a piece of pie).
Oh and Grama, I hope this wasn't a secret family recipe because I am posting it for the world to see!

Why am I rhyming?

Grama's Ginger Crackles

3/4 cup Crisco
1 cup sugar (and extra to roll dough in)
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
2 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ginger

1. Cream Crisco and sugar
2. Add egg and molasses
3. Combine all dry ingredients then blend into liquid
4. Shape into 1" balls
5. Roll in sugar
6. Grease cookie sheet and place cookie balls
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 mins

Enjoy them this Holiday Season!!

Happy Birthday Lindy!

2009-11-19T07:11:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday Lindy!!

I hope you have a freaking fantastic 30th Birthday!

(I used a picture of Reese since I don't have a baby picture of you, and since you and Reese probably look identical as babies!)

Check out Lindy's blog of Reese!!

Growing onesies!

2009-11-17T09:22:00.001-06:00

My friend Jessica went to a baby shower last week and saw onesies on the mom-to-be's registry and decided to create her very own flower pot-o-onesies!

Jessica said she picked up the white flower pot at Ikea for $1.99! What a steal!

I love how colorful and bold the 'flowers' are! And the crinkle paper grass makes me so happy!

The candy hued ribbon matches perfectly with the bright sports themed onesies!

I love the football rattle and green tag all wrapped up with the polka dotted celophane!

If you would like a step-by-step tutorial on how to make your own flower pot onesies check out my post on it here!

Jessica has a really good green thumb and took to growing some of her own onesies and they turned out so great! Thanks for the photos!

Cottonwood Creek Elementary Craft Fair

2009-11-15T21:34:00.000-06:00

A couple of weekends ago my mom and I went to Cottonwood Creek Elementary School for their PTA craft fair. One of the vendors there had the cutest booth and I seriously wanted to hoard everything in that little booth of cute.

It was merchandised so well, I love how the blue matched the blue on the globe.

She had a ton of numbered and lettered items that were so unique!

I loved these mercury glass jars!

I love that oval framed C. Only if my name started with a C!!

These jars are so cute and look so great next to the baseball!

I was so lucky to pick up these awesome items:

Metal baskets, a milk glass footed bowl, and a metal frame.

The baskets have these cute little slots to insert labels.

I still haven't figured out what to do with this frame, but I think framing an initial like this below looks good.

All pieces were so versatile and useful. The milk glass contanier can be used for flowers or for serving food. The frame is going to be cute whenever I figure out what to do with it.

Oliver

2009-11-14T13:04:00.001-06:00

Ok, I did it. I bought my self the Oliver sheets from Bliss Living Home. I'll consider it my Thanksgiving present to myself.

My patience couldn't stand it any longer. I had to have them. They are pure heaven. I love them so much and I got free shipping.

Check back soon for photos of them actually on the bed! They are greyish-silvery and white. They have a Greek Key looking/ cane looking/ totally awesome looking pattern. Did I already say that I LOVE them??

I love them.

Happy Birthday Abby!

2009-11-13T12:10:00.000-06:00

My baby sister is turning 21! I can hardly believe it. The baby who wanted nothing but to watch Winnie The Pooh, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Heidi is now going to be all about White Russians, Cosmos, and happy hour!

Happy Birthday Ab-Normal!

Honeycomb Cards!

2009-11-13T11:56:00.000-06:00

*** Sorry for the delay in posts! I was having some issues with my storage, but I have now purchased additional storage so I shouldn't have that problem again!***

While at Big Lots ~~today~~, a couple of days ago now. (Yes I spend my lunch hour there sometimes) I saw these honeycomb card kits from Martha Stewart! They were $2.00! Yes, $2.00 to make FOUR cards! That's $0.50 cents each, you can't buy cards for $0.50 each, let alone cute Martha Stewart cards!!! So you can imagine that I was excited, estatic, and scared beyond belief! Scared because I wanted to buy the store out of them, but I refrained my hoarding, and only purchase two kits. No not the six kits that I initally had in my hand. OH and it was for a reason because it just so happens that a certain sister of mine is celebrating her 21st Birthday this week!

Yes, it was $2 freaking dollars! See I told you!

Cards in bright greens, blues, coral pinks, and lavendar!

It also came with all these colorful stickers and the honeycombs of course!

So I created my sisters card, and I added a 21st after "It's your". I didnt show it though because I write like a fourth grader.

Then on the inside I picked the cupcake honeycomb, some sprinkle stickers, and a candle!

It is so cute and I cannot wait to make more!!

Check out Big Lots to get your honeycomb card kit! I love mine!

6 Dollar Halloween Happy Hour

2009-11-04T20:27:00.001-06:00

For my moms birthday and for Halloween we decided to have a Happy Hour instead of a full blown party. I was determined not to spend over $10 on decorations because my mom already has so many decorations and the party was at her house. So at Wal-Mart I found some cute and cheap favors and decorations.

I bought favor spider rings for $2, stretchy skulls for $2, and a windsock for $2.

I thought they would look cute in martini glasses for everyone to grab as a favor on their way into the party.

We had a great time, and I didn't spend over $10 on favors or decorations!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-11-01T00:00:00.002-05:00

Mom,

I hope you have the most wonderful birthday ever!

I love you because you make me laugh, you make me cry, and you make me who I am! (But, I could have done without the hoarding gene.)

Also because you say things like "horn of plenty", "oh horse sh*t", and "meearlow" for merlot.

Also because you say "Gracias" when we are in France.

You are crazy and I love you!

Happy 50th Birthday!!

Pure Bliss!

2009-10-29T11:41:00.001-05:00

Yes! It is true, I am in a pure bliss state right now. Even though I am at work, Riann broke her hand, and I'm totally stressed out about my $6 Halloween Happy Hour this weekend, I feel completely serene and blissful. I have a fun filled weekend ahead, it is my mom's 50th birthday, my crazy aunts are in town, and a few other surprises for my mom along the way! ( I cannot reveal right now incase she reads this!) It is going to be so much fun and so eventful! I cannot wait!

So in honor of me feeling extra blissful right now I wanted to highlight one of my favorite catalogs I hoard in the mail. Bliss Living Home

They have the most luxurious bedding, bath, and home furnishings that I have ever seen. I don't even exactly know how I came across this company. (No they are not paying me to say this, though I wish they were!) Once I saw this catalog in my mailbox, I was drunk with love and I was hooked. It is just enough for me to look at the pictures of this catalog for inspiration and awe. (Disclaimer: I have never actually bought anything, so don't hold me responsible if you do and you end up hating them I can only recommend how peaceful, inspired, and blissful the catalog makes me feel.)

First off this stuff is way, way, way far out of my price range and budget but I just love to look at how dramatic it all is.

I wish I had the guts to do this Kahuna comforter in my bedroom. I love how it almost hurts your eyes to look at it because it is so vivid.

I love these Wings Pillows. So cute and luscious! I am now trying to figure out how I can DIY this idea. If you have suggestions, let me know!

I love Koi fish and I love copper, so I'm in total love with this Koi on Copper print! It would be perfect over my fireplace.

This Oliver Sheet Set is exactly what I am looking for in my bedroom redo:

A little bit modern, but simple. Silver and white. I love them. Since my little **hint*hint** worked last time, I thought I would give it a try again. So **hint*hint** these would be a perfect Christmas gift this year for me! Heck, they are even on SALE!

My sister lives in Vancouver and it is my favorite place on this earth so this Canada Passport Pillow made my heart skip a beat.

The Canada Passport Pillow looks so perfect on this Amelie Green Duvet!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month so they also have these amazing products for Breast Cancer Awareness!

Like this Osaka Pillow! I love the frilly flower details next to the smooth silver silk.

Even better that they donate a portion of the proceeds to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

"We GIVE 20% of proceeds from orders placed on products featured in this event to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, you RECEIVE free shipping. Simply enter the code SUSANGKOMEN during the checkout process to participate and to support breast cancer awareness."

So look, buy, and drool over these photos and I hope in some way I gave you a lil' bit-o-bliss today.

Up ahead are my $6 Halloween Happy Hour, Carmel Apple Salad, and Blood Orange Sangria! Stay tuned and have a great weekend! (I know I will!!)

Feature!

2009-10-22T12:34:00.000-05:00

I'm so happy to announce that I was featured today on Better After!

Well not me personally but my ugly oil pipe fence before and beautiful new fence after!! Check it out!

Better After is an awesome blog that doesn't beat around the bush. It cuts right to the before and after photos of different projects! Love it!

Thanks again Better After for my feature!!! I added one of your buttons to my blog so my readers can easily check you out too!

Light Bright, Light Brite!

2009-10-20T16:09:00.002-05:00

My friend Jen and her husband Wayne had a question about putting a light fixture in her dining room. I'm no professional but I love to help on house things whenever I can!

Here is her email:
"I wanted your opinion. We are desperately in need of a light fixture for our dining space. Besides the fact that the existing light is U.G.L.Y., if we get that San Antonio job, we'll need to sell the house and a chandelier/pendant/whatever will help a lot with staging. The problem is, I need it to be fairly inexpensive and I can't find anything that Wayne and I both agree on. He wants something simple, cheap and able to go very bright - I want something a little funky but neutral enough that it will appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers. Any ideas?? (Our fridge is stainless steel but the fixture in the family room is oil rubbed bronze. So a silvery finish OR a rubbed bronze finish will work.) Our dining room table is 4 1/2 ft in diameter, if that helps size-wise.

Thanks for all your help!! :)"

Here are Jen's photos of her dining room and current dining room light fixture. (The matching light fixture farther in the back of the photo has since been replaced with an oil rubbed bronze fan and light.)

I'm all too familiar with this light, I have one in my house too...

So I scoured lighting fixtures and found some really great, inexpensive pieces online. Some places that I didn't expect would have some like Wal-Mart and Ikea, did have some good and stylish options! So I put together a mood board of light fixtures I found.

(Photo and Light Sources: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, and #7)

So to break it down: Jen asked for a lil' funky but neutral. Wayne wanted function over form. I really hope I "set the mood" for them. Well umm, not in that way, but with finding a light fixture.

Jen said that her favorite was #2 and that was my favorite too. It was found on ebay of all things. So I think I inspired her to do some looking on her own and she found one at Overstock.com!

I think it will be perfect for her dining room!

(photo source: Overstock)

Jen, I can't wait to see the after pictures after you get it hung!! It is perfect! Thanks for letting me help you! It was fun!! Please check out Jen's blog: Call Me Crazy! You will die laughing/crying/ and relating!

Punkin'

2009-10-19T20:57:00.000-05:00

Hope you all had a great weekend! I just wanted to show you what I got this weekend! I think they are really cute!!

It's almost Halloween!!

BOO Tags WINNER!!

2009-10-15T12:25:00.001-05:00

Today one lucky follower will get shipped to their house this precious package of my handmade BOO tags!

I counted each follower from 1-31, from the bottom up, and got a random number from random.org and the winner is, at 12:01pm central time.........

Number 19! Congrats to:

***Retromodgirl***

Email me at Swiss Avenue with your mailing address so I can get these BOO tags to you!

I really appreciate all my new followers and sweet comments!

New giveaways for the rest of y'all are coming soon!!!

Thanks Y'all!

2009-10-14T12:01:00.002-05:00

Thanks to all for my sweet comments, support, and for being my followers! In celebration of Halloween and getting sixteen followers today, I'm going to have my first ever give away! YAY!

I appreciate y'all so much that I'm selecting one of you lucky followers at random (courtesy of Random.org) to receive a complimentary set of my BOO tags! (Shoot me an email at Swiss Avenue if you wish to NOT be entered.)

Here are my tags in action.

Note: Apothocary Jars and other decorations are not included in this give away!

Tags (three of them) will come hole punched, with a coordinating ribbon, and ready for your use! They can be used like in the photo above or hung anywhere in the house to add to your own Halloween Decor!

The winner will be announced in tomorrow's posting. So check back tomorrow and if you are the winner please email me at Swiss Avenue with your mailing address. If I get any followers from now until tomorrow's posting they will be entered unless I hear otherwise. So if you have been thinking about following me, NOW is the time!

Don't forget to email me at Swiss Avenue if you wish to NOT be included.

Fine Print: Due to shipping costs I can only ship to the followers addresses in the Continental US. No purchase necessary. Winner must be 18 years or older.

Rock It Out, Now Rock It Out. Yes I Rock It Out!

2009-10-14T11:16:00.001-05:00

My rock flower bed thingy was finished this weekend and I cannot take all of the credit. I had three bags of rocks left to pour on and I went to a see a friends baby and came home to it being magically done for me!
I didn't take a before before photo, but I did have during photos that probably looked worse than the actual before photos. Well maybe not, imagine this mess below plus over grown plants and a whole lotta weeds.

Before/During/Muddy Mess:

After: so fresh and so clean, clean:

First I pulled out the massive amount of weeds that were in the flower bed. I then cut the weed blocker tarp into shapes around my rose bushes, liles, and crape myrtle. (Don't mind the chewed siding by the doggie door. That is getting replaced next!)

I cleaned and trimmed up all the existing plants that I wanted to keep.

Then I started pour the rock. I love how it instantly gave me a beachy feel!

I noticed early on in the project that I didnt have enough of the Mexican river pepples (the grayish color stones), but those bags were $15 vs. the $4 bags of pond rocks (the brownish color stones).

So I decided to make a sort of a "river" running through it look.

Do you see the "river" ?

That way I was able to use less of the expensive Mexican river stones (gray) and more of the more cost effective pond stones (brownish).

I did really like the Mexian river rock better, but I just decided that fifteen bags X $15 each = was not in this budget.

I do like how it turned out and I am happy to say I haven't seen one weed yet! (Plenty of falling leaves though, ugh!)

Let me know about your Rockin' Out projects!

River Rockin' Out!

2009-10-11T09:18:00.002-05:00

I decided to finally tear out all the weeds in my back yard flower bed and pour in pretty new river rocks in their place. The rocks are providing the double duty action of looking cool and blocking out future weeds. In my nit witty head I envisioned pretty stone beds with ornate flowers and plants equally placed at exactly four inches apart.

Photo courtsey of: Shed Style

I also saw pretty contrast of cool gray rocks against lively and vibrant green plants.

Photo courtsey of: Silk-Flower-Smart

A place where there were no weeds or unsightlys in sight.

Photo courtsey of: Shed Style

I worked tirelessly for five hours last Sunday. I cut weed blocker tarp into intricate shapes and sizes to go around the existing plants. I made a trip to Home Depot where I hauled twelve heavy bags of river rock, (I guess I should say Riann hauled them, but I was there cheering her on) off the shelf, into the car, then out to the back yard. I made very good progress in those five hours, silly me I thought it would only take one! Nit wit I know! I did make a muddy mess but it's all cleaned up now! So after all that then I finally realized I actually needed fifteen heavy bags of river rock, not twelve, so I quit. Role model I know, but it was getting late, Home Depot was closed and I was oh-so-sore.

Stay tuned for my before and after shots of my Rockin' River Rock Flower Bed with no weeds. It may take me a while to get it posted because I have come to realize that I strained my hamstring during my five hour river rock romp. So it is going to take me a while to put the extra three bags of rocks out. Epsom salt baths every night and I'll be back out there this weekend, I swear!

Follow Up on Fall

2009-10-10T17:31:00.001-05:00

I added and subtracted some things from my fall decor. Just something wasn't right so I played around with it a little bit today.

I added some old books that were on my mantle under my ceramic pumpkin.

I felt like something was missing before, but now after the addition of the books I feel like it is complete!

I also removed the haunted house sign and put it outside where it belongs. So how do you like this small update?

And now with more room on my fire place mantle I was able to add my white ceramic pumpkins and jack-o- lantern votives.

So my house is slowly becoming a fall haven, and I still haven't spent a single copper penny!

Fall Flair!

2009-10-09T08:02:00.004-05:00

I know you have been waiting with baited breath for my after photos of my fall entry way. Well I finished it up tonight and I'm very pleased to announce that I did it without buying one single thing. I used leftover materials that I had around the house from previous projects and parties.

Here is the before, sad and plain, entry way shot:

The new fall flair entry way:

I tied my BOO tags on the apothocary jar lids.

The tags are tied with some black and white ribbon I had left over from the French Classy Shower.

I then filled the jars with faux pumpkins and gourds that I have had for six years. I used left over moss from my onesie flower pot in the middle jar. Then in the big jar, I pushed in harvest corn cobs that I had last year tied to the front door.

Here is the before, the pitiful empty jars:

After: Fall and full!

The black urn and damask table runner are both left over from my French Classy Shower, and the ceramic pumpkin I bought at CVS four years ago for .50 cents. (at an after Halloween clearance price!) I have had the haunted house sign for six years and the orange felt chandelier hanging off a drawer knob at the bottom of the table I got at Michael's clearance last year for .50 cents.

I feel like after Halloween I can take off the BOO tags, remove the haunted house sign, chandelier, and maybe the damask table runner and then I can keep this decor out through Thanksgiving! Talk about versatile! My vow is complete! I didn't spend a dime and I think it turned out alright! (Sure I could have hoarded my way through Target, Home Goods, and Michael's but I didn't and I like it even that much more that I didn't buy a thing!)

Let me know what versatile fall decor you put out this year!

Boo!

2009-10-08T08:36:00.000-05:00

I thought that this year I just wouldn't feel like decorating for Halloween. I thought about it being too expensive, too much effort, and too messy, but tonight I got in the fall mood and I vowed not to spend a dime on anything! I saw this blank canvas entry way table that was in major need of sprucing up for the fall festivities.

Before: So plain and crying for some fall flair:

These perfect and versitile apothocary jars are just begging me to be filled with lil' punkin's and fall things.

So to get started I first I laid down this black and white damask runner that I had left over from my French Classy Shower. It was a fabric piece that I got for $4.00.

Then I started by making tags that spelled out BOO to tie on these jars.

I cut the tags out of orange floral paper that I have, using a packing label as a template.

I traced on the plain side of the paper so the pencil wouldn't smear on the front. Sometimes I'm smart.

Only sometimes.

Then I used stencils that my mom gave me, that she used back in her teaching days, to trace the individual letters.

I used a Sharpie to color the letters in black.

Then I put them all together and here's the finished result:

They were so simple and I think they turned out so precious. They seriously took me about five minutes to create! That is including the several stops I had to make to yell at the dog to stop bumping me! I needed a steady hand, dang it!

I used materials for these tags that I already owned so they didn't cost me anything! Yay, my vow is still in tact!Stay tuned for the fall finish on my sad and plain apothocary jars and entry way table to see if I stuck out my vow not to spend a dime!

Weiner Boy!

2009-10-07T04:16:00.001-05:00

Yes, he has many nicknames, Dana calls him Dieter, Riann calls him Pumpkin Face, Flat Face, and Sweet Face, but I affectionately refer to him as Weiner Boy!

He got that name because he lies outside on the grass in the sun, belly up, with his, well ummmmmm, thingy, exposed to the world! That pretty much sums up his personality. He's laid back, he spends his days enjoying simple pleasures, and he loves his food. God save you if you get between him and his food bowl at dinner time. Sweet Face will take you out at the knees.

A Real Fall

2009-10-06T16:47:00.001-05:00

Last October we went to Ohio and it was the first time in a long time that I had been up North during fall. It was a real fall, not a fake, rain every day but still 80 degrees kind of fall that Texas has. It was changing leaves, crisp cool sunny days, and cold nights that make you want to put on a fire. So while I'm sitting here in the midst of a Texas fall, where it's raining, gray, and 80 degrees outside, I remember my trip up North. Here are a few photos I took last October while in Ohio.

I see you orange tree, I see you! Do you see that perfect little orange tree far off in the distance?

Well I just had to get closer! It was burning orange and perfect. The contrast between the green grass and firey orange leaves just gave me the Fall feelings!

And boy was I was in for a treat when I spotted this pretty lady. This old house with a tin roof just looks perfect for a creepy trick-or-treat stop!

Happy Fall Y'all!