Alison's creative and cute treasures!

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!!

Cottonwood Creek Elementary Craft Fair

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.

Thanks Y'all!

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.

Fall Flair!

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!

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!

French Classy Part Duex!

So the French Classy  bridal shower went off without a hitch tonight and I think all was well! Every one loved the decorations, (more to come later on that), and of course every one LOVED the margaritas! I thought that margaritas would clash with our French Classy theme, but no one, including myself, after two margaritas, seemed to mind that it didn't "go" together!

We had the margarita machine delivered and we mixed up the lime goodness 4 hours before the shower.

Here is my mom mixing up the margaritas:

Then lifting the heavy jug. Then attempting not to spill any while she poured it into the machine!

The margaritas were perfect in time for the shower and my moms friend Kari brought over homemade sangria to pour over top! It was sweet and tart and delicious!

I told myself that I would not buy anything for this shower and use what I had to decorate. Until I came across this beautiful table cloth and eight matching napkins in a perfect white.

I found this beau at an Estate Sale in my neighborhood and it was marked $45.00 for the set. Well one look at the price tag and I walked away. The guy who was running the sale asked me if I would take the set for $10 and I was so excited that I got a runners high from the good deal I just scored!

It is a huge rectangular table cloth that has this really pretty ruffeled, eyelet edging all the way around.

Also the eight napkins that came with the set had the matching eyelet edging on one corner to match.

While I was glowing with my great $10 table cloth deal I spotted this sweet milk glass hobnail vase.

It was marked $15.00 and I practically stole it for only $7.50!

I love the crinkled edging at the top and the creamy white of the vase!

These items are perfect for my French Classy shower! Even though I said I wouldn't buy anything I got these two versatile items because I believe I would use them over and over again for years to come!

I had so much planning and decorating this shower! I will be adding more photos and postings of the shower so stay tuned!

Do you think I made out like a bandit at the Estate Sale or did I completely use the excuse of the shower to continue my collecting (aka hoarding) ways?