Decking the Halls

Most years my Christmas decor goes up in an afternoon, but this year (with two toddlers, travel, a business, and did I mention I'm directing, acting, and singing in our church Christmas play...?) it's taking me a while to get it all out. And it's not done, yet! I just wanted to share some of what I've done. This gorgeous Santa is from Germany and is also a music box. I put him on my mantle, so little hands wouldn't break him.

Due to the two toddlers I mentioned above, I couldn't hang our stockings on the mantle this year. I was very nervous about one of them yanking on a stocking and getting hit in the head with the weighted holder. So, I kept them in a stack for a few days while I thought about where I could put them. Genius finally struck (not sure where that came from, must be my dad's side of the family...) and I hung them vertically on a pair of antique wooden skis ($18 at a thrift store.) I love them there more than on the mantle. I've had my hand made stocking as long as I can remember. My mom made ones to match when I got married and had kids.
I made a candle ring for my PB & BJ inspired candle holder and it has found a home on my hearth.

In my dining room, I simply filled an antique ironstone wash bowl ($2.50 at a yard sale) with pine cones and greenery.

I also added candle rings to my $4.00 yard sale chandelier.

This is the arrangement on my entryway foyer. I purchased the deer over 10 years ago when I briefly worked at Mikasa for over 60% off. The plate was a $2.00 yard sale find, as was the $5.00 twisted pedestal. I made the candle ring out of some spare garland, ribbons, pine cones and fall fruit & berries that were on clearance after Halloween.

Can you believe that my mom made this nativity set? She made 2 sets, one for each of my grandparents. When my grandfather died, my dad acquired this set for me. It's not only beautiful, but a family heirloom. (...and my mom wonders where I get my craftiness from!)

I hung the angel from my $6.00 auction mirror.

Did anyone realize that decorating with burlap was not created in the blog world? This stocking was made in the 1970's out of...burlap! I love the vintage look of it.

Because my wreath is too fat for the front door (it gets mushed by the storm door), I hung it on my kitchen window. I love it there! And it gave me an opportunity to revive one of my other wreaths. You can see how here.

I've also been busy working on some other things to share with you including how to decorate a tree with stuff you already have and an easy-to-make "JOY" banner.

Lilia's Bread Box

I am a little embarrassed to say that I just finished the custom painted bread box that was the giveaway for reaching my 100 follower milestone. That's right. Give me a little bit of a break, here. It was custom painted and I had to work with Lilia to paint it how she wanted it. I also have two toddlers, a house, a husband, church commitments, clients, and I painted and moved our shop. That is the craziness that is my life. But, it's finished and here it is! And here it was. This is the second one I have found in a thrift store, so these are pretty common. They're constructed well, they are just dull and scream 1980's. Lilia, from 2 Brown Eyed Beauties, chose to have the box painted a distressed white with a glass knob. For the decorative painting, she wanted the quote "A mother's treasure is her daughter" in a Jane Austen style font with scroll work around it in black.

I must admit that this font was a hard one to copy. Since it's a handwritten font, it was kind of like trying to copy a signature.
For the specific pattern, I got inspiration from a hand painted border on the cover of a wedding album. I thought it was classic and would look interesting in the black and compliment the font style.


Lilia, I hope you love it and will use it for many years. I have several giveaways to mail out, so I'm heading to the post office tomorrow!

Winner of the Frog Tape Giveaway!

Well, it was tough to pick a winner, as always, so I picked a winner and an honorable mention (who will receive 1 roll of Frog Tape.) And the winner is... Holly & Gary from Reid All About It! They started a modern tree mural inspired by the picture below, but the blue painter's tape was not working and the project was put on hold. They need Frog Tape to finish this with sharp, clean lines before company arrives for the holidays. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see how it turns out. Take a look at their blog! They have great style and some outstanding makeovers. I know they'll use the Frog Tape wisely. Congratulations and you had better show me pictures!! There was one other post that really stood out to me. The reason I started this blog was to inspire other people and to supplement my business. This post confirmed that I am on the right track....

"Well, quite honestly, Marian, it was because of you, that I have decided to take a stab at refinishing some furniture. About 3 years ago, I refinished my kitchen cabinets & I still remember feeling so proud of myself for accomplishing a rather large project... and even more so, when I hear the compliments from others. Then, after having two little ones, I kinda let my love of art & decor slip by the wayside. But, then I found your blog... it spoke to me. And reminded me of my love of art {I am not schooled in art or anything... have always just enjoyed it}. And that I should get back with it & soothe that much needed me time with something I love & that makes me feel good.

Well, I just purchased a desk off Craiglist {similar to the one in your office... which is to die for!} & it sits in my garage waiting to be given new life. And frog tape would definitely be of good use! ;)

Thanks for your continual inspiration! And happy belated birthday! ;)"

Melis, you did not leave an e-mail or a way for me to contact you, but I would love to send you one roll of Frog Tape to help you with your new projects. Please send me an e-mail with your address and thank you so much for your kind words.



Check out the post below to see how to rescue a tired wreath!

How to Revive a Wreath...Clear!

Did you pull your wreath out of storage this year and realize it looks sad, tired and pathetic? I did. With about 10 minutes, some florist wire, glass ornaments, and some ribbon, you can bring it back to life. (Did anyone get my ER reference in the title?)

Here's how the wreath looked when I pulled it out of storage. Pine cones were missing, some berries had "burst", and it was so dull you could hardly see it from the street. The first sign of a tired wreath is when the coating on the faux berries chips off to expose the foam. There were only a few, so I cut the offending berries off with scissors.

I then needed to address the large holes that exposed old & crusty glue. I had some frosted white and glossy red glass ornaments handy, so I decided to use those. In addition to filling the gaps. they added some shine.

All you need is florist wire and a pair of cutters (or scissors.) Cut a length of wire long enough to cluster three ornaments together and wrap around the wreath.

Thread three ornaments on the wire, center them, and twist to cluster them together. Use the remaining wire to wrap around the wreath, twisting the ends together in the back to secure the cluster.

Select and cut a length of ribbon about 2 feet long. I used some ribbon that I bought a few years ago to make a bow for a tree topper. I'm going to make something new this year, so I didn't need it for that.

I like to cut ribbon at an angle. It looks so much prettier than ribbon that is cut straight. (Ha! I cut this piece with my kitchen scissors and it is not a very clean cut. Oh well...)

Fold the ribbon back and forth, over on itself to make a "bow." Twist a length of florist wire to secure it and then attach it to the wreath (just like the ornament clusters.)

I think the ribbon looks best when it's tucked in behind the ornaments. Then shape the ribbon into nice loops. (It's best to use a fat, wired ribbon, but use whatever you have.)

Here's the finished wreath. I made 5 ornament clusters and 3 ribbons. For some reason, odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye when decorating.
I was able to bring this trash-worthy wreath to life with stuff I already had and a few minutes of my time.

The best thing is you can actually see it from the street. Before it blended in with my black door and now it pops.

If you want a different look, you could use silk flowers, artificial fruit, wooden ornaments, crocheted snowflakes, vintage Christmas cards, the possibilities are endless!

Make sure you come back for my Furniture Feature Friday link party. Remember you can share any post about furniture or home furnishings. This includes makeovers, favorite finds, room arrangements, or accessories. I hope to see you all there!

<a href="http://www.missmustardseed.blogspot.com"><img alt="Furniture Feature Fridays" src="http://www.missmustardseed.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/furniture-feature-friday-link.jpg" /></a>

I'm linking this to Reinvented's Tuesday Link Party.

Lou Lynn's Tray

It's finally done! This is the tray I offered as the giveaway prize for my very first Furniture Feature Friday. The winner was Lou Lynn from the Life of Lou Lou and her fabulous chair makeover. This is what the tray looked like before. It was a thrift store find and actually was in really nice condition. It could have been left "as is" and I gave Lou Lynn that option. She chose to have me custom paint it for her in a soft blue/gray with white hand painted detail.

I chose to distress the edges to give it more character and a sense of age. It also will hide any dings that may occur in daily use.

I hand painted some detail around the outside of the handles in addition to the border around the surface of the tray.

The hand painted scroll work was inspired by the footed tray I recently received from Kim at My Domestic Bliss. I really never know where inspiration is going to come from!

Once the tray was distressed and hand painted, I added an antiquing glaze to highlight the beading around the edge of the tray and give it more dimension.

I really love how it turned out. Blue & white is my thing, so it's a little sad for me to say goodbye to it, but that's how it frequently is for me. I think this tray would be perfect on a coffee table, as a vanity tray, or to serve guests. This is such a useful and functional piece.

Lou Lynn, I hope you love and enjoy it for many years.

Make sure you come back for my Furniture Feature Friday link party! You can share any posts about furniture or home furnishings (including accessories and decor.)

<a href="http://www.missmustardseed.blogspot.com"><img alt="Furniture Feature Fridays" src="http://www.missmustardseed.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/furniture-feature-friday-link.jpg" /></a>

I'm posting this to Met Monday at Between Naps on the Poarch, DIY day at A Soft Place to Land and