Do-It-Yourself Season

Hey Y'all!

Hope you are each enjoying some cooler {if not down right cold&snowy} weather this week!
Even though we're in 'South Georgia' - it's been mighty cool... I shall not be grumpy that this week's high is 80 .. psh.

Anyway - y'all know I love to do me some DIY and lately it just hasn't been happening due to my event / fundraiser in October and all of the madness leading up to that.
Now I'm shuffling my belongings again, just down the road to live with a sweet friend of mine. I'm looking forward to having a roomie again :)
My hope is to be pretty settled by Christmas and have a wonderful season of baking and DIY gift-making!

I had to share some of these sweet ideas with y'all ~

Paper Trees - to compliment the colors of your decor! Not overtly Christmas'y so they would stay up in my house probably til January!
{www.u-createcrafts.com}

Greenery Wreath with a Monogram {of course!} Tie off with any ribbon that matches your style ...
{lookiewhatidid.blogspot.com}

This would be a precious wreath / gift for a grandparent! Easy peasy directions to follow at {thecraftingchicks.com}. . . I could see my grandparents loving this one!

I'm so loving hand-made gifts - if you're on my list, you'll be getting at least 1 handmade goodie :)

Happy Crafting~ I have a mirror to work on ... this beauty ...

Scored her for $20 @ a shabby beach antique store. Love!

Happy Tuesday!

xo
B

Artisan Holidays

Hey Ya'll~

Monday is here & I'm prepping for an interview in retail this afternoon.
I've got to be honest, working retail sales {when selling something you really would want to buy yourself} is actually a lot of fun. Maybe it's the shopper in me that loves to live through the customers, but I'm kinda good at it! Being a "Nordy Girl" two years ago at Nordstrom was quite the fun gig where I learned just how well I can sell!

I'm a huge fan of holiday decorating {okay. and decorating in general} which means I get overly excited at the sight of all things sparkly, glittery, shiny, monochromatic and usually vintage-inspired or handmade. Immediately I picture "Where in my house could this pretty go?"
It's quite disturbing ;) but oh-so-fun!

In keeping with the West Elm theme of this post - I have to share my excitement to see that W.E. has linked up with Etsy {yes, I did just say that} to sell artisan items for the holidays.
Y'all! This is like a real-life-walk-in&shop Etsy experience! {I, for one, have always dreamed of an Etsy store where you can walk in and see items according to your "search terms"...but where you're able to touch, hold and feel the items before you buy them.}

So, I wanted to share some of the cool items they're offering this season - and how you can support small businesses :) because we all should love that!

Woodland Creatures handmade in Nepal:

Precious homespun felt wreath from Kathmandu, Nepal

Til Christmas Comes,
xo
B

Paring Down

Hey Y'all !

Well it's almost that season - the one where people eat in excess and buy in excess - yet here I am, moving apartments {long story} and shedding even more than when I moved three months ago.
As Momma says - "Haven't you gotten rid of enough??"
I thought I had ... but apparently I did not. If I did not like to craft or bake {of which I have 2 moving boxes full of each ... scrapbooking, paints, garlands, etc. and cupcake pans, frosting tools, specialty cupcake doo-ma-jiggies ..} my life would A) be boring and B) 2 boxes less than what I currently own.
I mean, what's two boxes in the grand scheme of things?? Exactly. Not much. ;)

So, as Thanksgiving and Christmas are just weeks from us, I have been focusing on just how much unnecessary "stuff" we have. Maybe it was working with the children briefly in my last "contract" job {we'll call it that, instead of them duping me} or just how many times I have shoveled through my own belongings, but I really don't feel like any of us NEED anything this year. So many have less than I do and yet they are happy with their lives. Why can't I be more like that?

I challenge everyone to give of your time or treasures to a non-profit or your church this season. You will truly be blessed more than any gift you could receive!

xo
b