Kids Table to Masterpiece~

The kids table was a hit - I think just about everyone picked up a crayon and added to the masterpiece. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are recovering from your food induced coma while enjoying your Black Friday sales!

Happy Thanksgiving ~

May your Thanksgiving be filled with lots of love, warm smiles and sincere gratitude.

Thanksgiving Table for the Grownups ~

I completed the "grown ups" table for Thanksgiving (I think my husband is assured I have lot my marbles this time). If you remember, we swapped our dining room and living room about a year ago to make our spaces more "use-able" - and it works great, expect for when we extend our table. Here is how our table looks 11 months out of the year.

And then for Thanksgiving and Christmas, the table gets a bit larger. The only issue is that we don't have a chandelier in our now dining room. So my Mom picked this beauty up a few weeks ago...it was originally white.

Which didn't really match, so I grabbed a can of black spray paint and now it blends right in. I made another Give Thanks tag with distressed edges to hang off the top finial.

A couple shots of the mantle.

An up close shot of the center piece that my Mom arranged - thanks Mom!

And I decided to stick with the same place card holders as the kids table. I love the simplicity of the pine cones and that my guests can simply "add" their place card holder to the table decor when they sit down ready to devour all the Thanksgiving fixings!

And here are a couple of shots from my kitchen countertop.

I hope all your Thanksgiving plans are underway and running smoothly!

Holiday Believe Banner ~

I completed my latest project last night - a Holiday Banner. I had picked up these cardboard stars at Michaels in the dollar section about 6 months ago. I wasn't sure what they would become until this weekend. If you don't happen to have these sitting in your closet, you could also trace them out of thick card stock, reuse some old cardboard or even use the sides of a cereal box.

I picked up these wonderful books at Goodwill last week for $3.99 each. They are old books filled with beautifully aged sheet music.

I placed my star on the page and began tracing. Did you notice the title of the song? In hindsight I should have kept this page in tack for another project since only I - and of course now you - know that the page was originally the Christmas Song.

After all my stars were cut out, I distressed the edges.
I then turned to my computer, printed out each letter, cut them out and distressed these as well.

Then I cut out a gold circle for each star out of some paper I had on-hand. To add a little glitz, I turned to my Mod Podge and Martha Stewart glitter. I must say, I love how glitter looks, but man I think I still have it in my eyebrows.


It was now time to assemble. I glued...

I added some hanging jewels and rhinestones...

hot glued each letter to some ribbon, and...BELIEVE.

I linked this project up to DIY Day over at A Soft Place to Land and Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog. Be sure to check them both out, I was thrilled to see all of the great ideas!

Just linked this project up to Saturday Nite Special over at Funky Junk Interiors. This party is always full of some many fabulous projects and tons of inspiration.

Sneak Peak ~

Here is a sneak peak on what I was working on last night. I am off on a field trip with my kiddos, but hopefully I can finish it today.

Kids Thanksgiving Table ~

So I figured out the kids table for Thanksgiving! I did a trial run last night (I think my husband thought I had lost my marbles). Here is the before...
I was going to lay out butcher paper, but while at Fred Meyer, I picked up this Postal Kraft Wrapping Paper for $4.99.

I started by cutting two pieces and taping them together with my One Arm Bandit - yes, that is really the name of my tape dispenser.

And then laid it on the table. Originally I was thinking of having it hang over the sides, but the paper was just too stiff.

So I rubbed the edges with my hand to "trace" the tabletop.

I then traced the fold in pencil,

and cut out the circle.

So here it is - but what about that awful tape seam???

So I grabbed a table runner and off I went.


The fun part about the packing paper is the kiddos can color all over the "tablecloth". I mean who doesn't want to color on the table! I grabbed a couple little containers for the crayons but I think I might pick up another set so everyone can have their own. I also (thanks to my good friend Jonni) bought pipe cleaners and beads for the kids to make bracelets and necklaces while they dine.

I added a few fall veggies and some pine cones to seal the deal.

And for the place card holders, I just used a pine cone. This is super simple and upon sitting down, they can literally put the pine cone in the center of the table and add to the decor.So now I am onto the "grownup" table. Have a great weekend!

.99 Cent Jar into Holiday Gift ~

On my last trip to Michaels I picked up this .99 cent jar. I loved the shape and began thinking how I could transform it into a little something more and possibly a gift idea too.

I gathered some supplies...

And ta-da!

I printed out an image, grabbed a little double stick tape and started assembling.

Now this was just my first attempt. I love the price, had a fun time and was able to use items I had on hand. I don't know about you, but I have A LOT of misc. items on hand - a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I think these could make a great hostess gift - you could use a holiday image and even fill it with something sweet. I picked up a larger jar at Goodwill yesterday, so stay tuned for more!

Thanksgiving Placecard Ideas ~

As mentioned on Monday, I am hosting our first Thanksgiving. Now I never have used place cards as we typically have very informal events, but I thought for Thanksgiving it would be fitting...and fun to create. Here is one I literally threw together with my tag from my cloche yesterday, a little wire and an apple from the fruit basket. Now this won't make it to the table, but it got me thinking about what will.

So I started taking a look are place card ideas for the table. Here are a few I likey...

Glam Nest

Cathie Filian



Country Living

And now I need to start thinking about the kids table. Usually they sit with us, but this year we are having a large group and will need to have two tables. I really like the idea of butcher paper for the kids to color their way through the turkey!

My Last Cloche...For Awhile ~

I went to TJMaxx again yesterday - I know, hold me back. I didn't find anymore crowns, but I did pick up this...

It is an herb terrarium for $14.99 - are you thinking "what"? But once you take it out of the box, you have this nice base -

and a glass dome - making a cute little cloche.

You could add a little Fall to it.

Even put it on a stand (aka candlestick).

And add a cute tag of course.

I am thinking this could also be a great Christmas gift - out of the box - with a cute little personalized tag for the recipient...I mean who doesn't love a cloche? And a Christmas gift for $14.99, not bad!

Thanksgiving Tablescape Ideas ~

My husband and I are hosting our first Thanksgiving this year. So I started checking out tablescape ideas. Here are a few that caught my eye. What do you do for your Thanksgiving table?

Better Homes and Gardens



Country Living