Friday, December 23, 2011

Christmas at Home Made Haven


Last year this little Charlie Brown tree was our it (with the red Christmas ball that has since been broken). No, it wasn't a sad Christmas, just a hectic one with the house torn up with a building project. Decorating just seemed to get in the way. This year, however...


I think I was making up for last year. I took the advice of Brenda at Cozy Little House and grouped all my trees together. It really does make a statement, so thanks Brenda. I had a lot of fun putting the living room together and had great ambitions to finish the rest of the house, but I have to...


Life sure gets in the way. Shopping, cleaning and of course, work have all piled up and I'm ready for Christmas to be over. 

Does that happen to you? Don't get me wrong. I love Christmas, but it seems the closer I get to it, the more I want it to be over. It's not that I'm tired, it's just...



No, not joy... more like anticipation of what the new year is going to bring.


Will my stocking be stuffed with fun and exciting projects?



Or will my wings get clipped and I'll be forced to head back to the corporate world?

I guess we'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, have a wonder holiday everyone! And don't forget to...




Merry Christmas and God Bless,



Linking to:

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Country Christmas Decoration Copy Cat

As I'm getting the house decorated for Christmas, I came across this little pitcher. Hmm, I wondered to myself: is this little pitcher just waiting to become part of my country Christmas decorations?


Then as I was browsing around Blogland the other night I came across Debbiedoos' Copy Cat Challenge. Great idea and enough to get me moving on an idea for that little pitcher.






But it had to be a copy cat! Hmm! Well I headed for my Gooseberry Patch Christmas book. (It never got put away after my last "inspiration!"). And what did I find! A perfectly simple idea for dressing this little homespun pitcher into it's country Christmas decorations finery!


Ta da... I added a checked bow to dress it up with a little more Christmas flair.


You could fill all types of pitchers, pots and vases with greeny and they'd look just as good. And I get to sneak in a photo of my beautiful grandbabies :)

Still working on the the rest of my country Christmas decorations between writing assignments. Should have those finished soon. In the meantime...

"It's beginning to seem a lot like Christmas..." Oh there goes that song again!



Photographs: copyright Home Made Haven 2011
Vintage Christmas Postcard: The Graphics Fairy

Sunday, December 4, 2011

New Cheap Floor for the Holidays

What is it about holidays that makes you want to start a remodeling or home improvement job? It seems to happen to me all too often. Last year it was enclosing the third bedroom (the original owners never finished the remodel and it was open to the living room as a den). This year is was a new floor for the living room. A cheap floor -- laminate -- but new nevertheless. I can't say it didn't need it. We've been living on concrete ever since we pulled up the nasty old carpeting. And it's taken us a while, but ta da, finally a floor...

I even splurged and bought myself a cowhide rug. Pretty nifty, huh? I wrote a little more about the cost to install laminate flooring (nothing when you do it yourself!) at Cheap Floor Diva, so hop over a take a look if you're interested. Me? I'm heading off to the barn to get the Christmas decorations.