Pretty Christmas Creations

Hello Friends!

Today I wanted to share some of the pretty things I have made for the Christmas season with you.  Since I am no longer working at my former job I have a lot more time to create!

I bought this sweet snow couple several years ago and realized this year that it was a perfect candidate for a makeover!  James (my husband) always says that when he looks at them it reminds him of us.

 Now this sweet snow couple is adorned in pink and light green with crystal and rose accents.  I love how they turned out!

 I had a get-together with my former co-workers ( and still dear friends) on Wednesday.  They came over for dessert and an ornament exchange.  I made each one of them an ornament and they are pictured below.  I used card stock, Victorian cutouts, lots of fun embellishments, and glitter to create them.

 I also made some new pillow covers for Christmas this year.  I absolutely love how they turned out.

 I made the poinsettias from pieces of ribbon and hand-sewed each piece.  I love the crystal button in the center.  these flowers make the pillows extra "Christmasy" and I think they are so pretty!  I will use them at the Bed and Breakfast next Christmas.

I also made this beautiful cone for my mom, Ginger of "Glitter and Roses", for Christmas.  She doesn't know about it yet so don't spill the beans!  I think she is going to absolutely love it.  I used lots of vintage lace and embellishments to dress it up!

I hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas season and you have a safe and happy holiday!

Blessings to You!

Love Tammy

My Pretty Christmas Cottage

Hello Friends,

I have had my house decorated for about three weeks now and I am so excited to show you how pretty it turned out.  Christmas is the most fun time of year to decorate because there are so many pretty decorations to use!  I decorated my dining room and living room is ivory, white, and silver this year and my bedroom and bathroom are pretty pink!  I already posted the pictures of the pink decorations so now I will show you the ivory, white and silver.  The great thing about these decorations is that I can leave them up in to the new year and use them as "winter" decorations until Valentine's!

 These are some pictures of my pretty little dining room.  I think the ivory and white are such a fresh, clean look and very pretty.

 This guy is on top of my curio cabinet in my dining room.  I just love him!  I made those candles for my wedding and got to reuse them for Christmas!

 This is my large ivory china hutch in my dining room.  I absolutely LOVE how beautifully it turned out this year!  This hutch will be moving over with many other pieces of furniture to my bed and breakfast, which is scheduled to open in the spring.

 I made this beautiful piece last year from an old cardboard box!  Isn't it beautiful?

 I bought this tea set last year for a "winter snowflake" tea party I hosted.  I think it is really sweet and I use it for cocoa and tea in the winter.

 Here are some pictures of my living room.  I made some pretty pillows for my sofa that I will have to post later because they are not quite done yet.  I have to add some finishing touches to make them perfect!

 The tree looks pretty bare in this picture but this evening I wrapped all my presents and put them under the tree so I guess I will have to take another picture with all the presents and post it in my sidebar of my fireplace for each holiday/season.  That will make it look more like Christmas.

 I love angels so much.  They are so intriguing to me and I truly believe they do exist, we just can't see them with our human eyes.  I think this mantle is so beautiful with the angels and cherubs on it.  I will have lots of them everywhere at Southard House Bed and Breakfast Inn when we open in the spring.

 The tree is covered in silver, ivory, and white decorations.  It is really sparkly!!!  And I love it!

 This wreath was pretty plain when I bought it last year.  I added all these decorations to give it some personality, including the pretty glass bird ornament in the center.  I love birds too!

 I had a lot of fun decorating this season.  I have added some things here and there since I took these pictures, like the pretty Christmas cones I made and hung on the mantle.  I posted the pictures of those cones in a previous post and they are so beautiful!

 This is one of my favorite decorations on my tree this year.  And to think it only cost 50 cents at my local dollar store.  They only had two or I would have definitely bought more because I know you will see it again on a tree in Southard House.

 I have been busy making lots of pretty creations for Christmas this year, including these sweet Santas.  This is what they looked like when I bought them . . .

 and this is what they look like now!  They fit my decor in my living room much better now.  I feel so blessed to have the ability to create beautiful things and it brings me so much joy and happiness!  Santa's coat glistens in the twinkle lights because I covered it in crystal glitter and his hat is covered in mica flakes.  They really are much prettier in person.

I have made a few other things I would like to share with you for Christmas and I had a wonderful birthday celebration for my step-daughter Maggie that turned 12 on Tuesday so I definitely want to show you the beautiful decorations for her party and my beautiful girly so I will be posting those things soon.  If you are interested in more information about my bed and breakfast, you should check out my other blog for the B&B at www.southardhouse.blogspot.com

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those forever changed by the tragic school shooting in Newtown, CT.  I am so sorry for your losses and the devastation this tragedy has caused.  May God be with you all.

I hope you have a blessed holiday season!

Blessings to You!

Love Tammy

Pretty Pinks for Christmas 2012

Hello Friends!

I can't believe Christmas is only 24 days away!  Where did the year go?  I worked all week long on decorating my little cottage for Christmas and it is so pretty in here!  I used ivory, white, and silver in the living room and dining room but it wouldn't be Christmas if I didn't have some pink somewhere so I decorated my bedroom and bath with my favorite color.

 This is the sweet snowman I repainted last year.  When I bought it she was red, blue, and yellow.  I think she has really been improved!

 This little tree is usually in my craft room but I moved it to the bedroom and put all of my favorite pink ornaments on it.  It sits in the center of my dresser now.  I just love it!

 I keep telling myself that this Santa needs a white tree instead of that green one, but every year I don't do anything about it.  Eventually I will get to it.  I could probably spruce him right up!

 I love my pretty pink decorations on my dresser.  They make me very happy!

 I made every single thing in this whole vignette!  It is such a gift to be able to craft and create!  My favorite item is the framed "noel" sign hanging on the wall.  I had so much fun making that!  The hardest thing to make was that pink tulle tree.  You would not believe how much pink tulle I gathered for that thing!  I wanted to pull my hair out by the end of it.  I bought 3 foam tree forms but as you can see there is only one tree.  Maybe I will decorate the others another way.

 I absolutely love this pretty pink Christmas pillow.  My mom made the pillow and I decorated it up for Christmas.  I also made this super sweet Christmas ornament to stick in the pocket of the pillow.  It adds some more sweet Christmas charm.

 Last year I made the most beautiful Christmas stockings ever but realized that I didn't have any for my new step-daughters so last night I decided to make these beautiful Christmas cones in place of stocking this year.

 They are made from quilt batting, vintage lace, doilies, ribbon, linen, seam binding, and other embellishments.  This cone is mine and I think it is so beautiful!

 This is my step-daughter Maggie's cone.  She likes lace so I gave her cone a pretty Victorian lace collar.

 This is my step-daughter Lucie's cone.  I used gathered satin ribbon to trim hers and vintage doilies and lace.  I hope the girls like them!

I made a beautiful cone for my husband James also but I used less feminine trim and buttons to embellish his.  They are hanging on my fireplace and they look so beautiful all together!

I hope you have enjoyed my photos and creations and I hope you have a blessed weekend!

Blessings To You!

Love Tammy

Linking to Pink Saturday

Fall Cottage Decor

Hello Sweet Friends!
I decorated my house for fall a few days ago and I wanted to show you how lovely it turned out!  I can't believe I am actually posting decor pictures before the holiday has passed this time!

My dining room is lovely and the table is set for a feast!  I wish we could sit down together for some tea and scones!

 I decorated my buffet in the dining room with shades of white. ivory, and brown.  I really love it.  I made that little pumpkin under the bell cloche with mod podge and an old dictionary.  Then I rubbed it with brown ink to distress it a bit and added the embellishments.

 Here is another one of those cute pumpkins.  They were so fun to make!

 My living room looks so cozy and inviting right now.  I rearranged the furniture to enclose it a little and the warm tones help make it look even cozier!

 My favorite arrangement is on this small dresser.  I just love how pretty the decorations turned out!

 Fall is such a wonderful time of year!  All of the trees around here are just so pretty!  I can't believe Thanksgiving is two weeks away!

 My fireplace mantle turned out nicely too!  I am going to make a fall banner (that I will be sure to post when it is finished) and hang it on the fireplace when I am done.

 I just love this "yardlong" print of that pretty victorian lady.  I don't use it very often because it has a gold frame and everything else in the cottage is white.  But she sure shines now!  I bet she will find a permenant home at the bed and breakfast.

 Here are some sachets I made.  I made the one on the left for my mom.  I think I am addicted to making these sachets and you will probably see a lot more of them on my blog in the coming months. 

 I am planning on selling them in the gift shop at the inn.  They are just so much fun to make and I love how cute they turn out when I get fininshed!

 This one has an orange and evergreen fragrance sachet in it.  It smells so wonderful!  I know my mom will love it!

 I made a "practice breakfast" this morning.  I am trying out the recipes I will be using for the inn.  This is orange infused French toast with berry compote and exteme veggie scrambled eggs, minus the veggies because I didn't have any this morning - but I will add them in for my guests.

My new hubby is loving the practice cooking I have been doing lately.  He is so sweet and always helps with the dishes and cleaning up the messes I make.  He is a wonderful husband!

 I also made a practice batch of cinnamon rolls a few days ago.  I think my recipe needs some tweeking, but I am really close!  Each guest will get a cinnamon roll on their plate with a scripture for the day stuck in it.  What a great way to start the day, huh?

I hope you are having a fabulous fall and enjoying all that the season holds for you in your area.  I am in prayer for those affected by the hurricane and now the blizzard-like storm in the east.  May you all be protected and cared for.

Blessings to You!

Love Tammy