French Country Christmas Vignette

Just a week left till Christmas, and I just keep thinking...
Why, oh why does time have to fly by so fast?
 Even though I'm pretty much done with most everything,
 There's always the possibility that I may be inspired to do more!
Especially when I get that Christmas music going,
and those creative juices start flowing...
Hey, I might even be inspired to do a bit of singing and dancing
whilst I'm doing my decorating thing too, lol!

For this vignette I took down my arrangement of copper molds from the wall and put up these cute wall ornaments that I bought at the Dollar Tree then draped some fancy cording
from each one to complete the look.  Not bad for 5 bucks I think! 

I added some large pine cones, greenery, and a cute lil Santa to this cute wicker sleigh .  

 Also, I bought this set of brass deer last year and decided to give them
a different look by painting them in a bronzed finish.

Then I removed the baskets that I've had under this table that I made,
and put this cool old trunk there, along with some other goodies I had already.

Had to add a couple of my cute tins with vintage images on them!

 A neat rolling pin too!  Why not?!

Don't you just love the cozy, magical feeling the house gets when it's all decked out for Christmas...  

I love it when I'm really feeling the Christmas spirit too...
 I'll be savoring every minute of the coming week, and wearing my happy face:)
How about you?
Are you feeling the Christmas spirit?!  I hope so:)

 As always thanks so much for stopping by!
You know I love visiting with you!
~Sherri~

Linking to:
"Metamorphosis Monday"
"Tabletop Tuesday" 

Top Hat and Tail Feathers-Featuring House of Hatten

 With all the
 Christmas Block parties going on in Blogland

I've definitely had to shake a tail feather to get all
my photos taken and put together to join in the fun!.

My original plan was to decorate my tree in white and a nature theme
but somehow along the way the plan changed...
It first started out with a goose that used to painted yellow

 that I decided to paint white so it could become a Christmas goose!

Then the goose needed to go in a basket surrounded by pine and berries... 

It sort of reminds me of the Gooseberry goose...

 A "House of Hatten" family of three was also a perfect fit .

Before you know it I was adding red and green tartan plaid
and the white theme idea kinda flew out the window!

 Next I was adding this Christmas quilt my Mom made for me (more color:)

Then...

 Red and green plaid ribbon, berries, red feather cardinal birds, berries, apples, and tons of red feathers...

 My collection of more "House of Hatten" ornaments.

 

 

I love vintage postcards too, so I had to add some that I had turned into an ornaments too!

 

 

A few other favorite ornaments as well...

 

But my favorite thing was the crowning touch... a top hat!
I was inspired to use one after
seeing another blogger use one on their tree... 

and it just so happened that I already had a top hat that I had kept from a Halloween costume.

  Then lastly I cut out and framed another gift bag from the Dollar Tree store to complete the theme!

Well there you have it.  A very colorful and cheerful display!

of course I still LOVE to use white, but color is very energizing 

and I can always use some extra energy these days;)

Now I've really gotta fly and get ready for another party!

Woo Hoo!!!

I'm joining the Christmas tree party at:

"2805"

'Between Naps on the Porch" 

Silver and Gold Mantel

Time just slips by so quickly especially at this time of year!
I've been so busy trying to get finished up with my holiday decorating that I didn't realize
that I was running out of time to join the Christmas Mantel Party over at
"My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia's"
I was really stunned I went over to have a peek
and saw that there were already over 300 entries...
WOW!!
So without further adieu...
My Mantel!

My INCREDIBLY SWEET Momma

sent me these gorgeous white porcelain reindeer trimmed in gold!
Inspiring me to do this classic Traditional silver and gold combination mantel. 

 Do you ever feel like you are drawn to so many different decorating styles
and finishes that you could loose your mind ? 

Well I DO!

But... I just try to use them ALL and hope it works out :) 

 I think it did here... What do you think?

My Mom will be reading this just as soon as she is out of the hospital...

Hope you like it Mom!
Thank you again for the deer, and hope you'll be feeling better soon.

I LOVE you Soooooo MUCH!!!!!

XOXOXOXOXO,

Sherri Berri ;)

Thanks and hugs to you blogging friends too,  

for stopping by and allowing

me share this extra special mantel with you!!

I'm also linking to the following other blog parties:
"What's It Wednesday"

Christmas Copycat Party-PB Inspired Pillow

The party is ON at Debbiedoos blogging and blabbing! 

She's hosting a holiday copycat themed party, where participants create something 

for Christmas that was inspired by something seen in a magazine, or catalog etc.

Drum roll please ;)

Ta Da!

My entry was inspired by the pillow below that that was part of a collection of pillow covers from

 "Pottery Barn" 

 

 When I saw these pillow covers I thought about it and decided I could make my own version.
You can easily make your own version too!

All you need is a bit of fabric, 

(I used some natural colored medium/heavy weight muslin), 

some paint, a print and an iron-on transfer.  

The transfer part is really important because I discovered that there are several types of transfers out there!   The brand I used is made by "Next Style" and was purchased a Wal-Mart

like shown above.  It has a "Cotton Fabric" finish. 

NOT 

the type that says "light fabric" finish in the same brand name 

because it has more of a plastic like finish and looks funky 

not to mention also melts easily if you accidentally touch it with a hot iron after it's applied. 

TRUST ME

I learned it the hard way!

So you see, I in no way pretend to be an expert on doing transfers 

but this is the method I used and maybe you know of one that may be even better!  

If so please DO share:)

 

First cut out the fabric in a rectangle shape, then take some masking tape to create the red stripes.  I used  acrylic craft paint.  I mixed a couple different shades of red to get just the right shade I wanted. after the paint dries "SET" it by pressing it with an iron.

I decided that I would also add ruffles to the sides of my pillow for my own personal touch.  Plus I just thought their version just need a bit more pizazz!  When the pillow is all sewed up, take the iron on transfer image cut all around the edges of the image very CAREFULLY with a very sharp pair of scissors, 

then apply according to the transfer instructions.

So what do you think?  

I like how it looks here in my guest room.

I also left the other side with just plain stripes 

so it could also be easily turned over and used after Christmas.

 

  I decided to move it into the living room for the holidays though since I have a red and white theme going on in that room.  I also brought out some other red and white pillow that I also made before... 

Do you remember them?  

They don't actually have a Christmas theme but I liked how they looked anyway.

Close up shot.

Maybe you might remember this Victoria style tabletop terrarium also,

it was originally painted green... see.

  

Now painted in snowy white it makes a charming centerpiece along with these large red vintage glass ornaments, vintage ironstone dish, greenery, crocheted lace runner, wreath shaped cast iron mold, and potted amaryllis.

 One last look with my other red and white table and vignette from my last post in the background.

I had so much fun with this copycat challenge because I'm always trying to find things that I can use as inspiration to create something similar at a fraction of the cost.

Now let's hop on over to Debbiedoo's to see what inspires those other copycats!
Oh what FUN!!
  "Debbiedoos Blogging and Blabbing"

 Thanks for joining me and please leave me a comment
I'd love to hear what you think!

Happy Holidays!
Sherri :)

Also linking to
 "Metamorphosis Monday"
"Tabletop Tuesday"
"Wow Us Wednesday" 

Tulip, Table, and Candlesticks Makeover

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

Ours went well... and I even actually managed to get the turkey
out of the oven without catching my hair on fire! 

 (I actually did one year, can you believe it?!)

I really enjoyed decorating for Fall, but I admit I couldn't wait to get started decorating for Christmas!!

A couple of painting projects helped to get me motivated...

So here it is my first Christmas vignette for 2011! 

I'm really happy with how it all turned out...

Now to show and tell you how it began!

I bought this table at a thrift store for a bargain price! 

Even though the finish was in bad shape I was pretty sure it would look great with a coat of paint.
Also, two out of the four original decorative metal hardware pieces

were missing and there were large holes where they had been.

What I'm pretty sure is leather on the top was also in bad shape as well.

I was also pretty sure also that I wouldn't be able to find duplicates of the hardware,

I decided that wood appliques would make a great second choice. 

I found these shown above in a package of four at Lowes.

PERFECT!

First I cleaned the table with a mixture of TSP (Tri-sodium phosphate) and water

(great for removing dirt and grime!)

( I prefer TSP in powder form, shown above),  rinse and let dry.

Next, I applied a coat of primer sealer.

Then a final coat of Country White paint. 

I use a stippling technique with a regular paintbrush when I paint

because I hate trying to deal with brush strokes. 

 It also kinda gives a textured appearance.

Then I sanded for a for a bit of a distressed look and added a bit of antiquing

 to bring out the design of the medallion.

These candlesticks were also a thrifting find...

I was definitely not crazy about the finish on them, but knew with a little paint they'd be great also!

First I went over them with a mix of black and burnt umber crafting paint, let dry then applied a coat of Country White (leftover interior satin house paint) allowing the dark paint to peek through in the crevices.

I did the same technique on the small finial.

Now for the final exciting detail! 

The framed picture started out as a gift bag from the

DOLLAR TREE!! 

Omgosh! I always find gorgeous gift bags there,

and for just a dollar I don't mind cutting into them to frame them one bit! 

I did the same painting technique on the frame that I did on the candlesticks which was originally gold.

Pulled it all together with this red striped tablerunner, dove, nest, and pine greenery,

...and there you have it!

Now it's time to grab a fuzzy blanket, some magazines, and sit by the fire 

and start browsing for some more inspiration. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

I love hearing from you!!

Warmest Wishes!

~Sherri~

I'm linking to :

"Metamorphosis Monday"

"Tabletop Tuesday"

"Wow Us Wednesday"