Monday, December 17, 2012

CHRISTMAS TREE OVERKILL...

Did you think I had forgot about Christmas? After all, I haven't posted any of my Christmas decor this year? Truth is, there is a long story as to why you haven't seen my decor yet this year, but I will spare you all of the details.  Just know that I had my seven foot Christmas tree up with all the trimmings but we had somewhat of a disaster...

Imagine my surprise when I came home from work to have my husband say these words as soon as I stepped across the threshold,..."we didn't touch it".  Didn't touch what?, I asked.  He said, "The Christmas tree".  I asked, "What happened to the Christmas tree?"  He exclaimed, "IT FELL!".  As I glanced over at the Christmas tree I saw the most pitiful sight.  It was propped up in the corner of the room and tied to the window locks with neon green weed eater string (you know, so there was no chance of it falling again).  He said they tried to redecorate it but it truly looked as if the lights, ribbons and ornaments had been thrown onto the tree from across the room.  A pitiful sight, I tell you! Too bad I didn't take any pictures...but I would have been too embarrassed to show them if I had.

The hubs said that he didn't feel comfortable keeping this tree as he was afraid it might fall again and that we needed something he could trust to stay in place.  That's when my SIL said she had a 9 foot tree that she was wanting to sell.  It had only been used once and she was willing to part with it for $50.00.  Woohoo, what a deal!  I had been wanting a nine foot tree so this would be perfect.  Only I did not realize my ceiling is exactly 9 foot tall (so we could not put a topper on our new tree) and I also didn't realize that the tree was 9 foot around (or more).  I had visions of a tall slender tree tucked neatly next to the fireplace.  That's not exactly what I got.  This tree is large and in charge.  This is truly CHRISTMAS TREE OVERKILL...





This tree is so big that I had to buy more lights and ornaments.  I decided to go with creams, golds and purple this year (my new rug has purple in it and I didn't think the traditional reds and greens would work with it).  You will have to excuse the fact that I only have one stocking right now.  I am in the process of making some purple ones.



Had to throw in a shot of the new rug.  This was before it was placed under the coffee table in the living room.  I love this rug!  It is truly GORGEOUS!

Anyway, now back to the discussion of Christmas decor...Since I couldn't use my snow angel topper on our HUMONGOUS new tree, I decided to use her in a little vignette on one of the side tables...


To bring in some of the purple, I tucked some purple and gold ornaments along with a few pine cones inside this little sleigh basket and for some added sparkle I threw in a mercury glass candleholder I had laying around the house.

I also added some purple and gold ornaments to the mantle along with some pine cones, lighted faux greens, a golden sleigh and reindeer...



I kept the sunburst mirror I made above the mantle as it kind of reminds me of the Christmas Star that led the 3 wisemen to the Christ.  If you would like to find out how I made this mirror and learn how to make one of your very own, you can read all about it HERE...

Atop the china closet in the dining room, I used my lighted Christmas tree trio (these are pathway lights from Big Lots), tucked in some lighted faux greenery, ribbon and ornaments to carry the theme into the dining room...



I love the night shots when all the main lights in the house are off...the lights on the tree and garlands are so illuminated.  It's truly magical...









So now I am officially ready for Christmas...HUGE tree and all.  ROFL!!

Wishing you and yours the very best Christmas ever.  May God bless you richly this holiday season and please don't forget the true reason we celebrate.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  
Isaiah 9:6

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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Friday, November 30, 2012

TRADING SPACES...

Okay, if you are a close friend of mine, you know that I have had to do a little "trading spaces" around here. Both our children's rooms were upstairs and the master bedroom was on the main floor, but there were some problems with that arrangement...


The color scheme for our daughter's new room

First of all, the bubs was scared of the dark and would not sleep in his room without the accompaniment of either myself or his father.  It didn't matter that his sister was just a few feet away, he refused to go to bed without me or daddy present.  And then, even after he fell off to sleep and we left the room, he would wake up periodically throughout the night screaming his head off until one of us came up to sleep with him.  My husband and I basically had slept apart pretty much from the time we moved into this house.   This caused a huge problem for us.


Source:  Southern Hospitality

Secondly, the upstairs bedrooms have walk-in closets and sadly the master bedroom does not (The guy who built this house must have been a real dummy!).  Therefore, there was not enough room in our closet for both the hubs clothes and my clothes.  His clothes, well... have hung in the basement for the past two years.  Yes, another huge problem.


Thirdly, the bathroom with the only shower in the house is upstairs and, let's just say, our daughter is a huge messy slob when it comes to the bathroom.  Every time we traveled upstairs to take a shower, we had to clean the bathroom first, not to mention that her room was quite a mess as well, which would irritate the fire out of me.  (That's putting it nicely).




So...things HAD.TO.CHANGE...our solution was to give the master bedroom to our daughter and the hubs and I took her room.  See, trading spaces.  We now are able to keep the upstairs bath clean, we have enough closet space for both of us and the bubs sleeps in his room ALONE with me and daddy just a few feet away.  Truly, this has been a positive change and things are working out great with one exception...

That I have to redecorate both rooms...plus the upstairs bath is getting an overhaul too....YAY...I LOVE REDECORATING!!!



I decided to redo the master bedroom first as to make our daughter happy since she did not want to trade rooms with us.  She decided that she wanted a gray and orange color scheme so...I have thrown in a few inspiration pics above for you to enjoy.

I have made a little progress.  This is what the room used to look like...


and now...







I painted the walls a warm gray (Gray Marble by Olympic paints mixed in Valspar Contractors Finish eggshell).  Painted the trim and window sills a nice bright white (plain ol' white by Olympic paints in semi-gloss) and have started on making some new curtains.  I have two more panels to go (though I am kind of liking the one panel at each window look).

These curtains were made using plain white twin size sheets from Wal-Mart ($4.95 ea.) and cut in half lengthwise.  I then painted stripes on them using leftover wall paint.  They are NOT perfect but this was my first try at painting fabric.  I have a lot to learn about this process, but these will do.

New bedding will arrive Christmas morning *wink* and I have orange lamps in the making as well.  There are a ton of projects left before this room will be finished but I just wanted to let you in on what's been going on around here.

I hope to be back soon with some more updates.




Monday, November 26, 2012

BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING...

Good morning!  Did you all have a nice Thanksgiving?

I had a fabulous time, for one because I didn't have to do much of the cooking.  I normally do pretty much all the cooking, but not this year.  This year we had dinner at my niece's house and she did most of the cooking.  Everyone else just pretty much brought a side dish.  So yes, my Thanksgiving was wonderful, relaxing and enjoyable.



That evening the Black Friday shopping began (kind of don't seem like Black Friday when it begins on Thursday now does it, lol).  I have to admit I have only been Black Friday shopping one other time and that was many years ago when my daughter was little.  I vowed then that I would never put myself through that horrific experience again...people pushing and shoving, taking the coveted items right of your hands or out of your cart.  Standing in line for HOURS...Geesh, people really take this shopping thing to extremes don't they?! LOL



This year; however, I had a little extra spending money (and a lot of nerve) and was in the mood to do a little shopping, so the hubs and I bravely headed off to Walmart.  They had some really good Black Friday specials this year and truthfully the crowds weren't that bad.  Yes, there was a HUMONGOUS crowd but surprisingly enough everyone behaved themselves.  We didn't come up against a lot of rudeness, pushiness or fighting and the check out lines weren't too bad either.

The best part is that they had enough of everything in stock that we got everything we wanted.  They had Beauty Rest white down alternative comforters for just $14.95.  I got two...one for me... ummm, is it okay to buy yourself Christmas presents?...and I got one as a gift for someone else, whose name I won't mention because they might be reading this post.



They had queen size, 700 thread count, Egyptian cotton sheet sets on sale for $19.88, so I got a set of those too.  Yes, another present for me...okay, as to not make me out to be totally selfish and stingy, I'll just say I got these for the hubs' bed.



I also got a Better Homes and Gardens tart burner and 4 packages of fragrance for just $9.98...this was not a gift for me either...huh, huh, (clearing my throat)...it was for the house.  Yes that's right, the house really needed a new tart burner and some delicious fragrances.


See like I said...GREAT DEALS!!

I got a Simmons Beauty Rest gel memory foam mattress pad (say that three times fast, lol) for $29.88.  Yes, totally for me.  I know, I just can't help it.  I spoiled myself this year!!  The prices were just so good that I couldn't pass them up and these were all things that I NEEDED!!!



I can say with assurance after sleeping on this for the past few nights that it was the best deal of the year.  So comfy!!

And last, but certainly not least, my all time favorite Black Friday deal of the year was at RugsUsa.com.  They were having a 75% off sale on most of their gorgeous rugs.  A big THANKS to Stacy over at South Shore Decorating Blog for the heads up.   If you are interested, they are also having a 75% off Cyber Monday sale.  Today, is the last day for this kind of savings so hurry over!  (Not a paid advertisement!)

This one was OUT OF STOCK
awwwww, shucks!!!
If you'll remember, I got a new rug for the dining room from Garden Ridge earlier this year but I still needed a new one for the living room.  Yes, I know this was another me gift....I just couldn't help it!!!  This sale at RugsUsa was the perfect opportunity to pick out a new rug for that room without breaking the bank!!! At RugsUsa the tax is already figured into their price and they offer free shipping.

The one I was wanting was out of stock (wouldn't ya know it) but I did find another one that I love just as much and that will go great with not only my existing color scheme but will also transition well when I switch over to gray early next year.

This one should be arriving at the house
in the next few days.  YAY!!!
Gorgeous, right?  I'm just so excited I can't wait for it to be delivered.

Okay, okay...don't be too hard on me, I did get some things for the kids too.  I just can't mention them here as my daughter reads my blog and I just couldn't live with myself if I spoiled all their Christmas surprises!!!  So there, I'm not totally selfish, right?

You know, I'm really liking this Black Friday thing.  I think I could get used to this.  I JUST LOVE A GOOD SALE!!!!

So, did you go Black Friday shopping?  What great deals did you find?






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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2012

Though we fill up on good food galore, Thanksgiving is really about so much more.



Oh yes, I am thankful for the turkey and the dressing, pumpkin pie and all the trimmings but what I am really thankful for is a God who loved me enough to give me this wonderful life, a cornucopia of an abundance of blessings.




Though I have times of trouble, and don't we all, he has given me peace without measure and joy too.  He has given me the wonderful gifts of his word, salvation and his Spirit that keeps me day and night.  What's more, he gave me you, the most wonderful of family and friends.  What more could a girl want?  Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!






Friday, November 2, 2012

ANOTHER $1 BARGAIN...TOO GOOD TO PASS UP!

Okay, so I scored again this week...and at the same thrift store.

Last week I got a gorgeous full-size wicker headboard for a $1.  A great bargain but I really did not need it. However, I think I have decided what I am going to do with it.  It may take a while for me to gather everything I need but I promise I will let you in on my plan once it is in the making.

Okay, I am not one of those people who just keeps buying junk because it's only $1.  Really, I'm not!...but I came across another $1 bargain this week that was just too good to pass up....Again this is one of those things I don't need and wasn't looking for...but I just had to have it.

I'm tellin' ya, this brings back memories...



Does it for you?  Tell me, would you have passed this up?  It was only $1.00...


and it's an original COSCO.  I think it would make a cute plant stand...


or I may resell it...these things are going for about $70.00 at the antique malls.  I think I got a great deal!



Tuesday, October 30, 2012

WHAT A BARGAIN...

Heya! How's everybody doing?  I'm great.  I'm lovin' the cool crisp air we are having here in Missouri.  Fall is truly my favorite season.  Makes me feel alive!  I love it!

Anyway, now onto something more exciting, like my newest thrifty find...

Last week my husband had some free time and decided to stop by the office and take me out to lunch....so sweet isn't he?...Anyway, while we were passing by the thrift store here in town this...



was sitting on the sidewalk right outside the door.  I said, "STOP...that is sooooo cute I gotta find out how much they want for it".  He said, "what do you need with another headboard.  We have all the beds we need." I said, "I don't know but I love it.  Surely I can find SOMETHING to use it for."  He just rolled his eyes.  He said, "Okay, but only if it's cheap enough."  And it was....it was only $1.00.  WHAT A BARGAIN!!

I think the hubs was secretly hoping it was expensive so he didn't have to drag it home for me.  Hahaha.  I had to go back to work but I can just imagine what he must have looked like trying to stuff that full size headboard into my little PT Cruiser.  Wish I could've been a fly on the wall about that time.  LOL

Anyway, I now have a beautiful full size headboard at home, that I don't need but that I love, and am trying to figure out something to do with it.   Do you all have any ideas?  What could I make from it?  Or what could I use it for, besides a headboard that is?




Friday, October 26, 2012

IS IT FROSTED GLASS?

Okay, I know it's been a long time coming....like ohhhh say 3 MONTHS...but remember when I painted my back door black (and the front door too) with my left over paint? I said then that I got rid of the old cafe curtains that were hanging there and that I had a special window treatment up my sleeve that I would be showing to you SOON...soon was not exactly the right word to use as, wellllllll...I AM A PROCRASTINATOR...okay not really.  I finished this cute window treatment the very weekend after painting the door...



So why haven't you seen it before now....cough, cough....Uhhh, it has taken me this long to get a decent picture of it....and this is not even a good one...the dumb thing just don't want it's picture taken I guess.

This was a super fun project (though somewhat time consuming) and turned out really cute.  I simply used good ol' clear contact paper purchased from Wal-Mart for around $4.00 for a huge roll.  I measured my windows and cut a piece of contact paper just the right size for each window.  I then used different size lids to make circles on my pieces of contact paper.  I cut the circles out which left the pieces of contact paper looking much like swiss cheese.  I then placed one piece on each window.  (The trick to getting the contact paper in place right since it is "sticky", is to spray the entire window with Windex and then place the paper.  The Windex makes it "slippery" so that you can get the paper in place before it sticks.  Then you simply wipe the excess Windex away with paper towels).  Once I had the "swiss cheese" in place, I filled in the "holes" with a little bit smaller circles, slightly off centered, to make the appearance of bubbles.  Why bubbles?  Well, since the door leads to the laundry room (the basement), I thought "bubbles" on the glass would be fitting.



So you might be asking, "What about privacy?".  That's easy!  Even though the contact paper says it's "clear" it has somewhat of an opaqueness to it which makes it look remarkably like frosted glass and gives me the privacy I need. Believe me, you CANNOT see through this stuff.  Thank God because I definitely don't want any strangers (or friends) peeking into my horrid laundry room.  It's a scary place right now!  

So what do you think, do you like my "bubbles" window treatment?  Cute huh?

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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

I'M FALLING ALL OVER YA...

HAPPY FALL TO Y'ALL!!

How's it goin?  Did you think I forgot that fall has arrived?  After all I haven't shared any of my fall decorations yet.  Truly, I did get a late start at my fall decorating this year because of all the painting going on around here, but I have finally managed to get my fall buffet put together along with a few other things.

First let's take a look at last year's buffet....


Very simple and I loved it but there were no treats.  What's that, a buffet should have treats, right?  Well, this year WE.HAVE.TREATS!!!...


Yummy.....CANDY CORN with PEANUTS, CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZELS and...


Reeses PEANUT BUTTER CUPS...of course everything is tastier when it's served up in glass apothecary jars!!


What do you think of my new homemade table runner?  Perfect fall colors don't you think?



Fall has happened over on my vintage china closet too...


HAY RIDES, PUMPKIN PATCH, CORN MAZE...I love this cute sign I found a few years back at a consignment shop.  I normally hang it out on one of my trees in the yard along with some other outdoor decorations, but she's starting to show signs of wear so I decided to keep her indoors for the season.



I plunked down a few metal pumpkins and tucked in some fall leaves by her for a super cute fall display.

Now onto the mantle....which is not exactly finished yet...It needs some pumpkins.  I am still looking for just the right ones.


This year's mantle sports my new DIY Sunburst Mirror.  This mirror was made from plain white cardstock and was very simple and inexpensive to make.  You can find out how I did it HERE...


The leaf  garland is real.  Some of the leafy branches came from my next door neighbors maple tree and the others came from the trees in my yard.  The cost...FREE!!  Sadly though, they will not last long so I will be replacing them with faux garland soon.



The tall branches flanking either side of the mantel are from the shrubs and bushes in my yard.  Once again those were FREE.  A very simple yet elegant mantle.  I love it!!!



Well there you have it...Fall 2012 at Beyond the Portico.  You can check out last year's fall decor HERE and HERE.

~HAPPY FALL Y'ALL~



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