Our 'Rustic Forest' Themed Christmas Tree |

Wood ornaments, grapevine garland,

little glass birds in rafia nests, metal jingle bells,

large acorns, golden pine cones,

rustic picture frame ornaments, fuzzy snowflakes,

moose and trees, quilted tree skirt made by grandma,

and an uncovnetional tree topper (that is supposed to be a wall hanging)

tied with cross stitch 'Merry Christmas' ribbon.

Get Vintage |

With KO TWO Photography. Watch this promo for KO Two Photography's Vintage line.

The Secret Sisters |

I just discovered this amazing sister singing Duo The Secret Sisters!
I love their sound and their old fashioned style!

Creative Christmas Cookies |

I LOVE Christmas baking, and this year being that I won't be in exams leading up to Christmas for the fisr time in 5 years, I hope to have more time to bake a number of different things.

In the past I have made 'Reindeer Cookies' unsing graham crackers as the head but I came across a similar cookie that uses these peanut shaped cookies for the head and thought they were so cute. So I hope to find cookies like these somewhere (I'm thinking that might be a US treat though?) but if you have ever seen them in Canada let me know.

I will probably use chocolate chips for the eyes and a sweedish berry for the nose (as that's what I used last time and they looked cute!)

I also want to do a lot of sugar cookies. I usually just do the basic icing (in different colours) and then put sliver ball sprinles on them. However this year I would like to try my hand at piping! And I really like the pastel colours like in the picture below.

I also want to use coconut on my sugar cookies. I will use white coconut on the snowmen and snoflakes and then I will die some coconut green for the on the trees (to make them look like pine needles). And then I would even use for for trimming / fur on the stocking cookies and for feathers on the angle wings. I think the coconut will bring a nice dimension to the cookies as well as a yummy texture.

I might also make my 'snowman cupcakes' again this year. they were a big hit with the kids at our family Christmas party. They too use coconut and are very easy to make. I simply made plain vanilla cupcakes with white frosting, then I dunked them in a bowl of coconut to make them look snowy. Then I used a Christmas coloured candy corn for the nose and chocolate chips for the eyes and mouth. I then glued a ribbon around the base of the cupcake to make it look like a scarf. This year I might even try sticking pretzels in in sides of the cupcake to look like the snowman's arms.

Picture of my snowman cupcake:

I would also like to try 'twist cookies' again this year. I made candy cane twist cookies a few years ago but they were way too big. This year I made try twisting the different doughs together in a straight/stick cookie (great for dipping in hot chocolates) and I will make them a lot smaller/thinner this time.

Candy Cane Twist Cookies from a few years ago:

Pictures of my 2010 cookies to come!

Cookie Jar Wars | I Need your Vote!

I wanted a retro yellow cookie jar to match my decor in the kitchen. So I typed that into E-bay and it came up with a lot of great options!
I don't know which one to choose so I thought I would ask for your vote!
Based on the way my kitchen looks in the pictures in the previous post, which cookie jar gets your vote?
Thanks for your input!

The Choices :

The Striped retro jar with Handel?
Vote 'Retro Cutie'!


The clear yellow glass antique jar with the pretty design that would match my new little glass pot?
Vote 'Antique Glass'!

The yellow milk can look that would match my old-fashioned tea kettle?
Vote 'Milk Can'!The rounded glass jar with a barrel look?
Vote 'Yellow Barrel'!
OR the Cute Bee Hive to go with all my honey tins?
Vote 'Honey'!

"A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand"

Keep an eye out for a future post to see which cookie jar will win the War to be the first and only cookie jar in my kitchen!

Our New Cabinet |

We LOVE our new cabinet!

We ordered it from Truly Wood Furniture about a month ago and have been eagerly awaiting its delivery.

I matches our table (also made by that company) perfectly!

I was SO excited to finally take out the wedding dishes from their boxes, they had been sitting in the corner of our dining room for 3 months!

I love how everything looks together, it is the dining room furniture I always dreamed of and at such a reasonable price!

Wreath Re-Creation |

I use the same grape vine wreath for every season. I simply change out the ribbon and folliage that I place on it.

Christmas 2009:

Summer 2010: Fall 2010: Christmas 2010:

Winter 2010:

I have also made an Easter wreath using branches of pastel colour eggs, a colorful summer wreath with plad ribbon and fruit, as well as a Valentines Day wreath using heart garland and a felt 'Love' word. (I don't have pictures of those wreaths).

Using a grape vine wreath with simple additions to it is an inexpensive way have a wreath for every season!

Newspaper Style Save The Date |

My newest Etsy shop offering if a newspaper style save the date.

These save the dates are not only adorable and vintage looking but are also great save the dates because your guests will get more information than just the typical 'date' and "formal invitation to follow" message.

With these save the dates your guests get a story outlining the places and locations of your wedding day, how you got engaged, some information about the style and theme of your wedding and even a quote from your as a couple describing what you are most looking forward to about your big day.

Make your save the dates more fun, exciting and personal!

I recently had a request to include the new york sky line on a couple's save the date as well as a map of the park where they will be getting married!

Contact me with your unique ideas for your save the date by visitng my Etsy Shop.

Simply Click HERE to vist the Save the Date Newspaper listing to get started.

Buttons Are Treasure |

I have always been fascinated by buttons! My mom always kept her buttons in a ‘Royal Margarine’ plastic container and I loved to open it and dump it out playing with the buttons and organizing them, trying to decide which was my favourite! They were such treasures to me!

Over the past few years of living on my own I have tried to start my own collection of buttons. I would save the any buttons that fell off me clothes (in case I ever got around to mending them) and I would also save the extra buttons that came with the new clothes I would get. But even after saving buttons for 5 years I only have about 15!

At my slow rate it really makes me wonder how grandmas and moms can have such large collections of buttons. Buttons definitely must be an item that gets passed down through generations. I guess that enhances my argument that buttons are indeed “treasures”.

Due to my lack of a collection I was SO THRILLED when a friend from back home gave me a beautiful jar of buttons! She he seen them at a garage sale and although she loves buttons herself she could not think of a place where she would put the jar in her own home. So she thought of me knowing that it would be something I would like and that the jar would look lovely in our new home (Thank you SO much for thinking of me!)

So now I have inherited someone else’s treasure of buttons and will add my own collection of 15 buttons to the mix!

Maybe one day my children will have fun sorting through them or even making crafts out of them! I just love my new collection of buttons, I am truly a rich woman!

The Button Jar:
A coat with just one button isn't warm.

Last Year's Tree |

Our little Christmas tree from last year.

It was a real tree potted so that we could plant it outside later.

It was more of an old-fashioned theme with golds, browns, creams and Burgundy.

Complete with popcorn string, acorns and gingerbread garland is was a cute change of pace from the fake tree we usually use.

Underneath is the beautiful tree skirt that my grandma quilted for us.

Christmas Tree Makeover |

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With Halloween over I am already getting excited about Christmas!

Being in our new home this year I have begun to think what we are going to do for a Christmas tree this year.

It got me thinking about how you can give any tree a 'makeover'!
Here are a few inexpensive ideas that will change up your current Christmas tree and give it a whole new feel!

1. Instead of the classic Christmas tree skirt this year, why not place your Christmas tree in a basket or a metal pail? Not only is this a nice casual and rustic look, but it also doubles as a cover for the water bucket that your tree is sitting in.

2. Set up in a new location! Placing your tree in a new spot in your home such as the dinning room, the kitchen, the foyer or any where different in your home gives your tree a whole new feel, and will make your Christmas celebrations feel different by gathering with your family in a new space in your home.

3. Make some new inexpensive ornaments for your tree by using fruit! Dried orange sliced look lovely as well as hanging apples and pears. Placing cloves in the fruit also add to their beauty and make the room smell lovely!


4. Instead of a classic star or angel topper for your tree this year why not try sticking branches in the top of the tree for a 'foresty' and natural look.
Go on a family walk in the country to collect these branches to make it a memorable event! Collect some pine cones while you are at it and stick them in the branches to add to the natural flare.


5. Do you usually buy a natural tree? Well for the same price as one natural tree why not buy three mini artificial trees? Who says you have to have ONE Christmas tree. These cute rustic pines would look great in a display with each tree on a different level. Decorate them all to coordinate, or decorate each in a different style of colour scheme.

Hope you have fun choosing, decorating and setting up your Christmas tree this year!

Halloween Decor |

Here are the pumpkins we carved this Halloween. It was our first time using templates and I chose 'the face' (a difficulty level ONE) and my husband carved the spider (a difficulty level FOUR)!

Lanterns on the front porch. These lanterns were used at my wedding handing above the head table. It was nice to get more use out of them for my Halloween decor. A cute little boy dressed as Batman even stopped to smell the candles! Quite Adorable!


Mini Lanterns on the mailbox. Again these we re-used from my wedding, I had them hanging in the guest seating tree at the wedding and they came in handy for Halloween decor this year as well.


Decorated Pumpkins and Lanterns on the window ledge inside the dinning room. One little boy dressed as a gorilla ran right up to the window and put his hands on the glass and exclaimed "WOW"... His farther had to drag him away from the window. I am glad all the little trick or treaters appreciated the decor hehe.

And of course the CANDY... I was also able to use the sunflower basket that my flower girls held at our wedding for the candy!


Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween! :D