✥ Reader Feature: JDA Joyeux Noel Kitchen ✥

 Hello lovelies.
We have a wonderful feature for you today, Laurie from Heaven's Walk. 
When I saw Laurie's understated yet elegant Christmas decor I knew it was one I had to share with you all. I love the feeling of Christmas her home holds- yet without a bright red and green anything, anywhere! It's so simple, but still so beautiful at the same time!
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Uh-oh.

When lovely Becca asked me if I would be a "Reader Feature" on her sweet blog, my blood pressure spiked, my pulse raced, and my palms started sweating. I felt like I just hopped off my treadmill.

Me...???  Really...?

I always get so nervous when a bloggy friend asks me to do this. It's one thing to yap about myself on my own blog.  But to do that on someone else's?  Well, that's quite another thing. I'm like a Christmas elf that doesn't think very highly of herself. 

I have low

 elf-esteem.

Get it?

(ok....I understand if you're not laughing....)

Anyway, she wanted me to share my Jeanne d'Arc inspired kitchen with you today.  JDA is all about neutrals.  Grays, creamy whites and oatmeal with a wee bit of pastels tossed in.  And nature - like twigs, moss, acorns, pine cones and boughs.  The feeling is quiet, serene, calm, and peaceful.  We all need a little more of that in our lives, don't we?

Here is my JDA Joyeux Noel kitchen.

Merry Christmas, everyone!  (and thank you, Becca, for the opportunity to yap about myself on your blog!)

 
Ok. Please, don't hate me.

I actually had all of my Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving.

I know.

I know.

You think I'm smart crazy.

But I just couldn't wait.

I wanted a good month of enjoying the whole glorious season

instead of the three weeks that are the norm.

And since my OCD leaf blowing was completed for the year,

I now had time to floof for Christmas.

Up to the attic I went to start scrounging around in the multitude of bags and tubs up there

filled with balls and bells and boughs,

wreaths and wrapping paper,

lights, lights, and more lights...

and a lot of dead ladybugs.

Ewww. How in the world do they all get in, anyway...??? Such is the life in a creaky, old farmhouse, I guess.

I ended up hauling down only a couple different bags

because I was going for a certain look this year.

No red and green.

No poinsettias.

No velvet bows.

No brightly colored balls.

Not the typical Christmas decor for Heaven's Walk this year.

A simple, pared back, neutral, natural look is what my heart was craving.

What would Christmas look like out in the garden....?

Can you guess what that certain look was?

Well, if you know me well,

you'd say ~

"Jeanne d'Arc".

Yup. You'd be right.

I started sorting through the bags

while the butternut squash in the oven baked merrily away

filling the house with it's sweet scent....

and making my stomach growl.

New brushed stainless jewelry for the cabinetry will be purchased soon. Yay! The glass knobs will be stored away for future furniture projects.

Amidst this mess in the kitchen,

I was searching for juniper boughs,

white candles,

mercury glass,

pine cones and moss,

garden statuary,

terra cotta pots, 

and galvanized pails.

I floofed and floofed and floofed

all day long,

and slowly ~

gradually ~

the look was coming together. I kept running back into the living room to refer to my JDA Christmas issue (which was breathtaking as usual). I wanted my house to look like it jumped right out of that beautiful magazine.

Ready for the reveal?

Grab your cup of pumpkin spice latte

(me, too - please!)

and sit back...

* * * *

*

I love how the sunshine was washing the room with it's warmth that day.

Cement urn:  antique market

Mercury glass votives:  Hobby Lobby

Tiny LED tea lights were added to the votives that were tucked in the juniper boughs.

A few left over olive branches were tucked here and there.

Olive branches: Michael's

Nest:  Wayside Treasures

I later added a little bling to the nest.

Glass snowflake:  Target

I placed some crystal encrusted red dogwood branches across the top of the pie safe. The subway sign is from Red Letter Words. I love reading that verse every time I walk into the kitchen. It's comforting. "I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee." ~Jeremiah 31:3

French script star:  Wayside Treasures.  Boxwood wreath:  Farmhouse Wares.

I recently won this beautiful grain sack pillow from generous Marty at A Stroll Thru Life. I adore it. It was made by talented Ann at On Sutton Place. She does beautiful work and has an Etsy shop called Sutton Place Designs. The darling ruffled Nest pillow slip behind it was made by sweet Shellagh (a treasured friend of mine) at Ticking & Toile, who also has a wonderful Etsy shop. I like it draped across the back of the wicker chair for now. If you're looking for some beautiful Christmas gifts, pop in and check out their awesome handmade treasures. These gals are over-the-top talented!

Nest pillow slip:  Ticking & Toile; grain sack pillow: Sutton Place Designs. Chair color: BM "Wyeth Blue".

I purchased this topiary at a local antique market this summer. I can't, for the life of me, remember the name of it. It starts with a "P", I do know that, and it looks very similar to 'Angel Vine', but it has burgandy stems, not dark brown stems. Anybody have any ideas....? It's happily growing on the window sill over the sink.

I am soooo loving my kitchen this holiday season, and am glad that I lugged that ginormous frantel home with me this summer. Always follow your instincts, girls! God gave them to us for a reason.  :) 

Did you want to take a peek into the master loo, too?

Mercury glass acorn:  Target

Simple, natural, and Jeanne d'Arc inspired. Ok. You can go refill your latte now....

Next week:  The living room!

{ Christmas Blessings }

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I just love the beautiful Christmas tour!

I have to admit, I didn't know much about JDA Joyeux design- but I am drawn to the uncomplicated decor, which allows each object to shine. And of course, then there's Laurie, don't you just love her!?

She has a great personality and is so funny! I laughed out loud at her intro- elf steem!!

Anyhow, make sure you swing by to check out the rest of her Christmas home tour! So, so gorgeous!

Looking for places to link up your projects? Check out my Party page.

I'm also linked up here.

✥ Paint Swirled Ornaments ✥

Today we giving the deer a chance to show off some new ornaments, and giving the rhino a well deserved break from ornament holder and poser for pictures!!

 

I finished these paint swirled ornaments back when I did the others, but then I got all side tracked sharing my new stenciled curtains and DIY curtain rods- so some ornaments went on the back burner. 

These guys were made with some Martha Stewart satin craft paint colors.

Just drop some paint in and then tap or rotate the bulb to get the look you're after.

I love how they sorta look like globes.  Doesn't the green paint resemble continents?

Mostly, I love the easy and inexpensive way to add some color to your tree.  

I know you all are busy with holiday crafts, what are you guys making these days?

Looking for places to link up your projects? Check out my Party page.

I'm also linked up here.

✥ Cutting Edge Stencils Winner ✥

We have a winner!

First, a thank you everyone who entered this giveaway!  I am grateful to your support and wish everyone could be a winner. But today, the winner is number 35.

 

The winner is Bama Girl- who said...

Thanks again everyone who participated! 

Don't forget, the winner has 2 days to get back to me, or we have to pick another!

✥ Stencil Fleur de Lis Ornament ✥

Remember this one time when I was all, Cutting Edge Stencils rock- and I told you that you should totally enter the giveaway for a free $50 stencil? {Which ends tonight by the way!!} 

In my package from them I received my free stencils- they add $5 worth of free stencils to every order!!

So, I thought a Fleur de Lis ornament would be just perfect. Nothing like a couple free  stencils, an extra glass ornament, and some Martha Stewart glitter to

create a pretty little ornament. Oh yeah- this ornament is actually made from two different Fleur de Lis stencils- I got them in two sizes.

The blue glitter is the larger one and then the silver is smaller.

 If you don't have any small stencils and you want to make your own- you can try printing off your shape, then cutting it out of a thin plastic sheet- like a plastic folder. Instead of drawing in the stencil- I spread a thin coat of Elmer's glue and sprinkled on the glitter- piece of cake!

Make sure you enter to win- and thanks for coming by!

Looking for places to link up your projects? Check out my Party page.

I'm also linked up here.

DIY Curtain Rods [Sliding Glass Door & Bay Window]

Are you guys sick of looking at my new stenciled curtains, yet? There's just one more project I that made these "after" pictures possible.

I knew I wanted curtains in the bay window, but I also knew there was no way I was paying full price for the hardware- this isn't my forever home you know.  So, I made my own instead! It was so simple, I actually couldn't believe I've ever paid for them, serious!

Wanna make some?

First ▻ You need to measure your space...twice! These are not adjustable curtain rods, make sure you know how large you want them to be. Although they are not adjustable, they are not weak in the middle and are really sturdy, i.e. awesome!

Second▻ WHAT TO BUY:

• 1/2 inch Electrical Conduit ▻Found at any home improvement store, quantity 2 rods, *not pictured
• Metallic Paint of your Choice ▻ I chose Rustoleum's Oil Rubbed Bronze▻
• L brackets ▻quantity 5 brackets: 3for the bay window & 2for the Sliding glass doors. 
• Finials ▻ Glass ball Heligt Finial from Ikea, quantity 4 finials *Similar to image above- but not sold online*
• Clear Lacquer ▻ Choose desired shine of lacquer in same brand of paint you used, I chose Rustoleum's Clear Gloss Lacquer, quantity 1
• Also: Hardware to attach the L brackets to the wall- screws, nuts, bolts- if not included & Sandpaper

Third▻ Cut conduit to length. I've heard that some stores cut this conduit for you- I went to Lowe's and they didn't do it there. But it took like 15 seconds to cut through it with a hacksaw. Make sure you sand the edges down where you cut them, they're very sharp.

Fourth▻ Step 4 ONLY for Bay Windows only! ▻ For the bay window, we used leverage and the stair railing to bend the conduit. You don't need a stair railing to bend it- but anything you can use for leverage will be helpful. This "system" did help us to control exactly the angle and place we would bend. 

Measure out where the bend should be, I then used two rings of white tape to mark where the bend needed to go.

▻Bay Windows only! ▻ I made a template of the angle measurement of my wall using  a piece of paper to make sure the angles would match up. Well, I grabbed a piece of used paper off the counter and quickly bent it against the wall to mimic the measure- nothing high tech over here folks! Like most my tutorials, I'm winging it- and you guys get to hear about the successes {and the sometimes failures!}

▻Bay Windows only! ▻ When there were no more gaps in between the paper template and the rod, I knew our angle was correct. Flip it on over and do the other side.

Fifth▻ Paint the rods! A little tip for you, I used spray paint lids to keep the rod off the drop cloth. I also had to paint the L brackets and hardware.
The Lenda curtains I purchased form Ikea didn't come with a rod pocket, instead they had tabs- (ugly!) So I bought Riktig Ogla curtain hooks. They only come in black, white and nickel, so I painted them, first using a plastic primer.

{Remember the tutorial I shared from Lindsay a few weeks ago, about priming plastic then using any spray paint you want over it? I bet you didn't imagine I was envisioning this project!}

The directions call for two light coats, but with all those nooks and crannies was more like 10 coats. They went on very smooth and light though.

The primer worked like a charm and the spray paint got a really good bond, I was really happy with it. It looks legit, like metal.

Sixth▻ Complete the rods by painting them with a sealer in the shine finish of your choice.

Here's a close up of the after. Oil rubbed bronze never photographs as good as it looks in person. The shine and reflectivity doesn't come across. 

The curtain finials I chose are also from Ikea. I am so happy with them! I can't find a link for them online, but they're called Heligt Glass Finial- and for 5 bucks you get 2. Steal of a deal, dontcha know. These Ball Finials were the closest I could find- though they aren't priced nearly as well. But Hobby Lobby is also a good source for finials. 

Before I found them I was planning to  adapt some old glass door knobs- but these were just so close to what I was wanting and the price was right! The glass is mottled, and that texture gives them an aged appearance.

The bay window had three L brackets holding up the rod and my curtains are a medium to heavy weight fabric. 

The long window is actually sliding glass doors, so you know how long that is. For that huge space I have only two brackets holding up the rod. I LOVE how the rod is strong in the center, not flimsy where two rods are stuck together. That used to drive me crazy! I used to have three brackets for this window and some napkins jimmy rigged to keep the rod from sagging in the center. Just one of those small things that drive you nuts! I am thrilled it's fixed now!

Want the cost break down? Electrical conduit, 110" {I think} - $2 ea (4 total) Metallic Paint- $5 Plastic Primer- $5 Glass Finials-$5 ea. (10 total) Paint Sealer- mine L Brackets- mine Hardware- mine
That's it! Less than 20 bucks for both of the rods-- and I have tons of paint and primer left over! Comparable bay window rods sell for at least 50 bucks! And mine is the metallic I want, the gloss finish I want, the size I need, with the finials I choose! Like I said, it was so easy; I can't believe people ever pay full price for them!
I am super in love with the whole outcome: the curtains, the stencil, the color, and my new homemade curtain rods! Yay! Thanks for checking out my latest and greatest!

Magnetic Play Sets [Disney Characters+Backgrounds]

Good Morning Friends!

 A little background on this project... At the church I attend, I am on a  committee that organizes and designs the gatherings that the women in the church will attend. It's like a party planning committee, except the parties usually consist of a spiritual aspect as well. 

We have a December activity, and it's event that tops all the others of the year. As we were developing an agenda I took a note from some past years' and proposed we start our night with a service activity for someone else. 

That's how these magnetic activity kits came about. We found a need here, locally, and on the list of things I could need as donations were magentic activity kits. Yes! Perfect, something we could have the ladies make, that would look great homemade! 

{One thing I was concerned with, that the gifts look "homemade and awesome!"- not "crappy homemade, like no one cares enough to by you stuff."} 

I didn't plan on sharing these on the  ol' blog, but I just love them so much!

I compiled images from clip art sites, they are not for profit use images! For personal use only! Please don't make these and try to sell them!! 

Although, I can see why you would want to, they're awesome!!

Make Your Own:

✧ Download & make Color Copies of my document onto cardstock 

- or- Find your own backgrounds and figures

I made one version for boys and one for girls. 

BOYS: The kit contains 4 backgrounds and 4 sets of comic book figures. 

The comic book figures include 1 good guy and 1 bad guy from each of 4 comic books, 

& they each have two poses. In a tin lunch box.

GIRLS: The kit contains 4 backgrounds and 5 sets of Disney characters. 

Each sets of character consists of 3-4 images, including supporting characters or the main character in different positions.

✧ Buy Magnetic Sheets- These go anywhere from $1-3 a sheet! The cheapest can be found from Oriental Trading Company. Even if you have to pay shipping, they'll be cheapest there- by a long shot.

Some sheets you can

✧  Buy a metal container to put your images on and in- little lunchboxes can be found at Joann's & Oriental Trading Company- where I purchased mine

✧ Cut the figures out- This was where the service project came in, I had the women cut out their own sets. Some people included the black extras magnetic sheets for the children to draw their own characters.

Kids can play with the magnetic pieces on the outside of the tins, like this girls set. 

Or on the inside cover, which makes it a perfect toy for the car or to take with you on the go!

Now, here's a shot of the boys' outside.

And then, a shot of the boys' inside. 
I am thrilled to be giving some very deserving children these toy sets. I think they came out splendidly and they ladies were so happy and willing to cut them out and compile them!I hope you'll enjoy them, too!

Looking for places to link up your projects? Check out my Party page.

I'm also linked up here.