O Christmas Tree

I'm joining the Hooked on Houses holiday tour!  Here's a look around my house all decked out for the holidays!  Don't forget to go to Hooked on Houses for LOTS more homes to tour!  There is another list of homes to tour at Rhoda's place, too.  Go to Southern Hospitality to check it out.

I took these pictures yesterday morning, because I wanted the lights to glow....but they ARE a little dark. Sorry!

I love my felted pears tree!

...and my bird's nest tree!

...and my little cardboard fireplace with flickering bulb! I swear it's almost as good as the real thing! No kidding! I love it!

I put this little tree in the front window, so my neighbor wouldn't think I was a humbug! :)

The piano was my big gift to Kathleen this year for Christmas. There was no way for me to make it a surprise, unfortunately. But she's been playing it ALL the time, which is so awesome. I'll be getting her some lessons in January.

These little skaters skate around to music if I want them to. I usually leave the music off. They're fun!

My sister gave me that Martha Stewart feather tree a couple of years ago. I love it! (Can you tell I love my Christmas stuff?!)

I started a Santa collection years ago.

There's the felted penguin I bought last weekend!

...and some of my favorite Christopher Radko ornaments...

Do you see the glass icicles? My sister gave me those last year. They are gorgeous, and VERY realistic looking!

Stay tuned for pictures from my sister's house! I took them at last night's cookie party. It was looking very festive!

Look Ma, No Eggs!

Oh look!  It's ME in the window!  (Shush...I can hear you snickering.)

Playin' with the Photoshop...sorry...lol...but I do love that bas relief tool.  Pretty cool.

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE my new kitchen?  *sigh*  It's SO easy to clean up, and there's room to spread out and really make messes!

There's a touch of Christmas everywhere around here!  I was second-guessing myself with that fabric tree the other night when BF was cooking.  (I call him "Train Wreck" if that helps to give you an indication of his modus operandi.)  But it has lived to see another day.  Oh, and so has BF!  Lucky guy!  

So I just got done making 10 dozen Russian Teacakes for my sister's cookie exchange party tonight.  This means I will be coming home with an assortment of 10 dozen fabulous cookies made by friends.  I love cookie exchanges!

I used my grandmother's recipe, which, upon further inspection on the world wide web, is apparently EVERYONE'S recipe for Russian Teacakes!  No "ancient Chinese secret" here! heh.  I do love these, though, and they remind me of my Grandma Ann.  They're just flour, confectioner's sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, and nuts.  Yummy!!

Ice Storm

Guess who couldn't leave her house today?  There are live wires there still.  The neighbors moved all the branches out of the way.  I really need to go out tomorrow.  Time to call National Grid!

My rear fence.
Don't forget to click to enlarge any of these.

That mess above is in my neighbor's yard

Deer in the field.  Do you see all three?

Christmas by the River in Coxsackie

I did a lot of things wrong with my display this year, but thought of a lot of good ideas for next year, so it's all good. You do, and you learn, right? I was in a different spot this year, and shared the space with my friend Donna. We're working on a better plan for next year's layout. We need to plan ahead! Traffic wasn't nearly as heavy as it was last year. It's difficult to know if it was the weather (COLD and windy), the way the show was (or was not) promoted, the economy, or a combination of the three. It wasn't a total bust though....I made enough money to make it worth my while, and that's all that matters! For some reason, I have no photos of my jewelry. I'm an idiot. I'm going to have a trunk show at a friend's house this weekend, so maybe I'll take pics there and post 'em up for you later.

I sewed these birds with a pattern I found on the internet. I just LOVE them! I sold four out of ten, so there are six left if anyone's interested! :) $8.99 each!

Donna knitted these newborn baby hats out of organic cotton from Decadent Fibers, and they were a big hit. She needs to make bigger ones next year. She sold these for just $10 each! I couldn't believe it! A couple of people bought them for American Girl dolls. I thought that was a great idea! If you want one, let me know. In fact, if anybody wants anything you see, let me know, and I'll be happy to ship.

Snow people! Too cute!!

I love the pears. I have a few that my friend Pat has given me through the years. I put them on my window sashes.

I had to buy one of the pink flamingos for my sister in FL. I thought they were great. $5! All of Donna's stuff is needlefelted wool. She does a beautiful job.

It may not look too much like a partridge, but you get the idea! LOL. He's adorable atop the pear tree! I have to get my Christmas decor out of the garage. I think I have enough of these little pears now to make a go of a little tree.

I had to have the penguin with the ear muffs, and she sold the one holding the silver tree, but I believe the other two are still available. $14 each. CUTE!

Another Headboard Bench!

Some of you have seen my headboard benches in the past. I made this one for my friend Kelly's birthday last week.
Usually I have a footboard to cut in half and use it as arms, and a base for the seat, but not in this case. I had to build the whole bench part and front legs from scratch. I'm happy with my results.

***Note to web surfers who found this post through a Google search***
I have pictures of another bench I made on my design website, InteriorImage.com. (Click on Showhouse 2006 to see it. With that one, I used a headboard AND a footboard, upholstered the bottom, and made a cushion for it. I used it in the showhouse bedroom, and since my daughter wouldn't let me sell it, it now sits at my dining room table.

Also, if any of you out there have completed a headboard bench project, or have questions, please send me a message, post a comment, or send me a picture, and I'll include it here with a link to your blog if you'd like! It would be nice to have a whole collection of these headboards in one spot, wouldn't it? I like to see what others have done, and who inspired them!

**Alert for those near my home town!**
This coming Sunday, December 7th,2008
is the annual

Christmas by the River event in Coxsackie, NY.

Please come by and see all of the wonderful crafters and vendors.
I'll be showing my jewelry and other gifty items in the conference room at
Heartland Realty on Reed Street. It's where all the fun will be, people, so
PLEASE stop on by!

The Moon Tonight

Run outside and check it out right now before you miss it! It's the moon, Jupiter, and Venus, brighter than you've ever seen them! My picture is not the best...you must run outside now to check it out for yourselves! (Me...I'm going to go eat my pizza now...I'm hungry!) :)

P.S. Here is a link to Sky and Telescope magazine so you can go read about it.