Wreath Class - 1818 Farms

I have talked before about how much I love 1818 Farms.  If you are not familiar, read about them here.  The owner Natasha is super nice, very creative and so encouraging.  I love taking her classes.  This year we managed to snag a seat in the Wreath Making Class.  This is one of the really popular ones.  This class got me on the 1818 Farms email list.  I waited and waited for the announcement to come out and the class registration to begin.  This class usually sells out and this year was no exception.  However, I am sharing it with you so you can start watching for the announcement for next year's class yourself.  The class was held out in Mooresville on the farm.  Natasha had everything set up for us.

There were live wreaths, pine cones, fruit and all matters of flowers and herbs that they grow on the farm

So I started with this wreath and added three pine cones that Natasha showed us how to properly wire to our wreath.

I then chose to add the buds from the magnolia tree

And then I filled in with some dried Cocks comb, Celosia and Cinnamon Basil seed heads.

Ha! Sweet Natasha told me all those names.  I was calling them very scientific things like the fuzzy purple one and the dangling one and the good smelling one (that basil smelled so good)!

I then glued in some magnolia leaves and fresh cranberries.

Here is my finished wreath

And here is our little group with our wreaths.  

You can see we all chose different materials but all the wreaths turned out beautifully.  It was a wonderful evening.  There was Christmas music and such beautiful supplies to work with.  Not to mention what a fun time with friends creating something beautiful.

1818 Farms also offers some wonderful products.  They are currently offering 20% off through December 1st.  Check out their offerings here.

Love this place and all they offer.  Check them out.  You'll be glad you did!

DIY Tree Flocking

I love a flocked Christmas tree.  I grew up with one.....and then they kind of fell out of favor.  But now they are back!  The only problem is there is no way I could possibly justify buying another Christmas tree.  I may or may not own too many already.  But for two years I have wanted snow on my branches.  So I started doing a little research.  I googled some products.  I watched a few YouTube videos.  I decided on this do it yourself flocking product.



Here are all the supplies I gathered

A spray bottle of water
A kitchen strainer
A tarp
The flocking powder

I followed the instructions on the package.  I chose to flock one my trees that was not pre-lit.  I think you would definitely end up with less bright lights if your tree had lights on it simply because the bulbs would get covered.

First you spray your tree with water. Then you put the powder in the strainer, shake it over the tree while spraying water....I think this is a two person job. 

This is how my tree looked originally

It was such a windy day.  We had to work in the garage.  We thought it would be easier to get the inner branches covered by doing one section at a time.  So we took off the top two sections of the tree and started with the bottom one.

Then we put the middle section back in place and flocked it. Then the top section and flocked it.

It is up to you how heavily you flock.  This is a 7.5 ft tree and I used 3/4 of the two pound bag.  I would say we did a medium flocking.  The whole application took about 30 minutes.

Here is how the tree looked at the end.

and a closer look

We let it dry for about 36 hours.  The flocking was nice and thick.  We moved it back it to the house and decorated it.  Small light flaking came off during the move but nothing major.

Here is how the tree looks all decorated.

....and a closer look.

I plan on using the rest of the powder on some other artificial greenery.

By the way this product  can also be used on live trees and greenery.

I am very pleased with the results.

If you have the desire.....add some snow to your holiday decor this year.

I'll meet you back here on Wednesday.  I hope it is one fantastic week for you!!!

Black Friday....here we go!

Here are few sales you may want to check out:

Michaels Arts and Crafts - tons of decor marked down and some good prices on trees

Target - There was a whole line of people in the electronics department who did not look happy.  When I passed by I heard...."come back tomorrow"...."you'll have the same number"....it did not sound good.  If you buy movies, Target always excels in that area.  They also had some good prices on towels, throws and board games.

Bath and Body - Buy 3 get 3 free .....the Whole Store.  Plus with a $30 purchase you can buy the holiday tote which has 7 or so products in it.

Dress Up - Several good buys including $12 scarves and $24 sweaters.

Sugarboo is offering free shipping all day on Friday.  I bought this metal sign

and put it on the door we use everyday.  They have lots of different sayings and these would make a great gift.

Nordstrom has an additional 20% off of select items.

If you are primarily shopping on line, don't forget to check and see if the store is on ebates.  If you still need an ebates account, please use my referral link.

I will try to post any other finds on instagram and Facebook!

Enjoy your weekend!!!!

Just wanted to say......

Thankful for......

Do you spend time thinking about and replaying the past year this time of the year?  A lot happens in a year doesn't it?  Maybe this time last year you were working on fixing something in your life. Maybe you had just come through a valley and hit a period of good times.....or maybe you were doing a little of both.  Either way I hope you can reflect on the positives, the lessons learned in the hard times and the hope of what another year might bring.  It is extremely hard to make a list of things I am thankful for.  To be honest, there are just too many things and then I would hate to overlook anything......

But here are a few things that I am particularly thankful for this year

Peace - I don't mean the absence of problems and chaos.  I mean the ability to  hold it together despite circumstances.  The ability to get up and face each day trusting in the sovereignty of God and His equipping me to withstand.

Health - While I didn't have a major illness this year, I had several little things that cumulatively wore me down.  I asked many of you to pray.  I know that you did.  I am thankful for this complex body that heals and for my God who orchestrates it all.

Love - For some reason evil has not been satisfied in the background of our lives, but has wanted  to be front and center, a main character, prevalent.  But I am thankful that this has drawn people to speak love, pay compliments, give encouragement.  This year I did the Jesus Always devotional and this one line has really stuck with me....."When evil seems to prevail make every effort to accomplish something good." Aaahhh, nothing bursts the evil doers bubble faster than us continuing to live love.

My Village - All of us need people. Family, friends and others contribute to us being able to do our lives and to do them with ease.  Those who will step in for us.  Those who refuse to let us sit in denial, regret and self-loathing.  Those who fill in when we are double or triple booked. Those who know when we need a squeeze, some time alone or a pep talk.  Those who are kind enough to read this blog. These people make up my village and I am very grateful.

I could go on and on but I am only going to list one more

Laughter - I treasure a good laugh. Laughter to tears.....bring it on.  Usually laughter is born out of reflection on something in the past, a time of joy, a snippet of freely allowing our bodies to physically release emotion.  I mean when we laugh, it is like we are lighter, more free and connected. I marvel at little kids who you can just look at and they just burst into giggles.  They are uninhibited - what they feel they just let come out.  Tap back into that, ladies, laughter is within you but so much more fun when shared with others.

I hope you have a wonderful week of thankfulness.  May you and your village enjoy peace, love, health and laughter to the point of tears.

Light Stretching before Big Shopping

Ok, today we are just going to take a look a few things already available at good prices.  Because this time next week...... well people will be camping out for doorbusters, standing in long lines and buying things they don't want or need all in the name of Black Friday.  But not us.  No.  We are going to remain calm and consider the things we need to purchase.  Make a plan and work the plan, right?

So this weekend would be the perfect time to make out your list.  If you will just be starting your shopping, your list may be a little longer.  If you have started but just need a few other things, you should have a short list.  Either way, write it down......who you need to buy for and perhaps a few items you'd like for that person but most importantly how much you want to spend.

Secondly, let me encourage you to follow the blog on instagram and facebook.  While we are out, I will do my best to post things we find so you can grab them too if you like.  Remember the buttons are on the upper right hand of the blog page.

So in prep for the big day I ordered us these shirts



All the Black Friday shirts I have seen were black so I figured there are going to be lots of people walking around in black t-shirts.  Well this one was brown so I thought it would be different and make it easier for us to find each other in the masses.   These started out in 5 color options but they are going quickly if you are interested.

Now here are a few items you might be interested in now

Scarlet and Gold has rolled out there holiday tees and they have some cute ones





You can see the whole collection here,

Gray Monroe is a cute little store that is starting their Black Friday sale early


So depending on what time you are reading this blog, there may be a code still available for you.

Emmy Poncho

Piper and Scoot has this Free People jacket $60 off.

Free People Double cloth jacket

Wal Mart has this cute little peacoat in  six colors

Peacoat

The Pioneer Woman Collection has this

Pie Plate

Here are some other ongoing deals:

Anthropologie has 20% off tops and sweaters

Check out a sneak peek at Target's Black Friday deals

Kroger has all kinds of deals on Giftcards.....but you need to download the coupon.

J. Crew Factory is offering 50% off most everything with an additional 40% off on sale.

Chicos has early shopping at 40% off using  code 76120

Now let's get organized, make those list, enjoy the weekend.....I'll meet you back here on Monday.

A New Room.....

I don't know how you approach decorating but I pretty much just walk around Homegoods and Hobby Lobby, find stuff I like and then try to think of where I can use it.  This apparently is not how it is done.  My friend, Katy, who you might remember we talked about here is an Interior Designer.  I asked Katy to redo our guest room/gift wrap room.......So it is a guest room most of the time but when there is no guest, I go to town wrapping gifts in there.

Please pop over to Katy's page to see all the before and afters.

https://hope-overflowing.blogspot.com/

I cannot tell you how much we love it.  Katy really has an eye.   There was not one thing that she purchased that we returned.  I LOVED it all.   And guess what, guys......apparently when you stay focused and do one room at a time, things really come together.

She is super easy to work with, extremely affordable and very talented.  And do you know how good it felt for it to all come together and I didn't have to run all over town searching for stuff?  Well let me tell you, it felt great.

I can't pick a favorite thing in there.  I love all the individual elements and I love them even more as they all work together.

By the way, please forgive the before pictures.....I am not sure what I have been thinking for the past few years, but this room totally needed attention.

Katy works at all price points, you determine your budget....and from one shopper to another I must give her serious props for what she accomplished in there.

Check out the pictures and then contact her if you have a project she can help you with.

Come back on Friday and let's start getting loose for some Black Friday Shopping......don't worry we just going to ease into things.....we still have a whole week to get ready.

October Book Review

Hope you had a great weekend.  I may have started to put up Christmas trees.....more to come on that soon.

I had some really good reads this month.....so let's get right to it.

First up,



The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
This book is about a college student taking on an interview with a nursing home patient for a school assignment.  He is absolutely shocked by what he learns and then he risks it all trying to uncover the truth that has eluded this elderly gentleman for most of his life.  There is suspense, romance, tragedy, violence and tenderness.  A good story.  I enjoyed this one.






My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman
This is the same author who brought us A Man Called Ove which I absolutely loved.  This one did not disappoint.  I love Backman's writing style.  In this book a young girl is following clues from her grandmother to set some wrongs right.  Very entertaining.  I really didn't want this one to end.




The Sound of Glass by Karen White
In this one a young lady relocates to her deceased husband's hometown to inherit a nice piece of property.  Unfortunately, her stepmom and half-brother move in with her.  They discover how different they are and how much they need each other.  There are some twisted personalities in this one but in the end they come together beautifully.  Another successful read.

Last up, I finished the month with


I was drawn back to another James Patterson book.  This one had a bit of a complicated plot and if I try to describe it, I am afraid I might ruin it for you.  Let me just say  you may never text in your car or speed on a road again.  Worth the read for sure.

This time of year I really enjoy a good holiday themed book.  If that sounds good to you, check out Elin Hilderbrand's Winter Series








I have read them all except for Winter Storms because it has just been released.  I like the series a lot especially this time of year.

I hope you had a great reading month too.

Make it a great week, girls.  I will meet you back her on Wednesday.

Gift Ideas - Advent Calendars + weekend sales

First a big thanks to all the Veterans and their families. Your dedication and service is greatly appreciated.

Now today we are going to cover Advent boxes. But first here is a reminder of the previous gift idea posts
Neighbor Gifts
Gifts that Give Back
Gift for the Cooks
Gifts for Girls
Gifts for Readers
12 Days of Christmas
Gifts for Boys
Teacher Gifts

I think today's idea is super fun.  If you liked the whole 12 days of Christmas thing but feel overwhelmed in trying to do it.....this could be an easy solution for you.  Most of these Advent boxes start on December 1st and go through December 24th.  So now is the time to order because you have to hand this over to the lucky recipient by December 1st. If you like some of these products, it is also a fun little treat for yourself.   Be sure to follow the links to see the details of what each box contains.  Here are some of the Advent Boxes that have been released so far this year:



The ASOS company has two boxes this year.
The Advent Calendar has:

• Includes a mix of skincare, makeup and hair care
• Features products from Smashbox, Eyeko and Cowshed, plus many more

The Grooming Advent Calendar has:

• Includes a mix of products for hair and skin
• Features products from Elemis and Carmex plus many more

The KIKKI K Stationery Lovers Advent has everything from stationery products like pens and clips to candles. Price $103.00


Macy's has the Bare Minerals Advent Calendar which has  a collection of complexion, skin, eye and lip staples, plus two special gifts thrown in! $79.00


L'Occitane has this signature Advent Calendar for $79

and the


Luxury Advent Calendar for $124

Sephora has

The Atelier Cologne Sampler Advent Calendar for $49

and the


The OLEHENRICKSEN 12 day box for $69


Yankee Candle 12 days of Christmas



Here are some others
Target kids 12 days of socks
Other Target 12 days of socks
QVC 2017 Advent Beauty Box
David's Tea 24 days of Tea

There are several of these type offers around.  If you have a favorite product or company just google the product name and advent calendar.....perhaps you will get lucky and find one you would love.

We found this tabletop advent calendar at Michaels and have had fun finding 24 gifts to go inside.  So yes, if you are up to it you can design your own.

Now here are some other sales going on this weekend:
J. Crew Factory 40% off
Hautelook (a division of Nordstrom) has lots going on.  If you need to open an account, please click my referral link here. They have great pajamas from PJ Salvage, Frye and Sperry all at discount prices.
Gap has 50% + 20% off
Wal Mart has a black Friday ad released.
Michaels has several good coupons for the weekend.

Have a wonderful weekend.

The Gift of Jewelry

Perhaps you have heard of Plunder Jewelry.  I bought my first pieces a couple of years ago.  I just got a new piece and I want to show it to you today.

This is the first piece I bought

I couldn't resist this one because it has a verse from my favorite Psalm on it.  Some days are tough and I need to actually wear a Word from God......you know what I mean.  This one has about a 32" chain which is adjustable.  I typically wear this with a white shirt.....because I wear a white shirt 2 of the 5 days of the week

And I think it looks great with my green utility vest

And with my cocoa top

Plunder offers several necklaces with inspirational messages.  I am sure you could find one you would love too.

This is my newest necklace

This is the Ryan necklace.  It is 20" beaded necklace with a beautiful cross.

It has several blue/neutral tones in it and for that reason goes with a lot of different things.

I plan on wearing it with blue

With pink

With tan

Did you notice the little gingham bag.  They each came with these little storage bags which makes them good pieces to travel with as well.

Now personally I am drawn to inspirational jewelry, but Plunder also has very contemporary jewelry, some conservative pieces and some extremely bold, statement pieces.  There are earrings, bracelets, necklaces of every shape form and fashion.  The thing they all have in common is they are very reasonably priced.  I paid around $23 for the first and around $34 for the second.  I am very pleased with both and will definitely order more.

Now let me introduce you to my Plunder Design Specialist - Taylor Moore.

You can access her website and order by clicking below:

http://www.plunderdesign.com/taylormoore

Taylor is my sweet little cousin but that is not why I recommend her.  She is very customer oriented and focused on providing good service.  And I have to tell you after the lack of customer service I experienced over the weekend, this is not lost on me.  I was actually in this store....that shall remain nameless....and there were no sales associates.  I could not find anyone to help me.  Finally, I spot this guy, he has on a name tag, I have bought from him before.  Surely, he can help me.....uh no.... here is how the conversation went

Me: Excuse me, could you help me?

Him: I'm sorry.  I was just leaving.

Me: Oh

Him: I think I broke my foot

WHAT?????!!!!!!

Then this guy literally starts limping away from me while grimacing in pain.

Ok, this was a first.  I don't think I have ever had anyone fake a physical injury to avoid helping me in a store.  How do I know he was faking.....first, he wasn't limping when I initially spotted him and second, I returned to that same store the very next day and there he was walking smoothly across the sales floor, wearing the same shoes and had the nerve to have a little swagger.  

Taylor is not like this.....I'd like to think that if she somehow managed to actually break her foot while selling jewelry, she would push through the pain and ensure you were properly accessorized!

Talk to you on Friday!