Sunday Sayings

 

 

"Life is good.  It is precious.  It is a great blessing.  Even on it's worst days.  And in it's deepest valleys you must remember the view from it's highest mountains.  You must not forget that happiness is a matter of perspective, not circumstance."  Bob Lonsberry

Merry Christmas 2012

 

 

Wishing you Peace and Love

 

this Christmas Season.

 

From Mimi's Cottage

Sunday Sayings

 

 

"He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree."    Roy Smith

Paper Star Garlands

If you want an easy last minute kind of project, this one's for you!

 

It's a fun little paper star garland that I first saw on the

Mrs. Polly Rogers blog.  Hers are two dimensional, but

I decided I liked them just as well flat.

 

I used a few in a garland above a cabinet in the living room.

 

 

 

And a few vertical ones decorating an old birdcage.

 

 

 

I spent a night, (while watching Duck Dynasty on TV), tracing around

a star shaped cookie cutter on old book pages.  And them cutting them out.

 

Then I took them to my sewing machine and sewed them together.

They worked best when I sewed them star point to star point.

 

 

 

Then I decided that I should make a few using colorful scrapbook paper.

 

 

I hung them above my kitchen sink.

 

 

 

 

I've gotten more compliments on this little project.

 

Fast, easy, inexpensive. 

 

Perfect for this time of year!

Sunday Sayings

 

"While we are mourning the loss of our friend, others are rejoicing to meet him beyond the veil."

                                                                                    John Taylor

 

 

 

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the precious children of Connecticut.

 

May the Lord's blessings be upon you and may the Holy Spirit comfort you.



A Christmas Table

Last week we had a little get-together at Mimi's Cottage.

 

It was so fun to arrange this Christmasy table.

 

The only thing I bought for it was a dozen white roses that I cut short

and arranged in little vases and small pitchers.

 

 

 

The ivy is trimmings from a topiary I have.

 

They're stuck in small bottles that I've collected over the years.

 

The table runner is an old lace curtain that I tea-dyed.

 

 

I made a pouch from old book pages.  Just sewed them together on

my sewing machine.

 

They held a glittery Christmas ornament and some candy cane

kisses.

 

The saying says, "A good cook knows it's not what's on the table that

matters, but who's in the chairs."

 

I have to say that I think that it's both what's on the table and what's in the chairs.

 

:)

 

I had some plain Jane votives that I embellished with burlap, buttons,

ribbons, and trim.

 

 

 

 

 

I made baked pasta and a big green salad.

 

A friend brought homemade bread sticks.

 

And everyone brought a Christmas treat for dessert.

 

So fun to get together at this time of year and visit with family

and friends.

 

It's part of the magic of Christmas.

Sunday Sayings

 

 

"This Christmas, mend a quarrel.  Seek out a forgotten friend.  Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust.  Write a letter.  Give a soft answer.  Encourage youth.  Manifest your loyalty in word and deed.  Keep a promise.  Forgo a grudge.  Forgive an enemy.  Apologize.  Try to understand.  Examine your demands on others.  Think first of someone else.  Be kind.  Be gentle.  Laugh a little more.  Express your gratitude.  Welcome a stranger.  Gladden the heart of a child.  Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth.  Speak your love and then speak it again."   Howard W Hunter

JOY!

Yet another fun idea from Pinterest.

 

Originally from the DIY Network.

 

My adorable friends Janis and Sue and I got together last week to

make these joyful signs.

 

 

Janis had a neighbor that took down a fence so she asked if she

could have some of the boards.  The neighbor said yes and we had

the perfect canvas for our sign.

 

 

 

Janis really knows her way around power tools so these were

a snap to put together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the original from Pinterest.

 

We all loved them so much that Janis made a few more to share.

 

If you live in Utah you can find them

 at that cute shop in Farmington, Utah, Just A Bed of Roses.

 

Or you can email me and I'll save one for you because I know they'll go fast!

 

My email address is on my sidebar.

 

Hope your holidays are filled with Joy!

Sunday Sayings

 

 

"Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of Christ."

 

                                                                                         Sheila Walsh


Bleached Bottle Brush Trees

A couple of weeks ago I saw a post over at The Beehive Cottage about bleaching

bottle brush trees.  Love that look and LOVE all of Mary Jane's fun ideas so I thought

I'd give it a try. 

 

The first thing I did was pick up a bag of  trees from Michael's.

 

I used my 50% off coupon of course.

 

Then I filled up a plastic container with water and added about a

cup and a half of bleach.

 

Threw the trees in for about 10 minutes, drained them, rinsed them

with warm, soapy water a few times, then clear water. They turned out

like this. 

 

 

Why yes there are dishes in my sink.  But at least they're cute dishes.

 

Now they're ready for a few projects, like this one.

 

I think there were like 24 little trees in the package.

 

I have a few other ideas I want to do with them.

 

 

 

Seems like I've got a few more to work with.

Sunday Sayings

"Do not take one thing for granted - not one smile, or one person, or one rainbow, or one breath, or one night in your cozy bed." 

                                                                                                         Terri Guillemets

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our family to yours...

With love from

Mimi's Cottage

I've Had a Little Work Done...

Have you noticed anything new about my blog lately? Well, that's right, I have a brand new banner, AND, for the very first time in four years of blogging, I have a button. Pretty fancy, don't you think? The lovely and talented Keren from www.freeprettythingsforyou.com made them for me and I just love them! She was a dream to work with and oh so very nice. So now that my blog has had a facelift, maybe I should think about getting one for myself. Not even kidding.

Sunday Sayings

"Someday everything will make perfect sense. So for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears, be strong and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason." John Mayer

Giving Thanks

You know how much I like to copy adorable projects that are on blogs I visit

or Pinterest.  Well, I found a fun and easy Thanksgiving decoration on

My Heart's Song .  

 

I'm sure you will love Geneva's home and her blog as much as I do.

 

Go on over and say hello and take a look at all the awesome

things she and her honey have done to their home.

 

This project is simply tea dyed tags from Staples stamped with

letters that say Give Thanks and then wired on a branch

from my backyard.

 

 You could also attach the tags with crinkly seam binding or twine.

 

 

I just love the look of it.  I also love that I had all the supplies on hand.  One more thing to be thankful for.