Another Tender Tennessee Christmas Home Tour 2010…

Hello my friends!

This year I am

celebrating the magnificent birth of Jesus

Matthew 1:18-25

with a

TENDER TENNESSEE

CHRISTMAS!

After lots of coffee, sewing,

and hot glue gunnin’,

I finally got my

HANDMADE, COZY CABIN Christmas up!

So let’s take a home tour… shall we?

We will start with a short stroll through

the COLORFUL

entry way.

This is an old farm table I made into a bench.

An antique bell hangs from

the colorful swag.

Rusty sleigh bells anchor

the big, colorful round ornaments

on the tree.

And Now…

 

onto the dining room.

    

  

          

 

Next… the kitchen

and all it’s décor.

This is where the

COZY CABIN theme

really starts to kick in.

So… I have to STOP here and say that

all the plaid

you see in the photos are from ONE

cut up boys shirt I bought at Target

on Clearance for $3.50.

It went a long ways!

An old baker’s rack was used  behind my

lighted barn star.

Again… another old baker’s rack.

An antique oil can and bucket

are used to create a cozy cabin display

over the cabinets.

I used some tree cuttings and ornaments

tied with rafia and stapled them

to painted placemats on my

faux stone wall.

I moved my Lantern Stand

into the kitchen

and added a bow and a few bells at the top.

And finally… onto the living room…

 

let’s start with the

 mantel and fireplace.

 

For the wreath… I used an old hymn

printed on brown wrapping paper

along with pieces of fabric,

sticks and pine cones to adorn my wreath.

Then I added a barn star for a little “punch”.

I used some rusty metal ornaments

to adorn the edge of the mantel.

The mittens were cut from the

plaid shirt and hot glue gunned to felt

in order to make a cute cover

for my stocking holders.

An old ammunition crate

is used as a prop for

holding firewood and kindling…

even though I have a gas fireplace.

:)

Next to the fireplace,

I draped a Christmas quilt

over a bunk ladder I found at Goodwill

awhile back.

 

My shipping crate table

is used to display a

small Christmas vignette.

A nesting goose/duck on the armoire.

And finally…

 

the Christmas Tree.

I made most of the ornaments this year.

A Christmas ornament made from a sock.

There’s that plaid shirt again!

And hand sewn mittens…

big and small cover the tree.

Vintage icicle strands fill

the tree for a bit of old fashion goodness!

Well… that’s Christmas 2010.

Thank you for visiting my

Tender Tennessee Christmas

this year.

May your Christmas season be

Merry and Bright!

 

Nutcracker Makeover

Meet my friend…

Nutster.

He came all the way from China to live here.

I don’t know his history (a neighbor gave him to me when they moved)… but he’s not old… especially since he was born in China.

He does have some wear and tear but he is still in good shape.

Maybe it’s because he has a good diet? 

He loves his veggies!

And he gets his beauty rest, too.

Nutster’s routine is pretty simple.

A little computer time… he likes to check on the weather.

And he likes to read the paper.

But… a couple of things he does NOT like to do

is wash and comb his hair!

That Nutster is a nut… he cracks everybody up!

But Nutster needs a new paint job… he’s peeling really bad.

So time to have a makeover here at Creative Ambitions.

With some sanding, KILZ paint  and Soapstone paint…

Here is the New and Improved Nutster Reveal!

At least NOW…

Nutster doesn’t have to worry about his hair anymore!

It’s funny… after I decide to paint him,

I actually saw a completely white nutcracker in a magazine this year. 

I forget which one.  Maybe you’ve seen it?

I guess that makes me trendy… LOL!

Now… I’m not sure (yet) where his home will be for Christmas…

I think German tradition says the table.

But we will see!

So what do you think?

Got a Nutcracker you want to paint?

 

 

 

Cat Surgery and Family Holiday Traditions… what a title!

Hi Friends!

Been busy…

 

This one just had some minor surgery.

Polyp removal in the ear.

So… he is recovering now… um… on my lap as I write this post!

(He loves sitting on my lap when I’m on the computer).

(I had to show you his new furry boots in this pic!)

I took the less invasive route for his ear so we will see how that goes.

We both had a restless/sleepless night the first night,

BUT we both got some sleep last night! Yay!

These little fur babies can keep you busy!

OK… onto Family Traditions.

One Christmas tradition we have started a few years ago are… PUZZLES!

 

Every year we buy a new one and spread it out on a table and let

everyone who wants to piece it together have a go at it.

I usually get a thousand or more pieces so it will last for awhile.

It’s a great way to bring family and friends together to enjoy a good

challenge.

I always put the puzzle on something that is MOBILE so we can move it if

we need to.

This year I used a corkboard but… cardboard works good, too.

And if it gets solved earlier than expected… I bring out last years puzzle

to conquer again.

I’m tellin’ ya… FUN, FUN, FUN for all!

 

So… do you have any fun holiday traditions

with your family or friends?