That Is Home

Made some art today.  Had this frame from IKEA and decided to create something to hang by the front door.  I recently created a large canvas art piece for my last issue of Scrap n' Art (I resigned as of the June issue), but I can't share that just yet due to it being artwork for the current issue.  The canvas is also hanging by the door, and needed a "friend" to hang with it.

Here's a picture of the little piece I created today.  I just love the sentiment; it has personal meaning for Brian and me.



It was great to create something fun "just because," and not for a design team assignment.  I am planning on opening my Etsy shop in the coming months, and hope to sell similar handmade art pieces, canvases and other handmade items.  So let me know what you think!  Thanks for looking!  :D

December Daily Wrap-Up

Wow, this month has absolutely flown by! It hardly seemed time for Christmas and then, Christmas was over! December Daily did help me to slow down just a bit and capture some moments that may have otherwise been overlooked or underappreciated during this busy, fast month. Here are the last of my dailies!

December 8. Our latest rescue, Simon.



December 9. Hipstamatic pic of a chalkboard message.



December 10. Brian holding Beatrice.



December 11. Stockings by the fire.



December 12. Restaurant Wanted sign. Just thought it was funny.



December 13. Oliver, too sleepy to open his eyes, but still turning his head toward the camera. :D



December 14. Brian and I made and decorated Christmas sugar cookies! Yum!



December 15. Fuzzy Wuzzy by garland light. Sweet boy.



December 16. Tree light bokeh.



December 17. My sweet husband blowing out his 37th birthday candles.



December 18. Santa sure left a big bag of gifts on the couch for me to wrap!



December 19. Jingle bell wreath on the back door. So cheery!



December 20. Spent most of the day wrapping presents, along with my "helper" who was hoping for some moments alone with the gift wrap supplies. Her Christmas wish did not come true, sadly. :D



December 21. Rainy day. Oliver by the back door.



December 22. Some of the cutest wrapping paper I have ever seen. Got it at Target this year.



December 23. All is calm, all is bright. Wrapped and ready.



I decided to stop my dailies with Christmas Day, so in my next post I will share those, along with Christmas Eve and Day pictures with my family.

So This Is Christmas

Another Christmas is upon us (can you believe it?!), and before it's gone, I wanted to share a few pictures of our holiday decorations around the house.

















Here's my table for my sweet Maw. It has her picture, and several items I was allowed to take from her house. I will always cherish these things that she owned, touched, and loved.



A few ornaments on display in her muffin pan:



Pictures of my first Christmas at her house:



























Merry Christmas!!

December Daily

Happy December!

I am participating in a project called December Daily. It began as a scrapbooking thing, where you take a picture each day in December, of something meaningful to you that tells a small (or big) story for that day in your life. (It's kind of like Photo/Project 365, but concentrates on the month of December only.) I will likely end up creating a mini album to hold all these photos/stories, but am planning on sharing them here as well. Finding a moment each day during such a busy month can really help slow down the hustle-bustle and bring more joy and thankfulness to the season.

OK, now to get caught up with my blog posts! I've been taking a December Daily picture everyday, but am just going to blog them in batches to make it easier.

December 1.
My warm toes in these awesome fleece booties that Mama and Daddy gave me at the start of the cold weather this year. They have seriously barely left my feet! I love them and you can't feel a single snippety miniscule draft of cold air!



December 2.
A rare and spontaneous early supper at Carrabba's. We always get the filet marsala, garlic mashed potatoes, and sauteed broccoli. Shutcho mouth. Soooooo good. If I ever have to pick a final meal, this right here is high on my list. And it was so nice for us to get out for a dinner together, so we really enjoyed it.



December 3.
I was craving some peppermint (I tend to only want it around Christmas) so we got a big container of mini candy canes from Sam's. They're so cute and pretty with twinkly Christmas lights in the background, as in my picture here.



December 4.
On Sunday, December 4th, Brian and I went to do a photoshoot of our friend, Lera's daughters and we had so much fun! We did the photos at Auchumpkee Creek Covered Bridge in Thomaston, GA. It was beautiful!



December 5.
A Hipstamatic pic of a little Christmas house I made. It looks so cheery on our mantel, surrounded by pine garland and red berries.



December 6.
Got out the stack of Christmas CDs to make some playlists.



This season goes so quickly. I think this year might be going the fastest pace yet. December Daily is really helping me to slow down and notice little moments of celebration in each day. Sometimes the little things do mean the most. More December Daily in a few days!

IKEA

Just a quick catch-up post. I wanted to share some pics we took at IKEA when we went on March 28th. Brian, Ginger and I drove up to IKEA Atlanta, and later, Billy met us for lunch and some shopping.

Five minutes into the store, Ginger made herself at home in one of the model living rooms:





Some green bottles that were interesting:



Me:



Ginger and Me:



Brian:



More bottles:



Silliness:





Oooh, pretty:



Billy and Brian:



Can't go to IKEA without getting some yummy Swedish meatballs for lunch!



Ready to shop!













Those were just a few of my faves from the day. We had a great time!!