Shabby Chic Blessing Tree .... Altered Vintage Bottle and Wishes For the New Year

With the new year comes 

reflections of the one 

that came before. 

And hopeful thoughts for

 the days ahead. 

AND WE THINK OF WHAT WE 

WANT FOR OTHERS..

THIS IS MY BLESSINGS TREE.

It's full of WISHES OF GOODNESS for

 MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS

AND EVEN AQUAINTANCES.

WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR to bring

WoNDeRFuL THiNGS!

PEACE

HOPE

LOVE

WARMTH

DELIGHT

JOY

AND

 SO MUCH MORE...

I found this sturdy, vintage bottle at the
thrift store and thought it would be the perfect
base for my tree.
I filled the bottle 3/4 of the way full with sand
to stabilize it. I thought it might fall over otherwise!

The "tree" is a branch from
our apricot tree. I painted it with
white, acrylic, craft paint.

And then I just let my heart take over.
The gray beads are strung on black wire and the
chain is glued on with E-6000.

It was one of the most fulfilling projects
I've ever worked on.

{The key is special to me.
I found it at The Mouse House
antique barn near my home-town. It still had the
tag attached. It was from The Strand Theatre
where I used to usher for productions when
I was in high school. They have replaced all
the old locks and this one was from the
box office. I was so thrilled to find it!

Now the theatre is called
Cambridge Performing Arts Center.
I took my daughter there this past fall
 for her 18th birthday.
Jane Eyre, the musical, was the production.}

The white pieces are cut from old corks
and painted white. I put a hole through them
with a small nail.

The little "ornaments"
are beads and jewelry pieces that
I strung on the black wire.
I cut the sentiments from old Christmas
Cards and attached them with a jump ring.

I realize that some of the photos are somewhat

"Christmasy". I hoped that no one would mind.
I want to savor the Christmas spirit and keep it in my 

heart all year long. 

After all, doesn't it embody all the 

GOOD THINGS

that we wish for others?

So...

Many blessings to you all. 

Sweet wishes for all that you hope 

for 2015 to be.

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Hugs,

Tamara

linking up at:

Shabbilicious Friday Link-Up!

Shabby Angel Wing Ornaments

"Angels We Have Heard on High"

What a peaceful way to depict Christmas.

"With Angels all around."

Raising their beautiful voices in song

to declare the coming of the Messiah..

Watching over us all..

Taking the utmost care to guard and protect.

I can remember when I was a little girl,

the thought of Angels at Christmas

always gave me the warmest, most peaceful

feelings inside.

A feeling that I was in the best of care

and no matter what,

everything was going to be ok.

Today, I'm sharing with you some ornaments

that I have made.

They would make wonderful gifts or little additions to

a Christmas shop display to sell.

I used an angel wing die to cut the shapes. First, out of

some stiff cardboard that I had saved and then

from the vintage sheet music to cover the cardboard.

I cut popsicle sticks and I hot glued them to the

back to hold the wings just the right 

distance apart.

I used a glue stick to adhere the paper to the cardboard.

And then I began the fun process of 

decorating them with vintage doilies, buttons, and 
 other things that I had on hand.

The embellishments were attached with 

Tacky glue and hot glue.

For the hanger, I tore a strip of white sheet and

and after centering the strip, I used hot glue to attach 

the strip.

And...

Here they are!

I hope that your Christmas celebration 

has already started and the 

stresses of the season are few

and the blessings be many! 

Here's a thought for the season:

"What is Christmas?"

It is tenderness for the past, 

courage for the present,

hope for the future.

It is a fervent wish that every cup may

overflow with blessings rich and eternal,

and that every path may lead to peace. 

Thank you so much for stopping by!

 Love...Joy.. and Peace to you,

Tamara

I'm joining the party at:
Songbird Christmas Vintage Inspiration Party

Inexpensive Christmas Decor...Silver Tray Re-Purposed With Christmas Joy

*~JOY~*

It's the season for it...

(actually, it's always a good time for spreading a little JOY!)

Several months ago, I found this pretty, little

tray at a thrift store.

It was painted white 

around the edges and the center was

was painted very sloppily with

chalkboard paint.

The cost was 50 cents.

I painted it with white, homemade chalk paint

and glittered the flat surface. 

The red ruffle that you see is made from some

red burlap that I also found at a thrift store.

I bunched it up as I attached it with hot glue.

And I used some of the threads from the burlap to make

the sweet little bow on the pinecone pick.

The cute burlap canvas was a clearance item at
Wal-mart for 1 dollar! I'm not sure
why they were on clearance but there were
several and I thought they
were a real find and so I bought 6!

The little pinecone arrangement is a pick from
 from my Michael's crafting drawer.
I dry-brushed the canvas with a little white,
acrylic paint, stenciled the
"JOY"
on and added a few sequence.
And lastly, I attached some
 red grosgrain ribbon for the hanger.

I didn't "go out" and buy any of this for this
little project. I just see items at thrift stores
and I often check the clearance aisles
where crafting and art supplies are sold.
It really is surprising what a person can find.

You don't need a lot of money but you
do need a little space for
keeping things on hand.

I have collected most of what I have by browsing
for bargains and unique or interesting items.

I hope that your Christmas season

has been Merry and Bright and that

your heart and home are 

full of the warmth and special

 JOY

that this season brings!

Many blessings and wishes for a

beautiful, blessed Christmas.

Tamara xo

‘Fear not: for, behold, 

I bring you good tidings 

of great joy.'

Luke 2:10

Thrifted Red Toolbox With a Christmas Message

This is one of my favorite projects

so far this year. 

I found this old, red, rusty toolbox at

a thrift store. $2. It's been sitting in

my stash room waiting for a purpose.

The brilliant, festive red made it a perfect fit

for some kind of Christmas fun.

The greenery is from an old garland

that I had. I attached that and the moss

with hot glue. 

Burlap... rusty metal... pinecones.

And a little, lettered message.

Remembering why we celebrate

the season.

Rejoice!

 My Angel is made from an old

hammer handle partially covered with

old sheet music. 

Her wings are folded

coffee filters with little ruffles made from

an old paper tape measure.

I found the brass corner in my

basket of metal treasures.

I loved the star for Christmas 

and I used E600

to keep it in it's place.
********************

 I hope that your Christmas season

has been full of joy and memorable times

so far... with many more to come.

May the wonder and love of 

the season fill your heart.

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Be blessed!

Tamara

I'm joining lovely bloggers at:

My Salvaged Treasures
Vintage Inspiration Party

( You'll have to search for it. 
I tried and tried to get the URL link to work! ! I'm sorry.)

Chic Handmade Pumpkins

Hi everyone.

It's that wonderful time of year again when 

many families are completing their 

Thanksgiving plans and working on 

putting everything in place for the big day when

family and friends come together

to celebrate the abundance

of blessings. 

Today, I wanted to share this 
fun project with you. 
It is:

Fabric Pumpkins. 
I realize 

that they aren't a new "thing". 

I've seen so many of them around and
was inspired by Becky at Timewashed.
She had a pumpkin give away. 
Her pumpkins were so pretty that I wanted to 
try making some for myself!
Thank you for the inspiration, Becky!

I wanted to share them 

because they were a real pleasure to make,
I liked the way they turned out
and the attached sentiment is
particularly meaningful. 

Gratitude has been my 
"word" this year. 
There's so much to be
grateful for and it's
the time of year that most people 
are counting their blessings.
_______________________________

The pumpkins are all made from 
thrift store fabric and the embellishments
are vintage, jewelry pieces
salvaged from there as well. 
Some of the pumpkins have crocheted, 
vintage lace around the stems which were
 found treasures also.

The cream fabric 
came from a thrift store shirt and the
black and tan fabric with roses,
used to be a vest that I
disassembled. I've had the pieces for years and
was waiting to use it for something special.

They are super-easy to make and would 
make a great craft for kids just learning to
sew by hand. 

"It's not happiness that makes 

us grateful, but gratefulness 

that makes us happy." 

Brother David Steindl-Rast

I hope you like them.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Blessings,
Tamara

Linking up at
Your Whims Wednesday
Vintage Inspiration Party

Give What Lasts... "Living" a Gift For Others (and Ourselves)

It's a very cold, frosty morning here in the 

White Mountains

and we've had our first snow.

This morning, I've been thinking about 

what's important to leave behind. 

I've always thought that it

 would be a good thing to 

leave some kind of legacy.

 Some strong sense of something to ground,

enrich or inspire those who follow. 

And being so close to the holidays,

I'm also considering the possibility of these things

as gifts. Something that will make 

a difference to those that I

have the privilege to encounter.

Obviously, this type of gift isn't quite as convenient 

to give as one that can 

be wrapped in pretty paper.

So, I guess, they become a challenge as

well as a gift to ourselves.

Because, in order to "give" them

we have to be living them.  

So, hmm....I guess you could call it..

"Living" a gift instead of 

"giving" a gift.   

Or... 

Gift Living.   

Wouldn't it feel amazing to give something 

like this to someone

that we knew would hopefully be passed

down for generations?

We do that with heirloom pieces and 

handmade gifts. Wouldn't it be wonderful to

gift a person with some intangible "heirlooms"

as well?

Such as;

A sense of humor~ 

(Which is a little ironic.

Because I've never had one.

Hah! But I'm learning!)

What a great thing it would be to 

inspire someone

to laugh or be able to look at

circumstances from 

a "lighter perspective." 

Something that could help a person get 

through the tougher times of life.

And help someone else do the same!

Compassion~

There's something else that I feel

that I am having have had to "grow in to."

What a comforting thing to be on the

recipient of this loving attribute. 

Everyone needs compassion.

Kindness shown in a time of pain.

No matter what the source of that pain is.

Resourcefulness~

Another name for this could be:

Problem solving.

Being a thinker and then taking it a 

step further to the "doing" stage. 

What a fun way to stretch the 

imagination and be creative!

To apply gifts... talents and knowledge.

Or.... 

An opportunity to learn something new!

Of course, I enjoy going to concerts, movies and

and plays. They are fun, interesting and

 enriching. However, I don't want my life to

be characterized by that.

And it's so much more satisfying to use

what I've learned and the skills that I 

have acquired to enrich someone else's life! 

Everyday is filled with multiple opportunities

to apply this or to grow in it.

These are just a few that are important to me.

You've probably thought of your own while 

reading through this.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you so much for stopping by and

have a beautiful a day!

Tamara

Being Present in the Moment

It's been a beautiful fall this year.

 

 Long on color, warmth and gorgeosness.

 

And though I've been thinking a lot about

making Christmas especially

meaningful, and working on Christmas

offerings for my upcoming

craft show,

I'm  consciously working at savoring.

 

Living in the now.

Being present in the moment.

 

The beauty.

Parties and music with family.

Walks and chatting with friends.

 

Noticing the small things.

The ordinary.

Because isn't that what life is

 actually made of?

 

And If I miss that..

I feel like I miss it.

 

I know that this isn't a new concept.

It's just become very obvious to me

that my quality of life

is greatly diminished if I neglect...

 

the present.

 

I have to practice this...

 

and when I do,

I find that I worry a lot less and focus

so much more on what matters ....

to me and others.

 

 

 Here is photo of some beautiful Side Oat

grass that grows native here in the

mountains of  Arizona.

 

And the verse..

A reminder that though

our world changes so much everyday,

this doesn't.

 

 

I hope you're having a peaceful and amazing week! 

Blessings to you,

Tamara xo

 

Shabby Chic Christmas Angel

Hello!

 Here is a project that I salvaged from my give-away pile.

 I can't believe I even thought of giving it away!

I have also come to like angels a lot.

I'm so glad I kept her.)

I had had it for many, many years.

I've been trying to be more frugal and use what I have

for decorating, gift giving and selling.

I had so much fun working on this.
With some paint, pinecones, buttons, old jewelry,
shabby flowers, hymn pages and lace, she was transformed!
(I forgot to take a before picture, But I'm sure
most of you have seen these sweet little angels around.
She's a little over 2 feet tall.)

Thank you so much for stopping by and

have a blessed day!

Tamara

I'm linking up at:

 Shabbilicious Friday and Christmas

The Interior Frugalista

Sundays at Home

Your Whims Wednesday

Antiques and Nature for a Fall Centerpiece

 

It's been a beautiful fall this year.

The leaves have really hung on and no

frost yet! The basil and petunias

are still going strong.

 

I love nature and as I write this, I'm in my bedroom

looking out my sliding glass doors watching the

little sparrows and juncos drink at the rock

that sits just outside.

 

I also love to bring nature inside.

Flowers.. Leaves.. Sticks..

They are some of my favorite things to use

to add warmth and charm to my home.

And my family seems to really enjoy it as well.

(I told my husband today that I would like to

decorate more with sticks and would he mind?

"No", he said. What a guy. I'm so blessed!)

 

I'm also very fond of using old things

to decorate with. And my habits could be

 called "impromptu design"

because I forget to pick up what

I wanted at the store.

 

 Like... fresh  flowers.

 

So, this is my new fall centerpiece.

 

(Anything wooden, with a past, catches my eye when

I'm browsing. I was taken with this unusual,

antique desk drawer.) You can't tell from the

photo, but the sections are dished inside.

Like someone could just scoop out whatever it held

with the tips of their fingers. 

The sweet, little antique bottles were just
perfect for holding a Marigold or two.

And the beautiful, golden leaves
are from our Apricot tree.

This was so simple to put together.

I added the little, bird salt shakers

for a bit of color

(and to make my daughter feel special

as they were a gift from her)

and some candles for a touch of

light and warmth.

 

Decorating like this, for me,

is such a joy.It's stress-free, fun and I'm able

to use what I have.

 

Thank you so much for stopping by

and have a beautiful weekend!

 

Tamara xxoo

 

linking up at:

 

Songbird 

 

Knick of Time 

 

Beyond the Picket Fence

 

 My Salvaged Treasures