Tis The Season.....

BEEN DECORATING!!!

Thanksgiving Dinner

I know that Thanksgiving is over and everybody is excited to move on to Christmas, but I just had to post this. I was able to travel to Utah to visit my parents for Thanksgiving. I know that I have mentioned before that my mom collects every thing under the sun. Well, I walked into her living room, and on top of one of her display cases she had this "Thanksgiving Dinner" assembled with parts and pieces of her various collections. It just really cracked me up!

Some Little Snippets.....

........of the 'Pink Pumpkin' baby shower that I threw for two of my close friends on Saturday.

The Piano

I apologize that I have been the absentee blogger this week. I am hosting a double baby shower for two of my dearest friends on Saturday, and I wanted to get the house ready. You know those lists that you formulate over time of things that you want to get done, but just don't seem to get around to until you have that little push? Well, this was that little push. This week I have

shampooed the carpets

painted the stairwell (With the hubby's help. It goes up to our second story and has one of those ridiculous two story high open areas. I was just so sure he was going to fall off of the ladder. Thankfully, he didn't.)

cleaned like crazy

made party favors

used dry erasers to remove my daughters artwork from the walls

etc, etc, etc,... I am exhausted

In the midst of all of this my hubby refinished our piano, so this week 'Favorite Spots Friday' is being pre-empted by my utter excitement for my new FAVORITE piece of furniture Friday.

We purchased this piano from a friend when she was moving. We payed $100- for it. We knew it was a big fixer upper, but I had a vision that I could not shake. (I am really glad that my man humors me so, because he does such beautiful work.)

It started out not the prettiest color with lots of worn spots and muck on it, and a broken, really homely book stand. He sanded the tar out of it, and it took him forever! (The cute man worked his cute hiney off.)

Then he used 3 coats of stain on it, and two coats of clear semi-gloss.

All the while I got to go shopping. I know, it sounds so unfair and decadent, but I was a woman on a mission so it really was work. ;) I knew exactly what I wanted for the book stand,...I just had to find it. Finally (do you hear the angels singing?), there it was. The art pieces were a little dinged up, so I got them on major clearance.

The right width for a book stand required me to buy two. :) Then we finished it off with a couple of knobs that I had saved for a special occasion.

I JUST LOVE IT!! I have been staring at it for a few hours now. THANK YOU LOVEY!!! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!! OH, another surface to decorate.........GLEE!!

More Thanksgiving Decor...

On a Budget!!! Inspired by my big sis and by yet another wonderful Thanksgiving song over at the Graphics Fairy,...I came up with this. The other day Wendy posted some really cute Autumn decor blocks decoupaged by a friend and given to her as a gift. When I happened upon another sheet of Thanksgiving music, I thought I would try to do something similar to her blocks.

I found an old piece of wood in our scrap, and sanded it a bit. Printed the image from the Graphics Fairy. Painted the wood black and roughed it up a bit with sand paper. Then I decoupaged the image onto the wood, and when it dried I applied a coat of clear satin finish polyurethane. Last off I glued the ribbon around it and finished it off with a bow. I am sure that the whole project cost me less then $2-,and I really like the outcome.

My youngest son brought this turkey home from school last year and I set it aside in my projects box knowing that I would want to frame it and display it for the next holiday season. I bought a frame at the dollar store and painted it white. I used scrap-book paper that I already had, and...Voila!! Cute Thanksgiving decoration for $1-. Many of the crafts that children bring home from school can serve as really cute decor if framed or displayed just right. Then they have that extra sentimental bonus to boot! :)