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Silent Night...

11/30/2012

Stilettos In The Mud Decorating for Christmas

As a little girl, I loved the carol Silent Night. As a mother I loved any night that was silent. When my home is quiet and darkness has settled over the land, it is the time in which I am most creative.

As I decorated my favorite home space and the area which most represents family to me, I listened to my favorite group, Celtic Woman, and let my creativity flow. In the silence of this night, I am most thankful for the gift of my loved ones.

All Is Calm...All is bright

Faux berries are inexpensive and a great way to add a festive air to your home for the Holidays. Epson salt sparkles like newly fallen snow when the candle light hits it. I don't care to move everything I already have out, so I work with the colors I have in each room. (Soy candles are inexpensive to make particularly in a canning jar, as I have done here)

Lantern with Epson Salt at Stilettos In The Mud

A dollar store wreath, strip of burlap, keys I already had (which I purchased on Etsy, and some faux pip berries made an adorable arrangement for under $15.

Family Christmas at Stilettos In The Mud

Faux Berries, Hurricane lantern ( I already owned and found on clearance at Pier One), and a homemade soy candle are just a few simple ways to bring a lot of color and winter feel to an area!

Faux Berrie and Candle from Stilettos In The Mud

Sleep In Heavenly Peace....

I'll be using very simple wrapping paper this year. You can recycle old paper bags as well! I purchased a roll of brown paper from our local "everything" store.

Home for the Holidays from Stilettos In The Mud

Lovebirds in front of a burlap covered candle holder. The holder says "Bloom" which doesn't work for winter holidays, so I just covered it up. You don't have to buy something new, or move to many things around. You can just get a little creative with what you have on hand.

Burlap tied candle holder from Stilettos In The Mud

Simplicity can be beautiful. There is no need to stretch your budget! Use the extra time you save to create memories for your loved ones.

Home is Where the Heart is @ Stilettos In The Mud

Stilettos In The Mud Linky Party Holiday Contest...three winners!

You can Pin The Picture above to let your friends know about our Linky Party Contest The more the merrier!

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Embrace the Magic of the Season

11/30/2012

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Do you remember lying under the Christmas tree as a child, falling asleep with the twinkling lights overhead, and the smell of pine filling the air around you? Of all the memories from yesteryear, the Holiday Season was the most magical.

When I decorate my home, particularly this time of year, it is to invoke just a little of that magic back into my life and hopefully create a little of it in my children so their memories are as warm and bright as mine are.

Christmas Banner by Stilettos In The Mud

An easy and inexpensive way to add a little "magic" is by making a banner. You can Google a pattern for a banner. I used muslin I had on hand, printed the letters and traced them with a pencil onto the fabric. Now here is the EASY part... fill them in with a brown permanent marker. It looks stamped on... no way it looks like a marker! I then sewed them together and strung a piece of Jute through it.

The pink berries tie it into the colors I already have in my living room and gave it precisely the finishing touches I needed. I paid under $10 for the "pip berries" and can use them through many seasons.

Embrace the magic of the season and enjoy every moment, every memory you have with those you love.

Embrace the Magic Banner from Stilettos In The Mud

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DIY Christmas!

11/29/2012

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As many of you know, my cowboy was in a serious accident way back in July. He still has not been cleared to return to work, and we are finding that even though medical bills are covered... other expenses are adding up. Since I take him to his appointments, it has meant we must rely on my Etsy Shop to pick up the slack. This is not a sob story but an opportunity in disguise to practice what I preach about up-cycling and using what one can find or has on hand!! Nowhere is this more true in decorating my home this year for the Winter Holidays! I want to share with you some of the ornaments I have made this year! Ill keep posting them as I finish them...and hopefully on Saturday will have a tree up!

The picture above are just some little mitten shaped sachets. I free handed a pattern, used shears to cut them. stitched them leaving an opening to add balsam, added a ribbon loop, closed stitched them and viola! The are in my entry way... Ill add different ones to the tree!

This year I wanted to make things simple... for my home and for my Shop Cowgirls Chic Boutique. The local dollar store had glass ornaments for $2.50 a box. I made enough for online and a local boutique. I printed off the words and music to "Oh Tannebaum" Cut them in strips on my Cri cut cutter, folded them in half so there is print on both side, curled them around a pencil and careful filled the ornaments. I then added a ribbon. For our house I am using Jute twine! There are sooo many ways to change this up! You can buy these from me Here!

Stilettos In The Mud: Glass Oh Tannebaum Ornaments

I love the smell of pine. Early in the fall I ordered some Balsam Pine. I had some left over from other projects and decided to make ornaments and sachets out of them! Since I am going with a rustic theme, the ones for my home will center around this! You can easily find different pictures to use at The Graphic Fairy! You can also purchase these lovely sachets/ornaments from my Boutique Online! There are several different kinds!

Stilettos In The Mud: Hand Made Balsam Ornaments

The back side is just burlap. I found it is a little difficult to work with, however, I just love the way it looks! These are great for those with a fake tree! You get the scent with no mess :)

Stilettos In The Mud Hand Made Balsam Sachets

...and it wouldn't be a Wyoming Christmas without a cowboy or two!

Stilettos In The Mud Balsam Cowboy Ornaments

Again...you can purchase these at my shop :)

My mother grows beautiful lavender. If you are a lavender fan you will love her online shop Paula's Garden~ Since I am the lucky daughter who gets lavender from her ... I decided this year I would use some of it in my decorating. I love the way bouquets look but they are much too heavy and fragile to hang on the tree... so I got creative! I used 9 stems per mini bouquet. Tied them with a love knot. Added the loose lavender to my dollar store ornaments ...carefully and I mean very carefully added them to the glass ornaments. It took several tries to get the correct length! You can make your own or buy these as well online Here!

Stilettos In The Mud: Lavender Mini Bouquet Ornaments

Every year my children get a special ornament. It is a tradition we have always held. Someday, when they have their own homes, they can have theirs. This year I just wanted something really special and handmade. Last night someone posted a link from Turnstyle Vogue and I knew what I wanted to do! Her DIY ornaments inspired my idea, so please head on over there and check out her tutorial. The cowboy and I love positive affirmations. There is enough negative in the world and we encourage our family to speak positive over their lives! I decided to print off the positive affirmations I want in my children's lives, along with their names and placed them in an ornament. Affirmations such as love, peace, kindness, joy, hope, abundance etc. They were super easy to make. I cut brown paper to fit my printer, lined out the words in Microsoft Word, printed them off, cut them with craft scissors and carefully placed them in the glass ornaments. Again tied with a Jute Twine.

Stilettos In The Mud Positive Affirmation Ornaments

And the Balsam Sachet hearts from my previous post "It's Beginning to Look A lot Like..." The can also be purchased HERE

Stilettos In The Mud : Musical Heart Balsam Filled Ornament

Hope you are inspired to make your own ornaments this year! More to come! Please stop by often, as during the Holiday season we will be posting almost daily! We want to inspire you creativity!

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Baby, It's Cold Outside

11/28/2012

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A super easy and great DIY project. I had an old board laying around. so I used it... however do not go buy a board... post a message to your friends on FB as someone has to have something you can use!
You will need
small board
Two colors or paint ( I used Annie Sloan Cream and Homemade Chalk paint with Pomegranate flat paint from Ace Hardware)
Two paint brushes (one must be small and easily used for filling in the letters )
pen (color of your choice)
painters tape
computer, printer, and paper
scissors

BEFORE YOU BEGIN... Put on the appropriate music!

Step One: Paint your board the desired color. This is Annie Sloan Cream.
Step Two: Decide what size letters you need. I printed mine off from Microsoft Word and used the outline and draft options when I printed. My font is Georgia.
Step Three: Tape it securely and evenly to your painted board

Step Four: With a heavy hand, trace the letters with your pen.

This is what it should look like after you have completed tracing the letters.

Step Five: Paint your second color, carefully filling in the lines. Any mistakes can be fixed later with the original color! I had to apply two coats of the coral.

Final Steps: Let it dry and hang it up. I wanted to add a ribbon but there wasn't really room! I added greenery, pine cones, and handmade balsam filled mittens around the door.

You can make just about anything by hand for hanging! The adorable mittens are filled with balsam.. when the door opens... you can smell it as you walk in or out... it is wonderful!

I love a cheery entry way... don't you?

Baby, It's Cold Outside... seriously... let's stay inside and have hot cocoa!

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First Linky Party!

11/27/2012

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Holiday Projects Link up!

Just click on the "add your link" button! Since this is my first attempt at this... wish me luck! Top five favorites will be featured in an upcoming blog!

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It's Beginning to Look Alot Like ....

11/27/2012

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My favorite time of year... I get giddy with excitement! I love the carols, cider, cold, snow, and good will toward all men. I love that we many of us dedicate this time as a time of giving and only wish our hearts were of this frame of mind year around!

This year, I am all about using what you have on hand! I don't want to purchase ANYTHING new to decorate our home this Holiday season (or at least a bare minimum)! The star was printed off using pic monkey for the lettering. I used a roll of brown paper cut to the size of copy paper. I then pasted it to a piece of cardboard and hung it with Jute twine!

Burlap is something I have in abundance as I have been using it for ornaments on my online Etsy Shop "Cowgirls Chic Boutique" and in local boutiques. I took an old frame, cut different lengths and widths strips of burlap and then tied them to the frame! I decided this is something I could change seasonally by hanging something from it!

Severeal years ago I came across a bag of the greenery at a yard sale! I use it every year! This year, I looped white lights on it and tied pinecones I collected with Jute twine.

Last years brown ornaments have been updated. I just clipped the gold thread I had used previously and tied them up with Jute. A roll at our local hardware store is under $3! I keep it on hand here for all my projects! I am going with what I have this year! Wait until you see my tree with the other ornaments I have made!

Anyone who knows me ... knows walking into my home is like walking onto the set of a musical! There is always music playing... and this time of year my home is filled with the wonderful sounds of laughter, carols, and a grumble or two from the cowboy (every story must have a scrooge and we love ours!) So, this year I used some scraps of musical instrument fabric I am using for my daughter's stocking and I made these adorable balsam filled ornaments! If you do not have balsam... you can use dried lavender or even cotton stuffing!

Not everything I do turns out perfectly! I spent quite a bit of time hot gluing that coffee filter tree together... and I have the burns to prove it! It leans and according to my children looks more like a pine cone... but we are going with it anyways!

In keeping with the colors I am already using in my living room, I added buttons and burlap to another frame.

Every year, in our home sweet home, getting out the Nativity Scene marks the beginning of the Holiday Season. Please check back in over the next few weeks... We have sooo much more planned!

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Silent Night...

All Is Calm...All is bright

Sleep In Heavenly Peace....

You can Pin The Picture above to let your friends know about our Linky Party Contest The more the merrier!

Embrace the Magic of the Season

DIY Christmas!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

First Linky Party!

Holiday Projects Link up!

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like ....

Happy Holidays!

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