Our living room is pretty big but we have almost an entire wall taken up by floor to ceiling windows. Since we live out in the country this isn't a problem and we have lots of privacy because the living room is facing the back of the house and there is no one behind us, just woods and cornfields. This does however create a few problems for decorating. We have a large ottoman that matches the couch and loveseat. I like it best at the side of the loveseat but with the tree up, I want lots of space for the tree, decorations and LOTS of presents!
We also have a big entry way that leads to the living room. Brian suggested we put the ottoman there against the bare wall. I like the idea because it's close at hand for any additional seating that will be needed during the holidays when the kids are all here. But that said, it just looked like a big, fat ottoman stuck against the wall. I happened to remember that we had an extra king sized pillow in the hall closet. I decided to make a cover for it that closes in the back with velcro so it can be taken off and easily stored until next year.
I'm actually happy with the way it came out. The last thing I wanted was for it to look like a bed pillow with a bed looking pillowcase. What do you think? I like the way it's a perfect fit for the ottoman too.
Images in the photo are from my "Waiting for Santa" and "Holiday Magic" graphic and clipart sets which are available at my shops.
So far it's been a productive and fun weekend. The halls are decked and we even found some time to go out and see the new James Bond movie. It was AWESOME! I'm a Bond fan, always have been as far back as I can remember.
Above is a photo of my dining room. I like to do that in my sweet shop theme. This year I did add a few new things such as the gingerbread tree topper, the garland, and the gingerbread napkin rings. I love the look of the pins and napkin rings in my glass dish!
If you like my gingerbread theme, you can visit my shops (linked tabs at the top) because I have LOTS of gingerbread patterns to choose from, including all of the above. Most of them are quick and easy. If you click on my tutorials tab you will find the free patterns to my lollipop ornaments and my gingerbread boy and girl ornaments.
For those in the States, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
We sure did! We had a feast! We always cook for an army no matter how
many show up. We hosted the big event here. Brian cooked the turkey and
it was fabulous! I even used the owl napkin rings that I made. Tutorial here.
I will not be shopping this Black Friday because I will be working. Not sure I'd be out in the crowds anyway. But I will be celebrating Black Friday through Cyber Monday at my shops with sales. Let the Holidays begin!
Turkey in image above is from my Halloween & Fall Clipart Set which can be found at my Etsy Shop, Teacher's Notebook Shop, Meylah Graphics Shop.
This facebook hop is now closed but you can still get my freebie on the FREEBIE page of my website HERE.
In the short time I've been selling at various Internet shops, I have come across the best people in the world! Many think of other sellers as their competition, but it doesn't have to be that way. I've made quite a few friends and have come across some unbelievable talent. I've also been inspired by many of them as well. I thought it would be fun to "share the love" and introduce you to some of them. There are quite a few on my awesome people list so I thought I'd start with two's.
Trina makes the most beautiful cake toppers for all occasions. She gets a lot of custom orders and I can see why. The incredible detail she puts into these little cuties is just the beginning. She will customize your cake topper to fit your guest of honor's personality, hobbies, sports, pets, anything. I have seen some of the requests she has gotten, and some are challenging as well. She delivers exactly what they want with a one of a kind item they won't ever get any place else. Definitely a keepsake to treasure. My personal favorites are her animals. They have the cutest faces!
Trina's blog
http://trinastrinketts.blogspot.com
Trina's Etsy shop
http://etsy.com/shop/trinasclaycreations
Next we have Della. The things she does with shells will amaze you! Most of her pieces, with the exception of the masculine collection, are so soft and feminine looking. She has a unique way of pairing beads, charms, and other fun things with the shells to create these beautiful jewelry and accessory pieces. Every time I see a new piece of hers, I can just imagine what kind of clothing it would look great with. A lot of her pieces are so elegant, they remind me of something you would only see in a high end store in the city. In the piece above you will see what I mean when I mentioned how she has the unique talent of putting just the right elements together.
Della's blog
http://delsshells.blogspot.com
Della's Etsy shop
http://etsy.com/shop/DelsShells
Have you ever made mug rugs? They are so much fun! I thought I'd make a couple so I can list the patterns in my shops, but now I can't stop. All this hand applique I've been doing is nice, but machine applique is so quick.
I have come to a couple of realizations while making these. First, the more you machine applique, the easier it gets and your skills improve very quickly. Second, the soft minty colors are so pretty and make a nice final product, however, they photograph like crap. And thirdly, I'm going to have to get online and order some more bobbins and another bobbin holder.
Oh yah, Punnkie helped me make them...
Since I mentioned that I've been on a major creative streak a couple of my friends have asked me to share some pictures. We'll you asked, and now I shall show!
Remember last year that I came up with the idea to have a Sweet Shop Theme for my dining room? It was cute too. The tree was decorated with nothing but candy and cookie ornaments. Surrounding my tree was a lot of peppermint and other sweets, real and fake. Last year I came up with all the ornaments which are on my blog as free tutorials (link at the top). I also designed the tree skirt and the stockings.
I took it a step further this year with the addition of the gingerbread girl recipe holder, new ornaments, napkin rings, a tree topper, and a garland.
So I can't wait to see my dining room this year! And of course I'll post pictures!
You can make all these items yourself because all these patterns are available at my Etsy Shop, Website, and Craftsy Pattern Shop.
Have you ever stopped by All Free Holiday Crafts? Well, if you haven't, you are missing out on a whole bunch of fun craft projects!
I have a couple of items on their site (Christmas Tree Advent Calendar, Lollipop Ornaments, Felt Candy Cane Holder Ornaments). They approached me not long ago and asked if they could include my Lollipop Ornaments in an E-Book they plan to publish this Holiday Season. Of course I said sure!
The book has just been released and you can pick up your free copy HERE.
It has nine fun ornament patterns. And I am definitely making that Chocoholic's Dream Ornament!
Many of my readers are probably familiar with our little Bubba and his previous problems. For those who don't know, he's been blocked (bladder) twice, and had two emergency surgeries. He almost died when stones got stuck in the urethra, but he survived what many dogs don't. He gets bladder stones and even though he's on prescription food for that, they still come back. They aren't nearly as big as they once were, but they are still causing the little guy problems.
When I said in my previous post that life gets in the way, this is one of those obstacles. For the past week, he's been having off and on difficulty urinating. It breaks my heart to watch him struggle during those times. The vet had to catheterize him twice last week. I took him to work with me everyday because if he wasn't urinating, we could help him before I took him home. This is one advantage of working for his vet. Unfortunately, and of all times, Doc is out of town! We do have a substitute doctor, but he doesn't handle emergencies or surgeries. If Bubba has more problems, we might do another surgery when Doc comes back that will reroute his "plumbing." It's good answer for this type of problem and is very successful.
I bought some training pads and some special spray and I'm trying to get Bubba to pee on them but he shows no interest. Not only is this a way to keep watch on his medical problem, but I hate taking him outside, especially after dark. We have coyotes and other animals that would not make nice with my Bubba! Our winters are also pretty rough and it would be quite nice to keep him inside since I follow him in the yard in case of furry intruders.
So, I'm looking for advice. Has anyone had success using the training pads on an older dog? I'd really like for this to work for so many reasons.
