Guillaume Faux Fur Throw

I was offered a couple of these fabulous throws to review…. and you betcha I took them up on it!

Guillaume Faux Fur Throws are incredibly plush.   Lined with super soft faux sheared mink they are warm, comfortable and terrific as gifts.

Tonight and tomorrow night (December 4th  & 5th,) these will be the Show Stopper on The Shopping Channel.  See Guillaume on The Shopping Channel and see how awesome all his designs are.

Right now I want to share with you a few pictures I took of my new Guillaume throws.

I don’t even think pictures do them justice, but my daughter was more than happy to sit under them for a while!

Faux Fur Throw in Snow Lynx.

Burlap & Twine Snowmen

I’m in full Christmas mode lately. 

There’s something about making snowmen that really makes me happy.  Last year I made some sock snowmen and as I put each one together they began to seem just like little people.

These Stately Snowgents are quite majestic themselves.

Made up mostly from styrofoam, burlap and twine, they come together in no time at all.

Nightstand Makeovers

At this time of year, I usually turn my hand to holiday crafts.  I adore making anything Christmas related so my furniture refinishing takes a bit of a back seat.

For those of you who tune in specifically to see furniture makeovers, there is a wealth of them all in one place.

Starting with my own Silver Metallic Nightstand.

But wait…. there’s more !

Finger Knitted Christmas Wreath

I’ve come to the end of my finger knitting for this year.  I wanted to wrap it up with something Christmassy. 

For the finger knitting tutorial please CLICK HERE.

I love this Lion Brand yarn in Grass color. It knits up beautifully. I might even take up real knitting sometime soon.

Need a Good Night’s Sleep ?

The good people over at Dormeo Octaspring offered to send me one of their awesome pillows.  I of course, took them up on it right away.  I’m one of those people who never really seems to get a great night sleep.  I have degenerative disc’s in my neck and no matter what type of pillow I buy I just can’t seem to get it right.  Ultimately I wake up with headaches.

Not with this baby. 

I’ve had it for 3 nights now and I really have to say, this truly is the pillow I need.  It offers a kind of support you just can’t get with an ordinary pillow, no matter how firm it is.

ENTER THE CONTEST TO WIN A SET FOR YOURSELF.  SEE DETAILS BELOW.

Finger Knitting Tutorial

I’ve been finger knitting up a storm!

In case you missed my last post, I’ve taken up something I think is very interesting.  So interesting in fact, that I made my last wreath with finger knitted yarn.  You can see that HERE.

After I had knitted 1 and 3/4 skeins of yarn and wrapped it around a wreath, it looked something like this.

Finger Knitted Succulents Wreath

I think of all the projects I undertake, making wreaths is among my most favorite.  With a little imagination, wreaths can be made with just about anything. 

For this wreath I tried something I hadn’t before, finger knitting.

Finger knitting can be learned in about 5 minutes and after about 20 minutes, you can finger knit watching TV without even looking.  I intend to do a couple more projects with finger knitting, one for Christmas, coming soon. 

Autumn Coffee Filter Wreath

My mother has been trying to score the Fall Coffee Filter Wreath I made a couple of years ago.  So this fall I decided to make one just for her.

I have to admit gluing the filters on is not my favorite job, but decorating it is!  I just love the way these coffee filter wreaths come together.

You can see my previous Fall Coffee Filter Wreath here and the Christmas version here.

I used a 12” foam wreath for this one… and a 14” wreath for the previous fall wreath.  I wouldn’t go any smaller than 12” or there won’t be much space in the center to work with.

Quick and Easy Sofa Shelf

Why is it, no matter where the builder puts floor vents they’re inevitably in the way?  This upstairs family room has two vents.  One is behind the loveseat in front of the large window, and one is right below the large sofa.   Our previous sofa had a little room underneath, enough to slip an extended vent deflector to direct the heat out the front.   This sofa is much lower to the ground and has to be moved away from the vent to allow for heat and a/c to get through.  A simple shelf was created to remedy this problem since it made no sense to spend money for a sofa table you wouldn’t see anyway.

This will be the quickest tutorial you’ll ever read.

Ugly Mantle Fix & Look, No Wires!

I know I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again.   I hate wires & cords.  What is a Cord Free Mantle? Just you wait and see…

In redoing the upstairs family room I knew when all was said and done, I didn’t want to see cable boxes, DVD players, Wii Consoles or cords. 

That being said, here is a look at what we started with.   Ever show a ‘before’ picture and be totally embarrassed about it?  Yup.

I present to you….. “Ugly Mantle”.

That missing piece of trim was ripped off about 4 months before we actually did this project.  I’m still not sure why.  The brass fireplace insert is still ugly I’m sorry to say…. but that will be a post for another day.

Do It Yourself – Rustic Coffee Table

Let me start by saying we’re not furniture makers by any means, but I must say that this coffee table turned out exactly as I had envisioned.

Once again Mr. Charming took an idea and brought it to life.

The bulk of this table was finished in a weekend.  I’d say you could whip up one of these in 3 – 4 days.

The Sad Family Room–Part 1–Cabinets

This house has been busy.  There’s always something going on, inside and out. 

Our house has a lovey second floor family room.  Well… it should be lovely, but it didn’t start out that way. What you see in the picture below is a step up from it’s original ugliness.  Not much better, I know.

The chair and tree aren’t usually in the middle of the room but these photos were taken (of course) just as I was moving things around to paint.  I didn’t mind the creamy yellow paint, but it needed a change for something a little warmer.

Refinish Your Stairs

When we moved to this house 6 years ago, the floors and stairs where the first things to get done.  The previous owners really USED the house…. lets say it was well worn.  Most of the finish on the hardwood floors and the stairs was worn right off.   This blog was created after most of that work was done, so I don’t have pictures of the major job that it was, but I did leave a little stairway at the side door unfinished until now.

This is what the main stairway looks like now.

Keep in mind, that the original staircase was all natural colour and the board and batten was not there.

What’s Old for Spring?

Well I guess it's finally here.  Sort of. 

Maybe.  

In my neck of the woods we still wake up to frost.. but it's getting better.

My yard is starting to turn green and I'm imagining it in full bloom.

At present, my tire planters are bare, but I can see them in pretty pinks or purples again this year.

You can see more of the hanging tire project below  HERE.

Tires have become a hot, artistic, recycled item lately.  Just recently I have seen interior furniture being constructed from left over tires.  Brilliant!

Here is a collection I put together over at Hometalk.   In case you haven’t been over there.. what are you waiting for ?   Hometalk is filled with home decorating tips and creations from some of the best bloggers and websites out there.

Take a look at this collection (and there are more)  at Hometalk.

Happy Recycling!   Oh and Happy Spring.

Valentine Pom Poms

All wreathed out lately?   Enthused about the recent pom pom craze ?  I love wreaths and I love making them.  But I didn’t want to make a Valentine Wreath this year. 

I admit, I don’t decorate for Valentine’s Day. But this project is just enough to bring a little welcoming love to the front door.