Copying Pottery Barn (Again)!

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I loved Pottery Barn's new tree garland this year, and for $12 each, I didn't think it was too bad, until I realized that I would need more than one for my tree. So, I made my own this year. It is not identical... I didn't scallop the edges or add the snow flakes, but it turned out pretty good, and considering I had the paper, this project was FREE!

Pottery Barn Knock Off

I got the Pottery Barn catalog a few months ago featuring their holiday line for this year. My attic is pretty full of Christmas decor, so I knew there wouldn't be much that would catch my eye (despite their pretty displays). But, I was wrong, and saw this:

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But, like a lot of things in the Pottery Barn catalog, this was pricey. So, I mentioned to my Father-In-Law that I would like him to cut something like this out of wood for me. He gave me a piece of wood, and told me to draw it, and he would cut it. Well, I got lazy, and never did it. So, a few weeks later, he called to say that he had cut it out. The board he gave me to draw on was a lot smaller than the PB version, so I assumed I was getting something around 12 x 12 or something. He said all I had to do was paint it however I wanted. When I went to pick it up I was SO surprised! It was HUGE:I painted it brown to look like the original (though it is actually iron), and distressed it with some bronze paint and sand paper. I absolutely love it! The above picture is nowhere near finished, but I just had to showcase his spot-on skills and how much I love this piece!

I won!

(Well, 4th place, but still, I won something!)

I NEVER win anything!!! Recently, I saw where someone was imploring their readers to go vote for a friend's Christmas tree in a tree decorating contest. I LOVE Christmas and decorating, so I didn't hesitate to go sign up. After signing up, I realized that there was 1 small problem... the company hosting the contest was out of Seattle and all of the prizes were relative to that area. So, I just sent the link along to my mom and SIL, and never thought another thing about it. I don't think I even went and voted on my self because I didn't know what I'd do with the prize had I won. I considered donating the prize (construction services or a g.c. to a home improvement store) to Habitat for Humanity, but then I didn't even know if there was such an organization in the Seattle area. I figured I'd just wait and see.

Today, I received an e-mail stating that I had come in 4th place, and they were sending me a g.c. to Starbucks because the voting was so close, they figured I deserved something! So, it all worked out because I have like 5 Starbucks within a 5 mile radius of my house! Yay!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Christmas trees are up and ready for all to see!
Enjoy our pics:

Our Gingerbread House

Front Entry

Formal Tree

Kitchen Tree


Small Fireman Tree in Rhett's Bathroom

(The ornaments look weird and misplaced in this pic-- I promise in real life it's not!:))
Master Bedroom Tree

Family Room Tree
Rhett's Nautical Tree to match his room
Pink tree in guest room

Thanks for stopping by! Merry Christmas!

Christmas on the brain

I have Christmas on the brain! It's sad, I know... It's only the beginning of November! Poor Thanksgiving! But, my little boy is at such a fun age right now, and I know he is just going to LLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVEEE Christmas as much as I do! He already knows how to say Santa. I started working that one well before Halloween, forgetting to teach him "Trick or Treat"!

Anyway, here are my latest craft projects. Some are knock offs of something I've seen elsewhere (etsy, internet, mail order catalogs, stores).
Santa Hand Towels $15Christmas Ragamuffin Trees $65 or 2 for $120
Christmas Ragamuffin Wreaths $40
Stocking Hangers $17 (no bow), $20 (with bow)
Colors can be changed to match your decor
Names or initials can be added to the bottom of the frame

12 x 24" wooden sign $30

All of my creations are available for purchase. If interested, e-mail me a pinkhearts.polkadots@yahoo.com for more info. They will also be going on my other blog, here.

And, stay tuned, more Christmas to come!!!! (And maybe some Thanksgiving, too!)

After Christmas Sales

I know by now everyone is probably finished with Christmas and it is far from their minds. But, I have enjoyed taking advantage of the After Christmas Sales that have been going on, and wanted to show some of the things I have picked up. Right now, I should be putting away Christmas decorations instead of blogging, but as much as I love putting up and having 7 trees, I equally loathe taking them down!
This is a hard picture to see, but this is a metal birthday cake that says "The Birthday of a King" around the top of it. I loved this when I saw a similar one last year, and I was so excited when I found this one. I didn't let it get away, even though it was only 20% off. Thanks, Mom!
My Mom also bought these for Rhett's tree next year. She got them at Decorator's Warehouse and they were 30% off of $0.59!We also got this precious kitchen towel at Decorator's Warehouse. It was also 30% off of $4.99.I got these fun things at The Doves Nest. Oh, how I love that place! If you live in the DFW area, you must take a trip down south to the great city of Waxahachie! I promise, you won't be disappointed! These cool things (I don't know what they are called) are for my leopard family room tree. I think they are fun and whimsical, and I call them "Grinch Fingers". They were 1/2 off!I thought these were pretty and I got them at Kroger for $1.99. They will go well with the tree in our front room.
These are hard to see, but they will look great on our family room tree as well. I thought they also had a fun, whimsical feel to them and I also got them at Kroger for $1.99. They look a little more forest green in this picture, but they really aren't and will coordinate well with our other ornaments on that tree.
My Mom also got me this cute cake plate at the cutest little shops we recently discovered in Arlington. If you live in DFW, you should visit The Shoppes at Brownstone Village. It is an old skating rink that someone converted into the cutest little shopping area with boutiques, restaurants, and a salon and spa. This plate was 1/2 off.
I know this is not a Christmas item, and it was not on sale, but I couldn't resist these cute candle holders. I also got them at The Shoppes at Brownstone Village. They are to put on birthday cakes and put regular birthday candles in them. They come in a set of 10, so you can use many number combinations up to 98. I love to entertain, and I am pretty sure I will use these over and over and over again! They even came in this cute little box:There are only 356 days and counting until I put all of this stuff (minus candle holders) back out next year! I better get busy putting it all away!

Who's been naughty and nice?

A few years ago, I purchased these towels from The Dove's Nest. I hang them in our master bathroom, one at my vanity and one at my husband's. You can guess which towel I hang where, but every year, he secretly changes them. Not to worry, I will change them back! And, this will go on and on all season long!

My Christmas Sweets

My aunt gave me this plate about two Christmases ago. That was before we had Rhett. She personalized it with my husband's and our two dogs' names. Then there were blank ones left for us to fill in if we ever had children. So, this being Rhett's first Christmas, I wanted to include his name. I have terrible handwriting and envy people (like my mom) who can write pretty on things that are going to be displayed. I was seriously going to make her do it but I forgot to ask when she was here on Saturday. So, I attempted to fill in Rhett's name last night in the same style font as the others. I think it came out pretty good and matches pretty well.