last week while i was over at my mom’s house i noticed some homemade silver bells that she had hanging on her hall tree in the dining room. i had noticed them in years past (and kinda remember making them in sunday school when i was little) but this year they really popped out and i wanted to create my own with my littles. since they were home monday and tuesday with the general winter icks we tackled them yesterday for a little restful project. simply made with items you already have in the house (or could easily save to use) i thought i’d share a quick tutorial in case you’re interested.

supplies needed : 5 egg cartons (this made two 4 strand garlands), tin foil, scissors, twine or thread, needle

time to complete : about 1/2 an hour

cut all of the egg cups apart using shears.

cut all of the pokey extra bits off of the individual egg cups until you have a simple round cup shaped edging

cut tin foil into square sheets and wrap over the cups and smooth down edges.

thread your egg bells onto twine or thread (i used bakers twine style yarn i already had & an upholstery needle). i made sure to use a different amount on each strand so that we would have different lengths when they were bundled together. tie together once you have 3-4 strands.

we made one longer strand than the other as i wasn’t counting the cups as i thread them.

i’m thrilled at the result and so happy we were able to make something with random household supplies and without having to spend a ton of money on “craft” supplies. the kids were excited that we had matching decor as their “nonna” too.

have a wonderful wednesday!
xOx

it’s been a busy few weeks for us. car trip to los angeles. disneyland + california adventure for three days! someone saw her favorite dog doug. someone else discovered the thrill (look at his face!) of roller coasters. we rode my favorite ride (mr. toad) and saw the new radiator springs. amazing!! by the time thanksgiving rolled around the parental units were exhausted! we had good eats & laughed our butts off playing this with family. good cousin time with cousins. wine tasting on friday and then a long (and sometimes treacherous) drive home saturday with all the yahoo’s that were weaving up the 5 like maniacs. good grief! tLm turned 8 last week and got two of the best gift‘s ever. now it’s time for the holidays and i’ve been savoring it all (while enjoying my friend stephanie’s winter class) since i started decorating last friday.

looking forward to sharing some more holiday posts, my DD|JYC album and my JBS december gallery in the next few days, too.

hope you’re all enjoying the holiday season!
xOx

sometimes it’s the quick projects that can completely make my day. thanksgiving decor doesn’t really consist of much around here. some vintage turkey platters, some owl candles i scored at cost plus a few years ago and a few vintage beistle cutouts. i don’t know what it is about thanksgiving decor but i find most of it to be way too cutesy for my taste. i’ve been looking for some mercury glass inspired pieces this year, in a bronze & copper colorway, but haven’t found much that i like, so i haven’t gotten anything. whoa says me. yay says the husband. ;)

this banner however was a quick fix for the second fireplace mantel. the one that tends to be forgotten and under used. hence the lack of wall decor above it.

i have a big bin of two different styles of vintage general store signage that i scored at alameda on two separate occasions. usually i pick a word and have it hanging out on top of the bricks. this time i decided to hang it with some old twine and some clothespins. easy and fast and totally made my grateful heart’s day.

happy weekend my friends!
xOx

It’s the 15th which of course means that there are new vintage goodies added to the flea market section over at JBS (it’s all up right now!) as well as the gorgeous december daily bundle that is pictured above. I already went shopping and added quite a few of the items you see above into my cart, including that adorable christmas house. We saw some sneaks on jenni’s blog of the cabinet card embellishment kit a few days ago, so i already knew that was coming home with me, but the added vintage goodies were a bonus. i adore vintage goodies in my holiday decor, don’t you?

happy thursday!
xOx

i posted a tutorial up over on the JBS blog yesterday explaining how to make this vintage JOY wall hanging. come on over.

happy wednesday!
xOx