Everyday Beauty

Emerging from Pajama Land

 
Greetings dear readers! I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with your families. Ours was lovely and cozy and memorable. I like to drag it out as long as possible, but at some point I guess I do have to get out of my pajamas and do something with the old hairdo.

 
I came downstairs with curlers in my hair, and for some reason my boys thought it was the funniest thing in the world. They commenced belly laughing while taking a series of silly photos as you can see.

 
They make me laugh. The sound of their laughter is like medicine.

 
Good thing I don't take myself too seriously!

This morning I woke up and finished packing up the decorations. Farewell 'til next year, my pretties. I will not miss the glitter trail through the house, and my vacuum needs a break.

We consumed pounds of cavatelli and Arancini on Christmas Day. Sadly, the elastic waistband of my pajamas was the only thing that would fit, which is part of the reason I still have them on. I have vowed to eat nothing but lettuce leaves for a few days.....will let you know how that works out for me ;-)

Getting ready to ring in the New Year! Always so hard to believe another one has come and gone.....

Merry Christmas

 

Wishing you a very peaceful, beautiful and Merry Christmas.

Not a Creature was Stirring...

 
...except for a candy cane mouse! Mario and I made 25 of these little cuties for his classmates. I thought they turned out sweet, and those googly eyes really give them a mischievious personality.
The pastel candy canes can be found here. And that's just faux fur from the craft store that I cut into a teardrop shape. Then I cut felt ears in a dumbell shape and threaded them through 2 slots that were snipped in the teardrop. Sounds much more complicated than it is. You can find a pattern for the body & ears here, though I made my mice about twice as big as this pattern. The ears are about right though.

 

I don't know exactly why, but I am SO ridiculously excited for Christmas this year. Like I'm 5. The kids and I have been crafting and baking with no end in sight. Still have 3 kinds of cookies yet to bake today. The dough is made and chilling in the fridge. A few days ago, I made these yummy Angel Macaroons with Necco wafers stuck in the soft chewy coconut mounds.

 
This old Reindeer got a red nose with some nail polish, and voila, he is Rudolph. I swear I could quote the entire script from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at this point....and the Polar Express....

 
Speaking of reindeer, we mixed up some Reindeer Food {oats & glitter}. I hope Prancer & Donner like steel-cut oats 'cause that's all I had on hand!

 
My sweater is hanging up, ready to wear to Mass on Saturday.

And a little more sparkle with the accessories. Hey, it's Christmas! Gotta have some sparkle, right?

 
Well, readers, I'm going to go finish up the baking now.....and a few other last-minute tasks before the big day arrives!

Angelic

 
When I was little, my Grandmother started an angel collection for me, and each year at Christmastime she would make or buy an angel to add to the collection. I looked so forward to receiving that angel each year, and had quite a little collection by the time I was a teenager. I still cherish all of the angels she gave me, and remember the excitement of receiving them.

 

As I thought about what I was going to make for the kids this Christmas, it only seemed fitting that I start a collection for my Sofia....after all her middle name is Angelina, meaning little angel.

 

Using an on-hand paper mache cone, I crafted this white angel for her. {below}

 

On a wooden ball, I painted a simple and sweet little face and gave her a curlicue hairdo, sleeping lashes and tiny heart lips. A vintage round pearl brooch was glued in place as a halo. A little tinsel and some feather wings, and she was complete.

 

I tucked her in this tree, though she's not really an ornament. She stands about 7" tall.
While I was at it, I made the much taller pink angel shown above. She is a gift for someone special, and is made from a styrofoam cone and vintage trims and jewels. She stands at least twice as tall as the smaller one. I had so much fun making these angels, and found that as soon as I painted their faces, they each suddenly had a personality that came to life!

 

The pink one has faux crystal corsage pins here and there on her dress and a band of sparkley vintage trim along the hemline. She stands on a round lace piece that was part of an old hat.

 

She fits right in here at home, but is already in the hands of her new owner.

 

I have a few little angel ornaments, guardian angel crib medals and vintage spun cotton angels that I've placed in a special box for Sofia. Next year, I will decorate a little white tree for her with all the angels, and place it somewhere {high!} in her bedroom at Christmas. And then, before too long, she will perhaps ask to help decorate the Angel Tree with me each year. Traditions are one of the greatest things about Christmas, as they tie the generations of a family together. I hope she comes to cherish this one, a special tradition from my own childhood.

Foyer Faux Fir

 
Besides decorating the main green tree in the family room, I completely love decorating smaller ivory feather trees all around the house. In the kitchen we have the Sugarpum Tree, all done up in sweets and confections. On the buffet, there is a tree decorated with pastel birds and mercury glass pinecones. There's another little tree of just vintage bells {beaded, glass and metal} in the kitchen area also. And then there's this favorite little tree in the foyer.

 

It's trimmed with little bits and pieces of vintage goodies in a palette of pink, cream, pale green & yellow. It sits on a yard-sale-find chippy old table, and I placed it in an old hatbox which was first filled with yards of lace to cover the tree base.

 

A glass strawberry, milinery fruits, velvet berries and a floppy rose. Favorite things!

 

Some vintage glass here and there amongst ornaments from dear friends.

 

Sugared bells and a mercury glass starburst.

 

My mom came here to stay for a week, and almost every night we stayed up late and worked on a craft project. This pink ornament was one of my projects. She made a pretty red and gold one for her tree.

 

Mary tucked in some vintage pink glass balls. It's fun to discover unexpected things in a Christmas tree.

 

The Mary statue below is special to me because it came from Bosnia, where George and I once lived for a year while he was working there.

 

More random decorations.

 

I'm not sure this tree really has a theme...it's just a bit of a mish mosh of things. But it's a faux fir that I enjoy trimming year after year!
 
 

A Simple Cozy Eggnog Day

 
Got snow.
School's closed.
Still in jammies.
Rudolph's in the DVD player.
I poured us each a  glass of scrumptious eggnog.
Delicious!
Simple things.
Nothing fancy.
Nothing forced.

 
Our Christmas home is all spruced up.
Beautful in all it's imperfections and messes.
The children are checking their Advent calendar daily.
They're ready for Santa.
And we're all ready for that wonderful, magical Christmas Day.

{thank you to the those who purchased the necklaces in my last post. Big Hugs.} 

The Season of Love

 
Hello out there to all of you busy Elf-ettes! Only 10 days to go! Around here, it's been a festive whirlwind preparing for Christmas, and I still have quite a ways to go. I've been sick {flu, strep throat, double ear infections....good times!}, but I'm feeling a little bit better today and really wanted to post this before any more time passed.

 
 These Vintage Trinket necklaces are for sale in my shop. 
100% of the profits from the sale of these necklaces will be used to purchase Christmas dinner and gifts for a local family who is in need this holiday season.

 
The thought of a child having no presents under the tree on Christmas morning is heartbreaking. I always think about this at Christmastime especially, and although we donate money and food to the needy every year, this year it will go to a specific family in our area who really needs the help. It's something we've drilled into our kids' brains over and over again. We have so much. Too much, really. Some folks have so very little. It's the least we can do.

 
George and I don't go overboard with tons of expensive gifts for the kids. We have a wonderful Christmas with plenty, but we're just not into the excessiveness that commercialized Christmas seems to have become. Like many mothers, I hope my children will grow up to understand the value of a dollar {they will get a job when they are 16, no doubt about it}.... and to understand that they do not get everything they want {they will not get a new car when they are 16, no doubt about that either! LOL}.

I hope they will feel the importance of helping others and that there will always be people with MORE than them, and there will always be people with LESS. And although presents are great fun, Christmas is not about acquiring more STUFF.

Don't get me wrong, I love my pretty things as much as the next girl. I just feel that, like everything in life, it needs to be kept in perspective.

This is the season of LOVE and GIVING and HOPE.

I hope this family can feel our love and I hope their burdens will be lifted soon.

Click here to take a peek at the necklaces.

There is SO much I want to share with you girls, some things I've made, baked, seen, experienced. But the 24 hours in the day are flying by more than ever now. I hope to be back soon. I'll try my best.

The Gumdrop Nibbler

 
There is a Gumdrop Nibbler on the loose in our house. Mario made this ornament, and one day last week I peeked in and saw Sam sneakily chomping on it - while it was still hanging on the tree. Never mind that it is FULL of toothpicks. I figured Mario would have had a fit to find his beloved ornament full of teeth marks and half gone, so I quickly made another one and hung it in place.

 
Never a dull moment around here...

On Time

 
Hello again dear readers. It's Andrea this time; Sofia is fast asleep. Tired girls she is!

Just wanted to pop in and let you know the new necklaces I made {and 2 bracelets} are in the shop now. Look how prompt I am! I actually impressed myself this time. Nevermind I was up all night trying to remember how to add a new item to the database...it's been a while, hasn't it?!

The names I chose for the new pieces are all names of my cousins. I have SO many cousins, and was thinking of how pretty their names were and how I'd like to use the names for jewelry someday.
And so I did.

 

Click here to take a look, if you'd like.

I was surprised to see that some of the pieces sold last night while I was asleep, and before I finished adding the items to the shop! Thank you all for your orders. I so appreciate my customers, and am honored that you have purchased something I made.

Family is arriving soon to celebrate Thanksgiving with us, so I will wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving now. I hope it is peaceful and wonderful, shared with those you love most.

xo andrea

Mama Has Some New Jewels

 
Hi. I'm Sofia. My mama dressed me up in this cute onesie (made by her friend Jenn) and tutu (a present from my Aunt Amy) and headband (that she bought on etsy), and told me to smile. Supposedly I'm the new ad campaign for her shop. Well, that's all fine and dandy, but I would rather chew on my giraffe of course!

 
The reason I'm here today is to let you know that my mama made some new jewelry, and she will be selling it in her shop. She really can't tell you exactly when that will be, because I require lots and lots of attention, and she never gets anything done when she thinks she will. She hopes to have it in the shop by Monday. But then again, she thought she would get out of her pajamas at some point today, and she didn't. See what I mean?

 
Did you know that it took her months to make these necklaces? She strings a couple of beads and then I cry. So she picks me up from my swing. And then 2 days later, she is inspired again and strings a couple more beads. And eventually, she finishes the necklace. It's a long process because she likes to hold me and sing to me a lot, and hasn't yet figured out how to get much of anything else done. She knows that I am small now, but someday I will grow big. She said it will fly by.

Well, I've got to go take a nap now. It was so nice of you to stop by and read her blog. And, OH! guess what? I got my first tooth on Monday, and I started eating real food today! It was such a big week for me.

Ciao, bellas!