Pastel Christmas Hutch

I have finally finished decorating my hutch for Christmas.  Sometimes I have red and green in the kitchen and pastels in the living room, but I'm just going with the pastels this year.  

 I'm just loving all the glitter and pastels!   They just make me feel happy!

 I really like all of my goodies, but I'd like to find more vintage goodies to mix in with all my newer things.  It is a lot harder to find vintage pastel Christmas than the traditional reds, though.

 I got these houses at Hobby Lobby a few years ago. I painted and glittered them up and gave them colored rhinestone doorknobs.  I would love to live in this cute little Christmas village!

 See that pretty silver tinsel garland at the top?  It is wonderful. Not sure if you can tell in this photos, but it looks old because it has a tarnished look. Parts of it look like it is turning darker or kind of golden.  I got that from Target for the last two years and they have it again this year if any of you want to get some for yourself.

 And can you see that adorable green and white stripe bowl on the bottom shelf?  It looks fabulous with my vintage jadite! I found it at Cost Plus World Market.  It is so cute and plastic so I don't have to worry about it breaking in a house full of boys.  Well, who am I kidding... I'm often the one who breaks things around here!

The two larger houses on the top shelf are from Target also.  I must admit I was so exited when I saw them I ran to them and let out a  gasp. 

 The lady next to me started to laugh and as she walked away I heard her say to her little boy, "I guess she found something she really likes!"  I tend to embarrass myself sometimes with my untethered excitement while shopping. 

 I think I need to go get some more trees to bleach and glitter.  You just can't have too many little trees!  I may even try dying some pink this time.

Thank for visiting with me today, sweet friends.  Now I'm off to clean up and vacuum so I can get my tree up! 

 Glittery Pastel Christmas

Oh my goodness, have I been having fun decorating for Christmas!  I have been dying and glittering trees. Am I the only one who finds that addicting?  I need to buy some more because I love how they look!  I'm still working on decorating, but I will show you what I have done so far. 

 This is a shelf in my kitchen. I love these adorable little glitter houses I found at Target this year! 

  They even have a white led light inside, but I forgot to turn them on for the photo.

 

 I bleached the trees, then painted white paint on them and then added some glitter. The glitter is not showing up in the photo, but in person they look so sparkly!

 I have shown you all this collage I made before, but it's my favorite so here it is again.  It is made with some favorite papers and a photo of my mama and her little brother in front of an igloo her daddy made her.

 And here are a few goodies I strung up on my old white door.  The adorable striped mittens and the aqua tinsel are from Target's dollar section.  I made the tag and the stars are paper mache ones that I painted and glittered.

Thank you for visiting today.  I'm off to do some more decorating and if I'm lucky, maybe some crafting, too!
Michelle xoxo

  Homespun Advent Calendar

I'm still not done with my Christmas decorating, but I did finish a fun little project for my boys. Inspired by Pinterest, I decided to make them a homemade Advent calendar.  I stayed up almost all night working on it so I could surprise them today.  I listened to vintage Christmas music while I was creating which made it even more fun!

I love the papers I used from October Afternoon's "Make It Merry" collection! 

Cute vintage images and such happy colors! 

 I started with plain white treat bags from Hobby Lobby and just added the cute papers and sparkly stars and tinsel.

I think I still may add some buttons and rick rack, but I love how it turned out!  I found the adorable teeny tiny red and white clothespins at Hobby Lobby, also.

 

Then I just strung them on some pink and white string from Michaels.   I think I found it in the knitting yarn section.  I love it because it looks just like bakers twine but it's even cheaper.

I put in a little sweet treats and a Christmas joke in for each day.  I'm hoping to get my Christmas decorating done soon so I can share it with you!
Michelle xoxo

Sweet Vintage Finds

Hello, sweet friends!  Guess I haven't blogged much lately, have I?  But I have been trying to keep up with all of your fabulous blogs. My birthday was earlier this month so I have a few fun finds to share with you!  I found this lovely vintage ticking pillow.

I just love it!  I think it looks really nice with this great blue frame from T.J. Maxx.  The photo in it is my great Aunt Virginia.  She was a cutie pie!  I also found these pretty vintage ornaments.  One can't ever have too many of those...ever!  The ones with indents are my favorite and I was lucky to find quite a few!

 And the lovely vintage tablecloth under them was a steal because it has a few little holes and stains, but it's still so pretty!  The colors are just perfect!

I've had some really good luck at the Goodwill lately, also.  My finds include a vintage pink planter and sweet birdies in the prettiest spring colors!  I also found a wood cubby, but I will wait to show you till I paint it.

I will show you more of what I found at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls and a few goodies my mama gave my for my birthday at our next visit! Please excuse my blog looking a bit wonky today.  I am trying to make some changes, but obviously have no idea what I am doing.  Hopefully, I will figure it all out eventually.
Michelle xoxo

My Pretty New Sofa!
Hello friends! I'm so exited! I have been lusting after a white slipcovered sofa for hmmm... about 17 years or so! Ever since I first learned about Rachel Ashwell and her Shabby Chic style. What I love is that a white couch can go with pretty much any style. Now before you call me crazy for getting a white sofa when I have 3 boys 10 & under, let me tell you I did my research first. I have found many bloggers who have kids and pets and they say that they love their white slipcovers, that they wash well, that the stains come out (with a little bleach if needed), and that they would buy them all over again! So we bought an Ikea Ektorp! I love how versatile white is! I can easily change my look or color scheme anytime. Great for a girl like me who never tires of changing her surroundings! I wanted to dress it up a little for it's blog debut so I wrapped a pretty black and white dishtowel around the middle cushion and added two throw pillows. I wrapped a apron around one of them. As you can see I was so exited I didn't even bother to try to get any wrinkles out first!
Obviously this sofa will take more care and upkeep than a darker colored one, but I think having a living room that makes me smile and feel happy each time I walk into it is worth it, don't you?
Now I just need a nice chair for sweet husband and a slipcover for my very sturdy and big (but very ugly) $5 Goodwill ottoman.On our next visit I will show you what gorgeous things I won in a giveaway from the lovely and talented Petite Michelle Louise!
Michelle xoxo

Springtime has Arrived at the Cottage...
Spring is my favorite time of year to decorate for. I love the colors!
I bought some huge paper mache eggs at Hobby Lobby. I painted and glittered them and added some vintage millinery. I love the way they turned out and can't wait to make more!This is my entry table all decked out to welcome spring!I adore this sweet little Easter card! The little girl and her ducky friend are too cute! Or is it a goose?This glittered bunny is my favorite find this year! He couldn't be any sweeter with his backpack full of Forget-Me-Not flowers, his little yellow bow tie and those pink cheeks!My hutch is ready too! Lots of Easter bunnies, birds and so many flowers!

I used architectural pieces, my favorite white pitcher and a lid to a vintage hat box on the top of the hutch.Even my lovely dress form is ready for Spring dressed in all her Easter finery.
Thank you for joining me on my Springtime decorating tour! Linking up today with Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday, Fox Hollow Cottage for the Spring Party, Tisha at The Delectable Home Spring Party.
Michelle xoxo