the countdown begins!

wishing you a fun and safe new years eve!

christmas morning!

merry christmas!!!

2009 christmas card



i want to wish you all a very merry christmas! enjoy your family! and dont forget the real meaning of christmas!



happy birthday jesus!



*julie

we made cookies!

i hope you are having a fun filled week! we have been busy little elves! we made cookies, we went to orlando, we went to the zoo! maybe thats why i have not wrapped one single christmas gift! i better get to it!

are your presents wrapped?

*julie

personalized santa video!

graphic fairy

if you have a cutie that believes in santa! you have to do this! http://portablenorthpole.tv/home/ its easy, free, and really neat! you just answer a few questions and it sends an email to your cutie with a personalized video from santa himself! fun! your cutie will love it!

santa is coming to town!

*julie

"joy to the world" silver trays!

here is another easy christmas craft! i usually have two black and white polka dot frames in this plate holder that i trade out the middle to go with the season! but i decided to do something different for christmas! these were so quick and easy! i purchased the two silver trays at the dollar store! they come in different shapes! then i just used my handy dandy cricut to cut out "joy to the world"! and thats it! yup! dont worry! if you dont have a handy dandy cricut you could use stickers! you could also do any saying! what do you think?

ps. you can find me at get your craft on and the lettered cottage! take a look!

joy to the world!

*julie

wreath made easy!

i love this wreath! this has to be one of the most inexpensive and easiest wreaths to create! i bought a straw wreath at the thrift store for 69 cents and two white garlands at the dollar store! i wrapped the garland around keeping it close together so the wreath underneath would not show! when i came to the end of the garland i just tucked it under! i then used a burlap ribbon to hang it from my great grandmother's mirror! ta-da! a fun wreath for $2.69 plus tax and my two hands! no glue needed! i made it last year and its staying together perfectly! i got the idea from here! i plan on making a white fluffy one for jillian's room!

ps. i just joined in on kimba's diy day and get your craft on! check it out!

try it!

*julie

nest tree!

this is the tree in my living room! rightly called the "nest" tree! here are a few things that adorn the "nest" tree!

of course, i had to put my sweet birds nest frame on this tree! i think its a fun "out of the box" type of ornament!

everything looks better with a monogram!

as you will notice, i am a theme tree girl! i love the sweet birds nest, pheasants, feathers, and grapevine that swirls around the tree! i guess i have been bitten by the "nest" bug! it is very popular you know! do you have themed trees? i would love to know!

to theme or not to theme?

*julie

christmas tour!

i do enjoy Christmas decorating! i guess you can tell by my nine Christmas trees around my home! here are a few areas in my kitchen and family room that have a touch of Christmas! i would love for you to stop by for more pictures in the next few days!

i am joining in at the nester's party and the thrifty decor chick party! stop by and visit the other Christmas decorators!

enjoy!

*julie

wine tasting party!

last night i went to a wine tasting party! a couple of my girlfriends organized this shin-dig! and boy, did they organize! there was tons of yummy food, ten different wines to taste, and they even printed up score cards and some trivia about wine history! fun, fun, fun!

there was alot of this going on!

the way it went is that each person was to bring an appitizer or dessert and two bottles of the same wine! one bottle was for tasting and the other was for giving! at the end of the night we picked a new favorite wine to take home!

try it!

*julie

snow themed mantle!

born and raised in florida means we do not get to see snow! i have seen snow three times in my life and my cuties well, never! they so badly want to see and touch snow! they practice their snow angels in the grass! we tried to find snow on our mountain trip in january but unfortunatly we missed it! so, with all this being said i decorate our family room with a snowy motif! our mantle is decorated with "snowy" houses and trees! then its topped off with a fun sign that says "let it snow"! the christmas tree in this room is covered in snowflakes! i try to keep everything white in the family room! i hope to post more pictures of the tree and all the other trees soon!

wishing for a white Christmas!

*julie

live nativity!

this weekend we went to a live nativity at the church next to ours! i love it! what a wonderful way to relive the story of Christmas! they have an awesome band that plays a short concert before you begin the tour! the pictures on the screens and their music is so moving! it just gets me excited that i am a part of "it"! "it" being a believer!

i believe!

*julie

the beginning of advent!

we have a new tradition that started last year at our church! this past sunday night we all met outside of the church to make our own family advent wreath and then we feasted on moe's! what a fun family night with the true meaning of Christmas! noah and jillian had fun picking the greens and sticking them into the mushy, wet foam wreath! it turned out beautiful! now, every night we sit around the wreath, light the purple candle, read a page from the advent book, and then take turns blowing out the candle! i believe that is the kids favorite part! but, i know that they are learning what the true meaning of Christmas is!

i love traditions!

*julie