A very musical Christmas tree

It is the greatest feeling in the world just to sit by a Christmas tree and bask in the glow of the lights. I love it. It makes my heart want to sing. I really could too. All I have to do is simply look up at our tree and pick a song. Music is all over our tree this year...well sheet music that is.

As promised, here is our little tree. I named him Spruce. He is guarding all the present from my family. I can't peek in front of him or he'll tell my hubs. (Just kidding. I know he's not alive. At all. He's fake.)

The stockings are hanging on a mini ladder I found at the antique store and painted it white. We don't have a mantle, so I had to think out of the box a bit.

Here's Pottery Barn's sheet music tree topper...

And here is mine!

It was so easy to make! (Sorry to the hymnal that was destroyed to make it!)

I put some gold glitter paint on the top and silver glitter on the insides.

Then I attached ribbon to the back. Done!

Now it matches its neighbor, the sheet music wreath!

These sheet music birdies were only $1 at Target. It was meant to be I tell you!

Here's a few of my other ornaments.

This is our "First Christmas Together" ornament.

We've been good! Santa, aka Mom and Dad, already put presents in our stockings.

Well ok, maybe I put them there...but they still gave them to us.

YAY for Christmas!

This is what I'm using as a tree skirt for now. I want to make a different one, but I haven't bought any fabric yet. Sorry little Spruce, all you get is scraps of silk polyester, tulle and burlap!

That's all for now folks. I'm headed to a Christmas Crafting party!

Happy Tuesday to you all!

A turkey and some mistletoe

Ok, so I didn't use a turkey or mistletoe to make the season bright in this home. But I did get some tiny tots! Just kidding people.

Have I ever mentioned that I love Christmas? Did I ever mention that I love decorating? Well I do. And its official now. There's no denying it anymore. (Not that I ever did!) I tell you, decorating someone else's home is a lot of work! However, I had so much fun...a blast actually. The fun kind of blast, not an explosion kind though.

Here are just a few snapshots of what I did. Maybe you'll see the rest when I post about Christmas. I like suspense anyway!

O Christmas tree, I love you!

I love any time that you get to bring a bit of the outdoors inside!

The mantle is my favorite part of the "fluffing" I did for the holidays.

Thank you Target and Michael's for your wonderful items! 

I added the pine cones and the glittery berries to the wreath.

I love the red and metallic theme! I think it came together nicely and I hope to replicate it one day (if I ever have a lovely mantle of my own).

Captivated

C. S. Lewis once said, "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."


I often feel this way.

My soul hungers for something wholly different from this world. Everything I see and touch intensifies the longing. The chill in the air not only makes me long to be by a warm fire, but for a soul-fire that is all consuming. My hunger for physical rest and nourishment makes me yearn even more for the day that I will no longer need those things. I need that which is eternal. My desires are other-worldly.


I see beauty all around me, but it not enough just to see it, to appreciate it. I long to be swept up into it...to be consumed. The world's attempts at creating beauty leave me with a bitter aftertaste, cold and still longing. It is as if I hope against hope that the earth's drink will satisfy the thirst, only to find it is lukewarm and tastes like ash. And as if I hope that it's coat will radiate warmth from the inside out, but still find that it's leaves me cold as soon as I take it off. Neither the world, nor anything in it can bring relief to the one whose soul is perishing with longing.


But today...


My soul has known the Beautiful one and I am known by Him. I have been consumed by Him and my life is in Him. I often forget that the Majestic King of Kings resides inside of me. His Spirit beckons me to be full and overflowing with him. In Him...I am in Him! He is the very beauty for which I long! He is the drink that satisfies, the all-consuming flame and the beauty that never wanes, but grows more irresistible with every new revelation.


Someday I will leave this earth. I will join Him in the place I was made for. I will do what I was made to do: worship my beautiful King forever. This body will stay and my soul will be at last swept up in to eternity...How I long for that day!

But for the time I am here, my desire today is to be:

Captivated by You

I am captivated by You

May my life be one unbroken gaze

Fixed upon the beauty of Your face

Tour de Home - Part Two

Ok, so the video tour isn't wanting to upload. However, I bring you some pictures of our upper floor.

Our bedroom dresser decor: I got the glitter tree and "noel" from Hobby Lobby for 50% off! The ornaments were $2 from the dollar store.

I love sparkle!

I put some pine cones on the bedside table. They smell like cinnamon!

I LOVE THIS!

This is a coffee filter wreath and it was SO easy to make.

These were a cheap K-Mart find. Not amazing, but they work.

The picture is just framed wrapping paper and the candle holder and candles were both gifted. The frame used to be brown, so I just spray painted it white. It looks so much better!

That's all folks! Next up is our little Christmas tree...

Mantle Shmantle

This weekend I am decorating my in-law's home for Christmas. Tuesday night, they showed me where the boxes were and gave me free reign. We were only able to get the tree up and decorated, so I'm having to go shoping for new stuff and come back later.

I've never decorated any one else's house before, so it has been an interesting experience thus far. I'm trying to gather ideas that they would like, because I know not everyone loves vintage things as much as I do! I'm using a lot of things they already had, but I'm starting almost from scratch for the mantle.

Here is some of my inspiration thus far:

I love the gold tones here, but I don't think I'd use the blue tones.

Boxes in the fireplace? I think so!

The wreath is pretty here.

Lots of candles are a must.

I like the pine cone wreath and metalics, but the rest...NO!

This one is cute and simplistic.

I am thinking about doing lots of metalics, white and a hint of red here and there.

Well, I'm heading over there tomorrow or Saturday, so we will see how it turns out!

25 days of Christmas

I love December. It is such a magical month to me. Here are a few things I plan on doing (some I have already done) this month. I plan on picking one everyday, or possibly 2, 3 or 7...


 Jennifer's 25 Days of Christmas:

1. Watch “Elf”

2. Dress up your house for the holidays

3. Tell someone you love them

4. Make some Christmas ornaments

5. Have a joyful spirit

6. Do something nice for someone (without them knowing who did it)

7. Write a letter to yourself to read next year

8. Volunteer for a worthy cause

9. Do a fun holiday project with my younger siblings

10. Memorize a passage of scripture about Christ

11. Make a funny Christmas video

12. Make sure to quietly reflect on Christ instead of succumbing to the insane business of the season

13.  Call old friends and family members

14. Wear a tacky Christmas sweater to a party

15.  Listen to Handel's Messiah
16. Make a Christmas cookies

17.  Drive around and look at Christmas lights

18. Sing Christmas carols

19. Drink hot chocolate and sit by the Christmas tree

20.Watch “White Christmas”

21. Go to a Christmas music production at church

22. Set out cookies and milk for Santa (aka: the people who put out the presents)

23. Ask someone to tell you about their favorite Christmas

24. Read the Christmas story

25. Remember the Reason for the season – Jesus Christ!

Tour de Home - Part One

Welcome to our house for Christmas! I wanted my family to be able to see our home, thus this post. (Hi mom!)

I was so excited about decorating for my favorite holiday! I just love Christmas. Since this is our first Christmas together, we had absolutely NO decorations. I wanted to decorate every room without spending much money. Did I do it? I think so! I was inspired by vintage sheet music, metalics, plaid and a shabby chic looks.

The doorway area has a framed mini wreath on the door and a little twig centerpiece in the corner.

This is the view when you first walk in.

View from the dining room

Now for the details!

I am so eco-friendly by recycling twigs from the back yard. Ha!

This is a framed piece of scrapbook paper with glitter letters on it.

Bathroom decor

Even the toilet reminds us of the season! 

My favorite room...the dining room!

Candles and pearls centerpiece...all stuff I already had.

I put berries in a bundle of sticks for an extra pop of color on the wall.

Scrabble letter place cards

Each one has a different "Christmas-y" word.

The kitchen has a bit of holiday spirit too.

Cinnamon and berries from the bush outside. All free!

The closet wanted some Christmas love too. 

Thanks for visiting! New posts with a close ups of the tree, the decorations I crafted, and upstairs are coming soon. I also recorded a video tour, complete with me tripping up the stairs!

So stay tuned!