Dollar store pedestals and a gift for Liam

 I have been having a ball creating the pedestals made from dollar store glass candle holders that are all over blogland.  This one was made from a dessert plate I purchased at Walmart.

 This one I used a Dollar store plate!

 This one I used a square dessert plate I found at TJ Maxx. I am going to give them to my neighbors with homemade candy and cookies on them =)

 I thought I would share a few of these cute snowman ornaments I made a few years ago... they are hanging from the chandelier in the craft cottage this year. The year I made these, I made a set of six for family and friends, several dozen =)

 They are so cute, and so easy to make!

Sunday the hubby and I met some friends down in Mt. Vernon for lunch, since we were so close we decided to go to a couple antique stores I had been wanting to take a peek inside. I found this children's table and chair set for $35.00! Perfect for Liam, someday. For now it is in "storage" in the media room.

Speaking of Liam... he has 2 teeth already and he isn't even 5 months old yet!

Thanks for stopping by today!

November cottage crafts

 Last week we had another fun evening of crafts in the craft cottage.

 I added some fun Christmas lights to the ceiling for added light and did a few tables instead of one big table.

 We each brought appetizers to share.

I am trying to decide if it is easier to have smaller groups and several different tables or everyone at one large table.

This time we made a reindeer ornament out of corks. My friend Jessica found the idea online and had everything for us to make them!

So cute!

We also made Christmas tags in a little tin to keep or give as a gift.

We all had a great time learning new craft ideas and chatting all evening! We have another one scheduled for December 3 to do some Christmas cards and gifts. With each class we get a few new 

faces.  We are really enjoying planning these fun classes for our friends too! 

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

 I have been making my own Cranberry Sauce for a few years now. I am the only one in the family who enjoys Cranberry Sauce so I usually try to find someone each year to share with.

 Above is the recipe I received a few years ago from a coworker.

 The past 3 years I have been substituting Agave for the sugar, most people cannot even tell =)

 I just add all the ingredients to a sauce pan.

 Let it cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes.

 I like to mash mine a little with a potato masher.

 I thought I would "package" the half I am sharing with my friend Jessica in this left over jar.

 YUM! Makes the house smell soo yummy too! Cannot wait till Thursday!

 Come back tomorrow and I will show you how I decorated the jar =) Oh and the left over jar? Came from the 5 1/2 dozen chocolate covered cherries I made!

This is the hubbys sample plate, he enjoys them freshly made and as they liquify.
Do you like cranberry sauce? Do you make it yourself?
Have a funfilled day!

Fall Cottage Crafts Class

 Last month we had a fun fall craft class in the cottage. We each brought a brunch item (the class was on a Saturday morning from 10-12). I supplied coffee, tea, cocoa and hot spiced cider.
Our crafts for the morning were Homemade Vanilla, a tissue pompom and Fall wreaths made from fabric, felt, silk sunflowers and ribbon. Each wreath turned out so different! It was a great morning with great friends!

We've scheduled our next class already and it's full! Next week we are doing Christmas gift tags and a glittered tin to keep them in or give as a gift. We will also do a Christmas ornament. We are each bringing an appetizer to share since this class will be a weeknight after work.  I've got almost everything ready for the gift tags and tin, just need to finalize the ornament. These little classes have been so fun to do with my friends!

We've already planned a few more classes too! We are doing 20 Christmas Cards for one class, we are doing an ALL day Christmas present class (when the day is done we will each have 5 completed gifts to give or keep for ourselves *wink*). We will do a candy/cookie swap with recipes and have a recipe book to take home along with our goodies, and I think we are going to do a Chocolate Covered Cherry class too! This Spring we have some friends that will do some fun classes too! We will be doing hypertuffa pots and a floral decorating class.

I couldn't end my post without including Liam in his Halloween costume! 

Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely fun filled day!

Christmas tags 2011 and some good deals

 For the past probably 10 years I have been in charge of the gift exchange for my moms side of the family. These are the tags I created for this year.

 Nice and simple =)

 While on a recent trip to Goodwill I spotted 3 of these cassette holders! Perfect for my craft cottage! I bought one a few years ago off Ebay.

 It was quite a bit more than these were! It is full of ink pads so another one will be great to have. And the other two? Maybe gifts for some special people.

 I picked these chairs up at a local favorite vintage shop for $15.00 each. Didn't love the colors, but they were in great shape.

 I needed some chairs to "stage" at the other house... so these were perfect.

 Some gorgeous chocolate brown spray paint, LOVE!

 It only took one coat with this spray paint to cover the blue and the green.

 I went back to Goodwill for one of these... I noticed them when I got the cassette ones but couldn't think what I would use them for, until I got home and realized my Stampin Up! punches would fit in them!

Another perfect find! I love a good deal don't you?

Mimi brag post alert!

 A couple weeks ago I spent a week at my sisters house in Salt Lake City Utah while she and her hubby took a trip to NYC. I got to stay with my 2 nieces and 2 nephews. When she returned from her trip we spent an afternoon at a Fall Festival just down from her house and met up with my sister-in-law and nephew.

 Then I headed to Reno Nevada to see Liam =)

I think he was a little tired of seeing a camera in his face all the time! Ha! Such a cutie.

Thanks for letting me brag! Have a great day!

Laundry Room almost done =)

 I am finally going to show you the laundry room almost done! I just have a few shelves and hooks to have the hubby put up for me this morning and the project will be DONE! I finished the powder room next to the laundry room too! I was amazed at the coverage I got from the Valspar paint. I thought I was going to have to prime over the mural that was in the powder room, but once I started painting with the Valspar paint I knew I could just cover it in one coat of the paint! Woohoo! Goodbye mural!

 I really had to be creative to figure out a way to hang the clothes once they were out of the dryer (I do not iron). I found this shelf on one of my trips to IKEA. It folds down when not in use. It is perfect!

 When I redo the kitchen I will have new counter top put in and a new sink and faucet... but for now I am happy with this.

 I am on the search for a larger piece of furniture for this spot... but this works for now and I already had this table.

 Gotta add the little details =)

 Today I will add some tags to the baskets and the homemade soap.

 The powder room! I am soooo pleased with how this came out!

 The mudroom portion, just keeping it real with all the "stuff"! Ha!

 My table I purchased from Goodwill turned into a bench. The hubby will add 3 hooks and a shelf above this area today.

I finally won't mind when guests enter through the garage area now! What do you think? Oh you don't remember what it looked like before? Here is the post I did before we moved in.

Have a lovely Sunday!