Spray Painted Wreath & My Christmas Mantle

Christmas is coming!! I am more than a little excited about this....

So excited, in fact, that I have already begun decorating.

I know, I know... you are supposed to do that the day after Thanksgiving, but this year we are not hosting Thanksgiving at our house so I wanted to go ahead and get started.

Today, I wanted to share how I spruced up a boring wreath with...

Spray Paint!

This year, I wanted to go for a "winter white" look for our decorations and this green wreath just wasn't cutting it..

So I got out a can of Rustolem in "heirloom white" 

And I gave it a few coats on each side of the wreath.

Once it was dry, I added some strips of burlap "ribbon" and glued on some mini pine cones using E-6000 glue

And... that was it. I LOVE the way it looks on the mantle... It's what I had in mind, and it's always nice when a plan comes together, right?

So...do tell...When do you start decorating for Christmas??

Thanks so much for stopping by!! Be sure to stop by Facebook and Twitter so we can "chat"! 

Shared at:
Shine on Fridays at One Artsy Mama

Charlie Brown Christmas Tree... DIY Ornament

I say this a lot, but it's true...

"sometimes the things that live inside my head just need to be made no matter what."

{even if they are weird... or no one "gets it" but me}

This was one of those things. I had the idea, and really there was nothing else I could do until I got it finished!

{please tell me I am not the only one this happens to}

I bought a box of glass ornaments at Hobby Lobby a few days ago {half price!!} and I was just hoping inspiration would strike...

So while I was starring out into the back yard, thinking about what these ornaments could turn into, I spotted our Cedar tree...hmmmmm......that got me to thinking. 

So I gathered up my supplies:

Glass ornament

E-6000 glue

Cedar trimmings

small tree branch, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

red glass beads {for Charlie's ornament}

Jewelry head pin {or florist wire would work too}

&

Epsom Salt

I started by {carefully} cutting a slit or groove into the end of the tree branch. Careful now, we don't want any ER trips for the sake of  a craft ;)

Then added some of the E-6000 glue in the groove, set my "tree" in and held it until it was sturdy. {about 5 minutes should do the trick}

To add the lone "ornament" I went to my never ending bead supply and picked out a pretty red...just like Charlie's. I used a head pin from my jewelry supplies and ran it down the center of the bead, and then, using my wire twisters made a curve in the wire to create a hook.

I hooked the ornament onto a branch and then carefully closed the hook tightly around the branch to secure it.

I added a good amount of E-6000 glue to the bottom of the tree and carefully sent it down into the glass ornament.

I used a cooking skewer to press it firmly in place. Once it was set, I poured in a little snow! {Epsom salt} and it was all finished.

I sure hope it would make little Charlie Brown proud ;)

Thanks so much for stopping by to take a look!
Be sure to stop by Facebook & twitter to "chat" with me some more! I'd love to see you there!

linked to:

Shine on Fridays at One Artsy Mama

A Southern Tradition.... Sausage Ball Recipe

I'm a southern girl.

Born and raised in Alabama...

A holiday never passed in our house without some of these being made

Oh, goodness.

They are tasty!

SAUSAGE BALLS

1 lb Sausage {we use Jimmy Dean's, mild}

2 cups sharp cheddar 

1 &1/4 cup Bisquick {biscuit/pancake mix found on the baking aisle}

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until blended. To do this, we roll up our sleeves and do it by hand. Once all the the ingredients are mixed together, roll into 1 inch balls and place on a sheet pan. {use a pan with raised edges so the oils from the sausage don't make a mess in your oven}

Bake at 375*F for 15-20 minutes until tops are slightly browned.

Enjoy!

Fall Tabletop Decor....

It's Fall...

Pumpkins.

Crisp, cool air.

Hot chocolate.

Football.

Bonfires.

and family gathered around the table....

Why not something pretty to look at while we are all gathered there?

this tabletop decor started as a few simple to find things....

I cut the burlap just a little larger than the frame back, and hot glued it into place...

I trimmed around the edges... and then slid it back into the frame

I added some leaves from the yard...

And then a pumpkin...

and then.... a couple more pumpkins.....

.... just a few more....

And it was complete!

too easy, right?

I am so in love with fall.....I'm going to ask it to stick around a little longer this year ;)

{Stay tuned, soon.. I am going to show you how I used this same burlap frame for an entirely new use, you know...just in case fall doesn't last forever...hehe}

Thanks so much for stopping by to take a look!

I'll be sharing this post at these parties:

Get Schooled Saturday @ Too much time on my hands

Sweet Saturday Link Party @ the Gingerbread Blog

Power of Pinterest Link Party @ Fox Hollow Cottage