FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!

 

WELCOME

As you enter my home, this couple greets you with smiles of happiness!

The wreath is hung on a pillar in the entry way.

The dining room light is decorated for Christmas!

An empty Victorian terrarium awaits festive Christmas decor!

Some dolls have been placed in the terrarium~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A photo of the completed terrarium with dolls, Santas and a gift.

Apple Cheeks dolls

The dining room hutch

A luncheon place setting with a spatula favor and "Welcome" card that reads, "Old friends are treasured gifts."

A Christmas glass on a gold snowflake

The manger that I remember as a child.  It is old and the lambs have seen better days.

A kitchen table place setting with a luncheon favor

A peppermint centerpiece for the kitchen

Our family room Christmas tree in red and gold

Trees, angels, Santas, and a clothesline with St. Nick's laundry

Stockings hanging over the fireplace

A very untidy couch with pillows and Christmas decor...my mom made Mr. and Mrs. Claus and the small snowman

Floor decor

Jim Shore angels and snowman

A gingerbread tree that my friend, CeeKay, really liked.

The entrance to the master bedroom

The pink and white tree in the bedroom

A tree for the bathroom

Another bathroom...another tree

A small tree with my mom and dad's vintage ornaments

Another tree in the spare room

Vintage decor and a tree on a 1930's dresser

Mom and dad's 1943 wedding picture with Christmas pieces that my mom made many years ago

Iced tea, Sangria, and apple juice wassail for a recent luncheon at my house

Some high school friends at a recent gathering at my house

Oh, what fun and memories!

I forgot to take pictures BEFORE the luncheon so the full impact of the place settings is missing.  

"Nesting" baby shower

Welcome to my daughter's "Nesting" baby shower. I decided on a bird/nesting theme after seeing Karen's choice of crib bedding. She selected "Love Bird" by Bananafish and, since we both really like birds, it was easy to "fly" with the theme. I didn't know where to begin so I searched the internet and found ideas from other nesting showers. I was fortunate to find a wonderful lady (Debbie) on Craig's List who just happened to be selling bird-theme craft supplies including a Christmas tree that I could decorate with birdhouses, nests, eggs, and birds. I made and decorated the labels, name tags, and place-setting poems using the supplies that I had on hand. It was easy and very cost-effective.I had a supply of plastic beverage glasses that I bought quite cheaply at a yard sale so I decided to give them some class with this label. I have never owned a piece of Waterford nor do I intend to ever own this crystal, but my cheap imitations were quite a delight for my guests.

I know my daughter quite well and I knew that she didn't want to be on "pink" overload so I kept the color to a minimum. Here you can see splashes of pink in the floral arrangements that were centerpieces for the tables.

This photo is blurry but the favors are adorable. In keeping with the bird/nesting theme, I ordered "The Nest Egg" favors which contain a pink soap in the shape of an egg. They are in a toile pink box with a brown ribbon and a "Thank You" tag hanging from the ribbon. Another hit at the shower!
I just love this baby lamb planter and I had pink roses put into it for another centerpiece.

Here is a photo of Karen with a darling pair of white shoes with pink ribbon. In the background you can see a sweater that was made by either my mother or my grandmother 30+ years ago. I might have used it for Karen when she was a baby and it was washed and put away until now. I hope that my new granddaughter gets a lot of use out of it.
Here are several blankets that were knit or crocheted by my mother or my grandmother even before I was ever married. My mom and grandmother were quite skilled at needlework and they would pass the time making things for family and friends.
Here is a photo of Karen with a darling picture frame that will match the nursery and crib bedding perfectly.
Here is a photo of Karen holding up another adorable outfit and blanket.
My mother will be 95 years old on September 4, and here she is posing with Karen. Karen just told me today that the baby's middle name will be "Sarah" in honor of my mother!
Again in keeping with the "nesting" theme, I decorated this tree with birds, nests, birdhouses and eggs. This is part of the box of goodies that I got from Debbie.
What would a baby shower be without a cake? It would be a baby shower with bird nest cupcakes. I bought the cupcakes at Costco and decorated them with toasted coconut and pink-spotted jelly beans that looked like eggs in a nest. Everyone raved about the cupcakes and I had to admit that I got the idea online. I also served quiche, finger sandwiches, broccoli salad, pink deviled eggs (dipped the whites in beet juice) and fruit salad. The pink eggs didn't taste like beets at all...they just looked like regular deviled eggs only they were pink!

Here is a place setting holder. At first I didn't know what to do with the birdhouses, and then it struck me to use them to hold the names of each guest. I hot-glued a little bird into each birdhouse and put each name in the folded wire on top. I wish this photo wasn't crooked!

Here you can get an idea of what the place settings looked like on the table. Unfortunately pieces have been moved but you can get a better idea in the following photo. I found the bird and birdhouse napkins at a yard sale over a year ago and thankfully I still had them. I tied the plastic knife, fork and spoon in each napkin with raffia which sympolized nesting material. I printed, stamped, colored, and edged each poem that welcomed the guests.
Here is a photo of a tablescape complete with a birdhouse as part of the centerpiece. The Mounds candy was part of a game.
The first shower I planned for my daughter had a"Pea in a Pod" theme. This one was a nesting shower theme, and if she has another baby the theme will be pizza and beer!