Why do you......

To all my friends out in blogland......

   Why do you celebrate Christmas?

" for God so loved the world, that He gave his one and only son, for whoever believes in Him will not die but have ever lasting life"

JESUS is the reason for the season!

Merry Christmas!

Chair pads...

One of my favorite things to look for at the thrift store is fabric! I'm always checking out the sheets and pillow shams for beautiful patterns. Sheets work great if you need extra large pieces and I've found some quilted pillow shams that I've used to decorate with. But this time I needed something to cover my dingy chair pads. I thought about buying new but they were all too thick and at $12.00 each - no thanks. I got lucky with 2 red pillow shams. I could of used this material in a multiple of ways but I decided to cover my chair pads with them. Here's what I did...

This is what my old chair pads looked like...

These are the red pillow shams I found ( not bad for $2.00 )

First I laid my old pads on top of the fabric and cut out the shape.

There were 2 shams so I was able to get 4 pads out of them...

Next, I used the extra fabric to cut strips for ties.

Fold them in half and sew them right sides together.

I find the easiest way to turn them is to use a safety pin.

Simply pin it on the end and then push it through.

After I sewed the pads together and sewed on the ties,

I inserted my old pads, kind of like a pillow case.

Sew the opening shut and your done!

Not bad! 4 new chair pads for about $2.00 total. The pillow shams had a trim on the edges which I just left on. I think they turned out pretty good. And the red is great with my Christmas decor.

The next time you are at the thrift store check out the bedding department,

you might just find some fabric.

Warm childhood Christmas memories....

Do you have any special memories of Christmas when you were a child? Maybe all the decorations, or the cookies you would make with your mom, or sitting in your warm pj's after a nice bath and looking out the window at the beautiful white snow falling. How about the smell of turkey first thing in the morning or the wonder of searching for your present under the tree? Well, I cherish all those memories. But, when I got older and my mom was selling our childhood home, she asked what I wanted. I told her all I really wanted was that old Santa she used to put on top of the Christmas tree. It wasn't anything fancy, but when I thought about it, it gave me all those warm fuzzies you get when you think back. Well, unfortunately my sister threw the santa away a long time ago because it was broken. I was very angry and disappointed. Then, one day I thought, just maybe, let me google it. And what do you know? I found one on ebay. Exactly like I remembered. And when I saw it, all those warm fuzzies returned.

It's amazing how the simple little things can warm our hearts. The santa is now sitting on my Christmas tree and I will never throw it away....

Merry Christmas everyone!

More Christmas decor....

Here's a few more pics of my Christmas decorations....

Let's start with some jars I had and I filled them with candy.

Jars are so easy to find at the thrift store for little money.

This deer I also found at the thrift store for $1.00. I painted it black and then crackle( the crackle finish doesn't show up in the pic) and then gold. I added some greenery and a big red bow.

Let's move on to the only place in my house with pink Christmas decorations... the Bathroom! I did it in pink, for one- it matches the decor and for two- I had a bunch of pink stuff left over from long ago.

And let's not forget the most important decoration of all, without which there would be no Christmas...

the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ....

Christmas candle sticks...

I love it when I find something at the thrift store and fix it into something beautiful.

These candle sticks are a perfect example..

This is what they looked like when I bought them for 99 cents...

I think they used to have a shade and they had a voltive holder.

 All I had to do was use my screwdriver to remove the top...

I could have left them and put a candle inside but I wanted to do something different. So I went threw my stash of flowers and Christmas picks and found the perfect red flower...

I simply glued the flower with some greens into the center of the candle stick...

I love the way they turned out! Not bad for 99 cents...

What do you think?

Christmas Home Tour 2009...

Well, I thought since I'm almost finished with my home decorating, that I would take you on a tour. I take everything off the shelves and out of the hutches and bookcases and replace them with Christmas. It takes a while but when it's done it is soooo worth it. Grab a cup of cocoa and enjoy ....

My entryway....

Stairway...

my kitchen...

dining room...

my living room....

Wow! That'a alot of pictures and I didn't

 show you everything!  Maybe I'll show you the rest another time.

The last thing we put up is the tree.The kids will help put the ornaments on while we listen to Christmas music. Now we can sit back and enjoy the season. I hope you enjoyed the tour.