^Sneak Peak^

Almost finished....

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

xo

LeAnne

~*Winter*~

According to Mossy Rock, it's officially winter.

This is Mossy Rock.  And Mossy Rock is FROZEN. 

{you can read about Mossy Rock here} 

Brrrrrrr  :)

{LOVE}

And on a non-related note, I shipped out my first Etsy sale today!

My two shabby-chic cane seat chairs are traveling all the way to Indiana.  

Thanks "T"!

xo

LeAnne

Christmas Goodies.

Both of these recipes are a Christmas Tradition for me.  

Every Christmas.  Every Year. It's just not Christmas time until we've made our holiday treats! :)

I give them as gifts every year {unless they get eaten first!}

The white chocolate cookies are soooo very simple.  I'm sure that most of you have made them before.  2 Ritz Crackers with a dab of PB in the middle, dipped in melted white chocolate.  TO.DIE.FOR.  And so easy!

The Peanut Butter Balls are my absolute favorite.  My family has been making them for as long as I can remember.  This is our secret {used to be a secret anyway} recipe:

1.5 boxes of powdered sugar {SIFTED}

16 oz Peanut Butter {I use JIF natural creamy}

1 cup {2 cubes} softened butter/margarine

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

12 oz milk chocolate chips

0.5 bar paraffin wax

Knead the first three ingredients together into dough and form into 1-inch balls.

Melt the chocolate and wax in a double broiler or microwave.

Dip the PB balls into the chocolate mixture and cool on wax paper.

Simply Delicious! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do :)

xo

LeAnne

Ruffled.Goodness.

Oh how I adore all the ruffles.
I hope these never go out of style,
because I never want to stop making them...

xoxo
LeAnne

Grocery Sack Holiday Art

Am I Crazy?

Has my frugality become a bit ridiculous?

Has my obsession with junking gone a little extreme?

Um, in essence, the answer to all three questions is yes.

When the lady at Publix was packing my groceries into their sack, I had a wild DIY thought.

Wasn't quite sure if it was going to work out, but heck, it was worth a try.  

I even told the checkout lady {and the bag boy} what BEAUTIFUL grocery bags Publix had this year.  Wow.  Can.we.say.LOONEY.TUNE??!?

This is the grocery sack...the catalyst of my craziness:

 

Isn't it pretty?

So pretty that it deserves to be in a frame.  Right? 

But who wants a framed grocery sack?

That's why you whitewash it!  Yep, I'm telling you to paint a grocery sack.  {I do remember calling myself a looney-tune.} 

Put it in a Dollar Store frame {painted and distressed of course}, add some ribbon, and....

Easy-Peasy-Grocery-Sack-Dollar-Store-Christmas-Art.

I know, I'm a looney.  Did I already say that?

Maybe I should gift one to Publix for Christmas.  

{Because maybe that will encourage them to keep making pretty bags for crazy people like me!}

xo

LeAnne

Linking To:

Merry Christmas *{Blogger Style}*

~Merry Christmas~ 

to all my DIY friends!

Thank you for making my first two months of blogging encouraging, inspiring, and super fun!

Enjoy the holiday.

xoxo

LeAnne

Faith Matters.

Faith plays a huge role in my life...faith in my God and His story, faith in my family and my friends, faith in myself and my work, faith in the future, faith in the present...I could go on and on.  With no faith, I don't know that I could make it through one day {or even one minute}.

So, because of that, I have a little extra love for this project. You'll see why...

It started like this:

A primitive box.  Simple.  Plain.  Perfect for displaying a collection of mason jars, books, candles, decor, etc.

But I didn't love its condition and I felt that it needed a bit of softening.

So, once again, I used a whitewash treatment.  First I had to sand it down {A LOT} and I stripped off some of the stain with a 50/50 mix of acetone and denatured alcohol.  It is a super messy process, but it works!  Promise!  Just be sure to wear gloves and use steel wool.

After the whitewash treatment, I sanded again and finished off with wax.  As the last step, I used stencils and a sponge to paint on the chocolate-colored letters.

I'm ecstatic with the way she turned out.  Such a simple reminder of everything that is most important.

I think she will be so lovely on display in someones home.  I'm thinking a holiday mantel...Or under a kitchen window with potted herbs...Or in a bathroom holding soaps and towels. 

What do you think?  If you had a special box, what would you write on the front?

xo

LeAnne

Linking To:

 

Found.

Is it possible to be absolutely head-over-heals in love with a piece of junk? 

 

Husband: "I think I may want to keep this one.  PLEASE, don't sell it."

Me:  {smiling on the inside...he's finally coming around!}

"Don't worry honey, I'm not getting rid of it.  This is for us."

Husband: "Good, because I love it."

xo

LeAnne

A Burlap and Cream Christmas

Somewhere in the midst of this crazy week, I found the opportunity to finish the mantel and the dining table centerpiece.  I wish I had more to share today, but this is all I've got.  Maybe I'll have something a bit more interesting after the weekend is over.  I'm super excited to have some girlfriends coming over on Sunday to make more Christmas Signs.  Can't wait to see what they come up with!

So, I have fallen in love with the burlap, cream and white theme that has been all over blogland this season.  Typically, our home is decked out with every Christmas color and ornament imaginable.  This year, I wanted to try something a bit different and more natural.  

For the centerpiece, I used one of my antique boxes and layered it with some up-cycled gift packaging from last year.  I used the same mason jars from my Thanksgiving centerpiece, although I  filled them with pine cones this time.  I covered 3 candles with burlap and ribbon and stuffed a little sprig of the Christmas tree in each.  The glass candle holders were a STEAL at Hobby Lobby {I think they were 50% off.}
{I got the idea for the burlap wrap from Kathleen over at Between Blue and Yellow.  She did a great tutorial on covering a glass vase.  Thanks Kathleen!} 

I finally got around to making my coffee filter wreath.  FYI....I didn't want to spend money {I'm cheap} on anymore filters, so I used whatever I found in our pantry...three different kinds.  I wasn't sure if it would work or not, but I think it turned out decent.  I did use some cone filters, which I wouldn't recommend to anyone because they were very difficult to work with!

I made a quick and easy burlap cover for the top of the mantel.  Hot glue and scissors.  Simple!
The cherub angels were another steal.  Someones tossed away "junk" became my treasure!  I love it when that happens.  :)  The tin piece on the right I added just for kicks.  I thought it matched the color scheme.

 

The flower arrangement in the copper pot is my wedding bouquet.
{its been hanging around for 4+ years so far}
 

Daytime view:

Night view:

My husband made the comment that our mantel is really "girly" this year, which I can't disagree with.  {He despises all things "ruffly."  He also despises women's flats and reminds me of this every time I wear them.  Boys!}  He is, however, being a really good sport about it and let me do my "girly" mantel without any complaints.  Isn't that sweet?  The tree may be a different story...he's kind of thinking Charlie Brown Christmas.  It's all about the compromise!

Have a fantastic Friday!!

xoxo

LeAnne

Linking To: