Pom pom and felt garland.

This post is fun, festive and the epitome of my theme 

"use what you have".

                                     This little piece of fabric was my inspiration this year. :)

I am running out of felt and yarn. I have a random variety of pom poms from our

 Pom pom Christmas tree countdown last year and our
Pom pom ice cream shop. (I guess I have a thing for pom pons) ;)

Last year I sat around during the holidays and made pom poms out of my left over yarn and came up with this simple pom pom garland.

Lets just say this year it evolved. So this little garland was put together one evening with all my scraps.  

I would love to make it longer. Maybe I will sit around this Christmas and make more diy pom poms and next year I will extend this sweet Christmas garland. :)

Until then I will enjoy the randomness and fun.

Hope it has been somewhat inspiring to you in your Christmas decorating.

Using what I have - yarn, bits of felt and pom poms. 

In my little west corner,

Becky

My very own DIY advent Calendar (finally)

So for years now I have wanted a Nativity advent calendar and have tossed around differnt ideas. My dear friend made one last year and she inspired me with all those sweet homemade pieces made with love and care.  I always seem to think of putting together an advent calender in December and so end up with DIY Christmas countdowns like here and here, that are two or three days behind.  

BUT NOT THIS YEAR.

While in the States I found this 10 piece nativity felt set at wonderful Hobby Lobby (oh that store is amazing).  So I am inspired... I am 10 pieces ahead and now only need to make fifteen more pieces. For the next week I will be taking all my extra moments and creating a felt master piece. (it's all in the eye of the beholder, right? ;)) 

This pic was from yesterday.  I have already done a bunch since this...sewed up the sheep, made a camel, a Shepard and found a piece of fabric in my stash to make pockets for the pieces. 

My goal is to have at least the pieces for the first few days of December and the display

 ready by December 1st.  

Right now I have enough ideas for 23 pieces...only two more to think up. (I can always add extra stars)

Well that is it. I will be posting pics of my progress along the way, 

it will help encourage me if nobody else. :)

We are celebrating Thanksgiving on this fun, festive Saturday so off I go to bake a carrot soufflé, make a cranberry-apple crisp and a salad..oh and get breakfast for my kiddos. :)

In my little west corner..using the felt stash I have. 

Becky

Here is a LINK to my Stage 2 update on this advent calendar.

Gingerbread hearts hooked to our mugs ~

Hi! Happy days after Christmas and happy new year! 

 Thought I would post about my spontaneous gingerbread and sugar cookie hearts for the rim of a mug.  

We had our friends staying with us for Christmas and last night before they left the adults watched the movie 'The Help' (highly recommended) as the kids were tucked snug in their beds and we ate gingerbread hearts hooked to our mugs. ;)

My idea originated from this amazingly cute  idea. Gingerbread houses that perch on your mug.

Really check out the post it is super cute but more time consuming than I desired to put into my cookie making this year...soooo little hearts that fit on the rim of our mugs were my next best idea.  

A bit about the how to:

These were very simple I had a heart cookie cutter just the right size. 

After I cut out the hearts with my cutter I then used a sharp knife to slice/cut out a small spot for the cookies to hook onto the rim of our mugs.  

After they baked and while they were still soft and hot I cut away any dough that had spread and covered my little hook. I mainly eye balled it for where to cut. 

About 90% of them worked like a charm but there were a few I cut that were a little off.  

The only thing is I forgot to sprinkle sugar on the top of the cookies (I was multitasking, getting kids down for bed while making these little guys) so they are not as pretty as they could be, but YOU could pretty them up quite a bit. 

I had done a few practice cookies earlier this week when I was making cookies and that helped me quite a bit.  I used ginger bread and sugar cookie dough for these little hearts that you can dip in coffee or tea. 

A  perfect small and simple treat to eat with your hot drink. 

Well enjoy a little heart 

and 

have a great Happy New Year ~2012

Hope this is fun and useful to you over the next few more days of celebrating. 

Keeping it simple in our west corner.

Becky


I am linking up to these fun link parties. 


I HAVE LEARNED THE SECRET OF BEING CONTENT IN ANY AND EVERY SITUATION, WHETHER WELL FED OR HUNGRY, WHETHER LIVING IN PLENTY OR IN WANT. I CAN DO EVERYTHING THROUGH HIM WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH." PHIL. 4:12,13

Sweet contemplation ~ Merry CHRISTmas

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulders: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. ~ Is. 9:6

My sweet son. Love this moment I caught.  

Merry CHRISTmas to all of you and to my sweet family that I miss so very much. 

Mom, Vicky and Debby love you deeply and miss you all muchly.

David's family ~ much love to each of you as you celebrate together and skate upon the ice, you are thought of and missed. 

~ Signing off .... until sometime next week. 

have a silent night,
Becky

Free Christmas Printables..like Bingo :)

Here are some CHRISTmas printables we have used this week 

and a few free Bingo card sets.

We thought it would be fun to play Christmas Bingo this year... and give out prizes to the winners. So I thought I would share what I found for anyone interested in some fun ideas for the kids/family on Christmas day. 

Enjoy.

Link: 'Whimsical' Christmas Bingo ~ Simply Fresh Designs

This Bingo set gives 6 different cards and is so sweetly whimsical.

This is what I printed this year for our Bingo time.

Link: Printable Christmas Bingo Cards

They give an option for color or black and white (which kids could color)

There are several more out there but the previous two are the ones I liked and saved. ~ 

Happy Christmas Bingo. :)

Here are a few links to our favorite Christmas coloring pages this year! 

CHRISTmas mosaics or stained glass pages.

These look beautiful hanging in the windows.

Link: Stained glass Christmas tree printable

Link: Stained glass angel

We are lacking in Christmas name tags here in Turkey but NO problem because they are everywhere online.

These may be last minute for lots of you but thought it could be helpful to some.

Here are a  few FREE printable name tags I printed off for our gifts: 

(just click on the link under each picture to view and or print)

Super cute wintery holiday tags

Domestifluff CHRISTmas name tag printables ~pdf

Black apple CHRISTmas nametags ~ pdf

Love the Hot Cocoa and house one!

A Fanciful Twist ~Handmade gift tags

These are perfect for anytime~ I really like these.

The long thread 

 The long thread ~CHRISTmas tree flower gift tags ~pdf

Snowflake flower gift tags ~pdf

The Shepherds and Angels

Reflecting on the shepherds in the story of Christs birth.  Shepherds, simple people with no glorious title, doing their jobs and then they witnessed a show that filled the heavens and they were given the glorious news that Jesus the Christ had been born. They were some of the first to know ~ amazing. Reflecting, considering what that means for me, my family and those around me ... it makes me smile and give a sigh of relief, because God in His splendor and Holiness reaches out to the simple, the everyday person, to me. As the story continues the shepherds shared with everyone around what they had seen and heard. They had witnessed a miracle that changes their simple, every day lives.Those shepherds, those simple shepherds, were the ones to declare the good news that began the beginning of an amazing redeeming story, that I am now a part of.  I am simple like the shepherds and I too want to share the amazing goods news of the Savior, I am NOT an Angel but I too would love to sing it from the heavens "Glory to God in the highest heaven ~ the Savior of the world has come." 

(Luke 2:8-20)

Good night ~ sleep in heavenly peace.

Knowing He is by my side in this west corner,

Becky


I HAVE LEARNED THE SECRET OF BEING CONTENT IN ANY AND EVERY SITUATION, WHETHER WELL FED OR HUNGRY, WHETHER LIVING IN PLENTY OR IN WANT. I CAN DO EVERYTHING THROUGH HIM WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH." PHIL. 4:12,13

A Button Tree ~ and yo yo bows

Buttons ~ easy to find here and fairly inexpensive. 

A button tree ornament makes for a simple handmade gift~

My little gifts wrapped and tied up with ribbon and adorned with sweet  fabric yo yos. 

Keeping it simple here in my west corner and using what I have to create and decorate this Holiday.

Emmanuel God with us 

~ In my west corner, God with us!

Becky

Pom pom Christmas count down

Here is our Pom Pom Christmas tree countdown.

I have this thing with putting up trees on our kitchen wall.(like here and here to name a few) It is close to where all the kids art work is displayed and well it is wall that is always asking me to fill it with something fun. Plus we love having our Pom Pom Christmas tree right next to our kitchen table, perfect for reaching in our little cup and putting up a pom pom during breakfast.  

Nothing like putting packaging styrafoam pieces up on our wall... my mom sent a package and well, they became SNOW. ;)

Oh and I found these pom poms here. :) 

I was delighted... the top one is going to be a hand made pom pom however 

and that will be fun to do with the girls..

Well there you have it our last minute advent/count down Christmas calendar. 

Next year I am determined to have an advent Calendar that depicts the Truth of CHRISTmas, however until then we will pom pom on. ;)

The fun snowmen were made here... Napkin Snowmen.

I will say this about our Christmas decorations and pom pom tree and syrafoam snow, things do not have to be perfect to be BEAUTIFUL. 

Enjoying Christs love and wanting to share it with the world!

~Becky

Christmas ideas from 2010~

Here are some pics of our Christmas in 2010.  Enjoy and hopefully you can get a few ideas of your own. Most of these ideas can be done here in Turkey without needing something from the States!

Egg Carton Advent Calender.
This project was funny..it was called the last minute 11 day late advent calender.  Tissue paper, red paint and large egg carton. Little pices of paper were placed inside each egg hole.

Annual individual no-bake Ginger Bread (Biskuvi) houses.

Hanging Cardboard Christmas Tree.

This hung in our kitchen and the kids helped paint it green and decorate.

Homemade Clothes Pin Ornaments

They were a gift for my sweet friend Alyssa.

Cutting, painting and hanging Snowflakes.

Check here for our DIY racetrack we made 

last Christmas for our son. 

Ok that was 2010... 

This year I have a different last minute Advent Calendar...however I was a week ahead this year. ;) Maybe I will post it before next year. ;)

Enjoying the Simplicity and joy of Christmas.

In our west corner.

Becky

Autumn's quilted pillow

This is Autumn's pillow.  I  really had fun putting together these colors. It was fun to pick colors and design to match my girlies .  However I feel like the pics don't do justice .. (but that's probably just me since I worked on them for a solid month and 1/2 ;))  I am the kind of person who learns by doing. Wow did I make a bunch of mistakes and have to start over on this or that,  but after Lydia's pillow which was more complex anyway, this pillow didn't seem to take me as long and the actually quilting (sewing) part was a lot of  fun.

This is the back.  I need to fix the one side  however the back is Autumns favorite part right now.
It was fun to do applique for the first time with this.

Christmas morning ~ with the pillows.
(yes that is our homemade doll-house in the background.
I want to blog on that soon too.)



Christmas 2010 ~ In our west corner,

Becky