Sweet Christmas Snippets Mantle

 

Hello my dear friends!

 

I am healing more each day and slow but surely getting Christmas décor out.  My oldest daughter, Nichole helped me decorate our family room mantle.

 

As long as I can remember I have had a sweet tooth.  I decided to embrace it with the gifts of this holiday season.

 

Feelin Sheepish. . .

Hello my friends,

A recent purchase of a sheep canvas got me feelin sheepish.

 

Farmhouse Style Mantle

 

Hello my friends,

You know my love for finding treasures at thrift stores.

 

Well, a recent thrift find was all it took to get me to give my basement mantle a new look.

 

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?

Hello my friends,

In about a week and a half summer will officially be here.

 

Of course those little wheels in my mind are turning.  :)

 

I am such a theme girl when it comes to my seasonal décor

So,

I just gotta ask, "what do you do in the summertime"?

 

BEE Still My Heart!

 

Hello my friends,

Have you ever had a moment when you felt like the stars aligned and angels were singing because you found something that you knew was just perfect!

 

That's what happened to me and I'm so excited to share it with you!

 

Village Peeps. . .

Hello my friends,

Spring is only a week away and I wanted to share some of my new village peeps with you.

Last year I created three glitter Easter houses.  I've found a few new peeps that are now hanging around town. 

Peter Rabbit and Friends. . .

Hello my friends,

have you seen the new 'Peter Rabbit' movie?

We just got home from taking one of our granddaughters to see it.  A bit corny in places, but the kid in me loved it!



Pom Poms and Roses. . .

 

Hello my friends,

 

I'm not sure what it is, but big fluffy pom poms and pretty roses make me ever so happy!

 

I had a couple of skeins of pink yarn that I had saved from one of the estate sales.  I added an aqua color from Hobby Lobby and then picked up a white from our local thrift.

 

 

Cherries and Chocolate. . .A Match Made in Heaven

 

Hello my friends,

as some of you may know; I am not a huge chocolate lover.

 

Oh yes, I enjoy a bit of chocolate now and then, but when it comes to cake, ice cream, and even chocolate.  I prefer white over brown.  :)

 

BUT cherries and chocolate together. . .now that's another story!

 

 

Summer Time Travel Themed Mantle. . .

Hello my friends,

for many of us; summer time means summer vacation!  Oh, how I remember looking forward to it as a kid.

 

People didn't travel nearly as much back then, but I remember vacationing to Disneyland the summer of 6th grade and going to all of the Canyonlands one year, (Bryce, Zion, and Grand Canyon)

I have vivid memories and still choose Bryce as my favorite.

 

We also did a lot of camping in our nearby mountains.

 

My summer time mantle is an ode to summer time travel.

 

 

I started with a couple of globes on one end of the mantle.

 

Our youngest daughter travels a lot and always sends us a postcard.  We usually get 3 or 4 a year.  I love them and the sentiments she writes on the back!  I pulled some out and draped them for a banner.

 

 

 

She spent one winter working on the glacier in Alaska.  The first postcard is from the town of Seward.  We both have visited beautiful Mt. Hood in Oregon.

 

 

On the back of Lone Pine she writes, "HOWDY MA & PA,

I'm way out west on an epic road trip.  Tonight we are camped in the Alabama hills, where bizarre big boulders lie right at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  The peaks are as high as the stars, and the wildflowers are in bloom.  Tomorrow we head for the coast and for Big Sur, a place I've been dreaming about for a long time.  As Always, I love & miss you -Ky

 



The Marigolds postcard is one that I bought at a cute shop while vacationing in Breckenridge, CO.

 

Who doesn't love traveling historic route 66?  Kylee sent it and the Yosemite.  Hubby and I have driven some of 66.  Would love to drive it all and we have mentioned going to Yosemite a number of times, but haven't made it there yet.

 



 

I borrowed this cork board from hubbies office.  The leather travel strip is something that I picked up to use in scrapbooking, but never did.  A couple years ago we visited three of what Utah calls

 the 'Big Five'.  We planned on going to all of them, but the weather turned bad and we didn't make it to Arches or the Canyonlands.  Have been there before though.

 

1. Utah's five national parks are Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion.

They actually did a big advertising push one year about the Big 5.  It has been said that it back fired on them.  They are all so busy now that it's crazy!

I only own two vintage travel themed postcards.  The beach one and the one of my dream vacation, Ireland.

 

I am censoring this naked beach lady from Puerto Rico.  :) Actually the metal basket handle just happened to fall in the perfect place. 

 

The basket is filled with pamphlets and maps that hubby has saved over the years.  I added the Utah Atlas and a fun destination diary I picked up at a thrift shop.  I've taken it on two road trips and forgot to write in it both times.  lol!

 

We had an awesome vintage Atlas at our last estate sale.  I was wishing I had bought it when I put this mantle together. 

 

 

 

This $.50 cent thrift find makes me ever so happy!  It's a slide from Bryce Canyon.  I tucked it into one of my small floral frogs.

 

 

On the hearth I placed three small world balls in my bowl with the grain sack stripe.

 

Hubby and I love to travel!  It amazes me at all the beauty and wonder that God has created on this earth!  We have an upcoming trip  planned to Maui in September.  Hoping we will still be able to go!  It all depends on if they can wait to start my radiation.  Keeping my fingers crossed!



 

Summer will soon be coming to an end.  Hope you get one more trip in before it does!

 

Happy travels!!

 

hugs,

Jann

 

I will be sharing with these lovely parties:

vintage Charm

The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home

 

Daily Chores of a Pioneer Woman. . .

Hello my friends,
here in Utah we celebrate 'Pioneer Day' on July 24th.

We honor the courageous men, women, and children that took the long and hard trek across the plains searching for religious freedom.

Pioneer Day Utah is celebrated on July 24th each year (on July 25 if the date falls on a Sunday) to mark the day in 1847 when Brigham Young led the first group of Mormon pioneers into the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. The day was first celebrated in 1849.

Although my mother was not an active Mormon and my father was Catholic, we have a long line of Pioneer heritage.

My mantle is a tribute to the hard working
Pioneer Woman

 Aprons were a must for a pioneer woman.  They kept their clothes clean, dried dishes, and wiped away many tears from the faces of little children.

Even though they were a necessity, it doesn't mean that they couldn't be pretty.  Fabrics were mixed, embroidery and bits of lace were added to give each one charm.  Some were even
hand crocheted.

 

Many hours were spent in the kitchen baking biscuits and pies.  Canning was necessary to get them through the winter months.

 

 

I must admit, there have been times that I thought I would have loved to have been a pioneer woman.

but. . .

then reality sinks in. 

We have it so easy with all of our modern conveniences!
Can you imagine having to use one of these heavy irons that had been heated on the coal stove?

 

 

They did not have the convenience of simply tossing their clothing in an automatic washer.

 

 

Children did their studying by light provided by candles or kerosene lamps.  Books were not plentiful, and they certainly didn't own a kindle or ipad.

 

 

When was the last time you thought of making a rug out of rags?

 

Now days quilting and rug making are done because we enjoy taking a step back and relating to our past.  We have a choice.

Pioneer woman did not.  It was their way of life.

 

 

If you ask me, pioneer woman were pretty amazing!  I love reading the stories of my ancestors.

The Mormon pioneers left their homes in Missouri and headed to the Salt Lake Valley in search of religious freedom.

They encountered terrible hardships and many died along the way.

Every four years the youth and youth leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ, (Mormons) reenact the 'Trek' that the Pioneers took.
Certainly not as long, and they endure nothing compared to the early pioneers, but it helps to remind them of the sacrifice their ancestors made.

They dress in pioneer clothing, leave iphones and all other modern day devices behind, and walk many miles pulling and pushing handcarts. 

Each youth is encouraged to research a pioneer ancestor that they can take that name along with them during their trek.

Here are a few pictures taken from the internet of some reenactments.

Some of my children and I have participated in 'trek'.
It certainly does grow your testimony and  increase your faith in the Lord.

How about you, do you think you could have been a
Pioneer woman?

hugs,
Jann

I will be sharing with these fun parties:
Vintage Charm
 

Give a Cheer for Pom Poms!

What is it about pom poms that makes us want to stand up and give a big cheer?

 

Perhaps they take us back to our younger days as a cheerleader, :) or maybe it's just because they are so darn cute!!

Not only cute, but easy and fun to make.  Especially if you have this handy dandy gadget.

 

$6.99 at Joannes's, but I snagged mine with a 50 percent off coupon.  Sure you can wrap yarn around cardboard, but this (in my opinion) was worth every penny.  Pom poms all turn out the same size and it was easy to use.  That is after my engineer hubby figured it out for me.  lol!  Truth be told!

 

This is the yarn I used.  Both on sale.  I made one pom pom with the red and cream but didn't care how there were longs strips of plain cream.  After that I cut it and wrapped the stripe and the cream separately.

So easy I made them while out of town celebrating my oldest sister's 80th birthday.  Wrap a little eat a little, wrap a little , eat a little more. 

 

I could hardly wait to string them and hang them up.  Sometimes I laugh at myself about how silly I am!  I strung and hung them the night we got home and in the morning I just HAD to decorate my living room mantle.  I won't be pulling out the rest of the Valentines until next week.  But I just couldn't wait!  That kid in a candy store syndrome. lol!

 

 

Using a large needle and crochet thread I strung them leaving space in between.

 

New found love for a simple scrubbing brush.  Loved the red bristles!

 

The marquee letter 'V' came off of a theater in a nearby town.  It remains one of my favorite Valentine décor items.

 



 

I made the wool blocks quite a few years ago, but they still hold a special place in my heart!

What grandma doesn't love giving hugs and kisses?  The chicken wire crown was a craft I made with my sil a few years ago as well.  I threw in one of my old radios for a touch of aqua.

 

In case your interested, here's how that little gadget works.  You wrap the yarn around the half circles.

 

Then you close it and snip all around the circle.

 

 

This is what it will look like after you have clipped it.  Next cut a small piece of yarn and wrap around the circle twice and tie off.

Carefully pull maker apart and voila!

A perfect (same size every time) pom pom!

You can just tie these to string or whatever with the little pieces left from tying off if you want.  I chose to cut them off and to thread them into a garland with a needle.

Hip, Hip, Hurray!

What can I say?  I love pom poms!

hugs,
Jann

I will be sharing with these fun parties:
Vintage Charm
Monday Social
Valentines Link Party
 

Mantle of White

My mantle of White and Silver with a little touch of red and

green. I am loving the Mercury Glass!

My 'Winter Wonderland' quilt made from

the line of Moda fabric called Figgy Pudding.

Notice it has my new favorite combo-turquoise

and red. It also has 3 of those frosty guys that

have a special place in my heart.