holiday decor

Hand painted seasonal banners for Good Juju

cottage, Good JuJu, holiday decor, parties

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The banners are hung!

Yes, multiple banners!  The original one in this photo stays where it is, right behind the new ones that are hung on a pulley system so they can be lowered and switched.

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 For now, it’s Haunted Cottage for September and October First Fridays.

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Painted onto the backside of the Haunted Cottage is a Christmas Cottage.

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 All I have to do is roll it down with the simple pulleys, flip it over and haul it back up.

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It’s tempting to paint a whole slew of these canvases and switch them up continuously.   This Halloween/xmas one will do me til January, and I can go right back to my original one if I want to.  That would be the practical thing to do…………….

 

 

 

How to make Goblin wings

Good JuJu, holiday decor, how-to projects

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Guncle Randy gave Sugarwings a skelly, and I asked to borrow it for booth decor.  But first, she needed some foofing up.  Jewels and a skirt helped, but this gal needed wings.

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I wanted wonky, messy wings, more hobgoblin than fairy.  I used coat hangers to form them, and left them slightly crooked.  Then wrapped them in shiny duct tape, in a bulky, not too perfect way.

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I roughly cut out a piece of cellophane, sprayed it with adhesive, and then folded it over a wing.

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After firmly pressing both sides together, I used a heat gun to finish the adhesion by melting the front to the back.  I let the heat gun burn holes through the wings here and there too.  Then jaggedly trimmed off the excess and hit those raw edges with more heat to curl up.

They looked pretty good, but I wanted them more sinister than sparkly, so misted their edges with black spray paint. 

This went so well that I decided to make a few more pair to sell too.  I think the skeleton looks complete now.  I’ll wire them into place and hang her from my ceiling. 

Ahead of the game

Good JuJu, holiday decor

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Boo!

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Yes, I do own a calendar.  It may still be Spring, but with a busy summer ahead of me, I’m already full tilt into fall and holiday projects to sell in my booth.  Gotta have a jump start on those things and be a few months ahead, right?

Please excuse the messy pictures, I didn’t set these guys up for proper pics.  They looked so cute as is, sat down where I’d left them to dry, that I took photos of them right then and there. Cluttered background and all.

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My buddy, Beth, gifted me a stack of old hankies, most lacy or embroidered.  At first, I was going to make ghosts to hang from black umbrellas on the ceiling of my booth, but realized all that lovely lace would be wasted, it wouldn’t have been easy to see up high like that.

The plan changed to making the cutesy spookies into standing ghosties instead.

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Then, I figured, they’d need a face.  I was going to use a black marker to do those typical blob eyes and open mouths you see on cartoon ghosts.  Then switched to a finer point marker and drew pretty faces. That wasn’t quite enough, they needed blushing cheeks.  (Pictured with marker and blushed cheeks)

But I didn’t like the way the marker bled.  So, another change, I painted the eyes with acrylic paint, staying with black and white.  

And maybe some could have green, purple, or blue eyes?

My simple booth decor project soon became an all day painting session.  Another reason why making holiday decor months ahead is smart.  If I’d left this til the last minute, they’d have missed out on being darling creatures and would’ve spent the after life just as flying hankies.

A gingerbread village

family, holiday decor

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We tried something new this holiday season.
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We skipped the gingerbread and used chipboard houses or wooden birdhouses.
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The fam makes some spectacular cookie houses every Christmas, and they get fed to the chickens when we are done.
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Using wood and chipboard gives permanence to their creations so we can enjoy them year after year.

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We already got a chance to display these homes for our cocoa party on the 25th.

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Some people used a gingerbread colored paint for a background, others used royal icing tones.  I made my two blue, they are gifts for my sister and her favorite color.

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On the back of hers is an “S” for Sissy and a heart for our lost sister, Bobbie.

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The “icing” we decorated them with is tubes of puffy paint or glitter paint meant for tee shirts.

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Sugarwings made polymer clay candy and cookie shapes to add to them, and I provided bowls of odd and ends I’d collected over time. 
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New tradition?  I hope so!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Christmas Collection Over the Years

antiques/junking, cottage, holiday decor

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Yummy, huh?

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Guncle Randy had a boxful of these vintage beauties and sold them to me for a sweet deal.  
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My plan, and it was a good one, was to keep a couple faves and sell the rest.  

Oops!

Somehow they all landed on my own tree!  Who could pick a favorite from them?  Too pretty and full of vintagey goodness.

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My home is filled with good intentions.  This is a bench I paid my son to build for me, I painted it and planned to sell it.  20 years later, here it sits, still in the cottage.  That banner was made to sell too, I kept it because I love the word, MERRY.

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When I was first in the junking biz, there was a revolving door of inventory that I’d decorated with then sell and replace.  Over time, I appear to have gathered bits and pieces that never leave.  These mirrors, each with a rose theme, have found a home here and seem to be permanent.

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There are some things that just seem to fit where placed and deserve to stay there.  This cabinet is the perfect size for this wall.

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As is the hutch that sits near it.  But what about the holiday decor?  As I was arranging Christmas decorations this year, I was pondering that.
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What makes something “a keeper”? Often, it’s a gift, or from the past.
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Other times it’s something I made at a friends’ gathering.

Or a project I made that no one bought.  Same with inventory I bought to resell, and it just got overlooked and is still here.

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Sometimes, there are special, family items, like these snowflakes my great aunt made.

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There are even pieces I found in trash along the road, like this broken buggy.  
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All I know is that, whatever the origin, heirloom, trash, hand crafted, unsold inventory, gifts, all of it- when they come together to fill my home- it feels like Christmas.

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Confessions from a Christmas Tree-aholic

cottage, holiday decor

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I like Christmas trees.

 Lots and lots of them.  

Very many lots and lots of them.

After collecting and crafting ornaments for a lifetime, I have plenty of Foof to throw on the trees too.  

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So different areas of the home get divided up in to themes.  This is my woodland corner.  It seemed suitable to have by my husband’s fireplace. This trio is all from Walmart, they have affordable and attractive ones there.  And I like mixing mine up, with this spot holding three narrow ones in various heights.

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My dear lil deer belong by the silver forest.

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At a garage sale this past summer, I scored this ombré pink tree for five bucks. It’s on the dog kennel and while it would’ve been clever to cover it in pet themed ornies, nope- it is filled with shiny Brites and putz houses.

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Here is another metallic one from Walmart.  It is champagne toned instead of silver.

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The theme on top of this cabinet is silver and gold with cherubs.

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My embellished violins are out all year, but I think they add a nice touch at the holidays too, so leave them displayed.

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In the living room there are multiple mini trees on top of the wardrobe that holds the tv.  And a nice, fat, white, tabletop one filled with hand made pieces by the sofa.

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Here’s more minis on the mantel.

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This is the baby pink tree that used to be Sugarwings’ as a child (theirs is now a silver one decked out in Nightmare Before Christmas and kept by their bed.)  That kid has moved on from pink, but I haven’t, so now it holds a few of hand painted balls from over the decades.

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Hmm, somehow I missed getting photos of my main, big tree (and I have to admit, a few other small ones).  

But here is my newest fave- a simple white tree with a single strand of teensy lights to enjoy while I soak in the tub of my newly repaired and revamped bathroom.  There might be wine involved while gazing at this tree.  

A Cottage Christmas Open House

celebrations, cottage, Food and Drink, friends, holiday decor, We're having a party


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Angie, Beth, and I cohosted a holiday get together at my house last week.
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We had planned for plenty of food, and generous guests brought delectable goodies too.

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It became a true feast!

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And a feast for the soul too.

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I loved having a houseful of festive friends filling up my space and my heart too.

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Dorothy got plenty of attention and spent her days choosing which laps she wanted to visit.  The hooligans, I mean, big dogs, were banished up to Ryan’s apartment.

Because they’d have loved to be climbing onto laps too.  It’s not as cute when a 60 pounder does it as it is when a 6 pound dog wants attention.

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Two nights earlier, I’d made dinner for my book club buddies, then Rich was out of town, Sugarwings was at mama’s house, so the cottage was already for party number two.  I just shifted the extra tables around and brought in chairs from the studio.

Since I was on my own for a couple of days, well except for said hooligans, the house stayed cleaned up.  I did need to re-mop, but with 2 doodles and a golden retriever that is the story of my life.  I’m a full time mopper.

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The outdoor tables with lights strung underneath worked well for the dinner party on Tuesday and just as well for Thursday afternoon’s gathering.  They are my new favorite hosting trick and I’ll be wrapping lights under them all the time in the future. It will be a nice bit of sparkle for a summer night’s garden party too.

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The cocoa station got beefed up for the day too, and we set out some tasty liquors plus whipped cream to mix in with the chocolate.

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I might’ve gone overboard on the cocoa packets.  But as much as Sugarwings and I enjoy our parties by the tree, plus with family coming, it might not be too over the top.

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I feel quite blessed to have had these fun ladies all come to our party.  Most were from Kansas City, so had to make a drive to get here.  I appreciate them making the time to come and celebrate with us.

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Holiday party season, part one

celebrations, Food and Drink, friends, holiday decor, We're having a party

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An event that I look forward to every year is our book club Christmas party

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We do a book exchange,  have dinner and wine together and just take time to chat.

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I try to come up with party favors to reflect the season. This year I made stretch bracelets in genuine stone beads the colors of the holiday and used them as napkin rings.

Dinner was slow cooked beef with red wine gravy, rice, and sweet potato/squash casserole.   Plus a salad.  I realized at the last minute that I forgot to buy salad dressing, so whipped up a cranberry vinaigrette with the berries I’d bought to serve as a side dish.  Lucky I had them available, huh?  Plus, now that is my new favorite salad topper.  I boiled the cranberries in orange juice with cardamom, then whipped it up in the blender with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and fresh thyme, from my flower bed with a little salt and pepper.  The blender made it almost creamy, I guess that is called emulsified? 

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Typically I make the entire meal, but this year I asked if friends could bring desserts.  What a great idea!  These bon bons were sorta like cake pops, but even better.

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And who knew you could make cookies with tumeric? Oh my, what a treat.

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We have a large group, which meant I had to be creative with the seating. Instead of setting up a folding table, I brought in my two glass topped garden tables.  Our special farmhouse table that we had made has a an epoxy river running down the center and lights below it.  To match that, I taped up some lights under the glass of the two I brought inside and I really loved the outcome.

Then we had a few cancellations, and ended up not needing either one.  Oh well.  It’s party week and I am using them again for the next group, so am glad to have carried them into the cottage before it got so cold outside.  It all worked out.  In the meantime, I was playing musical chairs, switching up place settings as each person dropped out.

In my world, the best time to host a party is the same week you just had one- you only have to clean your house once! I had a great time with the book club and am looking forward to part two with the next group.

 

 

A few new pieces for Good Juju

Good JuJu, holiday decor

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Our bonus shopping day at Good Juju in the Old West Bottoms of KC was super busy!

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And while I made sure I was very well stocked for our five dates for holiday sales, I felt like I needed to make a few more pieces for the last two days.

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So, for this First Friday weekend, I crafted a couple boxes full of new pieces.

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Honestly, I probably had plenty of goods.

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But if I have an excuse to make something, I'm gonna take it!

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A Santa redo

holiday decor

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As much as I enjoy turning neglected dolls into fairies and angels, I also get a kick out of Santa do overs. This guy got mink trim and a glittered tree.  Then an angora beard. 

I emptied his bag of cheap, plastic toys and replaced them with mini Shiny Brites.

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Here is his before look.  

I hope Santa Claus enjoys his makeover and remembers me when Christmas Eve rolls around.  I’d love to get a stocking filled with candy and treats!

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