What are you doing today?

Happy Monday! It's almost December....Tell me. What are you doing today?

I love this place....

One of my favorite places I have found in blogland that fits me to a T is Farmhouse Wares! I would furnish my house entirely with their stuff if I could! Course my barn has alot to do with this craving because it just screams for all of the neat products they sell.. O help me! I love the look of these wreaths against the barn boards!!!

O Whispering Creek house .....you should have one of these simple coat hooks!

And really... can't you see a bundt cake with powered sugar sprinkled ever so lightly on this pretty pedestal? I can...

And who doesn't need a helping hand? Me! I do I do! that's who.....

Oh! to be on the table at Christmas.....Awww. So go on over there and check them out! And tell them I sent ya!

BEFORE AND AFTER!!

I wanted to share this candle project with you because it is a quick and easy one ANYONE can do in a few minutes..

See these ugly green candles? Well, for one they are not real.. they are battery operated and two they stink like artificial pine needles..gross..In order to keep with the "use what I have" theme I'm going with this year...I had to come up with a idea that would save these things!

And I think I did! With scrapbook paper of choice wrap around the candle and glue in place..cut some burlap into a band and hot glue it into place.. a little jute string, some pearls and a leaf charm...I easily changed the candle and my mood! It is my one small thing of the day..and I love it!

I took a brown paper bag and white paper with typing on it..and ran each through the paper shredder and instantly had confetti to put around the base of the candle..Aww I am so pleased! You should make one too! Thanks for stopping by! Love it Mean it! Stephanie

Fall Clearance makes Christmas bright!

I can finally talk about Christmas without feeling like I am betraying Thanksgiving..The kids hauled down the decorations from the old barn today and we started dreaming of how to arrange with what we have this year..Alot of you are doing the same and it is really fun to do something different with what you have...Last year I did this project completely from the FALL clearance rack at JoAnne Fabrics...I found these floral arrangements on the rack for around a $1.00 each!

I wanted something like this....

And this....and by adding a little to this fall arrangement I saved money and that is very very good..

Why pay for branches full price when I can just take fall foliage and spray it with glitter? Yeah, I know...So with a coupon for 40% off I bought this can of glitter for under $5.00....(you know what I just thought of? Sometimes there are cans of glitter on the clearance rack from Halloween why not grab some of that up and use it? Note to self..do that next year!)

Found some picks for .35 cents each!

Look at that! and the hydrangea is the perfect color for my living room!!! Yes! So they were glammed up to with a little spray gold ..

I sprayed this too- even though I didn't use it in this arrangement..

Found some flowers and glittered them!

BEFORE GLITTER......

AFTER GLITTER!

And here they are!! All done and seriously inexpensive!! So the lesson here..Don't be afraid to find flowers off the fall clearance rack especially if you are doing a natural look..glitter on any kind of flower or leaf can make it "look" Christmas..and after the holidays go back and get the Christmas stuff on clearance for next year! Thanks for stopping by! Love ya mean it! Stephanie

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Wishing you and your families... A Happy Thanksgiving! May God Bless you and keep you! With love from The Whispering Creek House!

Need some encouragement?

I just want to take some time and tell you about this great blog called Home Sanctuary..it is a blog that is encouraging for people like me that need to hear :if you can get just one small thing done today it will make your day go better...it really helps me when I could use a boost to get going..it does makes a difference if you just do one small thing around the house! I use to set the timer for about 20 minutes to see how much I could get done just tidying the house up..boy I DID get alot done! I need to get back to doing what works! LOL So, check it out and let me know what encouraged you! Thanks for stopping by! Love ya! Mean it! Stephanie

Famliy protraits... have you done yours?

Yes. It's that time again.THE FAMILY CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT..oh..does my heart go pitter patter...in FEAR that is.. What is it about family photos being done that people seem to lose all reason ..as soon as the camera comes out???

There is always one precious child who MUST reveal the side we like to call the"family secret"..

The reason it is called the "family secret" is because you will never see.. in public.. what moms will do..to get that SPECIAL family photo...It's like... I don't even know who I am...it's like Halloween finally came!..it's like crazy became reality!...it's like a bad nightmare and your still awake!..you know what I mean right? One of my precious children is gonna give in to an impulse and let INSANE loose on the whole group...does screaming, punching and proclaiming "I hate this"! from your kids.. sound familiar to you?? Are kids falling down, picking noses and looking fondly off yonder?

Well.. we are gonna get to do this AGAIN cuz we just didn't get it QUITE right..and you know me..it's GOTTA be perfect...Thanks for stopping by! Love ya mean it! Stephanie

All images (except the last one) is from AOL goofy family photos...maybe I will add mine.. LOL

Your a winner!

Congratulations to you Olivia and me
Your the winner of the Cappuccino Topping Set Giveaway!!!
Contact me with your address and I will pop this in the mail to ya! Thanks to all of you who entered! Love ya mean it! Stephanie

Giveaway!

You all know me enough now to understand how much I love my coffee...right? So in the season of giving -I wanted to share this with you! Would you like A Cappuccino Topping Set to gussy up your coffee or your hot creamy cocoa? I am picturing you sitting next the fireplace reading( my blog of course!) and enjoying a cup of yummy coffee or hot cocoa sprinkled with just the perfect amount of topping and thinking your so glad you entered this giveaway cuz now you have the best excuse to come visit me! I must insist you do this! So that anyone who gives you guff will be quieted and you would be left alone in peace to think on important things like ideas for decorating and crafting and sewing projects you would love to get to! Just leave me a comment and if you like my blog --please become a follower! I would love to have ya! This giveaway ends Monday Nov.23.....Thanks for stopping by! Love ya! Mean it! Stephanie

Cloches! o how pretty you are..

I have been dreaming of the above ....when this happened...

I received THESE in the mail from a friend..Sarah.. for my birthday! Are they not so lovely? She does give the most thoughtful gifts! I have eyed cloches for ever so long but really never felt I could splurge on any..thank you Sarah they are wonderful!

So I found some info thanks to the Internet on how to do my tabletop garden..

Add a little soil...mix it up...

Add a plant some pretty rocks..

And whala...a tabletop garden!!!! Easy breezy beautiful!!! I'm gonna have to get to work now! Lol

Hope you have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by! Love ya mean it! Stephanie

Getting our kitchens ready...

Is this room ready for the holidays? I was just thinking I should get in to my kitchen and get it ready for the holiday baking and cooking I am hoping to do this year...my cupboards and fridge and my oven needs a good cleaning...What are some of the things you do to prepare for the holidays in your kitchen? I would love to know for very selfish reasons...to get myself motivated for the BIG job!! Thanks for stopping by! Love ya mean it!Stephanie



image countrycottage (wish it was mine!) lol

Christmas clips..so lovely

Shelly? LOL GO check out these little cuties from Little Birdie Secrets

I would love a pair for Ella! I just need to find a Christmas dress! Should we give it a try Shelly?

I just have to talk about it...

Oh I have got to say I have been holding my breath ...WAITING... I tell you!!!.... TRYING with all my might to get to Thanksgiving...but I cant take it anymore..I'm ready to talk about Christmas! There I said it!!.... I feel better... I think I even look better just saying it out loud! The wreath is an in between....don't ya think? Fall apples/ winter wreath...LOL thanks for stopping by and don't forget everyday this week my cousin Jen has a giveaway for boys and girls clothes! love it! Love you! Mean it! Stephanie

P.S. if Jen doesn't have her daily post up yet ..go look around and see what she has and check back later in morning she will probably have it up and ready to go.. she has a brand new pretty baby girl Hazel ....so she is doing it all! And she does it very well!! I hope one of my followers wins! Good luck to you!!

Giveaway!! Dont miss it!!!

My most talented cousin Jen is doing a giveaway that you must be a part of! She is such an amazing artist and designer! I'm positively proud as a peacock of her and want you to meet her! Say Hi for me when you enter! I would love to see how many of you go visit her! Thanks Jen for such an amazing giveaway... what a blast!

The house game....

Trying to get your kids to help with cleaning here is a great game to "play" with them! It is from
Jen
I thought this might give us all a boost with the holiday's coming!! Even a little help goes along way!! Say Hi! to Jen from me and enjoy her blog it is great! Thanks for stopping by! Love ya mean it! Stephanie

Easy striped tablecloth!

STEP 1: Wash and tumble dry a natural-colored canvas drop cloth--ours measured six by nine feet ($8.44; hardwareworld.com)--a few times to soften the fabric.
STEP 2: Lay the cloth flat. Run a strip of 1/4-inch grout tape down the middle of the fabric widthwise. Then run two additional pieces of tape on each side of the first, spacing them 1/4 inch apart (you'll have five strips total).
STEP 3: Squirt some red fabric paint ($1.89 for two ounces; createforless.com) onto a paper plate and dab a brush in it, off-loading any extra paint onto a paper towel. Working in short strokes, lightly brush the paint on the cloth between the taped areas to catch the grain of the canvas.
STEP 4: Continue to layer the pigment until it appears as dark as desired. Remove the tape once the paint has dried according to the package instructions



Another goodie from country living..Hey just found out this idea is Jens go check her blog it is a favorite of mine! Well done Jen!

The day change came....

So its here..a change...today it starts...I'm a little afraid but I'm going to be ok...Because I'm not alone..change will be good.....right? Im just going to rest in that! Hope you all have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by! Love Ya mean it! Stephanie





credit the photo if its yours please! I love it!

Thanks Oklahoma Granny for the heartfelt award!

The rules for receiving the Heartfelt Award:“This award is bestowed upon blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose six more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

So,here goes...Funky Junk Interiors

And then there is The Shabby Nest

And....Holiday in the Sun

Common Ground

The French Cupboard

Olivia and me

A Splended Adventure

Now more than Ever

Thank you all for sharing your intrests with me....

Discussion Forum-Gift Exchanges

Ok so..Thanksgiving is coming and so is Christmas....I am wondering do you and your families do gift exchanges? How do you decide what you spend? Do you do family gifts for your brothers and sisters families or individual gifts? Do you buy for each of their children? Do you make homemade gifts? I would love to hear any and all ideas on this topic so this post is a discussion forum...lets exchange ideas here!

I want this!!!

A giveaway from Peanut Petunia

Dont miss it..

Easy ideas for Thanksgiving

I love this idea and I am thinking I should make one of these trivets for my sister as a hostess gift! You can do it too! Just get a glass candle plate and decoupage' your favorite paper to the back and you have a trivet for your bowl of stuffing!!

And these hats would be a great project for the kids!!! Aren't they just precious!!!

I love the napkin rings for the loves in your life...so inexpensive yet so classy!

Ooolala! Don't forget tolet everyone know what the menu is....only a white frame and a little hot glue and some fall foliage... and top it off with ribbon...so pretty!

And last but not least ..another great way to use up butternut and squash...perfect for appetizers! Just a few things to make Thanksgiving something to look forward to! Thanks for stopping by! love ya mean it! Stephanie



images BHG