Our Christmas Cards~

I am so excited about this year's Christmas cards! You see, the Hubby and I had a vision of what we wanted. (If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you might recall that John is a photographer.) And he is finally doing well enough after his car accident that we could do a little photo shoot with the kiddos.

We wanted a picture of the kids asleep. Yep, you heard right...asleep. Okay, so that wasn't going to happen naturally. And a little bribery may have been involved. But, oh. my. goodness . did we end up with a beautiful picture. I think it's absolutely perfect. Good little actors, those kiddos.

A picture this sweet needed to be made into a FABULOUS Christmas card. And I wasn't going to trust that to just anyone.

So I turned to Cardstore.com. Cardstore.com has an amazing selection of holiday cards to choose from. We're talking oodles and oodles of options here, people. And they don't have to just be photo cards...although those are definitely my favorite! They have a great selection of non-photo Christmas cards as well, not to mention gift tags - with or without photos, invitations, etc. etc. etc.

A couple of the super-fantastic options from Cardstore.com


It took me a while to sift through all of the possibilities but I finally found the perfect card for our perfect photo. And I tell you, Cardstore.com was so fast, the cards shipped out the very next day! I couldn't believe it! And I was so happy with them once they arrived. The colors are beautiful and the cards are made of heavy, pretty cardstock. None of that flimsy photo paper. I just love them! Look at them all nestled in their shipping box. Aren't they pretty?

And the good people at Cardstore.com have offered the readers of The Shabby Nest a 20% discount on your first Cardstore.com purchase! All you have to do is enter the code CSHOLIDAY20 at checkout! That's it!!

Legal stuff: Cardstore.com offered me free merchandise in exchange for my review of their site, but all of my opinions are 100% mine.

Oh and one more thing...I just wanted to thank you all my FABULOUS readers!!! Over the weekend, this little ol' blog reached 2,000,000 pageviews!!! 2 Million!!! and 1000 likes on Facebook! You guys are THE BEST!!! I just love you all to pieces!

Have a great day~

Christmas tree around the world

Lovely trees from US at rockefeller centerDaily News

My Christmas Mantel~

Today I wanted to share with you my Christmas Mantel. It has always been a tradition in my house to decorate for Christmas on the day after Thanksgiving. And so, rather than braving the crowds on Black Friday morning...my little family and I braved the cold to go pick out a Christmas tree. (Which I'll share later.) Then it was back home to spend the remainder of the day hard at work getting our house ready for the holidays.

I mentioned in an earlier post that this year I had a neutral palette in mind. Mostly silver and white with touches of black...and green of course...and everything turned out just the way I envisioned it.

So without further ado, I present this year's Christmas mantel.



Circumstances being what they are this year, I was working with an exceptionally small budget for Christmas decorating. So my goal was to use things I already had. And when I absolutely had to supplement, I either created what I needed myself, (look for upcoming tutorials on my DIYs) or I found it at the dollar store. Now, I know I talk a lot about frugal decorating on this little old blog. And I practice what I preach. But the trick is, my dear readers, not to have the space look frugal. Sure, use things from the dollar store....but NEVER let it look like you used things from the dollar store. Caviar decorating on a tuna fish budget...

Here's how I accomplished this look...

The garland is one that I have had for a few years. It is just a simple craft store faux garland that I beefed up by doubling it. Then I added in a spring green berry garland and lights. I made it even more festive by attaching a few dollar store snowflakes and some pretty white and silver ribbon from Michael's Craft. (The ribbon is actually holding the garland up...because the mantle is rough stone, I couldn't come up with another way to attach the garland...so I nailed the ribbon to the wall just above the mantel and then tied the garland with the ribbon...an easy-peasy solution!)

Then for the glitz factor, the ornament wreath. I made this darlin' out of dollar store ornaments. Really, I did. And I'll share a tutorial on just how I did it later.

Next, the fabulous faux mercury glass candle holders. Another little DIY (again, tutorial to come).

I also re-used my sweet chenille Christmas trees, just popped them on top of some brushed nickle candle holders that I pulled out of my decor storage. (I highly recommend keeping a decor staging storage area if you don't already have one. It really helps when you want to switch things around.)

The topiaries are on the mantel year round...but I made them a little more festive by adding sweet little bird ornaments.

And finally, the pretty stockings that I made a couple of years. The boys' stockings are made out of tan linen that I repurposed from an old jumper and the girls' stockings are made from a repurposed baby quilt. I just love their understated elegance.

Oh, and the basket on the hearth holds my collection of Children's Christmas books. I simply adore them, and the kids and I have a great time reading them every day of the Christmas season! It's one of our favorite traditions.

I just love it at night with the lights twinkling....magical!

So there you have it! My 2010 Christmas Mantle! I'm linking to the Mantel party at The Lettered Cottage! Hop over and check out all the festive fun!

Have a great day~

Wallpaper From Paper

The surface is not too shiny dove
Wallpaper Made from paper, making it easier to tear
Wallpaper Can only be cleaned with a dry cloth
Wallpaper Recyclable

Wallpaper for Your Home

Julkransar

Att hitta fina kransar i våra inredningsbutiker

är en utmaning tycker jag.

Här får ni fina inspirationsbilder från blogg vän

A CUP OF JO

Denna underbara krans ni ser här nedan, har jag i mitt ägo.

Den hänger på min öppna spis

Köpt i USA

Frugal Friday~

With all the Thanksgiving preparations this week, I am still working my way through last week's Frugal Friday posts...so I'm going to have a double-size edition of the Frugal Roundup for next week's Frugal Friday.

That's okay though, because I have a great deal to share with you all today!




For the remainder of the month of November, you can get a Silhouette Electronic Cutting Tool for only $199 - that's a savings of $100!! Not only that, but they'll also send you a Home Decor CD (a $55 value) absolutely free with purchase! All you need to do to get this great deal is to use the code "SHABBY" at checkout.

Silhouette cutter pictured with computer monitor

I simply adore my Silhouette Cutter....I have been using it almost non-stop for the past couple of days making all kinds of Holiday decorations that I will be sharing with you in the next few weeks! This is a SUPER deal...you can give it as a gift...or gift yourself with one (I know you've been wanting one!) But hurry, this offer is only good until the end of the month! And remember, in order to get this great deal, you must enter the code "SHABBY" at checkout.



Now it's your turn!

You know "da rules"...

1. Please link directly to your post and not just to your blog.
2. Please link back to The Shabby Nest so that others can enjoy the Frugal goodness.
3. Please leave comments on the posts that you visit...help our participants feel the love!

If you link up to the party, but fail to link back to The Shabby Nest, you may have your post removed. Likewise, I reserve the right to remove posts that are not in keeping with the spirit of the Frugal Friday party...ie those posts that link to your business, your giveaway, or those that are not about Frugal projects and Frugal Finds. Let's all play fair. Mkay?

Super Black Friday Deal from Canvas People~

Just wanted to let all of my wonderful readers know that Canvas People is offering an amazing Black Friday deal...

50% off an entire order + FREE shipping. Friday only.

Hurry over and get a fabulous photo on canvas...a perfect gift idea!!

I Am Thankful~

Thanksgiving this year is especially poignant for me. After nearly losing my husband this year, the important things in life were thrown into sharp perspective for me.

And so this year, the things that I am most grateful for are life and family.

Everything else is just frosting on the cake.

These are my greatest blessings.

Thank you for being such wonderful blog readers! I am so thankful that I can come and visit with you all here.

And today, I wish you all many things to be grateful for.

xoxo Wendy

Show me-Julgranar

Välkommen till Hotel Birger Jarl Traditionella Julgransutställning

där tio spännande mode-och designpersonligheter bjuder in att tolka julens

praktfulla signum.

Inbjudan Bindefeld AB

Every year Hotel Birger Jarl invites famous designer to decorate a Christmas tree.
This is the 2010 Designers trees

Micael Bindefeld, Moi (Marie Söderberg) & vackra Karin Säby

vars gran

"Icicles Sustainable Christmas"

vi ser i bakgrunden

Underbara Kreation som jag Föll pladaskt för

HunkyDorys Christmas.

Som inspirerades av företagets tre ledord när de valde

dekorera en gran. Andas romantik, militär och etnisk touch.

Detalj bild från David & Martin

Som gav sin gran evigt liv. deras tankar kring

mumiefiering som bevara något som är värdefullt

"Kairo"

Butik Judiths second hand

"Granny"

Såå fin specialgjord belysning i kopparfärg

och trådlampor, kreativitet på Hög nivå

"Granen är som livet som smyckas av tidens

nyckfullhet och modets cykler."

Fantastiskt vacker att titta på.

Granen från ELLE här med Cia Jansson

granen heter

"Joyeux noElle"Hennes gran är svart den "lilla svarta"

som hon valt att dekorera med sidenband i glada färger.

Detaljbild ELLEgranen


En chokladdoppad gran till jul?
Ja så tänkte designer Ann-Sofie Back som hade flera olika
ideer om sin gran. Då julen främst handlar om mat i hennes fall
fick hon Chokladfabriken att nappa på ideen att doppa en hel gran
i grytan. Självfallet ätbara delar då kulorna består av tryffel
granen heter Brown

Jag och Elin Kling framför hennes
"Greetings"Hon beklätt granen med fina guldramar, det fina med granen
är dess enkelhet
och hon valde att rama in den med
hälsningar från sina nära och kära.
Fint tycker jag, som ser detta som en
symbol och Hyllning till julgranen.
Tack Elin Kling!

Här nedan en detaljbild från Elin Klings gran



Jag älskar julen och julgranar
och är oerhört glad över att ta del av denna
fantastiska utställning.

Länge leve Julgranen Hurra Hurra Hurra !!

ej på bild i detta reportage med syns på Facebook är
www.fvhast.com
www.ourlegacy.se

Detaljbild från Behnaz gran "Flower lab"
bilden nedan hela vackra granen.

Holiday Inspiration~

I decorate for Christmas on the day after Thanksgiving. I just like to give Thanksgiving its due. A lot of times I feel like it is the forgotten holiday. Wedged in there between Halloween and Christmas...the prelude to Black Friday. And, honestly, Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite holidays. So I wait until the next day to pull out my Christmas decor. (No offense to anyone that likes to decorate pre-Thanksgiving...I KNOW it's hard to wait.)

But, all of that said, I start thinking about and preparing my Christmas decor long before that. (Like right after Halloween.) And this year I've decided to go with mostly whites and silvers. I have a lovely neutral palette running through my head.

....And then my copy of Country Living arrived. And I saw these photos....

And I swooned. I just love them. all. Interesting how this pale-on-pale Christmas color scheme seems to be popping up all over the place this year. I guess great minds think alike, huh?

And today I am especially thankful for a warm house to live in as a blizzard rages outside and the temperatures plummet to the low teens. I know how blessed we are. How very blessed.

Have a great day~

My Take on the DIY Sunburst Mirror and a Winner~

So I've seen all of the fabulous Sunburst Mirrors cropping up around blogland...and I knew that I was going to have to make me one. Trick was, I could only use things that I had hanging around the house. Luckily, I've found that having limitations like that, often works in my favor. I am forced to think outside the box...so I thought. and I thinked. and I thunk. and then I remembered this pretty little thing!

I made this wreath at the beginning of the book-wreath-craze last year. I even shared a tutorial on how you can make one of your own, so I'll spare you all the repetition here, but you can check it out if you'd like to know more.

I've been in love with this wreath ever since I made it, but I thought that perhaps it might want a little sprucing up. I mean who (or what) doesn't want a little bling, right?

My mother is always a great source of free goodies, so I asked her if she "happened" to have a round mirror that she didn't need. Of course she did. I was in luck.

Then all I did was whip out "old blue" my trusty glue gun, and glue the mirror onto the wreath. Simple.

And now I have a fabulous sunburst mirror.

Love.

And the winner of the EcoNaturals Soap giveaway is Melissa who said "I'd love to try out these products. Especially the lip balm!" Congratulations, Melissa!!! Please drop me an email and we'll get you set up with your fabulous prize!

Have a great day~