A Little Satin or Lace: Easy Update for Your Ornaments

As I have been decorating the house and tree this year, one thing has been ever-present in my mind.  God has created such beauty for us!  We have a wonderful little thrift store in my town, whose profits go entirely to Hospice, they have some of the most beautiful things you've ever seen, every day and month of the year.  However, come the middle of November they turn there store into a Christmas Wonderland.  Having saved all their Christmas donations throughout the year, they bring them out then in full force and the store is transformed, and for very incredibly bargains!!!

It is appropriately named Sacks Thrift Avenue!

They have had so many beautiful things and for such great prices, I found myself running to the store at least 3 times a week!  And why not?  I have a lot of decorating to do, both here at my home and over at my Mom's! (Post to follow on My Mom's front porch Christmas Makeover)

 This ornament was in the original 1950's packaging, a complete box of 9 for $2. The deals just kept getting better.

One thing I have discovered about ornaments this year, is whether old mercury or dollar store finds, every single ornament looked better, and more old-world vintage hung with a piece of satin ribbon or lace!

They just look Better!  And, you cannot beat the price for this redo on your ornament.  Whether you get your ribbon at the Dollar Tree, Goodwill, or Michael's you will pay no more than $1 for anywhere from 6-10 yards of it!! 

 

Can you imagine how many ornament you can remove those little metal hooks from and redo at this price? The sky is the limit and all it takes is a little time and not much of that, either. 

 

 I had a few friends stop by while I was re-doing these ornaments with satin ribbon and they all wanted to do some, too!  We visited for about 30-45 minutes and all the ornaments I had out were transformed and half of them on the tree!!  Blessings don't really cost anything, do they?  Neither did this  incredibly fun and easy project!

I'm sharing this week @ These beautiful Blogs:

The Perfect Tree and a Good Friend

I am Blessed to have a friend who is large and strong and kind, who is happy to help when called in exchange for a couple cups of coffee and conversation.   I called him when I found “the Christmas tree,” you know the one, the one you have to have and for the right price.  Yes, believe it or not, it was in this lot that I found my 11-foot beauty for $39.99!!

Of course, my friend tried to talk me into a smaller one, as he was the one that was going to have to lift into his truck and help me get up my stairs and into its stand.

 When I first found it though I had seen the beginning of a bird’s nest inside its middle branches, and I was sure that was God's sign to me that this was my tree!! My friend did try to move the stack of sticks and twigs into a smaller tree, but I was already in love, so he gave in to the fact I wasn't going to look at any others and dutifully loaded into the back of his truck.

Thanks, D!

I know I am biased, but isn't it the most beautiful tree you've ever seen...I know, I know, you probably think you have the best tree. But you would have a difficult time convincing me of that!  Now onto the lights!! Oh, my the house smells so wonderful.

How lucky am I that this the view from my desk?

I'll be back soon!!  I have been such a busy elf, that I barely know what to share with you next!   I have more decorating to do!!  

Did you see it over there on the table? I swear my heart and eyes are full.

Many Blessings to you all!! 

Decking the Halls!

 Sorry, it took me so long to get this posted to share with you today!! I love this wreath and it’s funny when writing a blog, you want to share with everyone something special that you made, but some of your most beautiful creations don’t always translate as beautiful in a picture as they are in person.  So please bear with me, as I have tried to include different angles of this wreath, that I am so enjoying, as to share with you how Beautiful it actually turned out. 

My Kind of Fall Wreath for under $8

Good Friday afternoon all!!! Before I share my latest project with you, I have to thank you all so much for your prayers and continued support! Whilst I was away, nursing an ailing back. You have all been so kind, and it has done my heart and soul good to see how wonderful you all are. So thank you, again!

Okay, now on with the task at hand! And, I'll just be honest with you (as if I could try to be anything else) I hate (okay hate is too strong of a word, greatly dislike with a passion) orange!! Always have. Yellow is a great second runner up for this dislike of mine. But, I do, However LOVE Fall, in all of its glorious radiance!! Normally this is not a big problem, but when starting to make a fall wreath to share with you all, I found it a little perplexing, but the best thing about sharing your work, is that you can share whatever your heart LOVE’s, and hope that there maybe people out there that feel the same!!! So here I go, again.

Update!

My Dear, Wonderful Friends~

I must apologize to you all for not posting in the past 2 weeks. I have, unfortunately, been having severe back pain and have not been able to finish any of my current projects and have only been able to sit at my computer for short periods of time...So, instead of sharing a prayer with you, I am requesting one from you.

If you are a praying person, I would be ever so grateful if you would ask the Lord to lift this pain from my back, if it be His will. I hope that you have found Shoestring Elegance on Facebook so that you are able to see what short "shares" I have been able to post. If not, now would be a dandy time to come "like" me there so you will know when I am back up and about! I promise you, I will share a new project with you as soon as I am able!

Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy these lovely images of the simply elegant Birthday Dinner I recently threw for my mother's 75th!! God Bless you and Thank you!

Anything Can Be an Elegant Centerpiece

Good Morning, Friends. I'm so glad you stopped by! Today, I was compelled to share with you a new project, as well as, a look back at some old favorites, to prove that, in fact, Anything can be made into a Beautiful, Elegant Centerpiece! And still be done on a Shoestring budget (under $5, or less, actually).

This beautiful piece, for example, was a little magazine holder I picked up at a rummage sale last month for $1 Yes, that’s what I said $1. 

It’s wasn't very old or even very pretty. But, it had at the top of it that wonderful Metal lace!! In my mind, I could see it in a beautiful Antique white. There was a small crack in one leg, easy fix, just a little crazy glue. And then, it occurred to me that I still had over a half of can of that wonderful Antique white spray paint I had used for my Rod Iron Candle Redo!! Perfect! Now was just the simple problem of how to make this container a vessel for beautiful blooms. 

With the sides at 6 inches, how simple to put some good old mason jars and an odd vase here or there, that could be filled with water and easily replaced as necessary!! 

This is when I could start to see the end image in my head!! So exciting to transform someone’s cast off’s into a beautiful repurposed, showcasing piece!! I am the very first to tell you, that I am not extremely “crafty” so-to-speak. 

But, I have found that if you look at the shape, dimensions, features, or “bones” of an object, You can truly see an inner beauty in it waiting to come to life in your home!!

Please look at all of the images here. These are all fairly simple things to do, you just need to look beyond what it is now, to see what it can be!! Go create! Enjoy Elegance on a Simple Budget!! I couldn't afford roses for this piece, but I have always loved Baby’s Breath ( which is only $2.99 for a nice large bouquet)!!

What can you afford? Do you have an old piece that you could make your Masterpiece? If you do, have at it!! And please come back here or on Shoestring Elegance's facebook page and share it with me!! It is seeing others creations, that inspires me to look beyond a simple object to its glorious potential!! Have a wonderful weekend all!!

This week I am sharing this post with these great parties!!

This post was kindly featured by:

Kathe with an E, Knick of Time, Rooted in Thyme

Anything Can Be an Elegant Centerpiece

Good Morning, Friends. I'm so glad you stopped by!  Today, I was compelled to share with you a new project, as well as, a look back at some old favorites, to prove that, in fact, Anything can be made into a Beautiful, Elegant Centerpiece! And still be done on a Shoestring budget (under $5, or less, actually).

New Twist On an Old Favorite ~ Old-Fashioned Bread Pudding

Is anybody else really ready for and missing the Fall weather? Or just anxious for it to get here? I sure am!! You know, having soups and stew on the stove top, fresh baked items coming out of the oven. That part of the fall is so wonderful and really something you can’t really do in the hot days of August in California. You have to keep your house open at night to get it cooled down and then close it up in the morning before the sun heats it back up. It’s hardly the time to turn on your oven or have something simmering on the stove top.Well, the couple last nights have cooled off early here and quite nicely, so I took full advantage of it to get my oven on! I wanted a wonderfully warm something from the oven that screamed of comfort food on cold days to me! A-Haa! My version of Bread Pudding!