Life at a "Swell's" pace

12 days of Christmas Pinspiration (day four)

Day Four:

Tiny Trees
from: Family Chic

What you'll need:

1. Corks

2. Glue

3. Clippings from artificial garland

4. Small screw hook

Use the small screw hook to create a hole in the corks. Place a small amount of glue inside the hole. Clip small "tree-like" cuttings from the artificial garland. Place the small cuttings into the holes. You can even give the little trees a trim to make them take the shape of actual trees. If you want to change out the cuttings from time to time, don't use any glue.

Be sure and visit Family Chic to learn about other DIY crafts you can do this season to brighten your holidays.

12 Days of Christmas Pinspiration-day four 2012

Follow Shelly Hardage-Wilkerson @ SNS's board 12 Days of Pinspiration (SNS) on Pinterest.

12 days of Christmas Pinspiration (day three)

Day Three:

Christmas Jars
from: The Tortoise and the Hare

What you'll need:

1. Jars (different sizes and shapes)

2. Sugar or Epsom Salt

3. Small Hobby Trees

4. Snow Spray

5. Bleach

First, clean the jars and dry completely. Sprinkle some sugar, or Epsom Salt in the bottom of the jar in a thin layer. You can either find white trees already, or use some bleach water and allow your green, or other color trees to sit in the bleach water overnight. If using the white trees already, spray on a bit of snow spray and allow to dry. If you go with the colored trees and placed them in bleach water overnight, dry completely, and add the snow spray. Another option is to spray paint the colored trees with white spray paint, too.

Add your little trees to the jar on top of the "snow." You can also add in small white animals or other objects to bring the Christmas jars to life.

Be sure to visit The Tortoise and the Hare to see other great Christmas decor ideas.

12 Days of Christmas Pinspiration- Day Three 2012

Follow the 12 Days of Christmas Pinspiration here.

Follow Shelly Hardage-Wilkerson @ SNS's board 12 Days of Pinspiration (SNS) on Pinterest.

12 days of Christmas Pinspiration (day two)

Day Two:

Cupcake Liner Christmas Trees
from: Dollar Store Crafts

What you'll need:

1. 12x12 Card Stock Sheets

2. Cupcake Liners

3. Glue

Fold the card stock into a cone shape, making sure the top is smaller than the bottom. Cut the cupcake liners along the side and cut the bottom off. Start lining the liners around the card stock and glue in place. Experiment with different colors and styles to bring your cupcake liner to life. Line the cupcake liners up the tree until you reach the top. And you're done!

Be sure to visit Dollar Store Crafts to get other great holiday ideas for Christmas and throughout the year.

12 Days of Christmas Pinspiration-Day Two 2012

Follow the 12 Days of Christmas Pinspiration here.

Follow Shelly Hardage-Wilkerson @ SNS's board 12 Days of Pinspiration (SNS) on Pinterest.

12 days of Christmas Pinspiration (day one)

This is the second annual "12 Days of Christmas Pinspiration" posts dedicated to the wonderful Christmas DIY ideas found on Pinterest. There are so many fantastic ideas out there to add to your Christmas decor, and most of them end up right on Pinterest. Last year's posts were shared and repinned with many others to add to their Christmas inspiration boards. I hope they added to your fun of decorating last Christmas and many Christmases to come.

Here are this year's "12 Days of Christmas Pinspiration."

Day One:

Cinnamon-Applesauce Ornaments
from: Modern Parents Messy Kids

What you'll need:

1. Cinnamon

2. Applesauce

3. Cookie Cutter

4. Glitter

5. Drinking Straw

6. Red Ribbon

Mix equal parts cinnamon and applesauce until you have a dough-like consistency. Roll out the dough and cut with a cookie cutter into Christmas shapes. Sprinkle with glitter if desired, and cut a hole in the top with the drinking straw. Allow to dry completely for a few days and attach the red ribbon.

These could also be used to adore packages this Christmas.

Please be sure to visit Steph at Modern Parents Messy Kids and see the rest of her fun ideas for the holidays.

12 Days of Christmas Pinspiration-Day One 2012

Follow Shelly Hardage-Wilkerson @ SNS's board 12 Days of Pinspiration (SNS) on Pinterest.

A few of my favorite things

Recently I've been slowly adding to my "vintage" collection with little pieces here and there. I've found antique bowls, hair acccessories, linens, and furniture. Along the furniture category, I have found these two wonderful pieces. The first one is the nightstand that I stumbled on by accident.

She was a lovely piece that just needed a bit of tlc. I'm not sure what exactly I want to do with her just yet, but right now, I think I will leave her as she is.

All cleaned up and on display in the living room is where she sits.

My next piece was a really worn 1940s-style radio. I did a bit of research online and found this information on it. It's an Admiral Console sold around 1947. The radio part is supposed to have a door on it that pulls down, similar to the turntable side, but the last owner apparently removed it and fixed the radio so it won't move. It was a lighter brown, but I added Old English Furniture Polish, in a darker tone, to cover up a lot of wear and tear.

The turntable was replaced sometime in 1980, the seller said, and works fine now. The old turntable was with it though, if I wanted to get it repaired and have it re-installed.

I snagged this radio for $10 at an estate sale and I am pretty pleased with it overall.

It is a great conversation piece in my living room and my Persian, Meia, seems to approve of it too!

Along with the turntable I picked up a few vinyls to add to my EVER GROWING collection. I am currently on the hunt for some vintage milk crates, or wine crates to house them in.

Five on Friday: Spark of Loves this Week

Yay for Friday! Today seems to be the day for superstition, but it's just Friday to me. So excited to share my Five on Friday with you. Here are the great things that made my week.

1. These Containers.

Because they are helping me store more bulk items as I buy them. The top jars are Ball jars, but the bottom ones can be found here.

2. This Soup.

Because nothing is better than a nice bowl of hot soup. This soup is butternut squash soup. So yummy!

3. These Antiques.

Because, I've been on an antique purchasing binge lately. I found these wonderful items at a local shop here in town. The LOOK magazine issue, with Elizabeth Taylor on it, was a fun read.

4. This Hat.