If I had this canvas I would keep it up all year around. Wouldn't you? One year I wrote the word "Emmanuel" on one of my framed chalkboards for Christmas, and I kept it up all year. It's so appropriate for every day being the fact that God is with us. Why am I saving that word for Christmas?
Today we've got a giveaway from one of my favorite shops, a shop filled with stuff that I want. Red Letter Words. Why is it called Red Letter Words? What I like about RLW is the art is a perfect example of modern with a twist of vintage style. Plus the focus is on the words, be them a message of pure hope or fun playroom words like "chutes and ladders and Yahtzee". Plus, it's owned by a sweet girl, just like us, named Dee, who desires to have things in her home that have both beauty and meaning.
And you know you are going to have a chance to enter a giveaway. I mean, there's no way I'm going to show you these prints without giving you the chance to win one and be the envy of the blog world.
I'm totally envisioning a wall of black and white photos of my fellas centered around one of these canvases. And the VERY BEST part about this stuff is that you can have it customized! OH my word! Y'all, I'm giddy with the thought of doing this idea--black and white photos of my boys and man all around a custom canvas print that has their names, or nick names and some other boy words included. The only problem would be I couldn't show it to you because you know how weird I am about sharing all of our real names and stuff. But isn't that a sweet idea? Kind of like a family wall but with a centerpiece that holds such special meaning to your family.
If I were getting one of these made for my sister it would have the word "sisters" on it and then include all of our dorky inside jokes like "chocolate frosty, finally coming out of your shell, Willoway, Barbie and the Rockers, 1528, baby kittens, tire swing,". Clearly the possibilities for custom canvases {canvi?} are endless. And I fully expect an email from my sister telling me all the words I didn't include.
Well, let's get to what's in it for you! Leave a comment to enter to win a 12 x 12 gallery wrapped canvas of your choice. Lucky. You get everything. You can pick something Christmasy or not. Totally up to you.
Thinking about ordering one of these beauties for Christmas? If you want a custom canvas, your order needs to be in by December 1. For the regular canvases that you see in the shop, have your order in by December 15th.
Leave a comment telling us what you would like to see on a canvas--a verse? Which one? A quote? Personally, I'm partial to lyrics from old hymns and traditional Christmas music. I like the phrase "The Weary World Rejoices" from O Holy Night. Make sure you include an email address if you aren't linked to your blog so I can contact you if you win.
Skip on over to Red Letter Words fun to explore website and get to know Dee and her work-- you will not be sorry.
{This giveaway post was sponsored and paid for by Red Letter Words as a form of advertisement. Giveaways are only available to sponsors of Nesting Place. All sponsors of Nesting Place are subject to my grueling battery of tests. This means, I have to see value in what they offer and want to spend my hard earned cash on their wares. If I don't feel like I'm doing you a favor by introducing them to you, they don't get in.}
PS: Hopefully, tassel ebook to come next week! Fingers crossed!
It's a Red Letter Day!
Moss Topiary
Remember how I told you that I kept pulling things out of my yard sale pile to keep? I had already priced a bunch of topiaries but decided to keep them at the last minute. I used them two Christmases ago on my mantle.
I was tired of my unnaturally green, unnaturally perfectly round topiaries.
Then I saw a girl cover a wreath form with moss on her blog. And I thought I added her to the Nest Files/tumblr but I can't find it. If you know who it was, let me know. She was replicating a wreath she saw in Pottery Barn. And it sparked and idea to do the same to my topiaries. Thanks, Lettie, yes it was Carrie from Buzzings of a Queen Bee! . And, Get Your Martha On--that's what gave me the topiary push!
A little hot glue and a bag and a half of moss, and arthritis in my thumb later.
See the difference in the before and after? I have twins. I like how organic and imperfect the made over topiary looks. Boy am I glad I kept these. I sure would be mad if I was reading one of your blogs and you bought my topiaries for $1 each and then made them all cute and happy.
I found that within a few days, the moss kind of dried out and shrunk a little. Which was fine. The fresher moss was fluffier and brighter. I like how the moss has yellow undertones instead of bright green. Remember how we've talked about what to look for with fake plants? Now I'm looking all over for stuff I can cover in moss. Wreath coming soon. What have you covered in moss?
Contact me girls with your address and I'll forward it on. Didn't win? You can still catch a break: Use the coupon code DSTENOFF for $10 either the Nativity Hurricane {love these!} or the Jesus is the Gift Metal sign. Valid thru 12/20/09
Julie from My Fine Art is giving away a $50 gift card towards a lovely photo on canvas at her blog. What a fantastic gift for grandma! Click the link to enter--don't try to enter here! And, don't worry, you don't win one with these people's faces--you get to have your own people's faces!
In With the New
I told you yesterday how every year I keep an eye out {ok, both eyes out} for a few things I can get to really shake up my current Christmas decor. I can't spend much money, but I want what I buy to be versatile, fresh and fun and help set the tone for the Christmas Season.
I ordered this feather tree from DaySpring and decorated it with crystals that I pulled off an old, weird light fixture that I bought at at yard sale this summer. The tree is on sale for only $9.99 {$9.99!!!} ...and the crystals were $3. An unbelievable deal on both. The branches are all bendable so you could make the back flat and even use a pair of these trees on your mantle. And I cannot even think about how darling this tree would be in a girls room or as a gift all decorated with bows or bird ornaments or silver strings of beads. What about for a teacher and then clip gift cards or photos to it? I just got word that only a few are left--don't hate me if they sell out.
And I'm gonna make my sister take a family photo so I can get some of these personalized Christmas Cards.
Look, Lysa already got hers. And if you are in need of some Christmas cards that you can have made while sitting in the comfort of your own home, use the code CHILDREN15 for 15% off. Oh and 6% of the sales goes to Compassion International, how great is that? Just think how happy you will be to have your cards done before Thanksgiving!
{giveaway now closed}Of course there is a giveaway to jump start your Christmas decorating. Two people will win this Jesus is the Gift metal sign. You can use rod that comes with it and put it in your yard or an urn or wire it into your wreath. It also has an easel so you can prop it up on a table. That's how I like it.
I think the most appropriate place for it is under the tree. As soon as we get our family tree, it will be the first thing under it and the last thing we remove. Look at the hugeness of this sign. It's the perfect shade of mossy green.
I thought it would be fun to have two ways to win:
- leave a comment here and tell us if you are planning on sending Christmas cards or tell me your middle name or say hello
- tweet on twitter about the giveaway linking to this post. Be sure to include @nester in the tweet so I can count it for the giveaway.
This is a paid giveaway post. That means, DaySpring paid Nesting Place to offer up free stuff for you. They did not, however pay me to say nice things about them. Each and every word I say is completely my own truth and opinion. I only choose to partner with companies that I 100% believe in.
As for DaySpring, I've enjoyed a long relationship with them and even welcomed some of their peeps in my home. I only share things that I actually love and use and find to be of great value. The tree and bird from this post are items that I spent my own, hard earned cash on and DaySpring provided the sign for me to share with you for the giveaway. Is this not the longest disclosure statement you've ever read?!
A Prelude to Christmas
It's not too early to prepare for the Christmas season. And for me and you, here at Nesting Place, that means prepare your home and any Christmas decor. Every year I try to mix up my decor just a little so it feels fresh and new and fun. Here are my guidelines:
Last year I had a feather boa, feathers, a birdcage, an urn and beautiful wings that broke off an angel.Use what you have.
Trust me, I bet you have some fantastic items around your house that can be used to decorate your home. Shop the house and don't just look for the traditional red and green decorations. Maybe that means getting out some old keepsakes that you love. I've hung everything from letter initials, my grandfather's baby booties, silver spoons, nests, framed photos, my boys baseballs, shells, bird houses... on my tree. You can tie a red ribbon around just about anything and it suddenly becomes a Christmas Decoration! And hey, if purple is your favorite color, you can make purple Christmasy too. Add in in some silver and white bows and greenery and you'll have a very regal Christmas.
Neutral, sparkly, silver, whites, creams, and natural stuff all worked together.Aim for a Cohesive Look.
Even though your decorations may vary from delicate glass ornaments to the paper and Popsicle stick creations your children make, you can pull it all together. Some people are gifted at putting everything they have together in one room and making it work. For me, I try to group like things together in certain rooms or areas of my home.
I'm putting all my white, fur and neutral items in our front little sitting room. The traditional Christmas ornaments and red and green will be in our family room, and the boys like to have all of their hand made ornaments and brightly colored stuff on the little tree in the playroom. If I had a collection of angels I would group them all together and if I had a snow machine, that would go in my back yard.
Out with the old in with the New.Every year I get rid of a few things that I'm done with. And every year, I budget a little money for a few new items. They don't have to cost much. Sometimes it may be a little ornament that catches my eye {one year it was a clip on bird} sometimes it's an antique white Christmas Tree that I found at a yard sale for $5. Tomorrow, I'll show you a few other items I've added to my ever changing Christmas arsenal.
Last year's fur wreath layered on my painted blue shutters hung with Christmas ribbon. And I put a little hot glue on the back of the starfish. He should pick right off at the end of the season. There's no red, and no green in my front room but it's looking quite festive. I'll show you more soon.
As you go through your Christmas decor--get rid of anything you haven't used in a few years. Group like things together. And see if you can incorporate something that is decidedly NOT Christmasy into your decor and make it work. It just might be your favorite Christmas Decoration.
In Other News:
Bird Watching:: Non Homey Stuff
Five Things Worse Than Being in Debt @ Like Mother, Like Daughter {one of the best articles I've read on debt, and I'm pretty sure I've read them all}
Getting Things Done at Home @ Simple Mom {I've read David Allen's book and am a big fan of brain dumping}
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl
Oh my word. I am loving this cookbook! Ree has basically taught me how to cook through her blog and now I can hold the book in my hands! And it's a steal of a deal at only $13. I've made about 20 of her recipes and we've LOVED them all!{That link up there is an affiliate link, just so you know. If you click on it and buy a book then Kimba will get a tiny percentage of the sales. I know. Kimba. I live in NC and Amazon and NC tax law don't mix. So I'm giving Kimba all my profits so she can have a shopping spree at the Dollar Store.}
Perspective
Our home is far from a thing of pristine beauty. Every room reflects the season of our life. Ebook writing, early Christmas decorating for a post on Monday, and a muddy yard results in all sorts of messy. I'm not a fussy housekeeper.
Sometimes I feel bad--focusing on the lack of order that I allow, letting my boys wear the same socks 2 days in a row. Instead, I'm choosing to be thankful for the abundance that surrounds us. The ability to do what I love at home and write about it, enjoying the season with family, and lots of much needed rain.
Is there something in your life that you can choose to stop beating yourself up over, knowing that some people would love to have to deal with your "problem"?
Tassel Tutorial :: Coming Soon!
Get your fringe, ribbon and toppers ready. If my plan works, and I can make it through the horrendous process of writing, photographing, and being disciplined, I'll soon finish something.
It's an ebook. A tassel how to ebook. And not just any tassel tutorial, it's the Nester's Complete, Ultimate Guide to Making the Most Beautiful, Proportional, Fluffy and Full Tassels That People Will Fight Over; For You to Sell or Give Away. I'm still working on the title.
This is not a simple tutorial, this ebook will tell of my tips, techniques and resources. If all goes according to my plan, it should be available November 23rd, which should give you plenty of time to make tassels for Christmas gifts.
If all doesn't go as planned, I'm just going to pretend like this post never happened.
