Busy busy busy...

Hi everyone

Hope you all are doing well. Just a quick note to say that I am desperate to start blogging again & should be able to start again soon. I had another baby (a surprise baby) in January. I had an extremely difficult pregnancy followed by some health issues after birth. Thankfully for now we are all healthy and happy and gradually getting back to normal life.  You may remember my little boy Cody who is now 2 & my daughter is 4 months old. We named her Collette. She is a delightful little thing.

I have missed visiting your blogs and contacting all of you & look forward to getting in touch again. So bye for now & "speak" soon,

Lily

Belated Merry Christmas to you all

A very belated Merry Christmas to you all.  Unfortunately I have not been able to blog sooner than this but I sincerely hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas. How did you all celebrate?

We had a special Christmas this year as it was our baby's first Christmas. He loved unwrapping presents & enjoyed his turkey dinner :) He was spoilt by everyone & received so many presents that was still unwrapping some on the 27th of December! I just wanted to share some photos of our Christmas and Birmingham's Christmas market with you all & say that hope the New Year brings you health & happiness.

Lily

Birmingham Christmas market

Cody's treat for Santa Claus 

Christmas Eve

DIY Christmas Napkin Holders

Hi all, the article below is written by a guest author & I hope you all enjoy it :)

Lily

DIY Christmas Napkin Holders

Image source: http://scraphappenshere.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html

It doesn’t take a whole lot of money to create a beautifully set table for the holidays, just a small amount of time, a little creativity, and some common household items. There are not very many of us who can afford to buy a special set of Christmas china and linens that will only be used one day out of the year, but there are ways to dress up your ordinary table cloth and everyday dishes in order to make an elegant and festive presentation for your dinner guests. The easiest way is with Christmas Napkin holders you make yourself from common items that are already lying around, like Christmas cards and decorations. Put these around a plain cloth napkin to set on top of each plate, and you instantly have a festive table. The best part is that children can help with this project so that you are creating memories at the same time.

To begin making a Christmas napkin holder you will first need something to use as the ring itself. Plastic napkin rings can be found in the discount stores at a fair price, but you really don’t need to invest even that much into this project. Using the plain card stock from the back of a Christmas card, you can cut it into one inch strips that can be rolled and glued into a circle. Want to make it even easier? Cut empty wrapping paper rolls, paper towel rolls, or toilet paper rolls into one-inch pieces. These can be painted in a holiday color such as red, green, or even gold and silver.

Now that you have an actual napkin ring to work with, it is time for the fun part, decorating it. Here is where you can let your imagination be your guide. Decide on the type of look you want to achieve. Depending on the decorations you use, you can make them whimsical or elegant. An ideal place to start is with old Christmas cards or any extras you still have after sending them to friends and family. This is a great way to recycle the special Christmas cards you get. Cut out the main pictures from the front of the Christmas cards and glue them to the ring. Keep your theme in mind so that they look nicely coordinated on the table. If you start by cutting out religious scenes, continue to do so with each napkin holder. Same holds true if you begin with a cartoonish Santa picture. Make one for each place setting at the holiday table.

The final touch is to embellish the napkin holders. This can be done by outlining the edge of the pictures from the Christmas cards with glitter. You could also add ribbons. Curly ribbon, such as used on wrapped gifts, can add to a whimsical look. Small red velvet ribbons tied in bows are perfect for a more elegant feel. Glue on items from around the home. This could be small jingle bells, little pinecones, and sprigs of evergreen. Experiment with the first napkin holder until you achieve the exact look you are after. Continue to make the rest look similar. Keep in mind that the slight differences in anything handmade will simply add to the charm. Most of all…have fun!

Erin Levine is a contributor on behalf of PaperStyle Company, an online retailer of invitations, greeting cards, and more. She loves to write about holiday crafts and has been a guest author on a variety of Christmas-themed blogs and websites.

Thank you :)

I logged in the other day and saw that I have 60 followers!!! Wow.

Just wanted to say a big welcome to the new followers and a big thank you to each and everyone of you for following.  I am trying to blog more often now that my baby boy is a little older, he is 6 months old next week! How fast the time has gone. I am trying to get prepared for Halloween & will try to keep you all posted.  

Hope you all are having a great week,

Lily 

Thanks to google images.

Andy Williams Tribute

I am so very sad to read that Andy Williams has passed away....there are no words.  Lets watch this video in tribute to this wonderful singer Andy Williams Christmas Specials.  

Thanks for the fantastic music.

Lily

Thanks to Google Images

Treesntrends!

Can you believe that September is nearly over?!   I have found a fantastic new youtube channel about decorating.  I loved one THIS video in particular about a teardrop Christmas wreath so decided to share it with you all (I do have their permission).  I found their work very inspiring & hope you guys like it too :)
http://www.youtube.com/user/treesntrends?feature=watch

If you haven't read my post about deco poly mesh, please do, I'd appreciate some advice.  Hope you all are having a great week?

Lily

Deco Poly Mesh!!!

I have been desperately looking to buy some Deco Poly Mesh to decorate with for this Halloween & Christmas and have come to the conclusion that I can't get hold of any in this country!!!  Can you believe that?  I can easily purchase some online from the States but the postage is so beyond expensive (guess as it is heavy).  Do any of you know how/where I might get some in the UK please? Maybe over here we have a different name for it?

Thanks to those of you who have been asking after my baby boy.  He is doing great & is really trying to crawl & enjoying being weaned.  We think he will be crawling by Christmas which will completely change/challenge decorating the house this year. Although very exciting at the same time.  That was also one of the reasons I wanted poly mesh, to make the bottom of the tree "baby proof". 

Can't believe there are less than a 100 days until Christmas. Are you all as excited as I am?

Thank you for reading & hope this post finds you well :)

Lily 

Image from Google Images :)