My Favorite Projects of 2016

I have said it before, but picking favorite projects is like picking favorite kids--it is just not right.

But, each year I do have some projects that I really enjoyed creating.  Usually my favorites are something new that I have not made before or they include a new technique or look.

Here are my 5 favorite projects from this past year:

YOUR Favorite Posts in 2016

It is that time of year--time to reflect, look back on the past year--what we liked and well, didn't like.  It is always rewarding for me to look back over my blog posts from the year to see what I accomplished and what you liked and what I liked.

Today I am sharing YOUR favorite posts from this past year (at least according to my data).

Talk of the Town Link Party

Welcome back to Talk of the Town!

First, let's take a look at what you may have missed from your party hosts!

Cupboard to Kitchen Island

Don't you love those friends who get what you do and are always keeping their eyes open for projects for you?

A few months ago while I was selling at a show, I started getting messages from a friend who was in another town about an estate sale that had incredible deals.  I was so busy that I couldn't respond right away, but was finally able to tell her to buy whatever she thought I might like. I told her she can pick for me any day! This little cupboard was one of those things.  I think it was originally part of some kitchen cupboards that someone had added some wheels and a top to.

Sunday Verses and Merry Christmas

Happy Sunday and Merry Christmas! Picking out names for our kids was never an easy task since we were both teachers at the time. One of us would suggest a name and the other would say, "I had one of those and um, no!" Mary had the benefit of being told what to name her son, Immanuel, God with us. God came to this broken world to be with each of us. He came to live among us, right where we are at. He didn't come for a just a few, he didn't come to only the most righteous and holy, he came for YOU (and would have come even if you were the only person on earth)! He longs to be with you, hang out with you NOW--not when you get your life in order, not when you start making better choices, not when you feel like it. He came to be with us because he loves us, loves YOU, period. I pray that today you spend some time with him and that you feel his unconditional love.

Old Rocker

Are you picturing this with that title?

Photo source

But, I meant this old rocker that I purchased off our local Facebook garage sale page.

That I transformed into this new, old rocker.

Mountains

Move mountains...or at least give someone mountains for the holidays.  

This is a quick and easy gift for you favorite mountain lover.

Talk of the Town Link Party

Welcome back to Talk of the Town!

First, let's take a look at what you may have missed from your party hosts!

Sunday Verses

Happy Sunday! Oh, it has been an "exciting" weekend at out house. Woke up yesterday morning to -27 degree temperatures and a furnace that wouldn't work. Then we decided to do a load of laundry so we could get the dryer going and warming up the house, and walked in mid-load to find the laundry room flooded. After we sopped up the water with the shop vac, we tried to do a rinse and spin cycle and the washer filled up with so much water the door busted open and we had to vac again. All while preparing to host about 20 folks at our home for a bunco party. And through all the "excitement" I was calm and at peace. I can only attribute this to the Prince of Peace. Jesus came to this earth to give us peace--peace that surpasses reason and anything we can fathom. We certainly do not live in peaceful times or a peaceful world and we will have stress, pretty much daily. But, through it all we can experience peace if we allow the Spirit to work in us. Jesus's peace is not a gift for the future, not something for only for a few. His peace is for all NOW, for all situations and times. We simply need to receive it and rest in it.

Hand-Lettering Signs

I often get asked about and comments on my signs and how I hand letter them. And I have posted on it before, but after getting questions on the reindeer sign in my Christmas home tour, I decided it was time for another post on it.  

Last Minute Gift Ideas for the Do-It-Yourselfer

*This post contains affiliate links.*

If you are an Amazon prime member (and if you aren't, by gosh you should be!  Sign up HERE!), you still have time to get these great gifts for the do-it-yourselfer in your life.

Hot Cocoa Station

Hot cocoa, who doesn't love a big ol' warm mug full of creamy hot chocolate, bitty marshmallows, maybe a little whipped cream.

In December my coffee area...station...bar...hangout becomes a cocoa station.  My coffee spot sits on my counter in an old drawer.  With a few easy changes it is transformed for winter.

Talk of the Town Link Party

Welcome back to Talk of the Town!

First, let's take a look at what you may have missed from your party hosts!

Sunday Verses

Happy Sunday! I keep thinking about the words from O Holy Night "a thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices". And Christmas does thrill many of us--the decorations, gifts, special foods, family time. But, for far too many folks, Christmas is a time of disillusionment. We are short on time, short on money, and short on patience--we are anything but hopeful. God knows, he knows we are tired, and lonely, and sad. He knows and he offers us hope. Hope is given to a weary world. Hope is a promise. Hope is the anticipation of something better. Hope is not something we need to work at, it is an unconditional, abundant gift that came to us as a tiny bundle wrapped in swaddling clothes...and that is thrilling. This season, let's rest in and accept and enjoy the gift of God's hope.

Christmas Home Tour

Welcome to the 2016 Christmas home tour of my 1931 schoolhouse. 
I am sharing this at Jen Rizzo's Link Party

I think this is my favorite Christmas decor/theme to date.  I started with a rustic vibe, that evolved into a rustic FARMHOUSE look as the decorating progressed. The pictures are plentiful and I am going to try and keep my words few.

12 Days of Christmas, Day 12, Advent Calendar

Day 12, finally.  And day 12 is about counting down the final 12 days of Christmas.

12 Days of Christmas, Day 11, Warm and Fuzzy JOY

Who doesn't need a little warm and fuzzy joy in their lives?  

Talk of the Town Link Party

Welcome back to Talk of the Town!

First, let's take a look at what you may have missed from your party hosts!

Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Teens and Adults

I think stockings have always been one of my favorite traditions of Christmas. (See the how to on making these stockings HERE.)

As kids, we would place our stockings on the couch or a chair on Christmas Eve.  On Christmas morn we would find the stockings stuffed, plus other Santa gifts placed around the stocking (our Santa was no dummy and knew placing the gifts around the stocking meant less wrapping!). *affiliate links* 

We would find socks, small toys, gum, Pez dispensers, life saver books, oranges, and sometimes walnuts.

12 Days of Christmas, Day 10, How to Build a Stable

 If you give a mouse a cookie...

If you know this children's book, you know that it is all about one thing leading to another.  

*This post contains affiliate links.*

That is how I felt this weekend while trying to finish up my Christmas decorating.  I built a shelf and coat hook for stockings (You will see these Thursday on my home tour day!) and I thought it would be a perfect place for my WILLOW TREE NATIVITY SET.  But, it looked dwarfed on the big shelf.  

So, what is a girl to do?  Build a pallet table for the nativity set.  Which then led to me wanting a stable for my creche.  

Sunday Verses

Happy Sunday! No doubt you are in the throes of preparing for Christmas (I know I am!)--decorating, shopping, baking, cleaning, wrapping--the list goes on and on. And in the middle of it all I know I need to stop, slow down, and take time to prepare my heart for the season. Rather than giving into the distractions and stresses of this time of year, I want to work on being still. I want to get rid of anything causing bitterness in my heart and eliminate those things that have become more important than Jesus. I want to be ready for whatever God may have planned for this season. This week let's take some time to get ready to celebrate the gift of God's unconditional love.

12 Days of Christmas Day 9 Farmhouse Pillows and 2 Free Printables

Hmmm, ever switch your decor plans midstream?  Yikes, that is what I just did due to these pillows I made for Day 9's project.  And that switch happened because of a mistake, but a rustic farmhouse Christmas it is!

Using my FREE printables at the end of this post, print on iron on transfer paper.  I used Avery brand purchased at Target and I will be using it again for day 12's project.

12 Days of Christmas, Day 8, Copper Mercury Glass Centerpiece

Every year I enjoy coming up with a different centerpiece idea for Christmas.   

For years I thought I couldn't "DO" centerpieces. (And after seeing this one, you might still think I can't, haha! 😄)

Talk of the Town Link Party

Welcome back to Talk of the Town!

First, let's take a look at what you may have missed from your party hosts!

Wish list DEALS

Boy, how things have changed since I was a kid.  Who would have thought we would have a day during the holiday season known as Cyber Monday?  I am pretty sure I would have thought it meant something about aliens coming to earth on a Monday.

At any rate, I just had to share a few UH-MAZING deals that are happening on Amazon today.  These are things on MY wish list (feel free to forward to my hubby 😉).  Don't laugh--I am pretty practical girl when it comes to my want list:

12 Days of Christmas, Day 7, Pallet Tree Crate

I shared last year that the previous year BEFORE we bought a home with 12 foot ceilings, we bought a new 7 1/2' Christmas tree.  Last year I set the tree on an adorable wagon (SEE IT HERE) , but this year I am using the wagon on the front porch.

I decided to build a crate for our tree this year.

Believe it or not, this is pallet wood.  Some pallets have sheets of plywood on one side.

Sunday Verses

Happy Sunday! The world can seem like a pretty dark place some days. The Israelites also knew darkness, they knew hatred and evil and illness. But, the prophet Isaiah talked about light--a light that would be for everyone, a light that would bring hope and freedom. In this season when we see so many lights, when we add extra lights to our homes, let's remember God's Light that was born in a stable. And let's work on sharing the good news of His Light with others--share it in the way we treat people, in what we say and what we do, in how we love each other.

7 Unique Gifts for the Cook

Taking a break from the Thanksgiving cooking and prep to share a few gift ideas for the cook in your life.  

While I am not passionate about cooking, I do enjoy it most of the time. Some fun gadgets or beautiful tools make it better and more enjoyable.

So take a break and peruse these ideas for the cook in your life (remember, you can buy gifts for yourself!).

Talk of the Town Link Party

Welcome back to Talk of the Town!

First, let's take a look at what you may have missed from your party hosts!

12 Days of Christmas, Day 6, Window Words

I just love when friends and family keep their eyes open for junk for me.  Such was the case with this window that my father-in-law spotted and grabbed for me (actually 3 of them). 

I loved that they were painted red.  

Sunday Verses

Happy Sunday! This verse hit me anew this past week as I focused on the "peace that comes from Christ" phrase. Seems to me that a whole lot of strife is running our lives. And even though we are working to find peace, folks are living in states of unrest because we are relying on ourselves to find that peace. We MUST let our peace come from Jesus! In this busy season with full calendars, tight wallets, and political turmoil, it is imperative that we spend not less, but rather more time with Jesus. Take an extra few minutes in the morning to read a devotional or the Bible, pray a little more throughout the day, spend more time thanking God at the end of the day and let HIS indescribable and unmatchable peace wash over you.

Young Guys Gift Guide

Is anyone harder to shop for than young men?  I have two young adult male children, and while I love them to pieces, shopping for them is always a challenge. 

And since I struggle with shopping for them, I thought you might too, so I decided to share 10 ideas that have been proven winners for young men!

*This post contains affiliate links.*