My Top 10 Christmas Rules

Everyone has their favorite ways to enjoy
every day of the holiday month of December.
Here are my 10 essentials.

Top 10 Christmas Rules
1. Listen to Christmas music every day.
Tip: find that radio station in the car that
plays non-stop Christmas music all
day all month long.


2. Change all my mugs to Christmas mugs. Dishes too.

3. Wear all our Christmas jammies.
(we get them every year)


4. Wear Christmas sweaters.
The "ugly" ones are back in style!

or at least wear lots of red. Fun hats, scarves,
and gloves too, weather permitting.
Santa hats are fun after the 20th.

5. Watch all my favorite Christmas movies.
DVR dozens.


6. Bake our favorite Christmas cookie. Snowballs.


7. Cook our traditional Christmas Eve
 or Christmas Day dinner. French Canadian Tortiere


8. Make a new Christmas craft or decoration.
DIY sign


9. See the Christmas lights in your town.

10. Throw all my change into the Salvation
Army red kettle whenever I leave the store.
It adds up!

Immerse yourself in JOY!


Cheers!


Links: Between Naps On The Porch

SaveSave

Give Me An M!

I love collecting the letter M. 

So when I saw the buffalo checked 

letters at Target for $1, I grabbed one.

I added it, along with two others to

the small plates I found thrifting

a while ago. The small plate rack is 

also a $1 thrift find. 

 This twine M is one I made years ago. 

It's simply an M cut out of cardboard with
twine wrapped and glued all around. 

You've seen it HERE. 

This galvanized letter is from Walmart's

after Christmas sale for 25¢. 

These inexpensive letters can be used for 

napkin rings/place setting charms, attached

 to a gift, ornaments on the tree, 

or collect several and spell out; JOY, 

MERRY CHRISTMAS, GATHER, HOME,

THANKSGIVING for a banner or sign. 

Be open to the letters you find. Have fun!

Cheers!

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Snowman Dishes

I've already changed my Christmas dishes
on our breakfast table...again!

 It all started with a trip to Home Depot where

 I spotted this pretty poinsettia and ivy plant 

arrangement. It was in a rustic twig basket. 

 That meant a different table runner
(2 cloth dish towels)

 and using the rattan plate chargers. 

 Mr. & Mrs. Clause salt and pepper
for more red accents.

Next came a new-to-me set of Snowman
dishes. A friend was moving and downsizing
so she was selling her extra set of
Christmas dishes. Service for 8 plus
 serving pieces: 

2 large 10" serving bowls,

a 14" plater

salt&pepper set 

sugar and creamer

gravy boat w/under dish, 

plus 4 snack plates. 

All for $30!  How could I pass that up?!

This is a nice casual everyday pottery set.

Since I already have too many Christmas 

dishes...or so I've been told, I'll be giving 

these to my daughter in TX. We'll be driving

 there for Christmas. They'll get packed up soon. 

But meanwhile I'll get to use them . HA!

or should I say HO! HO!.

I already had a few serving pieces of the 

same pattern that we used at our place in 

North Carolina. I brought those home a

few years ago. I had a cookie canister, 

9x13 baking dish, napkin holder, and  few 

additional pieces to add to the set.

Now she'll have everything she needs.

I love using oil lamps for
a low flame glow in the evenings.

Tiny twinkle lights in the poinsettia.

 Of course there's always a tea set in
my table vignettes.

A little fun art using the
Waterlogge app. 

 I added the battery copper wire mini lights

 that I had used in November with pinecones

to turn on each evening.

The only positive thing about it getting dark

earlier is that we can dine by candlelight

or mini lights each evening. 

Sofie is watching my every move and
is hoping she'll get a new set-up too.

Of course little Sofie also likes using 

Christmas dishes in December

 It's what we do.

The soup bowls fit right into the 

feeding tray Larry made years ago.

Hope you're enjoying your

Christmas decorating. 

Cheers!

Links: Between Naps On The Porch

Christmas 3-Tiered Galvanized Tay

The thing I love best about this little

3-tiered tray is that it has endless

decorating possibilities. 

 It takes about 10 minutes to change it

for the seasons and holidays. 

 I just gather a little this-and-that and

I've got a whole new look. I'll

sometimes tweak a bit, adding things 

as I unpack little Christmas treasures. 

 It's perfect for puttering, 

if you're a putterer, as I am. 

 Mr. & Mrs. Claus salt and pepper set

from Publix. They sell them every year.

A little corner of Christmas cheer.

Cheers!

Links: Between Naps On The Porch

DIY Christmas Sign

& to all a good night

My new sign this year.

It begins, as all my sign projects do, with

a trip into the garage for a piece of scrap

 wood. We cut off the uneven pieces a bit 

 but didn't straighten it out any more 

than that. It still has a rustic edge.

 Painted it white. 

 Sanded the edges. 

 I found a font I liked and just kept enlarging

a photo of it until I had it large enough for 

my board. Later I did find the font's name. 

It's Boho Script. Note: I always space my

 saying on the board without having to worry

 about the length. I just cut the board when 

I'm done to the proper length. 

 I lay the 3 pieces of copies on the board. 

Then I used carbon paper between the

 paper and board to outline the words.

That's the easiest way to transfer any

lettering. It's the method I use 

on all my signs.

 I lift the paper and carbon a few times

to make sure I got all the lines. Note the

  "g" loop is not complete. Easy fix.. 

Then I use a Sharpie to paint in the letters.

 I will hang this over the bed or give

it as a gift and make another one. 

 All finished and on my Christmas bed.

 Attach hangers to back for hanging as i

did in this post HERE.

 I think this is such a fun scripty font.

If you can't find it you could enlarge the pic

above and use that .

I really get lost in font land...so many 

I've already downloaded for free. 

Let me know if you've made a new sign

for this Christmas. It's addicting, 

especially when they are so easy and

free to make. 

Cheers!

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