Today is the Day!

Yep, today is the day to get started on your advent calendar!  I've picked out a few of my favorite ones to show you.  Click on photos to be taken to shops!

 

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art is this wonderful advent tree:

From the Vermont Christmas Company comes this jumbo Santa advent:

Check out this cuckoo clock advent!  From Bronner's Christmas Wonderland:

If you hurry, you can still purchase this one and catch up!  From OhHelloMagpie:

And want to do it yourself?  Here's some printable ones!

From LuckyLadyPaperCrafts is this beautiful countdown calendar:

And this one from printyourparty:

And I want to add these two items.  Vintage style Christmas cards!

From TheRetroChristmasCardCompany, take a look at the wonderful cards you can get!

From Great Greeting Card Company:

Again, please click directly on photos to be taken to shops!  Hope you enjoy the images and find something you just can't live without!

Stay tuned to the blog!  Next week we'll start decorating the tree!  Can't wait to see what each person contributes!

Have a great day!

VS

SMILE!

nastybuttons

The past couple of weeks have been rough. There seems to be something going on around every corner, so what can be better than a bunch of smiling faces.

SugarAndPaint

If you can find something to smile about even at the worst or saddest times, then you will be ok.
That is my theory anyway.

dheartscreations 

 

 

 

I mean really, can you look at these happy faces and not smile a little? What could be more fun than wearing something smiling?

adrianaclub

YumYumPendants 

 

 

Or to have a big smiley face plastered on your wall.

HouseHoldWords

Hanging on your Christmas tree

CitySparrows

 Of course you need some happy hands and fingers too

erikavelickovski 

 

JenniferHeartsArt

Believe it or not but I feel a little bit more lighthearted just showing these items. Ahhh the power of smiles :) 


Whether you are having one of the best days or the worst, I hope you find a little smile in your heart.


(jj)

IT HAPPENS EVERY TIME!

It was almost time for out-of-town company to begin arriving and I was putting the finishing touches on the house.  Thanksgiving was going to be a smooth and flawless day this year.  Then it happened! The towel rod in the guest bath fell off the wall for the last time.  It had always been a problem and this time it just gave up. Totally!

This is what I found on the floor.

Out to the garage I go, mentally trying to figure out a solution, a really fast solution!  The first idea wasted about two hours before I finally decided it was never going to happen.  So I grabbed an unpainted shelf and a can of paint, the brushes, and some screws.

First thing was to patch those huge holes.

We have really terrible dry wall and it's very difficult to hang anything on the walls and have it stay.  So I decided to hang the shelf first and with my Dad's help we got it secure.  Then I was afraid to take it down to paint it so I painted it on the wall.  Not the best idea I've ever had, but the shelf  is still secure.

Next began the search through boxes I hadn't had a chance to unpack yet, looking for four hooks that at least almost matched, and items to put up.  You can't just have a plain white shelf you know.

At last, after going through a huge bag of hooks and about five boxes, it's coming together.  I think I like it so much better than that horrible towel rod.

Here's the finished arrangement.  I admit I bought the green candle sticks a couple of days after Thanksgiving.

We had a wonderful family Thanksgiving and now I have a shelf in the guest bath I can decorate for Christmas too.  How terrific is that!

(Okay, as friends and family know, it still didn't go smooth and flawless.  My wonderful Norwegian baker poisoned my sister and she ended up in ER.  But you'll have to ask her for the details, her name is Vintage Embellishment.)

  Have a great week! Pepper

Hooray! It's Christmas!

I know for many people the day after Thanksgiving is for shopping, but for me it is the 1st day of Christmas...time to put the Christmas music on, bring out the Christmas quilt, hang the wreath....well you get the idea! 

I went looking for Christmas items on Etsy and WOW did I have fun :)

The first and most important part of Christmas for our family is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, so Nativity items are an important part of our holiday decorations....Look at these amazing Wisemen I found! 

        Vintage Christmas Wisemen

Need something festive for the table?  How about these hand created Flower Clusters...fabulous as a stand alone display item, as a grouping or hung as an ornament...(I know how special these are because I was the fortunate recipient of 2 of them...WooHoo!)

             Flower Cluster Ornament

And while we are on the subject of ornaments....I decorate one tree with only vintage items.....and there are lots of vintage choices on Etsy but these from Romania really caught my eye....I love the colors!

          Vintage Christmas Ornaments

Have any of you ever wondered how to display the cards you receive...especially those with photos of family and friends?  Look what I found...how clever is this????

                Red Metal Card Holder

Do you have any one on your list that collects Christmas pins...or do you????  Found one!  I especially like this one because it is a pine cone branch...a little different from the typical Christmas tree pin :)

                Pine Cone Branch Pin

Here is something else I found that has so many possible uses....decorating a mantel, table, tree, package, or....whatever you can think of.....tiny, glittery, Moravian stars....Hand Created!

    Green Moravian Folded Paper Stars

Need some gift bags?  Now these I love, in fact I love them so much I bought some...from my sister...because why should I spend all my time trying to create what she already has!  And the truth is, I could never hand paint those leaves...just sayin....

                        Red Gift Bags

Oh Dear, I can't forget the luscious smells of Christmas.....how about some hand made soap to put out for your guests....(I know, it is really for us but pretending it is for our guests sounds better!)  And look at the color...this looks as good as it smells :)  Besides all that...the name is great!

              Hippy Christmas Soap

Well, I think this blog is done for today....hope you.....

Have fun clicking on the name beneath each photo, and while you are in the shop, look around some...each of these sellers has other great items!

VE

Add to it!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so many things to be thankful for on this holiday! I hope you are able to spend time with friends and family this holiday.

It's a busy weekend for me, spending Thanksgiving going out with friends for dinner, Friday we'll spending more time with friends going out to a Chinese buffet and finally, over the weekend, we'll have the full turkey dinner! 

 Please take time to think of our men and women serving our country and not able to be with their friends and family. Maybe practice a random act of kindness to someone you see over the weekend! 

Everyone from ACJ wishes all our readers and followers a very Happy Thanksgiving!  

Pennies from Heaven

DesignByAnyOtherName

Angel's Pennies

Author: Unknown

I found a penny today
Just laying on the ground.
But it's not just a penny
This little coin I've found.

trudyjames

Found pennies come from heaven
that's what my Grandpa told me.
He said Angels tossed them down
Oh, how I loved that story!

hollynsage

He said when an Angel misses you
They toss a penny down,
sometimes just to cheer you up
To make a smile out of your frown.

catbangles

So don't pass by that penny
When you're feeling blue.
It may be a penny from heaven
That an Angel's tossed to you.

linneaheideart

This is in honor of a very brave and courageous woman who has gone home to the angels .

(jj)