Early this morning, while driving down into our little village, the mist was so thick, and the radiant beams of sunlight made everything look as if it were on fire. As I looked around… these thoughts came to me.

What beauty lies beneath the mist
What treasures to behold
And might I ask what you’re hiding there
Under resplendent rays of red & gold
But soon enough the mist will rise
And there for all to share
The wonderful form & fashion of nature uncovered
As it now lay open, uncovered, and bare

I’m not sure about how the season is going in your area, but here, we have had unseasonably warm weather, lots of sunshine, and many of the leaves are still on the trees! Because our leaves are almost always on the ground by the 2nd-3rd week of Oct., you can imagine how thankful I am for this wonderful blessing!

I wanted to take you on a little journey with me, so you could see the village through my eyes today.

We’ll start with my front door…

I’m so thankful for my husband’s help with pulling our new entrance together! I just love it

I wanted to do something different this year to celebrate my new front entrance being done, so I decided to throw together some of my favorite Autumn things & make a display. I just love all of these Fall colors together!

More ornamental cabbages close up – I just LOVE these!

With this only being the first year for our new “upper garden”, I think it has filled in nicely! I’m looking forward to seeing the chartreuse sedum & the chocolate leaves of the ajuga, against the deep blue ajuga flowers spikes in the Spring.

All of the different ground covers are filling in the front walk nicely.

This is our crab apple’s first year with us, and look at the beautiful little fruit!

A Walk through Forest Park – Our wonderful forest located in the heart of our little village, available for all to enjoy!

Moss Hill

Neighbors

Forest Mushrooms

Lady of The Forest

He wasn’t home when I stopped by

Around the Village

Life begins again…

Fall berries

On the farm

Golden Splendor

Red Beauty!

And back into the village – We’re greeted with this amazing hedgerow of fiery red burning bushes

I hope you’ve enjoyed our little ride together! Be sure to leave a comment & tell me about how your season is going so far below!

** I have been working on several projects & I will be sharing pictures & how to’s really soon!

Creatively Yours,
Pearl

Nothing seems to say “welcome to our home” during the holidays like a beautiful Christmas wreath!

I can’t tell you how long I’ve dreamed about this, and needless to say, I have been so excited about the possibilities!

You see, because we have been in the process of carving out our little slice of heaven deep in the woods, we have had many projects to complete. I know you know the feeling, so you can probably relate to my excitement right about now. We’ve had trees to remove, ground to move, grass to plant, gardens to grow, a stacked stone terrace to create, a forest to care for… not to mention a home to build! So… the finishing touches are sometimes the last things that you get to focus on.

My husband has worked so hard over the last several months, trying to get things completed before winter. One of those projects was my Christmas gift! Of course he didn’t think of it as my Christmas gift, but I quickly claimed it as my own!

For the last 4 years of the building process, and many years of dreaming before that, I had a vision of being able to decorate the front door area of our home for Christmas. So, for the last few months, Dan has been creating a stone walkway that leads from the top of the stone terrace steps, to the front door (here is the previous year’s stone terrace cottage garden project that we did, and here’s what the cottage garden project looked like only 3 months later), the stone entrance, and all of the paint, moldings, and finishing touches that had to be done to the entrance before the snow started.

Well… he finished it…and what a beautiful job he did! Now it was up to me to decide how to decorate the space. Because this is our first year being able to decorate outside, as well as the fact that I like to find a way to have what I love for the lowest amount possible (for example, all of the work done & materials needed were paid for by our siding company…but that story is for another day), I needed to find a way to have something beautiful for little cost.

I knew that I wanted a Christmas wreath to start with, but everywhere I looked, they were at least $20 or more…and that was for little “homely” wreaths. I wanted a nice full wreath to welcome our holiday guests.

I did think about making my own, but the snow came “in a big way” before I was able to go out & collect evergreens, so I decided to find a way to buy something I loved, while not paying much in the process…you know how I love to find creative ways to do that

After going to several places to find the perfect wreath, we finally gave up & decided to go over to Lowe’s and pick up our long needle pine roping that I had spotted there last year. Thankfully, they had it again this year… and… it was only $6.97 for 20ft of roping! Other places I had gone where charging almost $3 per ft!

In the checkout line, while looking at my new beautiful roping and being quite happy with myself for snagging such a deal, I was still saying to myself… I sure wish that I could find a wreath that would match this long needle pine garland. Then the idea hit me like a ton of bricks! Why not buy another 20ft section and turn it into my wreath? After all, it’s only $6.97!

So…we checked out with 3 rounds of roping instead of 2, and I rode all the way home with the biggest smile on my face! I tell my husband all the time… “Aren’t you glad that it doesn’t take much to make me happy!”

Here’s a picture of the long needle pine roping, that I will use for both our garland & the wreath for our front door.

It comes bundled up in these nice manageable little rounds. Then, you simply cut the ties and unwind the roping.

To Make Your Wreath

- Decide how big you want your wreath (make sure it will fit on your door & allow it to open & close properly)

- Start by making a circle with one end of the garland and securing it with wire (don’t cut the roping)

- Continue to wrap the roping around the circle securing it to the initial circle every several inches

- As you tie continue to tie the wreath together, try to secure it “under” the long pine needles to keep the wire from showing

- Have someone hold the wreath up for you & turn it, so you can see what part should be the top

- Add a wire for hanging

- Decorate with little bits of decorations that you already have, or little things that you collect from the garden

- You could decorate with, pine cones, twigs, ribbon, bow, rusty bells, holly twigs, berries, or anything that you love

Here is my wreath after it was hung & ready for some finishing touches.

And of course, here is what the garland and wreath look like all finished.

I hope you find a way to have the front door of your dreams, and a wreath that says “welcome to our home” this holiday season, while saving alot of money in the process!

The simple idea that I want to share with you today is not only gorgeous, but it also comes in at ZERO cost = FREE!

Not only is is free, but it’s also a fun way to decorate your space throughout the whole year.

When considering the focal point of traditional Christmas decorations, the first thing that comes to mind, is the big… beautiful…fresh cut…evergreen Christmas tree. No matter how much you’d love to have the typical Christmas centerpiece, maybe you don’t have the room for it in your small space. Or, perhaps your budget won’t allow it. Maybe you or a family member has allergies to evergreens. If you’re like me, you might just be in the mood to try something new, or add to your growing line up of holiday decorations. Whatever situation you find yourself in, I want to help open your mind to the countless ways there are for you to decorate for the holidays!

You may even decide to keep this simple centerpiece up all year, and use it for every holiday, every celebration, and every season, no matter how much space you have, or what kind of budget you have to work with… remember we’re talking FREE here! (I have lots of ideas for this below!)

The idea begins with a simple tree branch, then expands into beauty that is only limited by your own imagination!

Before I explain further, take a peek at a few examples of how some people have already used this idea in their homes.
(click on any picture to see different sizes, or their other pictures)

How to display the branch
- Hang over a table
- Put in a vase
- Stick into a flower pot
- Hang on wall

How to keep the branch sturdy in it’s container
- Sand
- Crumbled newspaper
- Fabric
- Beans
- Rice
- Rocks

Decorating the branch itself
- You could keep the branch natural
- Spray paint it white, gold, silver, light blue, pink, etc.
- You could sprinkle glitter on the branches while the paint is still wet
- Wrap each section in fabric
- Wrap with white or colored lights
- Wrap with ribbon

Christmas decoration ideas to hang from the branches
- Christmas ornaments
- Pictures
- Birds
- Mittens
- Mini stockings
- Pinecones
- Bird nests
- Buttons
- Bells
- Felt balls
- Keys
- Feathers
- Ribbons / bows
- Hearts
- Bead garlands
- Christmas cards
- Paper snowflakes
- Stars
- Tinsel
- Cookies / gingerbread men
- Anything you can imagine!

Idea: Dress it up even more!
When cutting things out of paper, think about using some sort of paper that will bring even more interest to the item that you are creating. Here’s an example of what I mean. Instead of white paper, you might want to consider; sheet music, wrapping paper, pretty napkins, cards, copies of old letters, scrapbook paper, construction paper, etc. You can find lots of pretty things to download online.

Theme Ideas

Have you ever wanted to add a theme tree to your decorations, but couldn’t bring yourself to leave out your traditional family tree? Well, this is the perfect way that you could have both! As a matter of fact, why not have 2 or 3 different displays around your house!

Many times a theme can be communicated through color or collection. In the “color” theme, you would decorate the whole display using different items, but all of the same color. When using a collection, everything can be different colors, but the same types of items. Example: all vintage mittens, vintage baby bonnets, all bells, all snowflakes, all miniatures, all birds, etc.

Look at these other beautiful examples

Where can I get a tree branch?
- Your backyard
- Your neighbor
- From a friend or family member’s backyard
- Curbside (other people’s yard debris, can be your gorgeous decor)
- A walk in the woods
- A logger

How big should my branch be?
- This is totally up to you! How big of a branch can your space handle, and what kind of look are you going for?

How else can I decorate my centerpiece throughout the year?
- Winter decor – birds, paper snowflakes, pom-pom snow balls, snowmen
- Valentines Day – hearts, candy, red/pink paper chains & flowers
- St. Patrick’s Day – paper clovers
- Spring – flowers, paper mushrooms, birds, nests
- Easter – blown out Easter eggs
- 4th of July – anything red, white, and blue
- Summer – pictures of vacations, paper butterflies/lady bugs, flowers
- Birthdays – yearly picture of birthday person, paper numbers
- Anniversaries – wedding pictures, hearts
- Autumn – dried leaves, acorns, moss, mini pumpkins
- Anything you can imagine!

Who knew that a simple tree branch could be so beautiful!

I wanted wish you a Happy Thanksgiving, and share a wonderful letter of encouragement that was written to a dear friend back in 1513.

Although it was written so long ago, the words still ring true for us today.

“I salute you. I am your friend and my love for you goes deep.

There is nothing I can give you which you have not got. But there is much, very much, that while I cannot give it, you can take.

No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in today. Take heaven!

No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present little instance. Take peace!

The gloom of the world is but a shadow. Behind it, yet within our reach, is joy. Take joy!

Life is so full of meaning and purpose, so full of beauty . . . that you will find earth but cloaks your heaven. Courage then to claim it, that is all!

And so I greet you, with profound esteem and with the prayer that for you, now and forever, the day breaks and the shadows flee away.”

“Fra Giovanni, 1513

I want to encourage you today….
Take Peace
Take Joy
and Take Heaven

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Thank you to all of those who gave… and to those who gave it all…
for our FREEDOM!

Thank you God for giving us this beautiful country to live in, and for
the peace that we enjoy.

** This week… a brand new special post about hillside terrace gardening!

I don’t know about you, but for me, there’s nothing like a pile of freshly boiled eggs and the smell of vinegar to bring back wonderful childhood memories of the day before Easter… around the table with my family!

And… because eggs are so inexpensive this time of year, you should take a few minutes around the kitchen table, to create some memories… and a masterpiece with your little ones!

The number of ways to decorate an egg are limitless, but I thought I would share a few of my favorites with you today.

Painted Eggs

To keep your eggs to use every year, blow the egg out, wash & dry, then paint with regular acrylic paints. You could paint them to say “spring” with birds, nests, trees, and flowers, so you could leave them up all season… not just for Easter. Look at these BEAUTIFUL examples!

I love how these painted eggs were hung on a “blooming” apple branch!

Stick Ons

Decorate with stickers, stamps, or scrapbook notions.

Natural Dye

This year, instead of purchasing a regular “same old, same old” egg dying kit, try using some of the food from your kitchen to color your eggs!

Spinach = Pale Green
Hibiscus tea = Green
Blackberries = Deep Purple
Red Cabbage = Robin’s egg Blue
Cranberries = Lavender
Beet Juice = Pale Pink
* The longer you leave the eggs in, the more the color changes

You can use a paper towel dampened with a bit of vegetable oil to rub the eggs & give them a slight shine, but I love the natural finish

Optional: If you would like patterns on your eggs… wet a leaf of your desired herb (or other pattern), apply to egg, carefully wrap egg in a piece of old pantyhose & secure with a twist tie before placing in the dye bath to keep your pattern secure. Then, carefully unwrap after you remove the egg (using the directions above), and remove the item used for your pattern to reveal your beautiful design.

These eggs were colored with purple cabbage.

Yellow Onion Skins

I love the natural red color that the onion skins give to these eggs!

Grandma’s Quilt Eggs

Cut tissue paper into small squares – make sure to use lots of different bright colors. Dip the boiled egg in water to make sure that it’s wet – apply the pieces of tissue paper – allow to dry – peel off paper to reveal that the dye was left on the egg for a beautiful patchwork quilt effect!

Kaleidoscope Eggs

Pick out some of your favorite colored crayons & sharpen them. Save the shavings & lay them out on a plate. Boil your eggs. While they’re still hot, take them out of the water, then roll them into the wax bits. The wax melts & sticks to the egg, giving it a special kaleidoscope effect.

Mosaic Art

Keep those beautiful colored egg shells that you worked so hard on! As you’re peeling your Easter eggs, be sure to keep the shells in a bowl. On a thicker piece of card stock paper, glue the colored pieces of egg shells into a pattern. The picture will turn out looking like a tile mosaic. Now you will be able to admire all of that time spent coloring your eggs for many years to come! * The kids love this project!

Also… you might like this article that I wrote called, how to boil the perfect egg.

I hope that today is filled with… family, friends, good food, and thankful hearts.

May you remember the true reason for this wonderful season, the ultimate gift, our Lord Jesus come to earth… God with us. And most importantly… may your heart receive His precious gift of life personally!

I thought I would share one of my favorite Christmas carols with you today, as it means so much to me personally.

Joy to the world, the Lord has come, let earth receive her King! Let every heart, prepare Him room…

Our family loves traditions! There are many things that we love to do every year, simply because we’ve always enjoyed doing them together. And yet, there are those few things that bring us enjoyment just because we like the surprise of not knowing what to expect… like our Christmas goodies!

Some years we will make sheets & sheets of different kinds of cookies (truth be told… my husband loves to do alot of this!), and some years we will simply make a special dessert.

I thought I would share a “sweet” idea that you may not have thought of for your Christmas gatherings… cupcakes!

This year, at my son’s graduation party, we decided it would be easier to have individual cupcakes – instead of one big cake that had to be cut & served. We were amazed at how well the cupcakes were received! As a matter of fact, by the time everything was said & done, there wasen’t one left!

Then, this fall we went to a friend’s wedding, where the mother of the bride made a beautiful multi-tiered cupcake tower. Not only did the cupcakes taste wonderful, but they were still being talked about weeks after the reception!

I must say… cupcakes are not your everyday – run of the mill little pieces of cake these days Instead, they are being looked at as very chic little pieces of art… that are also delicious to eat!

I wanted to spark your creative thinking, and thought these beautiful little cupcakes would give you some great ideas to start with.

Please click on each individual cupcake to learn more about it & it’s baker! Now these are my kind of artists

Check out these next 5 beautiful cupcakes from Bakerella
The fist picture is also from her collection.

Look at these sweet little ornaments that you can also eat

I love the colors & designs in these examples.

The simple design and pale colors make these very chic!

I love these Christmas tree cupcakes. The baker made the tops by baking the mix in waffle cones.

You can make beautiful “jackets” for your cupcakes using pretty paper, or paper lace.

Simply Beautiful!

Eggnog Cupcake with cinnamon stick!

And finally… who says Christmas art should only be shared on gingerbread?

Our Christmas Pictures From Last Year

How to Make Cinnamon & Applsauce Ornaments
This is a wonderful project that you can do for pennies!

How to Create a Window Display in 15 Minutes or Less

Christmas Tips and Ideas for Your Holiday

Christmas Tree Tips
Finding & caring for the perfect tree

Never forget…

To all of my friends… Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!