Upcoming Giveaway: Red Letter Words

That’s right! I would like to announce the first CHC reader giveaway! Thanks to Red Letter Words, one lucky reader will win a 12x12 Café Mount Art Print!

Make sure you visit CHC the first week of February for your chance to win! 

Here are just a few of the wonderful prints the winner has to choose from! 

I told you they were wonderful! You can also visit their website to view many more of their products! Even if you don’t win the giveaway it's definitely worth checking out!

...Mark your calendars!

XO,

Jaclyn

Winter Wonderland 2011

This morning I saw a beautiful sight when looked out our bedroom window… everything was blanketed with snow!

This is the railing on our back deck… I think we got about 7 inches! Travis is currently out there shoveling the driveway… what a guy!

I went out the sunroom door and around from the backyard so I could leave the snow undisturbed for the photo. Good thing I had on my favorite boots!  

Sometimes winter days can be gloomy, but when everything is covered with white fluffy snow it all seems to come to life again! Every season has it’s blessings!

Last night the girls spent the night with “Ju-Ju” and “Papa Bob” at Fire Lake Camp… hopefully we’ll making out there this afternoon and get to take Angelia sledding for the first time!

Stay warm!

XO,

Jaclyn

Thrifty Find: Tealight Turtle

Almost every time I leave the house I drive by this Salvation Army Family Store… and after living in our home over 3 ½ years I’ve Never. Gone. Inside… until last week that is… 

…and I found this! It’s a glass turtle tealight holder And. I. Love. It.

This is what he looked like when I bought him, perfect except for some dust and melted wax.

I simply ran him under some warm water and introduced him to a butter knife and some soap... and gave him a scented tealight!

One of the things I love so much about him is the detail in his face. Are you in love too? …Or maybe I just have a weird turtle thing going on?

One thing I know for sure is that he was the best 48 CENTS I’ve ever spent! That’s right, 48 CENTS! …Now you understand my excitement!

What’s your favorite thing you’ve bought for a price that’s even better?

Cool Home Creations

Christmas Decor 2010: Greenery Wreath

One of the things I love most about seasonal decorating is making wreaths. The possibilities are endless and you can really get creative! It can be as simple or elaborate as you'd like. This time I went with a more simple style, after all, sometimes less is more!

The wreath is hung just to the side of our front door...

Material:

Faux Greenery Wreath (My mom pick a bunch up from a friend's garage sale.)

Ribbon (Hobby Lobby- 50% off)

Red Berry Picks (Hobby Lobby- 50% off)

Crystal Ball Picks (Hobby Lobby- 50 % off)

Silver Ball Picks (Hobby Lobby- 50% off)

Silver Ball Ornaments (Hobby Lobby- already had)

Did you make a Christmas wreath this year? If so, what items did you use?

Now it's your turn!!!  Share your favorite Christmas decoration from 2010!
Remember...Please link directly to your linky party post and not just to your blog.
Please link back to Cool Home Creations so other's can join in on the fun! 
Please leave comments for the authors of the blogs you visit... help our participants feel the love!

CHC Craft Published on ThriftyFun!

On the day before Thanksgiving I got something in my inbox that gave me one more thing to be thankful for! ...It was an email from ThriftyFun that said... "Your contest entry has been published on ThriftyFun!" ...I'm not sure what the winner receives, I'm just excited to get published! ...but you can vote for my tip by clicking the Thumbs Up button!

I summited my Bittersweet Pumpkin Display... In case you missed the post on it you can check it out here.

Thanks to those who voted!!!

Thanksgiving: Thankful for Family

...And for finally getting a good picture take of all four of us! ...Thanks to my amazing photographer cousin, Tanya! 

"The best things in life are not things!"

What I love most in life is spending time with family... nothing is more precious! The world we live in today is very busy and not very "family friendly." Remember, our time on this earth is short, so cherish every moment!

If you live in the Kansas City area and need a great photographer, I highly recommend Tanya Williams with Draussen Photography!

Autumn Decor: Bittersweet Pumpkin Centerpiece

You might have noticed that I'm on a bit of a bittersweet kick (check out my front porch railing and thrifty wreath idea)! I can't help myself, I just LOVE it!

I created a display for my small front porch table, but it would also be stunning has the centerpiece for your Thanksgiving dinner or buffet table. I started with a medium-sized pumpkin...

For larger tables you could spaces a few down the center or place a smaller pumpkin on each side.

Materials:

• Pumpkin(s)
• Wheat (from your local craft-store / or you can clip some natural, tall grasses)
• Leaves (search your yard or nearby park... ok, or like me your neighbors yard)  
• Bittersweet (you can use the-real-deal that can be found growing along country roads, etc. or faux)

I used wheat from Hobby Lobby that I actually got for a different project (check back to see what I used it for).

I also used leaves from our oak tree...

...and leaves from our neighbor's maple tree... they were so much prettier!

What have you used for your autumn / Thanksgiving centerpieces?

Make-it-Yourself: Bittersweet Wreath

~Inspiration~

Pottery Barn Faux Bittersweet Wreath...$59 (more than I would like to pay)!

~Thrifty Solution~

10" Grapevine Wreath from Hobby Lobby... $3

+

6 ft. Faux Bittersweet Garland from Factory Direct Craft... $12

=

Your very own Faux Bittersweet Wreath for only $15!

You save $44, plus get the fun and pride of making it yourself!

Ready to M.I.Y.?

Autumn Decor: A Bittersweet Ending

To me summer has a bittersweet ending... gone are the days of swimming in the warm sun and seeing life flourish all around... though they are replaced with beautiful fall leaves, cool, crisp air, holiday family gatherings, and the excitement of the first snowfall! Which is just one of the many reasons bittersweet, the vine, is great for autumn decorations!  

A few weeks ago my mom brought me a large bundle of bittersweet that her and my dad gathered from the roadside of their nearby country roads. She hung hers over her front door and I draped mine over my front porch railing...

I love everything about it... it's twisting vines, orange pods and bright-red seeds (the pods break open during autumn).

The How To: I simply selected my favorite clipping for the front-side of the porch, placed it on the railing and wrapped some twine around it .

Bittersweet is wonderful in any autumn arrangement... wreaths, table centerpieces, mantles, etc. Hopefully you now have the urge to grab your clippers, hop in the car and take a drive through the countryside... in search of some bittersweet to spruce up your home for the season! You can also look for some natural grasses while you're at it! 

...Or, you could get some faux bittersweet that you can use year after year! I prefer to use real bittersweet outdoors (for a more natural look) and faux bittersweet for indoors (since real bittersweet drops it's pods and seeds, and is poisonous if eaten... which could be hazardous with little ones). 

6 ft. Faux Bittersweet Garland from Flower Depot Store... $15!

Have you ever used bittersweet in your autumn decor? If so, do share!

Sustainable Living: Urban Chickens

For a few months now I've really had the desire to get some chickens for my backyard. My plan was to design and build a chicken coop over the winter and get the chickens in the spring. The only problem was that I wasn't sure if our city allowed chickens... that was until last week when I goggled 'Roeland Park' and came across numerous articles stating that the city is currently in the process of deciding whether or not they are going to allow it's residents to keep chickens! While reading the articles and doing some research I found a group called CHIRP (City Hens in Roeland Park), so I quickly contacted them to see what I could do to help.

Mission Statement of Roeland Park: "Roeland Park is a community dedicated to providing a sustainable quality of life by using sound fiscal policies to achieve a safe and healthy environment for current and future generations."

Benefits of Keeping Your Own Hens:

• Fresh Eggs- fresher than any eggs you can find at a store...
• Healthier Eggs- able to ensure proper diet and living conditions...
• Fertilizer- their waste is great  for your lawn and gardens... 
• Help Turn-Over Compost- they love kitchen scraps
• Weed Your Garden- they eat sprouting weeds
• Chemical-Free Pest Control- they eat bugs
• Good Pets / Great for Children- they're docile in nature, fun and entertaining!
• The wonderful, unexplainable feeling of living life like "the good 'ol days!"

Poultry Tribune

Apartment Therapy

Nogg

Bringing Back the Pleasures of Simpler Times!

Does your city allow for you to keep chickens?

If so, and you do, tell us about it!

If not, and you wish you could, tell us about it!