lindaalbrecht

Christmas decor Home Tour

A very Merry Welcome to my house for the virtual Christmas tour!!

I finally got to loading the images that I took of the house.  A few are missing because of bad lighting.  Hope that you find something to enjoy.  We live in a pretty humble little 100 year old house, complete with radiators and many other flaws that I'd like to change someday.  I'd love to have hardwood floors in the living room and dining room eventually and the bathroom needs a major overhaul, but other than that we have enjoyed a lot of years here.  It's home and it's cozy and eventually we'll get around to changing some things.  Let's just hope that we aren't 80 before it happens ;-)

To view the slidehow you can click on "View all Images" underneath the black slidehow box above.  This will take you to slide.com and you can choose another option to view the images besides that crazy flippy shuffle of the photos.  You can also double click on an image to view it closer.  Just play around when you get there to figure it out.  Pretty easy. 

Did you have a chance to visit any of the other blogs that are doing the virtual tour?  I'm going to go check it out now.  Go to this blog (A Cottage Industry) to get the links to tour other's Christmas homes. 

Happy Holidays!

Linda 

Magic Christmas things...

  "Christmas waves a magic wand over this world and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." Norman Vincent Peale

Isn't Christmas just the prettiest time of the year?  I never tire of the sparkle and the beauty and then turn on the Christmas hymns and carols... well, I just get all mooshy inside.   I'm really looking forward to going to church with my parents and family on Christmas Eve.  At their church they have a childrens "Bell Ringing" service and it is so beautiful. The church has candle sconces on the walls that are decorated with greens and red velvet bows-- the service is aglow with candlelight. Just gorgeous.  During every hymn, the children ring bells --it is so sweet and really makes them feel special because they get to do this.  I got some new bells for Cort to ring--they are so soft, it's almost like hearing bells off in the distance-- as if a magic Christmas sleigh is almost within our sight ;-)

I have one quick little project to share!  I used some of the Melissa Frances  Harlequin paper for the trim on this Christmas cone.  Used my zig zag edge scissors to cut out around the diamond shapes in the paper, put some little bells on the points, then added one of her vintage stickers to the trim.  The filling was just some extra greens and stuff that I had in my stash. 

I can always count on Melissa Frances products to create the vintage look that I want on a project!

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One quick thing before I am off to ship a box of projects to Creative Imaginations for the Winter catalog and Vegas show... I am going to be in a "Virtual Holiday Christmas Tour" hosted by Tracey Buxton at A Cottage Industry that begins in 2 days--December 19.

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Tracey's blog always has beautiful photos of her home -- you won't be sorry if you go there for a visit.  There will be several other homes included, so if you have a chance to visit Tracey's blog, you can click on links there for more homes to tour.  I will post some images of my house decorated for Christmas here on my blog.  Stop by if you can. Now,  I need to get busy taking some pictures !!

Love to all,  Linda

 

Beauty and song

"Oh Beautiful Star of hope of rest,

for to redeem the good and the best,

Yonder in glory when the crown is won.

Jesus is now the star divine,

Brighter and brighter He will shine.

Oh beautiful Star of Bethlehem...

Shine on."

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So, I am listening to Christmas music today and finishing up a few things around the house.  The words above are from a song called "Star of Bethlehem" and it is sung by Emmylou Harris on her album titled "The Light of the Stable".  I have been listening to this album since I was a teenager and it never grows old to me.  Emmylou is an alternative country/folk artist.  She has the voice of an angel and there are so many songs on that album that make me tear up every time that I listen and sing along.  Want to hear a few 30 second samples from her album?  Follow this link and you can listen.  Just click on each song and then another box will open with a prompt for you to play the song, then click AOL 30 second sample.  She does an angelic version of Away in a Manger and the First Noel.  In a song called "Angel Eyes" she sings about Jesus and it cuts right to my soul.  Just heavenly--love this CD.  What are you listening to this season?

I promised a paper craft item in my last post and honestly, I have nothing to share.  Poo.  I wanted to play with some paper, but it just isn't happening.  I did use some scrapbook product for a quick little pick me up to some of my home decor, though. Some Making Memories stuff that I hoarded for awhile.  Do they even sell these anymore?

Oh how I loved these.  Used them on almost every page for awhile.  So every time that I was lucky enough to walk into a place that sold these I would pick up a package or 2.  About a week ago I found 4 packages of these babies, tucked behind some other product in my supply armoir.  I still love them.  Love the texture and when you paint and distress them...sigh... just love that look.  Anyway, I decided to give 3 little shadow box style frames a little pick- me- up.

You only see 2 here, but you get the idea.  Oh... I love them all over again.  Now I want more to pick- me -up something else around here ;-)  (See,  Honey--this is why I save stuff :-)

So that is my share for today.  It's all about Christmas now at our house -- as it should be.  All that I want to do is sit and watch the decorations glisten and the lights glow.  Although  that won't happen, I plan to take time each day to play the Christmas music and take in all of my sparkly trimmings.  Christmas would go on without them, but I believe that we have been given our senses for a reason.  God always has a reason ... so I am thankful for His gifts and like to tend to them whenever I can. 

Love and wishes for a blessed season of beauty and joy!  See you soon,  Linda   

It's a Winter Wonderland !!

And look who is happy as can be about it!!  Yes, he is enjoying every spare minute outside in our frozen winter tundra that he can.  Usually just short of becoming a little popsicle himself ;-)    Then he comes in for hot chocolate with a huge pile of mini marshmallows on top and some warm snuggles from mom.  I just love to kiss a cold pink cheek.

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Then here is a shot of our humble entry-- it looks so peaceful with all of the freshly fallen snow.  I just love the first snow-- it always seems so magical . I love to go outside at night time when it has just snowed where I can be alone with my thoughts and the muffled silence that seems to accompany a snowfall.  It's one of those things of nature that reminds us that we are so small and that our Creator is so great -- so immense that He can envelop us with this blanket of snow.

 

A close up of one of my planters all spruced up for Christmas.

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I don't have a project to share today.  Most of the paper craft projects that I have been doing are with new releases for next year, so I can't show anything yet.  I did get into the paint though for a quick change over for some Christmas decorations.  I bought a couple of metal snowflakes that have rhinestones on them right when the Christmas merchandise hit the stores.  After I stared at them for awhile, I wasn't so sure that I liked them as well as I had thought. This is what one of them looked like:

   

Now they look like this.  Mmmmm,  I love them white.  Snowflakes need to be white -- I LOVE white.  (No wonder I am a little obsessed with snow ;-)

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Now to attend to the business of the RAK.  I had my son Luke, draw from the names of the posts on the "Meet Crystal" entry...

... the winner of the RAK to receive her own little Snow friend is  Irene M.   Thanks to everyone who posted and shared projects.  Irene, email me with your mailing address and I will send her off to you right away! :-)

So now I'm off to dreamland.  I'll try to post again soon with a "real" project that includes paper! 

Lots of love,  Linda

Only 22 days until Christmas!

Does that make anyone but me panic?!!  It seems like it was just summer and here we are again nearing Christmas at what seems like lightning speed.  Cort has been counting down for a few days now.  He is always counting down to something and he usually has a tablet with numbers that he checks off as the days go by.  He has done this for a couple of years near Christmas also and I have wanted to make him a "Countdown to Christmas" calendar, but never have.  A couple of days ago I was at 2peas in a bucket and saw this cute countdown calendar by Cropcat.  OH MY!!!!  Talk about a wonderful way to do a countdown.  Hers is so fun and retro looking--just love it--so I decided to make one for Cort's countdown here at home.  This is my version using a lot of Melissa Frances product, including her big clipboard.  Don't you just love that  MF chipboard reindeer?!!  Plus all of the other scrumpcious MF product like the vintage  stickers and glittery trees and snowflakes.  Makes my crafty heart swoon. I also used some Basic Grey letter stickers, which are one of my all time favorites.  Cort is pretty excited about the clipboard calendar and hey--no more tablet and pen to get the job done!  Thanks so much to Cropcat and her very inspired project.  Check out her other projects, she is an awesome paper artist and scrapbooker.

I also finished up the album to one of the Melissa Frances paper mache boxes that I posted a few entries back.  It goes inside of this album that I topped with this little Frosty house(Remember to click on the images if you want to see a closer view):

So much fun to do the little accordion album.  Love also that the box is deeper than the album so that you can add lots of bulky things like buttons and clips and cookie cutters and it will still fit inside with no problem. 

Lots to do today.  I'm still not all decorated for Christmas and  the assignments are piling up so I'd better get going.  I still have a little RAK to draw for from my "Meet Crystal" post -- I haven't forgotten -- just been so busy between Hockey, Christmas decorating,  and paper crafting.  So if you didn't get a chance to comment on that post, you still have time to be a part of the drawing.  I'll be back soon to post a winner.

Lots of  love,  Linda