Keep Smiling

Keep Smiling

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Christmas, It's Right Around The Corner :)

I am in a Christmas mood,
like I have not been in, in years.
It feels good . . .
and I hope that it is contagious :)
In fact I was shopping at JoAnn's yesterday,
when another shopper commented on my lovely voice.
I do not even realize that I am singing 
until someone makes a comment,
but it is usually at home and it is my Steve
 that says something.  
When I apologized, I heard back,
"Oh, I think it would be a better world 
if everyone sang out loud".   
Do you ever catch yourself singing, 
humming or whistling as you shop? 

I printed these postcards off the internet.
The two tags are from the gift package 
that Sherry from Thrift My House sent me,
and the ornaments are ones I've had for years :)


I bought a few 99 cent bunches 
of red berries from Walmart
and I all ready had the hat, from years past.
   The red shams are borrowed 
from the Art Barn loft.
Then I took some red check scraps from my mudroom curtains 
and sewed them to the hem 
of a set of white pillow cases.
The small red pillow is made from a 
scrap left from the curtain under the kitchen sink 
and the boarder is a scrap from 
Steve's Christmas quilt :) 

It was so much love pulling this altogether
 from scraps and just a small 
amount of shopping.
Oh, the Christmas tree pillow is one that 
I made maybe ten years ago.

I hope that I have inspired you 
to check your scrap pile 
and make something new.


It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year !
 ~~~~~***~~~~~
Keep Smiling! 

  ~~~~~***~~~~~

Your blogging sister,
Connie :)  

57 comments:

  1. Oh Connie. This is literally sugar plums dancing. Keep singing :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are such a sweetheart . . . I couldn't stop singing if I tried, this is a habit that I inherited from my Dad. He was always, whistling or singing. My daughter and husband tell people that I came out of the womb singing a show-tune, LOL.

      Delete
  2. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

    Your house is looking quite festive.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, yours too! It has been fun tweaking things for the holidays and enjoying the Christmas atmosphere around town :)

      Delete
  3. Connie, you have inspired me for sure! We have had horrible bushfires here in Adelaide(Australia)< and people are feelinh low because so many farms have been burnt out.First it was frosts, then fires.I feel for people on the land.What resilient people they have to be.We don't value them enough.So, I am going to get out some more decorations.I was just going to have a Very Few out this year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have to look around us and count our blessings . . . No matter what is going on, there are still many things to be grateful for. I think that if we wear a smile and spread a little cheer, we can help lift the spirits of those around us too. It's more about what is going on inside people than what is going on, on the outside. There was a time in my life that I had three children, 5 cardboard boxes of belongings and 75 cents in my pocket, it was very scary, but sometimes the Lord puts us into circumstanced that we never understand, until we have walked through them and gotten stronger because of our journey. Life is good! Some things past away because there are better things in store for us. Having faith and spreading love . . . to me that is the spirit of Christmas :)

      Delete
  4. I just love the red and white christmas bedroom. I too am getting more in the christmas spirit this year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Betty, it's fun isn't it? All that I did, was pack away a few things and add a few others and it all came together . . . Christmas cheer :)

      Delete
  5. I LOVE your headboard and your Christmas bedroom! It's a happy room in it's red and white. I sing along when I hear Christmas songs in the store, however no one said I was good!
    warmly,
    deb

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, I think it is the same notion as beauty is in the eye of the beholder . . . one person may like my voice, while another may pug their ears, LOL. I don't care . . . I'm singing on, it makes me happy . . . and anyway I really don't realize I'm doing it loud enough for anyone to hear, until they say something :) Thank you for the comment about my headboard. I made that myself from pickets purchased at Home Depot (years ago).

      Delete
  6. I love any and all old postcards. My friend and my grandson sing all the time. I sing once in a while for myself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I grew up watching all the old musicals from the 1930's and 1940's on TV, and I had a Dad that loved to sing. He didn't do it to entertain anyone, he did it because it was in his soul . . . that was my inheritance from him . . . I certainly came by it honesty. I do believe that having a song in your heart is much better than any wealth or medicine . . . it has served me well through my 70 years, money I would have blown or been cheated out of, LOL.

      Delete
  7. Good for you Connie! I just love your attitude and keep on singing! I wish we were neighbors but at least we can share by mail and the internet:-)
    Hugs my friend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sherry, I couldn't stop even if I tried, LOL
      Oh, it would be great fun to be neighbors to you!

      Delete
  8. I guess I have sung a little bit when out shopping and hearing music playing! But not too loud! It sure looks festive at your house. I love Christmas too! Too bad it comes and goes so fast!!! Nancy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Nancy, yes it does, but with all the festivities and food related events, we wouldn't need it to be any longer . . . I would weight 500 pounds, LOL

      Delete
  9. I love the pillow cases...I think I have some fabric from an old tablecloth. No, I don't sing, not even at home...I would politely be asked to refrain seeing I can't even carry a tune in a bucket!
    Have a great week, Connie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey! I say sing away . . . don't do it for others, do it for you :)

      Delete
  10. Keep singing!

    What a lovely display, and how thrifty, too!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I cant sing a lick, you are so lucky to be blessed with a singing voice. But, Yes, I hum along with whatever is playing in the stores. I love your bedroom!!! Hugs, LJ









    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Humming is good ! I think that having a song in your heart is a wonderful thing; if you have a song going through you there is much less change of any negative things popping into your mind and spoiling a perfectly good moment :)

      Delete
  12. How lovely to decorate your bedroom so festively. I do well to decorate the main parts of the house.. :-) I'm working on my cards.. then finish decorating.. then get the gift appropriation completed! Tis the season! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We don't do a lot of Christmas present shopping. A little something for the granddaughters, and daughter and that's it. Steve and I each plan a date during the holidays. I took him on one yesterday. His favorite meal to eat out is breakfast, so I took him to breakfast, then to an Christmas festival that was put on by our local farmer's market and then to the movies. It was a fun day and we were home a little before dark. That's a date at our age, LOL. I saw your Christmas cards . . . I love that you design them yourself. Happy Holidays!

      Delete
  13. Such a simple but effective use of bits and bobs making a stunning bedroom, you are an inspiration! I do sing along to the Christmas music in shops occasionally, not intentionally but just get carried away by the tune. Its is such a wonderful time of year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes it is! I think that it is hard to not get caught up in the music . . . it's amazingly contagious and filled with love and goodwill.

      Delete
  14. This looks like it could be Santa's own bedroom. I love it. The headboard is decorated perfectly and I love all the red you've added in

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Ann, I didn't do very much in there, but it just bought in a little Christmas cheer :)

      Delete
  15. I forgot to say that I don't know if I ever sing/hum while shopping but I know I do a lot of it while I'm at work

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me Too! It would be nice if everyone sang, don't you feel like you have a better day when you have a song going through your heart?

      Delete
  16. Hello dear Connie...oh, I haven't visited in simply...too long! I am trying to finish some orders before wrapping up heartmade work for the year so I can concentrate on some delightful Christmassy crafting!
    I loved this post...so full of Festive happiness...your house looks so beautiful!
    Sending you much dear love and a hug!
    Kelly-Anne

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi There Kelly-Anne, it is always a pleasure to have you drop by. Heartmade work . . . I love that :)

      Delete
  17. So, so pretty! I am delighted to hear you have a extra dose of Christmas spirit this year! I am really excited this year even though there are lots of changes around here. Change also means new things are happening and that is wonderful! I just love the pops of red and green against the white! So crisp and clean. I am sitting here reading blogs and smelling the apple cinnamon candles I just purchased. Yum! Have a blesseed Sunday my friend. Hugs, Vicky

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Apple cinnamon candle . . . I just bought one a couple of weeks ago and have been enjoying the yummy smells. I also bought some of those cinnamon scented pine cones and set them in a basket on the washer and dryer . . . they are the first thing you smell as you come in the back door :) Once I purchased a candle that was scented with a sugar cookie scent, Steve came home from work, took one sniff and got excited because he thought that I had been baking, my poor fellow was sorely disappointed :(

      Delete
  18. Connie
    This is such a lovely happy post ... I love red at Christmastime ...
    I do quite often find myself singing at home, and sometimes when I'm out - I think it's quite contagious ...

    ..........

    Many thanks for your comments on the Low Carb / Gluten Free Cheese Straws which I recently posted on the low carb diabetic blog - do please hop over and see if my reply can help you.

    The link is here

    https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2600659484694637338&postID=8912099925176131470&page=1&token=1449440391536

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Jan, you have been so helpful. I truly love your blog and it is so nice to be finding new recipes that I can add to our diet. This is a health issue for my Steve and I plan to grow old with him . . . some might say that has already happen, LOL, but we plan on many, many more years :)

      Delete
  19. One of the first things I remember about visiting your blog is your love of music. I'm so glad you sing when you're out. It does lift the mood. I'd love to hear you belt a show tune!! Your decorating is beautiful - even more because I know the personal thought that went into it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Melanie, thank you . . . I can tell that you get it. Music has a power to calm, heal and refresh a person's day and attitude. If you have a song in your heart you'll be going through your day with a smile for your fellow man and a attitude of kindness and generosity. Why this is I do not know, but have you ever had a bad day when you went through it singing. We should wake up singing the Rodgers & Hammerstein's song, "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" Now, what kind of a day would that be? A Happy day I would say!

      Delete
  20. I like those postcards that you got off the internet. I don't have a printer but I'll be on the look out for vintage-looking cards and see if I can make a banner using them. I saw one in a shop last week but it was more than I would spend on such. I do like all your decorating!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Go to my email and send me your address, I will print a few and send them to you :)

      Delete
  21. I have been known to sing a long with songs that are playing in the store and I DO NOT have a good voice but I try to sing quietly if I do sing a long ;) You did a beautiful job decorating your bed, so festive and good to hear you are happy decorating this year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Connie, I'm singing quietly too, but maybe not as quiet as I think, LOL. It's okay . . . I'd sure rather be the person singing in the store than the lady yelling at her kids or the one going along grumbling under her breath about all that is wrong in the world. I've even had a few people tell me that they heard me singing a song and then it was stuck in their head all day. It makes me smile, because they could have had worries going through their mind all day instead:) I'm enjoying the season and hope that I can do my part to make my joy contagious.
      Have a wonderful and happy week dear friend.

      Delete
  22. How can you not sing, HO,HO the mistletoe? I love singing out loud. I love your room So cute.
    Love, love the black accent.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Katie, I'm delighted to find another out loud singer . . . my husband says he enjoys it so much when he hears me in washing dishes or cleaning up around the house and I'm just singing away. Music . . . it's a unbelievable up lifting thing. You will appreciate this: I have visited Alzheimer's Care Facilities were even though the residents did not remember where they were or even their family, when you start playing and singing a old familiar song they remember the words and can sing along. That's a powerful thing . . . music is magic :)

      Delete
  23. I rarely sing or hum in public and don't hear anyone singing either! Guess I wouldn't mind it if the person had a pleasant voice. ;-) One year near Christmas, I was walking up to the Hobby Lobby store and the Salvation Army kettle man was singing Christmas carols as he was ringing the bell. I was the only person around, and his singing wasn't that great, but I could tell he was having fun doing so and it really put a smile on my face. Your bedroom looks so pretty with the touches of red!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love hearing people sing, even if their voice isn't that good . . . it's a joyful thing and always touches my heart. I'm very happy you like my little red touches to the bedroom, it was fun doing something in there. I've never let Christmas decorating go beyond the living-room and kitchen before :)

      Delete
  24. Hi Connie,
    It is the most wonderful time of the year! And I do find myself singing in the stores...and I have the car radio on the Christmas music station and am listening at home too...I love it all! ;)
    That bedroom is just so pretty, love red at Christmas and your room is so, so pretty!!
    Have a wonderful rest of your week!
    Kimberley

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kimberley, there has been so much beautiful music written around the Christmas season for centuries . . . some of it just touches my spirit and carries me to a joyful place of clam and peace. Oh, that it would touch some of those hearts in this world that are living in turmoil and bring them to a place of seeking the Lord. He is what Christmas is all about :) I love finding out that you are also singing and enjoying these special songs.

      Delete
  25. I love what you did in your bedroom...it is so pretty and perfect for Christmas and Winter!! I find myself singing or humming whenever I hear Christmas music too.
    hugs,
    Cindy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cindy, thank you for the sweet comment . . . I'm delighted to hear that you love the music of the season, too. It is beautiful!

      Delete
  26. I love how you put this all together Connie, it looks beautiful, and awesome that it was all from bits and pieces :-) I sometimes hum along to music while I'm out but only very quietly!! I love your early morning snow show from the previous post too - it looks a little cold but so beautiful :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Raewyn, thanks for stopping by and visiting. I was wondering do you get snow in New Zealand? I've always thought that it was more warm and raining, but then I really don't know. Have a lovely day and don't work too hard, save a little time for fun :)

      Delete
  27. I love the red accents. I tend to choose red for an accent color, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love red . . . it works for Christmas, valentines, 4th of July, summer picnics, and a great all around country look . . . it's just a cheerful color and my very favorite :)

      Delete
  28. Love all your festive touches, Connie. The post cards you printed are so charming. Are those from The Graphics Fairy? I have a place where I could use something like that. Christmas will soon be here and I'll still decorating. LOL Like you, I"m really in the Christmas spirit this year. Hugs, Nancy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't remember where I found them, but maybe Pinterest. I can get lost in all the ideas I glean from visiting that site :)

      Delete