Putting The Fun Back In Christmas

 I love Christmas! I'll just come right out and say it, "hands down Christmas is my favorite holiday". I LOVE the decorations and the warmth they bring into my home. I LOVE shopping for my loved ones. I LOVE the Christmas music and the all around magic that seems to be present this time of year. But I too feel the stress of all the "extra" things there are to do during this special month. I want everything to be perfect for my family and friends. So I kill myself trying to get just the right presents, the right decorations and of course all the right food. Add running two businesses on top of that and a few "Grinch" moments are bound to sneak in! I know many of us are in the same boat! It takes a little effort to focus on the fun and not the stress of Christmas. Here are a few things that seem to help me:

• I just have to make a list! There are too many things swirling in my head to remember them all. Being able to cross something off my list just makes me feel a sense of accomplishment.
• Do something fun everyday! We have so many "have to do's", so make sure and plan a few "get to do's" for each day. It doesn't have to be anything big, just a little something to look forward to. I love sipping a hot chocolate while I read the ads or catch up on email. I also love watching all the Christmas shows that are on! Some of those old movies are a hoot!
• Listen to Christmas music! We have radio stations that play it non stop....sing along!
• Make a gift for someone, or a new decoration for your home. Creating and working with my hands just does something special for me. I can't show you what I am working on because they are gifts...but you can see a few of our fun handmade Christmas goodies here on our website.
• Reward yourself for finishing a task. While I'm out shopping or working on things at home, I allow myself a little reward here and there. All work makes life dull! Sometimes it's a candy bar to eat as I drive from store to store, sometimes curling up with my book for a few minutes, or surfing the web! Have you checked out Pintrest....I'm just getting started, but it's addicting!
• Focus on someone who needs help. Offering service of any kind will lift your spirits.

I know there are tons of other ideas, so feel free to share what works for you. I just think this is such a special time of year, but we all need to put the FUN back in Christmas! Here's to more fun and less stress! Happy Holidays!

Hugs,

Eileen

A Special Show Worth The Trip

We are participating in a special show this month....Katie's Christmas Cottage! It's the perfect size and has plenty of Christmas spirit to put you in the mood! It's filled with a great selection of vintage, handmade and both Christmas and home decor.

I just love this vintage Tea Cart. The lines are quite contemporary and I wish I could think of a reason to buy it! Isn't she cute!

This is one of the Cottage displays. Love that tree!

The Tuscany section turned out wonderful and feels warm and welcoming. This is one of my favorite displays too.

I just love the Retro Christmas done in Red and Turquoise! These are too cute!

I love the idea of using ordinary things in my Christmas decor! These vintage Thermos containers are perfect! Come by and enjoy this special show! Open now through December 24th 10:30am to 5:30pm and located at 4812 SW Scholls Ferry Road, Raleigh Hills Oregon! This special show is worth the trip! For more information visit BrookhavenVintage.com

Hugs....

Eileen & Karen

Oh Where Oh Where Has My Little Blog Gone!

Oh where or where has my little blog gone! Oh dear! I am so sorry for such a laps! Seriously…my life has been crazy! When I was trying to think of a title for this post, I thought about how many different ones would be appropriate for this post…things like: "Missing In Action", "What I Did On My Summer And Or Fall Vacation", "Weddings, Events and Funerals Oh My!", and "Nothing Is Better Than Family Time!" Everyone of those titles would describe in part why the last couple of months have been so awesome…but crazy! Anyone who really knows me, would say I’m a perfectionist, workaholic type personality, so the fact that I let this blog go for so long just speaks to the dead run I have been on for the past couple of months. I can’t complain, my time has been filled with so many wonderful blessings.

Seeing my Son be accepted into a prestigious collage program and moving him from one end of the state to the other....

(BYU Campus!)

(His New Apartment Complex...spoiled!)

...completing many weddings, funerals and big time events with my floral & design business,
(A few of my weddings)


(Floral and Booth Design for As Good As It Gets Catering Company...super fun people to work with!)

...and spending precious time with our daughters and two sweet grandsons is just the best of times!.

...Add into that an extremely busy show schedule...

(Funky Junk Sisters Junk Salvation Show)

(Our display at Ruffles and Rust)

...church responsibilities, taking care of my elderly Mom and everyday life and there is not much time left over. So my apologies for being gone for so long, but as you can see even though my life is a bit crazy….I am truly blessed. There you go, now that’s the best title of all.

Satisfaction! Mission Accomplished!

There's nothing quite at satisfying as completing a big project....a really big project! We've been working on a custom order this week...actually for several weeks!

We made 175 handmade wedding favor burlap bags for one of our Etsy customers! It's been a hugs undertaking with many steps in the process, and we definitely enjoyed crafting together! Awe, but the best of all was the great sense of satisfaction as we carefully wrapped and packed them for shipping! Whew...mission accomplished!

We finished just in time to get a few Fun and Funky Finds listed this week. So stop by our website and have a look. Enjoy the summer weekend!

Hugs,

Eileen & Karen

Summer Treats

Can you believe it's the end of July! Wow, the Summer is slipping away! It's about time we were treating ourselves to something good! Here is a link for a yummy recipe for Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas! Holy Yum Batman!

We also have some "yummy" new vintage linens and quilt squares just listed. Karen and I truly have a hard time passing up these special pieces of handwork.

The time, effort and love that has gone into these makes them little works of art in our minds. And Karen is the master at getting the stains out! I'm always amazed and how fabulous they look when she is finished with them! Click here to take a peek! Enjoy!

New This Week!

I've been working on some new listings! I've added a full page of Estate Sale finds so pop over and check them out!

Have a great weekend!

Hugs,

Eileen

Wedding Update

So I've been promising for a long time now that I would post some pics of my weddings this year. So here are a few...OK more than a few pics, but they are some of my favorites.

~Favorite Bouquets~

This one is my all time favorite this year. It was so unique with Lisianthus, Hellebore, Andromeda and Roses. Drizzled with beaded pearls and crystals. I had such a fun time making this one!

This one was hard...for me! But turned out so beautiful.

Megan and her pretty maids! Loved her colors and how the hydrangeas looked with the freesia, orchids and deep purple accents.

This bride wanted something that felt like wildflowers... with a Red, White and Blue color pallet

~Centerpieces and Arrangements~

I love how Cake Plate centerpieces look. We placed them on top of mirrors so the crystal and chandeliers would reflect in the rustic barn setting. It was so cool!

I love doing fresh floral on cakes!

A gorgeous Alter Arrangement made by my wedding buddy Carol!

An over sized Cylinder Arrangement. This was so fun to make, but I didn't have a step stool and I was so afraid I was going to tip it over while I was standing on my tippy toes!

~Wedding Decor~

-Rustic Wedding-

It was so fun to do something different. This bride wanted her reception in a barn, but couldn't find one to use. So I transformed a church gym instead! We used Burlap for the backdrop curtains and many of the tablecloths.

 

I made rustic directional signs and used vintage pieces for the food display and accent pieces.

I had a blast designing this wedding!

-Asian Wedding at the Persimmon Golf Club-

I was blessed to work with a friend on this wedding. She took the lead and it was fun to be her helper. Didn't she do a great job with the design!

I loved how the shade umbrellas looked waiting for the guests to come!

-Barn Wedding-

Loved, loved this setting! Again it was really fun to work on something completely different! This is the gorgeous...but rustic McMenamin's Octagonal Barn. We brought in lots of curly willow and lights, hung crystal chandeliers over the tables and used mirrors to reflect the lights and open up the space.

I loved working on this wedding too.

I feel so blessed to be play a part in making someones dream wedding day come true!

Something For Everyone?

Have you ever seen the garage sales that say, "they have something for everyone" Usually we get to those and think...yea right...false advertising! But last week we found one that truly fit the bill! We couldn't resist taking a few pics at this Barn Sale. It's not everyday that you see a vintage Electric Chair for sale...right next to a vintage Coke Machine! We got a real kick out of that!

This week we have been working on restructuring our website and adding new products. We'd love to know what you think. Hopefully it's a bit easier to find all your favorite products with things a little less spread out. You can find our website here.

We hope you are having a great summer!

Hugs,

Eileen & Karen

Signs Of Summer

Summer had taken it's sweet time arriving in Oregon this year....but we think it's finally here. Several days of sun in a row and temps above 70 degrees are a welcome reprieve from the rainy, soggy days we've had for months and months.

We ventured to the Coast on Saturday to soak up some of that glorious sun.

What a wonderful day with family and our sweet little guy...his first time putting his toes in the water and joining in the Frisbee fun!

Awe, the sweetness of summer is here.

We Have A Winner!

First we want to thank everyone who participated in our Farm Chicks Blog Giveaway! It was really fun reading your comments and we feel blessed to add you to our blogging friends. We hope you'll come back and visit often!

So drum roll please...... Sonja from Counting My Blessings is our big winner! Congratulations Sonja! We are so excited for you! This is such a great prize and we hope you love it! Please contact us through our website at www.forgetmenotdreams.com with your mailing address and we'll get your book in the mail asap! You can visit Sonja's fun blog here.

We are getting caught up around here and getting our product sorted, photographed and listed on our website!

New This Week on Thursday we will feature more of our handmade pillows and totes and some fun Vintage Cottage finds. So stop by and say hi!

Hugs,

Eileen & Karen