What I’ve Been Up To Part 3

little house
This is a post that I have been trying to finish all week and am just now getting around to it. I know, shame on me! Now that Christmas is almost here, here is the much anticipated final post on what I’ve been doing for the holidays and around the house.

The above photo is some little houses that I made in November to decorate my mantle with. I got the pattern for them here. Since upstairs was pretty neutral, I wanted the family room to be full of color. Especially since it’s a white room. I used more of my Amy Butler paper to make the houses and bright felt to make the stuffed fabric trees (pattern for trees here). So much fun!

mantle
I absolutely copied the wreath from here. I thought it was so cute and I wanted one. But I like her’s better. Don’t you hate it when that happens?!

mantle up close
I also made these stockings this year. I have been wanting plain white stockings for awhile so I could embellish them myself, but do you know how hard it is to find them? Much to my pleasure and surprise, I found them at the dollar store this year! So I dressed them up to add a bit more color to the all white mantle.

I also had grand intentions to make pillows that matched the stockings and only got around to making one. But I love it so I will have to make more next year if I’m still into it!
chair pillow

Totally changing subjects, another project I had spoken of but not pictured is the china hutch that was previously in my dining room. I really needed it for my laundry room because we needed storage space and it fit perfectly. My brother Josh built this for us and gave it to us as a wedding present 9 years ago. This is the first time it hasn’t occupied a dining room. This is also the first time it has been painted something other than white! I love it… And yes, I am missing a handle. I accidentally dropped it when I was taking it off to paint and it broke. Since they are vintage, I can’t get another just like it so I will have to buy new ones.
china hutch repainted
My poor laundry room. We had some plumbing issues and had to tear it apart and it still hasn’t been put back together. It’s like Humpty Dumpty. But I have grand plans for it and someday it will look like what I envision!

Today we have been working hard getting ready for a Christmas party we are hosting tomorrow night. I’m really excited! We are having dessert and playing Bunco. If you have never played, it’s super fun. So today we have been baking and cleaning. We made mud pie, cheesecake, an orange chiffon cake, and a nutmeg buttermilk cake. Our house smells so good, I can’t wait to eat it all! I also made these as gift bags:
party bags
What do you think? Then next week we are off to Oregon for the holidays. I’m looking forward to seeing our families and having a relaxed vacation!