Been Busy...

...decking the halls and walls with balls and balls and well, enough rhyming. No kidding - I've been decorating maybe more than usual 'cause our lil' house is on the Christmas Home Tour this weekend.

Not really for sure why they asked me - BUT - it is for a great cause - it is a fund raiser for our local Junior Miss program. So even though I'm sleeping like - NONE - I'm happy to be of some help! Anyway, I'll show ya more pics after Sunday.

Till then though - ya know those paper flowers everybody is making - myself included - try making some for your packages. They are so inexpensive but so very pretty. These are for my lime green and blue tree. But do ya want to know how behind I am - they don't even have anything in them - they are "dummy" gifts - ha - I haven't bought the first thing. One thing at a time Cathy... just breathe!

What lil' time I've had to look around - everybody's decorations are just BEAUTIMOUS (that's my word). One of my favorites for inspiration - Cindy over at Cottage Instincts - go and take a gander now - won't ya?

Happy Thursday Friends and Merry Christmas!

Cathy

Our farmhouse will soon be...

...here. Yes, things have been moving along quickly since I mentioned to you all a while back about us building. Now, I'll have to say - if it were up to me - I would have loved to have found a great old house - but since we have been blessed with our land - we are not going anywhere. So I thought I'd share with you where it is gonna be. You can see here in this picture of the dirt being cleared away and a few stakes in the ground - but - just a few days before it looked like...

...this - just looking over the hill down in the valley. See it is going to be left of the nearly 200 year old cabin that sets just beyond those trees.

Here is another shot of the flat space...

And lucky us - there is another barn quilt down there - this one is "glitter - glitter".

And we have a great cave that is jus' in behind the house - which my son absolutely loves...

turning over rocks and catching crawfish.

And here is Shaun's dad who is helping clear some brush. You all please remember him - as he is putting up a great fight against cancer.

Here is another view from up above.

Even since these pictures - we have poured footers and they are laying the block today. So - here we go - I'll keep ya posted along the way. We are excited, scared, nervous but trying to enjoy the process. We also feel very fortunate to be able to do this. So we are thankful for many things this Thanksgiving - a new house being the least of those. It is all about family and the blessings money can't buy and we are so incredibly blessed.

May you have a beautiful Thanksgiving with your loved ones!

Happy Monday,

Cathy

A Peek Into Christmas At Cobblestone...

...well, my friends - I have to say this IS just a peek 'cause guess what - I'm still not ready!!! But I'm getting there. So I'll share with you what's in store - so far...

Some creams and greens - lanterns, nests, cages...

...some sweet lil' angels...

...cute lil' reindeer and pretty champagne color ornaments...

...some new pillows...

...and chalkboard black and white stockings...

...some initial ornaments and many more being painted...

...and gingerbread men...

...and pretty festive plates and pitchers...

and some pink and green to top it off...

Of course there is more .....BUT... I'm working on it! Hand painted goodies will be ready for our Christmas in the Country on Saturday. So I'm off to paint - y'all send some good energy this way so I can get it all done. But then again, I'm never done 'cause I always want to do more!

Hope to see you Saturday!

Cathy

Christmas In the Country...

...yes, it is this coming Saturday!

Just a friendly reminder plus I'll be sharing pics with you all week of "What's In Store".

Everybody have a great start to your week!

Cathy

Wrapping up...

...the posts on the "barn reception" today. I thought I'd share just a few "odd - n- end" pics with you. And again thanks so much for all your kind comments throughout this lil' journey. I have so appreciated it and all those who have linked up to it on other blogs - that was so sweet of you!

This lil' vignette was at the entry door - a topiary, large scale birdcage, a chalkboard, her "Nan's" antique lamp all surrounded by grapes, white pumpkins, hedge apples and yes - beans.


The "new" tv (a wedding gift to the bride and groom) that showcased a slide show of their years growing up and together... We made a simple banner for the front.


We also used several pocket wreaths filled with burlap, hedge apples, money plant, peacock feathers and topped off with a bird.

We brought in a few tree limbs - this one is dressed with tags and paper flowers.

Two great John Deere tractors were used at the entry with some yellow mums to pop off the building - and to compliment that great yellow - you know I'm a farm girl - I love tractors!

This was the loft area of the barn - again, you just can't beat tobacco canvas - it drapes so well. Of course burlap and more big paper flowers were used at the corners.

Come on in...

A bride in her cowgirl boots...

Thanks again - Tiff and Shane. You all were awesome and you were so good to me and my family. Those two weeks of decorating were filled with lots of laughs and loads of fun! Thank you for including me in your special day.

I wish you a life of happiness and love. May God bless you both!

Have a happy day everybody!

Next up - pictures of where our new house is gonna be! We are getting ready to get started!

And pics of the shoppe - Christmas in the Country - next Saturday - the 13th!

Cathy

Wedding Table Centerpieces - "Country Style"...

...well these centerpieces are not maybe what you'd expect - BUT - they were different, perfect for their setting (in a barn, don't forget) and better yet - relatively inexpensive - which is a good thing since there were over 40.

On about 15 tables, we decorated with "real" sap buckets filled with sand to hold curly willow (free) and dried hydrangeas and sedum(yes, free and free) in place. They were tied with a piece of burlap and placed on an additional piece of burlap. For a pop of color - we used more hedge apples (which again - were free). A couple of simple votives and some white beans and split peas sprinkled around finished it off. Oh and I almost forgot - those white rusty balls - available at the shop - were added just for some interest.

...all lit up...

About 15 other tables were dressed with wire cloches and pretty birds perched high. They were set on cake plates - "borrowed" from many family members - for a lil' height. Some simple honeysuckle, hedge apples, a few dried hydrangeas, a candle and of course, beans, complete the look.

The simplest arrangements on the remaining tables were just various glass containers ( again - Borrowed) filled with beans, peas and candles. Simple - but pretty.

This lil' vignette was on the gift table - a large lantern filled with hedge apples, some leftover gourds, beans in a jar - imagine that - and some willow and peacock feathers.

You can see the willow a lil' better in this picture. Let me suggest if you don't own a "curly willow" tree - DO GET ONE. They are easy to root, quick to grow - make gorgeous accent twigs in all kinds of arrangements and do you know how expensive they are to buy at the store? - well, they are HIGH - that I do know.

Just showing you how pretty doesn't have to be expensive and...

...sometimes - more memorable.

Now, y'all go buy you some beans and get decorating!!!!

Happy Tuesday,

Cathy

The "Workbench" wall...

...of the barn. Yes, this is post number 3 in our "barn makeover" for Tiff and Shane's wedding. Jus' sharing with you what we started with and where we ended up. Tiff wanted something different - something casual, kind of "earthy", somewhat fallish - yet no orange pumpkins or mums. Well, here a few more pics of what those requests translated into.

As you can see - this wall had to be tweaked quite a bit. From the very beginning - we thought that this workbench would be perfect for the buffet line. But that shelf above - well, it was gonna be jus' for pretties. So here we go...

...some birds, some wire cloches, some green gourds...

...some white pumpkins, grapes and hedgeapples...

...lanterns, a wall of Christmas lights, yards and yards of burlap...

...old windows, lanterns, and big paper flowers...

...it was a pretty big focal point when it was said and done...

...it jus' glistened as the day turned into night...

I loved the way it turned out - it was different...

...but oh so pretty.

Happy Friday!

Cathy