*No Trumpet Heard + New Take on Snowball Candle

I don't know about you but "epic" occurrences just don't happen to me every day. You know the kind. The ones that cause you to have a sudden paradigm shift in your thinking. Well, let me enlighten those of you who did not have the privilege of seeing the meteor or more correctly the aftermath of the meteorite last Tuesday evening.

I had just attended a Tuesday evening Bible study. It was 8:45 p.m. and I was traveling down a dark highway. Normally there are many cars on that stretch of road, but for some reason, there weren't many at all. I was keeping a sharp eye out for the errant deer that sometimes leap across the road. I turned on my CD player and realized that I had left Josh Groban's Christmas CD in the player...so I began singing with Josh. (I do that a lot. If you ever pull up beside me at a stoplight and I look like I am having a conversation with nobody, I am actually singing a duo with somebody. Just ignore me, the light will change soon.)

Just as I was hitting a high note in Angels We Have Heard On High, the entire earth lit up! Not like lightning, I MEAN LIT UP! Now what do you think I thought? Clues: 1. just left Bible study;
2. ENTIRE earth lit up; 3. singing Angels We Have Heard On High! I thought "this is it!" I found myself bracing for whatever came next...but nothing came next. My heart sort of lurched...was I (gulp) left behind?

I put the pedal to the metal (or whatever that inane saying is) and tried to dial the cell phone. Was the hubster still here? Thankfully, yes, he was.I turned into my driveway on three wheels, began blowing the horn, and jumped out of the car. "What happened? What was that light?" I shrieked! His answer, "What light?" Ok, I know I'm a little on the nutty side, but I saw a huge light! He looked at me like he always does before he shakes his head and mutters. To placate me, he said, "Maybe it was the search light for the prison." What!? Something that looks like a bomb went off on earth and he thinks it's a searchlight? Now, who's nutty?

I finally settled down and got into bed. I slept fitfully but the next morning when I checked FB, everybody was talking about the big boom they heard or the strange light. Ok, Ok...so now I know I am NOT crazy. But as I was driving to school I thought about what had happened and when I flipped back through the scenes that took place I realized something. I wasn't afraid during the explosion, I was calm, I was ready. It was the strangest blue haze that settled momentarily over everything. It was disconcerting but not scary. It was AFTER that I sort of panicked. What if I HAD been left behind?

That is a sobering thought and one which I have pondered all week. We might all do well to ponder that question, "Are you ready?"

A quick sidenote and speaking of church: I am excited to decorate for my church's Family Night Dinner this coming week. I made a dash to $Tree and came up with an abbreviated version of Megan's (Polish the Stars blog) snowball candles. to make these icy looking holders, you will need white tissue paper (about 2-3 pieces) for ten candleholders. (Tear the tissue into pieces. See below for size.)

You will also need rounded candleholders or bowls. They have two sizes at $Tree. I purchased ten of the larger ones.

Next to my Sephora Primer and my mascara, Mod Podge is my very favorite thing on the planet. I used Gloss for this project. Opening a new container was the highlight of the weekend.

Now, using a sponge brush, apply some MP and torn tissue until the holder is covered. If it wrinkles, all the better. Put two layers of tissue on some places, but not on all. Add a little more MP and sprinkle with clear or iridescent glitter. After this dries, apply a thin MP coat to hold the glitter onto the tissue. Glitter "fallout" drives me nuts. HOWEVER, the coat of MP OVER the glitter causes the glitter not to show up quite as well. It does make the glass look more like ice. Really neat effect!


Below is an upclose and personal shot with a real candle inside.

The picture below has a green cast, which I tried to Photoshop to no avail. Using "artificially lit" votives, does give a more yellow cast to the glass. So be aware, but it's not quite as startling as the pic below shows.

I will use light blue toppers on white for the coverings. I like to take a colored plastic tablecloth, cut it in half and turn it on "the diamond" to add punches of color on my tables. I am used to "doing a lot with a little", so this step is necessary. My base for each candleholder will be those large $Tree Snowflakes. I am sprinkling "snow" around the base of the holder. I even thought about using round white price stickers to add dots to the blue plastic topper for a dotted effect...not sure about that.

"How about them apples?!" (Old Southern saying...means...How about that? or Isn't that great, etc.)
Stop by and visit at Funky Junk Interiors! See button on right.

Snowbabies and After Christmas Chatter

A little "after Christmas" whining is due. I really need a separate formal dining room. Now, in the greater scheme of life, no dining room is not really a big problem, but in my smaller scheme of life, it limits me greatly. Alas, it is what it is and that's all that it is. Frequently changing the scheme seems to be the only way I can use the dishes and accessories I've collected over the years. And I DO love dishes! (Once, in my former home, one of the cabinets literally pulled away from the wall because of the heavy load it bore! Oops...)

My sister tortures me about my love of all things "dish" but never daunted, I press on. Always on the look out for a few pieces to add to my collection. For this winter (January - February) I was thinking about pulling out the Green pieces and replacing it with Blue Willow. Emptying the china cabinet will be a job, but I'm just thinking here. I rid myself of most of my white ironstone (yikes!) now I know that was a mistake...the mistake was not in acquiring the green, but getting rid of the white. Maybe a few well placed pieces of some new white would coexist with the green!


I also want to pull out my little Snow Babies...my mom and I both collected them and I'd like to do a display and maybe a tablescape using them for January at least. Below is the beginning of what could become a pretty wintry table...maybe later. Right now, it's just CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN!


That was yesterday morning...this is now...before I even finished un-decorating the house, I was "fluttering" as my husband calls it...moving things about in the china cabinet. I replaced the green with white. I used my brown transferware as a backup. I have some pieces of ironstone left and a little milkglass...after working for almost 2 hours, I realized...I didn't like the look. I LOVE the look in everyone else's cabinet...why not mine?

After pondering, I realized that I have too much exposed wood in the kitchen and dining area...so white looks well, really white. Back to the green and the brown transferware. Then I started pulling out the Snow Babies...much better effect...why? They are cream rather than white.
See below? White votives vs. cream Baby. Hmmm?

In addition to taking down the decorations that would fill 12 boxes, I made the Epsom salt candles (see above and below) as featured on Megan's "Polish the Stars" blog and tried covering candles with tissue paper as per "Confessions of a Plate Addict."




Went to Wal Mart for after- Christmas looking and found all their pillar candles on half price. I got nice fat ivory scented ones for $1.25. The tall skinny tapers are priced at 25 cents.I also picked up "mercury glass" silver acorns for $1.00 each...can't wait to use them next year.

Notice, I used a "snowflake-like" tissue that darkened the ivory candle some and then added the Epsom salt and Mod Podge around the top. I added different effects to each candle. Below, is the result of the tissue paper cover...I used dark green plaid, I like the effect.




And do you see my faux pas? Three metals combined + candles and lamps...my point was the candles and Snowbabies anyway! I'll get that changed pronto.

Another of my treasured possessions is the little black stool from my mother in law's house. On it I set a Mississippi Choctaw Indian basket, filled it with the same green berries I used on the hutch and plopped a feathered nest filled with golden eggs.



I kept seeing pretty glittered letters on everybody's stockings this season...guess why? They were $1 each at Wal Mart...now 50 cents! I love a good deal. Several pricey stores had them displayed. Just attach to the top corner of the stocking and let it dangle...cute if you don't have names already on the stockings.

BTW: I am participating in Metamorphosis Monday, please check out the party. There is a button on the right side! Click there! Enough chatter. I am armed with Windex and Pledge. I am going to dust every surface in this house before 8 A.M. Happy Monday all!