Handiworks by Janice

Part two of my Christmas house tour......

Sure hope you are wanting to see/read more about my holiday decor....so here goes.....As is the rest of my home, the kitchen is rather small....but just right for one person! No, really, more than one person can get in the kitchen, but it does get "hairy" if we all are trying to cook/prepare at the same time. However, even though it is definitely a "working" kitchen, I still love to add lots of little vingnettes all around.....it just makes me smile.

This one is on top of the fridge...battery operated lights... These burn for 7 hours and turn off for 16 hours....then back on....gotta love 'em! I love teapots and started collecting them years ago when I lived in England for a few years. This is only a few of them.

My grandmother made this Santa plate for me ages ago....she loved to dabble in ceramics.....

I made a little vingnette on my baker's rack that reminds me of a sweet shop. All are REAL candy just waiting for the grands to visit!

The kitchen has the sweets theme (of course), so I use lots of gingerbread things here.....

The santa mug was made by my Mom....again....YEARS ago....it always makes it through the wrapping and unwrapping from storage to land in a place of honor in my kitchen.

I love a nice table setting. This is one of my favorites that I leave on the table all Christmas and then pull out my Holly stoneware for the big family party.

A red charger starts the stack, then a green plate, holly plate and last a small dessert plate with a pertinent holiday word and an ornament (I got the dessert plates - set of 4 - at Walmart this year). I finish the setting with a tartan plaid napkin and jingle bell napkin ring. I also have holly glassware, but had not pulled it out as of this photo. They will make it to the table setting shortly.

My most FAVORITE part of the holiday decor this year was my china cabinet. I have never decorated it like this before, and fell in love with this look. The nativity set on the bottom shelf was made for me by my grandmother (we called her Nanny) and I have had it for more years than I am willing to admit. But it would not be Christmas without it. It was a real task getting it into the china cabinet, as I had to remove the glass shelf above...yikes!.....but it worked out and is gorgeous in the cabinet. I added bottle brush trees and snow. Also, one of my collected angels graces the "loft" of the stable (found at Michaels some years ago). I keep a battery operated candle in the stable to give the effect of a fire going to keep them all warm.

The other shelves are decorated with milk glass and vintage silver (silver coffee and teapot were my mother and fathers from their 25th anniversary), glitter trees and stars, small angels from my rather LARGE collection, bottle bush trees and small presents. Enjoy your browse through the china cabinet....

Glitter trees and stars were picked up at Pier 1 a few years back. There were only a few new purchases this year such as battery operated lights and candles. Most everything else was in my "stash".

There is a wine storage table next to the china cabinet which is always ready for some "cheer"....I just added a few holiday touches to it.

My angel tree topper is one of my favorites ever.....she is really unusual, but gorgeous!

Every room in my home has some sort of holiday touch, but were in a state of "not visitor ready" at the time for these photos, so my tour will end here.

May your holidays be full of wonder, laughter, good food and fond memories. Just keep in mind those less fortunate than us that do not have all the blessings we sometime take for granted.

See you in the New Year!!!!

Janice

 

 

 

Putting a little ring-a-ling in my fa-la-la-la-la....

I have been absent from my blog for waaaaay too long. Just got caught up in life, work and all the normal holiday stuff. But....I have been reading a lot of other blogs lately and just absolutley drooling over all the eye candy for the holidays. There are a heck of a lot of talented people out there...believe me! So, with that said, I decided to do a post of my holiday home (uh...condo, actually)....small, but so warm and inviting. Please join me as we take a short tour....

We will start at the front door where I show a little of the theme this year....nature, woodlands and red birds.

 

(That is my mosaic mailbox at the bottom of the window.....love it!)

I have two small lighted trees on either side of the door. They have red berries and red birds in them as well.

Entering the home, there is a small hallway. I have given this area a little jolt of the holidays, too.

 

Battery operated candles in vintage industrial wire lights flank the steps going upstairs.

Since I live in a condo, the space is very limited, but I feel it is very cozy....

A few more close ups for the details.....this is a vintage tea set that was given me by my son and his wife for Christmas many years ago. I just love the colors and detail on it. The teacups are almost transparent they are so thin....very gorgeous.

I love vintage silver (and do I ever have some!) I use it freely during the holidays...

This is a wreath made from natural coffee filters! Yeah, you saw that right....copied it straight from Martha Stewart herself! I have it on the French patio doors.

I love to use books to elevate smaller things.....

A few more nice touches. I have really enjoyed these handmade wire cloches I found on Etsy (love to shop there....hey, gotta help out the handmade society - of which I am a member!)

I don't have a fireplace, so I hang my stocking on the armoire door in hopes that Santa will leave me LOTS of goodies! ~sigh~

I have to save the best for last in this post of two on my holiday house tour.....my Christmas tree!

Only a 6 footer, but loaded with wonderful angels, handmade ornaments and gorgeous goose egg ornaments that my mom made over many years for each of her SEVEN kids. We each got two every year for Christmas presents from her. They are based around things we each love...mine is angels. She threw in a few from cards that I had given her for Mother's day through the years.....just love them all so much.....and they mean more now than ever since Mom went on to be with our heavenly father last month.

If you notice something that looks sorta like cotton on the tree.....I use batting to mimic snow on some of the branches.

And here she is in all her glory....wonderful!

I finally have some presents under the tree...so it doesn't look quite as bare now!

I will have another post later with my kitchen and dining area decor. I hope you enjoyed this little short tour into my holiday world. I enjoyed putting it together for you!

Merry Christmas to all!

Janice

 

Simple things.....

We have had MORE than our fair share of rain in Atlanta this year. It has rained almost every day whether it be a short shower or torential downpour. Just as I was getting rather grumpy about another wet day....the rain stopped......the sun appeared....and I had to look outside to see what was the matter. Much to my surprise.....a rainbow! Silly how such a simple thing can get me really giddy. But this did. I had to run for my camera. As I got ready to take the first photo, I realized it was a DOUBLE rainbow! What fun! I quickly took some pics as my neighbor was coming outside from his DIY project inside. I waved and motioned for him to look up. He looked at me as if I were some strange alien. Then, he smiled too. Ah, the simple things....

Until next time....find something simple that makes you smile! Nice!

A day on the family farm....

I had the chance to spend time with my son and his family on their "farm" a few weekends ago, and just fell in love with the serenity, calmness and beauty of it all. We celebrated the youngest granddaughter's birthday....OMG....she is 7 years old now! Oh my how time flies! Anyway....we grilled out, the weather was just excellent. Not too hot or humid that particular day, but a little overcast which kept the temp down just a bit. We all relaxed, kicked back and enjoyed each other and the beautiful day. Other than the "grand" opening her gifts, the highlight was getting to know their two new additions to the farm family.....Leah and Scamper. Gorgeous horses. Leah is an Arabian and Scamper is a Quarter H orse. Both are brown and beautiful as the pictures below show. We had a wonderful time with them. Giving them apples and mint horse treats!

Watching them gallop from the horse barn up to the house was awesome! They are really spectacular animals.

 

This is Scamper. He is always ready for someone to hand him a treat. Eldest granddaughter Lindsey was ready and able.

We took a little hop around the land and noted that one of the neighbors' horses had parked himself in their carport. If you enlarge the photo above, you can faintly see the horse under the carport in front of the red truck. What a hoot!

Here are some random views of the family "farm" so you will understand why I was so taken with it all. I have been there many times before, but for some reason, this one was super special! Enjoy!

I love their little handmade pond, complete with goldfish and the pet "Attack Frog" with a "warning sign".

I just had to get a pic of these cute little red spotted mushrooms that were everywhere....don't see these in the big city! One of the last photos shows the side yard of the house. What a wonderful swing....it holds about four people! Then, had to include a pic of the other two grands....Claren and Marlie...in front of Leah. I plan to retire from the corporate world in two years....and I want to find me a place like this away from the city! ~sigh~ The bull in the fence has become a pet due to the little grand not letting Pop take it to the "market" because she loved him so much. She is getting more and more attached to ALL the animals on the farm and has named every last bull, calf and cow, fish, dog, cat, bird...uh, I think you get the idea. Until next time.....go hug a horse....you will be a better person because of it! :o)

 

A great friend and her new Etsy shop......

I have a very dear and close friend who I have had the pleasure of knowing for quite some time now....let's see..... since1988 I believe. We worked together and I left that job and went on many, many journeys, but we always seemed to get back in touch with each other. She is like me in that she is artistic and very crafty.....but in a good way! Her jewelry creations are breathtaking and heavenly! Some of the most gorgeous bead embroidery around. I finally got to purchase one of her newest items, an etched brass cuff, and I LOVE it! Very eclectic in her designing, but oh so feminine. I wanted to give a little promo for her newest endeavor, a shop on Etsy. This is a link to her shop, do try to drop by and give a visit and a "heart" on something you find appealing (a purchase would be even BETTER). We Etsians LOVE to get "hearts" on things in our shops. I have included some pictures of her work. She also has a very enjoyable and interesting blog here on Typepad (Queen Marcy Originals), so check it out too.

Enjoy!!!!!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/QueenMarcyOriginals

 

Fairies rule!!!......

I am again making a confession of another addiction…..yes, ANOTHER one…..I love fairy gardens! I just found it out while scanning my other addiction….Pinterest. I even found a fairy house on YouTube that a man made for his wife, and it was done to music. He used all natural materials…NO nails. Very interesting and so darned cute! I thought that this would be a great task for me and my granddaughters when they come over on a weekend soon. So….here I go…..scouring the internet for ideas….Oh my! There are thousands! Really! Anyway, I am leaning more toward a fairy garden with a house included instead of just a house. I found some fairy furniture on Amazon…see first picture below. I also found a swing, paved patio with fire pit and a rock wall.  I plan to use acorn caps as bowls on the little table with moss, pinecones, glass beads for a water feature, baby breath and low growing ground cover that has tiny blooms, some kind of plant that will act as a tree (maybe Rosemary?). Oh….getting excited already….must calm down or I will go ahead and make it before they come for a visit! LOL….Anyway, enjoy the photos for now. I will make another post once we have the fairy garden completed. Anyone out there interested in doing one too? If so, post your photos here!

This is the furniture that I bought

 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

T

This is a kit from a shop on Etsy, but the broken flower pot
is not included…which I think is the cutest part! Here is her link:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/98131287/fairy-garden-broken-planter-kit?ref=sr_gallery_19&ga_search_query=fairy+garden&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_explicit_scope=1&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=handmade

 

 If you think you would be interested in doing a fairy garden or house, please come back and post a link to your pictures here! Have a great week!

Janice

 

 

My daughter's birthday......

Today is my daughter's birthday and she is turning "40 something"....and is utterly amazing! She not only is beautiful on the outside, but has a beautiful soul and presence. Lovely. I feel like I did a halfway good job with her! The life of a Mom is always so rewarding, but especially so once their kids are adults and have kids of their own. I find so many wonderful things on Pinterest, and have many pins on boards of my own. I have one board called "Word"....and it is for all the cool, funny, loving and endearing phrases or sayings that I find. There are two on my board that I will post here, because they remind me of my daughter and what I wish for her on her birthday. I have also posted a gorgeous picture of her too.....

Happy Birthday my loving and lovely daughter!!!

Addicted.....

Oh, my.....I have not blogged in so long...but wanted you to know that I am still here. I have a confession of sorts.....I am addicted....yes, I said it! Addicted.....to.....PINTEREST! Who knew? My daughter introduced me to it....and it was all over for me. I spend WAY too much time looking at all the billions of pins every day and should devote at least SOME of that time to my blog....so, here I am. But can hardly wait to get back to Pinterest to see all the gorgeous, soulful, funny, yummy and fun pins. Come visit me sometime and join in the fun! You can find me at Janice Fuller.

I promise to start blogging at least twice a week.....hopefully with interesting reads for you!

Also have some new items in my Etsy shop....you can visit me there, too! https://www.etsy.com/shop/JMarieOfAtlanta?ref=si_shop

 

Have a great weekend!

 

A little bit of glitter.....

Even though the holidays are now behind us, I had to share this photo that I took in my bedroom late one afternoon during the holidays. I walked in the room and was just absolutely taken aback with the scene in the photo. The sunlight coming in the window struck some cut crystal and bottle brush trees that I had on my dresser. Wonderful colors were all over the room from the facets of the crystal and it was breathtaking! I just HAD to run get my camera and  hope that what I saw would come across just as well in the photo.....here is the result. I think I captured it! Until next time.......have a great week!

The newest additions and a shop name change......

OMG! Has it really been THAT long since I made a post? ARGH!!!!! So  much has happened lately and I know you all have been holding your breath waiting for my next wonderful, informing, intellectual, fun and inspiring post....lol....so here goes.

I decided to change the name of my Etsy shop from "Handiworks by Janice" to "J.Marie of Atlanta". The older name just sounded too much like a sort of "craft" shop and not the elegant and upscale feel of my creations. My son designed my logos and business cards. I feel he did a great job in getting the feel that I wanted to portray. I am also in the process of opening my second shop on Etsy for kids' accessories such as bottlecap jewelry, Mommy and Me matching jewelry sets, backpack/luggage tags and possibly some darling tote bags...of course, all custom designed.  Here are my new logos/business card designs....and some of the newest listings in my Etsy shop. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a necklace and earring set....gorgeous!  

 

 

Colorful autumn inspired necklace with a real preserved leaf as the focal.

 

 

 

 

 

A wonderfully simple lariat necklace that can be worn long, like in this photo, or shorter....nice.