From Our Street to Yours

Construction of our 2011 Trailer Park began on Thursday. DD1 had a very fancy front walkway. To the left of path, the cottage has it's own chicken, you can't see it's tail or you'd recognize him. I won't divulge what is on her roof.  My SIL decided to help out. Enough said.

 His trailer looks pretty good from the front, even with his monster hitch.

But he got very creative on the back with Christmas Lights. At least I think that's what he meant them to be.  We're just happy that he participated, unlike another MAN in the house.

 This little cottage was mine. I forgot her wheels.  Oh no, she's actually got her skirt on over them.

I particularly enjoyed the special addition of my back yard fireplace.

 DD2 had a fence, pillars and a lovely pine tree.

She wanted some winter sun and added a beach chair and umbrella.

 You can do what you want in your own trailer park.

You need to concentrate when designing your own trailer.

Happy New Year from our house to yours! See you in 2012!

You can see our other construction sites here and here and here.

Merry Christmas from Elderberry Street

{via}

We wish you a Merry Christmas, 

we wish you a Merry Christmas, 

we wish you a Merry Christmas 

and a Happy New Year!

Is It Too Late?

I really, really want to make some of these beautiful trees that  Julie Collings made last year. It took me forever to find some and they don't have those cute little wood stands.  I think I'll be happy if I can just get them dyed.

I found these great instructions:

We'll see how they turn out.  Like I don't have enough to do this week. . . 

Roger's Gardens Visit

 I visited Roger's Gardens in Irvine with a friend today for the first time.

 Boy oh boy was it beautiful! The Christmas arrangements inside the front door were stunning.

 I loved the addition of lime green into this wreath.

 Cyclamen is a Christmas staple in Southern California gardening.

 Evidently this is a Southern California snowman.

 Did you know that Santa has felted boots?

This poinsettia is absolutely gorgeous! Unfortunately I do not remember it's name.

These rain chains were one of my favorite things. 

I really, really would like one, but they are oh so pricey!

This one was a little different.

 Of course they have beautiful plants! These are Aeonium's. 

 They have beautiful gardens.

It was a gorgeous day, but then the clouds rolled in and it started to rain.

 Back inside there were collectibles and Christmas decorations. These adorable bears were by Vickie Smyers for Bethany Lowe designs.  They were so sweet!

Glitter and sparkles were everywhere.

 This photo is blurry, but I wanted you to see the tree made with jewelry, in this case watches.

 I think it was $900.00!

Lots of paper decorations made by Ashley Carter of Goldbug Studios.

 On the way out we noticed these adorable trains that were delighting an excited little boy.

After our little foray to Roger's Gardens we had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.  I think this needs to become a yearly field trip at Christmas time. It was a very lovely day!

Around The House

Vintage Christmas cards from both sides of our family.

On the island are antique ornaments from a garage sale and my Fitz and Floyd Santa pitcher. 

There's another one of those ornaments again which I explained how to make here.

 Sitting on this counter is a Mark Roberts Fairy and yummy Hammonds candy canes.

 Salt and pepper shaker and napkins from Pottery Barn make the kitchen table festive.

 My angel that has yet to earn her wings, I made her back in the mid-1990's.

This is my first attempt at a hot chocolate bar.  Yum.

Pinterest To The Rescue!

Well, I know you have to be as addicted to Pinterest as I am. If not, you should be. With all of the holiday parties going on, it's an invaluable resource. Tonight my friend Kathy brought "Crack Bread" to our party. That's not really it's name, of course. But you wouldn't know it the way everyone scarfed it down. It was so yummy. It's really called Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pulls from Steph at Plain Chicken.  DD2 and I are going to make it for her party on Wednesday.

Source: plainchicken.com via Karen on Pinterest

Another fabulous pinned recipe is the Cream Cheese Tree, I took to a party last Saturday.  It was a huge hit so I made it again for company on Sunday. Again, all gone. This was the weekend of parties, just in case you didn't get that.  This recipe is originally from Betty Crocker Recipes on Flickr.

Source: flickr.com via Karen on Pinterest

Have you tried a new "pinned" recipe lately? If so, please share it in the comments!  

Good Night Moon

There was a beautiful moon tonight.  Thought you might enjoy it.  Have a great weekend! 

It's going to be a busy one here.  

Beachy Christmas

I finally worked on the third mantle, using much of what was already on it. A couple of months ago, I bought a plastic bag at the thrift store with these garlands in it.  I assumed they were plastic.  I was so excited to open it yesterday to find they are glass.  

Three mantles finished.  Now, I'll include it into the mantle party at Southern Hospitality and Ten June.

See you over there.