{ Winter Vignette }

In December my Honey and I stopped in an antique shop in a local mall, The Black Rose. We had so much fun going through each booth.

In one booth I spied two unique globes on an old harvest table. I had never seen anything like them before. They appeared to be lantern globes. I just loved the huge size of them. I could imagine using one of them for some pretty cloche like vignettes. All the while we were walking around the store I kept thinking about them. When we were ready to leave I stopped by the booth again. Unfortunately, I let my other half talk me out of buying one. It was Christmas time and I wasn't supposed to be buying stuff for myself.

I'll tell you, all week long I kept thinking about that globe. I just couldn't let it go. So, the next weekend we went back again and thankfully they were still there. My husband was lucky, because I would have really been mad at him. They were also on sale which made it even better. I picked out the one that was in the best condition and happily took it home.

After some investigation, I learned that it is a Dietz Pioneer Ham Street gas oil light lamp globe. They were made from 1880 to 1944. The globe has turned "sun purple" from long exposure to the sun. It has Dietz Pioneer stamped in the glass. It is 10 1/2 inches tall and 9 inches at the widest point. I'm sure you can see all the possibilities for this globe and why I fell in love with it.

I decided to use a winter theme for my vignette. I love snowmen. I have a huge collection. Some of the snowmen we made, as well as the wooden pine trees.

I added some pine branches and arborvitae branches from my garden. Also some huge pine cones my Honey found ages ago, that I have kept forever. I love the simple look of this display on my living room table.

What do you think my next vignette should be? I'd love to hear how you would use this globe in a display.

xo,
MaryAnn

Linked at:
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{ Cherry Cream Cheese Cupcakes }

Cherry Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Batter: 3 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened 5 eggs 1C. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla Cream all ingredients together. Add graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of the cupcake papers. Fill 3/4 full with batter. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Topping: 1 small sour cream 1/2 C. sugar Beat together 210z can of cherry pie filling When cupcakes are done place a tablespoon of sugar on top. Add a cherry on small cupcakes and three cherries on regular size cupcake. Bake for 5 more minutes. MY TIP: I use a 1 1/2 quart plastic pitcher for the batter. It makes filling up the cupcake papers easier. Especially if you are making the mini cupcakes. You can also use Vanilla waffers instead of gramcracker crumbs.

{ New Beginnings }

On Sunday my Honey's vacation was winding down. It was a beautiful day for January. Almost sixty degrees, which is unusual for winter. We decided to go for a walk at the lake. One of our favorite places.

I think a lot of other people wanted to get outside too. You never know when the cold weather or snow will hit us, so we were all enjoying this lil bit of spring.

I decided to bring along a thermos of hot chocolate with a secret stash of marshmallows. =) We walked two miles to the end of the path and sat at a picnic table by the small waterfall left over from a grist mill.

We were the only two people in our little spot. It was so quiet. We were hoping for a pretty sunset but the clouds started moving in. We decided to head on back. It was a long two miles in the other direction.

About half way back, a gentle rain started. I don't think we have ever walked in the rain. I was kind of special, holding on to my Honey's arm as we strolled along. We made it back to the truck and sat there for a few minutes. We sat and watched a huge flock of several hundred seagulls flew over the lake. They looked like diamonds in the sky. A perfect ending to a perfect day~ Days like this are treasures.

xo,
MaryAnn

{ Special Gift }

I made a special gift for my Daughter in Law Sarah for Christmas. I couldn't post it until now- didn't want to give away the surprise.

There usually is "one gift" at Christmas, which you just can't wait to give to someone. The anticipation was killing me =) This Christmas, this was the gift that I couldn't wait to give...

I made this wall print using Creative Memories Storybook software. But you could use any photo editing program. The wall print is 16x24. The photograph was taken by the wedding photographer, Karen Jennings. We have permission to print these photographs. I love how the photo of Christopher and Sarah is off center. This left a perfect place for the words to the song, they danced too for their bridal dance. The song is The Luckiest by Ben Folds. Down the left side I placed a black strip of "digital" paper. I added the title of the song. The words to the full song are in the center of the photograph. I love how you can still see the wedding guests in the background. The photo has a one inch white border around the edge. The photo was uploaded online to the Creative Memories website. It took less than a week to arrive. I purchased a black satin frame from K Mart. They were the only place that I could find this odd sized frame at a reasonable price.

I hope Sarah and Christopher will treasure this keepsake from their special day. The day was a fairy tale come true~

xo,
MaryAnn

Linked at:
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Whatever Goes Wednesday
Home Sweet Home
Feathered Nest Friday
Friday's Unfolded
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Transformation Thursday


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