Celebrations: thanksgiving table

I took a few pictures of my Thanksgiving table and now that I've almost recovered from the stuffing, gravy and pie, I thought I’d share them.

I shined up the silverware and used my pretty plates.

My cranberry sauce made with fresh cranberries, apples and mandarin oranges. The recipe is under the Goodie Bag tab.

I used faux pears and berries to decorate my table. The vase is wrapped in gold organza and twine and holds gold ting grass.

Fall décor around the room.

Brie and artichoke spread served with wafer thin crackers. 

More fall décor in the dining room.

My mom’s apple pie. Yum! Do you eat leftover pie for breakfast after Thanksgiving? I do!

I hope you all have recovered from Thanksgiving and are ready for the holidays.

The Inspiration Board: link party 26

Welcome to The Inspiration Board link party. If you celebrated Thanksgiving last week, I hope you had a wonderful day and are enjoying turkey sandwiches. Thank you to those who have linked up in the past and are back for more inspiration. There are many link parties available and I’m so appreciative that I’m on your party list. If you are new, thank you for joining in the fun.

I’ll be going through the projects and featuring some in the spotlight on Friday and on the Homework Facebook page and Twitter.


A few rules:

• Link up your own projects – something you created.
• Link to a specific post, not your blog home page (No Etsy shops or giveaways).
• Grab a “homework” button and include it somewhere on the post you’re linking, on your home page or a page of link parties. Or, if you prefer, add a text link.
• Follow homework. You’ll find the “Follow via Google Friend Connect” gadget on the right sidebar.
• Please visit the other links that intrigue you and make someone smile with a comment or two.

I’m ready to be inspired and can’t wait to see what you’ve been working on.

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Want to host your own link party? Click here to sign up for InLinkz

Upcycling: little box ornaments

I’ve been saving little boxes with the idea to make some ornaments for the holidays.

Here are a few that I saved. The box on the left was perfect for an ornament. It came with the ribbon on top and the die cut circle. Originally it was the packaging for some type of crafting supply. I don’t recall what the clear plastic box was originally used for but I knew it had potential.

The plastic box became a snowy winter scene. Here’s how I made this ornament.

• Seal the bottom of the box with clear packaging tape. This tape is very transparent and perfect to use with clear plastic.
• Add some course or kosher salt to make the snow on the ground.
• Add some twigs and arrange them to look like barren winter trees.

• Lightly spray the inside of the box with canned snow {the type used for flocking trees}. You can see where I got a little heavy handed with the snow spray and it looks more like a blizzard than a light snow.
• Seal the top of the box with clear packaging tape.
• Hot glue a piece of ribbon or string to create a hanger.

Enjoy your snowy winter scene ornament.

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I decided to Mod Podge the chipboard box and add a little bird scene to the window.

To make this type of ornament box, here’s the step-by-step.

• Carefully remove the plastic window from the die cut area  {if your box has one} and set aside.
• Cover your box with Mod Podge and the paper of your choice. I used a decorative napkin that I cut into strips. You can find more detailed instructions here.
• Let your box dry. At this point you can seal the box with more Mod Podge. I chose to use glitter paint {Plaid Folkart Extreme Glitter – color: Champagne}

• Once your box is completely dry tape or glue the window back on and create your scene.
• I added the bird embellishment which was a dimensional craft sticker.
• I then added the twigs to create the effect that the nest was in a tree. I taped the twigs to the inside of the box below the window so the tape wouldn’t show.
• Carefully add the course or Kosher salt and close your box.

The little snowy bird scene glistening in the sun.

 

This was a fun way to combine upcycled boxes, natural materials and supplies that I had on hand. Two new ornaments ready to hang on the tree.

This project is linked at the parties listed here and 

         

Etceteras: protect your beautiful blog

This post brought to you by Norton Small Business by Symantec. All opinions are 100% mine.


This isn’t the typical subject matter of my posts. I’m all about creativity, inspiration and pretty pictures. But if you blog or have a shop, this is an important part of your small business.

We’ve all seen it. Or, worse been a victim of a virus. You try to log onto a favorite blog or site and get that horrible message stating they’ve been attacked by a virus. Then you see the frantic tweets that they’re working to resolve the problem. Backing up your blog is good practice but if you’re like me, you don’t do it as often as you should.

These are some of my favorite posts and images from my archives. I shudder to think what would happen if I lost everything.

  

  

According to Norton, almost six out of ten small business owners admitted to having experienced some sort of malware (malicious software on their computer) in the past three years, and half of them had to pay an expert to resolve the problem.

So far, I’ve been lucky. But I also have Norton Anti Virus protection.

Norton Small Business by Symantec

Norton 360 and the Norton Internet Security 2012 have both just launched this past September. Here are some of the benefits:

• Lets you email, chat and surf the web without worrying about online threats.
• Protects against theft of confidential business information so you can browse, bank and do business online worry-free.
• Won't slow down your computer or gobble up system resources.
• Lets you know if a website or downloaded file is safe.
• Keeps your computer running at top speed.
• Safeguards your important files and business documents with automatic backup.
• Lets you access your backed up files securely from any computer connected to the Internet.

get 30% off Norton Small Business Products now

Currently, Norton is offering a 30% discount for small business owners that purchase Norton products (primarily the 5U/10U products). Even if you don’t have multiple users there’s a suite of Norton products that could be beneficial to you.  

 

Having a blog is hard work - you create the projects, take the photos, write the post and market your site. But once your post is done it shouldn't end there. Protecting your blog and archives is vital. Visit the Norton site to see the variety of ways they can help keep you safe from malicious computer attacks.

Giveaway: plaid holiday cheer winner

The winner of the Plaid Holiday Cheer giveaway is:

Congratulations Siona. I'm sure you'll create some beautiful projects with these Plaid crafting supplies.

Thank you to everyone who entered the Plaid giveaway. Happy crafting!

The Inspiration Board: link party spotlight ~25~

Wow – I thought it might be a quiet week with the Thanksgiving holiday but the party was brimming with ideas and creativity. I hope those of you who celebrated Thanksgiving had a wonderful day.

Thank you to everyone who linked up a project on the Inspiration Board this week. If you didn’t have a project to link up but came by for a visit, I hope you were inspired. I know I was.

 

Here are a few in the spotlight this week.

 

 

Beautiful and feminine fabric cards by Angela’s Sewing for Sanity. I love the cabbage rose fabric and sweet bunting.

 

 

Pretty homemade soap by It’s Overflowing. A great holiday gift idea. 

 

Adorable snow jars created by The Answer is Chocolate. Sweet details make these extra special. 

 

What a great twist on the traditional nutcracker. Modern nutcrackers by Bliss Bloom.

  

I love these caramel corn cobs by Homespun with Love. Perfect for the kids’ table or for grown ups – like me! 

 

A thoughtful and pretty gift idea by Style Baggage. Breakfast in Box filled with scones and lemon curd. Pretty packaging always makes a gift feel extra special.

  

The prettiest handbag organizer I’ve ever seen by Shabby Art Boutique. Unrolled it has pockets for essentials and more lovely details.

  

Rustic and chic birch bark Christmas trees by Alderberry Hill. Simple, natural and beautiful.

  

Beautiful, vibrant colors make these granny square pillows by Scraponique extra cheerful. These would brighten anyone’s day. 

 

Sweet little donuts by Yesterday on Tuesday. They look so fresh and yummy and the pink sugar just makes me smile.

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Inspiration Pinboard

{ornaments}

1. Yarn Wrapped Ornaments – Live Laugh Rowe

2. Pair O’ Mittens – Home Sweet Homemade

3. Tiny Paper Garland – I Can’t Stop Crafting

4. Burlap Ornaments – The Artsy Girl Connection

5. Styrofoam Stars – That’s My Letter

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If you were in the spotlight, please feel free to grab a button.

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Thank you again to everyone who linked a project and to everyone who came to visit. I loved looking at all the projects and visiting your sites.

Please come back next week for another link party.

Link parties are held every Tuesday.

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Don't forget, the Make it Merry celebration starts today.
14 days - 14 bloggers - 14 diy ideas
{click on the links within the image}