The Graphics Fairy to the Rescue!

This year has been a crazy one, with many ups and downs. After getting my degree (late bloomer), I decided to start my own business, mainly because I found it extremely hard if not impossible to find a job. I love making pillows and painting and so I decided to try to consign my products at a couple of nearby businesses. I have to say that the response was very flattering. Having jumped right in so late in the game for the busy shopping season, I was overwhelmed by how much work it took to meet the demands for my pillows, stockings and other products. All of this was going on in my world as my husband was suffering from a hernia and could not help out around the house and yard and then he suffered a heart attack and underwent emergency quadruple bypass and a heart valve replacement. My husband has always been a great help around the house and I never realized how much he did here and there. This week he will finally have his long awaited hernia surgery and we will spend a quiet Christmas at home while he is healing. We both are so ready for 2012!

So what does The Graphics Fairy fit into this story you may be asking? This year I also found the Graphics Fairy blog I have loved using the unique images found on TGF blog throughout my home and on many of my pillows. I am so grateful for her site and I love seeing all the new images she faithfully ads every single day. The website is so well organized and easy to use even a techno-klutz such as me finds it amazingly simple.  

Once I had finished making all of my special orders last week I started to decorate our house. I started with our mantle. 

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I love the image of the reindeer from The Graphics Fairy. I used it on a small simple burlap pillow. You can find the image here.

I used a burlap wreath I had made last year hung over a thrift store mirror.I love the mix of the gold, silver, greenery and burlap.

I used several images found on The Graphics Fairy as framed prints on my kitchen shelves that I had made earlier this year. I simply changed the images with Christmas ones found on TGF blog.

This is the picture before.

 here, here and here.

This is the after shot.

Decorating the shelves in the kitchen was so easy using several images from TGF, found .

I found this live wreath at The Home Depot for only $10. I mad this simple wreath hanger from my favorite upholstery webbing and stenciled the letters JOY using a stencil I made on my Silhouette Cameo. Love that tool.

My son Corey was so busy this month with music performances and school projects it was hard to find time to put the tree up together but we did it, or should I say he did it. I think it looks fab! I did make the tree skirt I had spied at Miss Mustard Seed blog and tutorial here http://www.hgtv.com/handmade/how-to-make-a-no-sew-ruffled-christmas-tree-skirt/index.html. I used a white 450-count duvet I found at Target for $22 and some change. I used only half of the duvet so I enough left to make another one to sell next year, or maybe for some pillows.

I kept the dining room simple using Christmas tree branches in the  PB urn and tying it with a burlap ribbon and some Wal-Mart ornaments.

I have a few more spaces to decorate and share and i will post those in a day or two. Of course there will be one  more project that includes an image from The Graphics Fairy blog.

Thanks for stopping by.

Love ya!

Joanie