Look Who Came to Town?

They say that I should open my heart to changes, but I am not liking the new blogger's updated interface :( I apologize if it messed-up my dryer sheets tree tutorial but I fixed it now and I am back at the old blogger's interface


What a bummer! But a surprise from my mailbox salvaged me from  having a bad day!

Look who came to town!

Cindy Adkins of Whimsical Musings Gifts!

I didn't just get one, not two, but three gifts from my bloggy friend! 

Cindy knows I have a weakness for French Inspired crafts!

A very sweet hand written message made it extra special. I feel like a fan who just got an autograph!

...included a very nice pendant to remember her by!

It was indeed an early Christmas gift! I literally jumped when I saw this in the envelope. Now I have a piece of one of Cindy's mixed media art journal that I always adore!!! You should see her other journals!
This lady is an art machine! She just won't run out of amazing artistic ideas!
These are just a few of her awesome creations! You might want to check-out her blog if you want to be inspired. She also has free online blogging seminars  that you do not want to miss! Most of my knowledge on blogging mainly came from her books and tutorials. What great reads! I am so grateful to have her as a friend :)


Thank you so much Cindy!!! You are an angel :)

Dryer Sheets Tree Tutorial

Bon jour beautiful blogrettes!

Thank you all who commented on my humble dryer sheets tree project. Today I wanted to share the step by step on how I made my Dryer Sheets Tree.

Starts with a cone. Michael's ran out of styro cones the day I went to get one and Walmart only had this! Plus styro cones are kinda expensive for me.

This cone is a bit messy so I only used it to shape a brown cardboard paper I got from the a wrapping paper core. It is in-expensive, plus I could make them in any size I want!

After rolling into shape of a cone, I trimmed bottom part of the cardboard.

 I taped the inside and outside tip with a scotch-tape.

 

I have yards and yards of this tulle fabric from my wedding and a lot of dryer sheets I have been saving for months! I knew I could use them for something!

I cut them into strips. Maybe 2 inches thick, folded them to make it appear less translucent because the fabric and the dryer sheets were too thin. I stitched  the top and made a lace! I didn't have sewing machine which could make everything faster and easier. Also I ran out of white thread. But it was okay, the threads will be concealed anyway as the dryer sheets and tulle ruffles overlaps.

Either you tie it around or use hot glue to glue it around the cone. I glued mine. Work it up to the top of the cone.

 And for the fun part. Mini Christmas balls! I got silver beads from A Dollar Tree Store

And some of these from Michael's Clearance Section.

I cut them in singles and glued them under the strips of dryer sheets


I concealed the tip of the tree with a snowflake ornament

The awesome part of using a rolled cardboard was you could chose for it to have a stand....

...or without a stand.

Et voila! Place it anywhere you want! Like a laundry room perhaps?

 I spent only $3 on this because I had the other materials just lying around the house anyway. Next time you want to throw away something.. you might want to think twice. It might get handy. Looking at my project makes laundry more fun. Ill be looking forward for more laundries to come!


Linking to:

Petites Passions Silhouette Tag

Hello there beautiful bloggers!

It has been a quite busy day as we prepare our  road trip from Arizona to Illinois to spend Christmas with my very dear and very much loved family! I am very excited to see the sweetest Bell-mère (Mother-in-law in French)  in the whole world! I am finally done wrapping our Christmas presents but still have one tiny gift unwrapped yet.

Usually the gift is bigger than the present. In this case, the gift is hanging on the tag!

I wrote my message at the back.

This little souvenir will go to a dear friend close to my heart as a gift.

I made this tag myself. The image of a girl kissing the Eiffel Tower is my picture my husband took on our tour in Paris that I edited as a silhouette.

I used a free image editing called GIMP. I printed it on a scrapbook paper using laser-jet printer.

Merry Christmas from the girl who kissed the Eiffel Tower!

Great Decorating Tips from Guest Poster

 I am very excited to introduce to you my guest blogger here in Petites Passions. Christina Johnson is a writer for Elliman Prudential. She have written a few articles on interior holiday decor,  winterizing garden, and using energy efficient decor. I am very pleased to share you her awesome tips for holiday decorating. As someone who has just started being a homemaker, the tips were very helpful! I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did. Enjoy!

Use New Themes for your Christmas Decorations

As Christmas and the holiday season approach, it is time to think about decorating your home again. As you pull out your old Christmas decorations you may be ready for a change. Changing your decorations from year to year can bring a fresh new approach and keep your decorations from being tired and worn out. Determining the types of decorations you like best will make it easier to plan a new look for the holidays.

Via Cindy Adkins' Whimsical Musings

You should keep the decorations that mean the most to you, and discard the others. Decorations made by your children or handed down through the generations can be the point of focus as you plan your new holiday look. You can also move away from the traditional red and green. Many people enjoy choosing one color such as pink and complimenting it with gold and silver.

Source: jenneliserose.blogspot.com via Brenda on Pinterest

Others will use more silver and gold with the red and green to balance out the look.

Source: bystephanielynn.com via Tara on Pinterest

Sort Through Your Old Decorations

Many people will buy decorations at the end of the year sales when they are on clearance, which can make it difficult to find the perfectly coordinated decorations for your tree and home. If your children have grown up you can also move away from the more childish Christmas decorations into something that is classy and elegant. 

Source: thehouseofsmiths.com via Gail on Pinterest

Pay Attention to the Little Things:Once you have established colors and theme for your decoration you can carry the entire look throughout your home or luxury condo. Look for the little ways you can bring Christmas to your home. You can add candles in your Christmas colors to your bookshelves and tabletops, and hang a wreath on the door. Replacing your throw pillows for your living room can lend a more festive feel, and it is an easy step to complete. Subtly bringing in the colors and details can create a warm and inviting environment without overwhelming your home with Christmas décor. It can also reduce the amount of work you need to do.

Source: facebook.com via Tara on Pinterest

Source: rustyhinge.blogspot.com via Tara on Pinterest

It is also important to recognize the areas where less is more. Instead of crowding every available space with a decoration highlight the ones that truly matter to you by giving them adequate space on your mantle or end tables. This clean look will let you enjoy your favorite pieces without overwhelming you with both set up and clean up. 

Source: rustyhinge.blogspot.com via Tara on Pinterest

Adapt Your Christmas Decorations for the Rest of Winter: Focus on all aspects of the holidays as you plan and incorporate decorations that will work well for the New Year celebrations as well. Although you may take down your Christmas tree and some of the Christmas specific decorations, you can leave up the silver and gold colors and add decorations that remind you of winter or the fresh start. Many people use gold, silver and blue to decorate for the New Year.

Source: carolsgarden.blogspot.com via Carola on Pinterest

Simply changing where you have your decorations and packing away the Christmas specific items will make it possible to create a warm welcoming environment for the rest of the season. It also gives you extra time during the busy winter to plan the changes you will want to make in the spring. The candles and Christmas plants you choose can be carried throughout your home for the rest of the season.
Designing a new look for the holiday season can help you create a warm and welcoming environment for any guests that you may have. Refreshing your tired decorations will energize your home for the entire winter season, as you work to incorporate the decorations past Christmas. The little changes can make the most difference. Planning with a theme in mind, whether it is with colors or around a certain heirloom decoration will make the entire process easier.