Hello friends! Well, I am just beside myself with Christmas joy and anticipation of my first Hometalk live DIY tutorial. You know me and my Christmas happiness, the music, lights and magic. Simple abundance and gratitude are my guides for maneuvering through life and Christmas is such a perfect time to practice both of those mindsets. So, today I am saying thank you to you ! You have made this past year fantastic! You have loved me, accepted me and have given me such joy and encouragement that here I am just about to make my first live video with Hometalk. Did I just say a live video... The house is decorated, a few of the presents wrapped. I have made brownies, cooked pasta, laughed like a child and loved on those that have taken the time to surround me. I have done my share of reminiscing of those that have gone on before me and held them close to my heart. I am thankful. A few packages wrapped just waiting to be loaded into Santa's sleigh. Candles that burn with the glow of hope

I would like to thank my friend Katie from  Let's Add Sprinkles  for organizing our Cozy at Christmas Blog Tour. Today eight bloggers are sharing their homes, you will find all the links listed at the end of this post. For 18 years and then some, I grew up with a white Christmas, and I just must say that there is nothing quite as magical as fluffy, frosty snow for Christmas - at any age. I imagine that many of you have either read or have heard the story Twas The Night Before Christmas. "The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow gave a luster of midday to objects below," is a true statement. You see in my little cozy bedroom growing up I had two corner windows and on Christmas Eve I would  fitfully turn a multitude of times under a cumbersome stack of multi-colored handmade quilts which rested heavily upon my child sized frame. There were even times that I felt certain that the weight of those quilts will surely cause me to smother. J

I wanted to let you all know we have a winner for the Holland House cooking wines. The winner was chosen by random.org  and the winner has been notified by email. Thank you to all who participated! I have always enjoyed creating and even though I do encounter "dry spells," I am always super inspired during the Holidays and this year is no exception.  This is our first true Christmas settled in our new home. Last year at this time we were in a Hotel counting down the days, minutes and hours for the magic moment when we could move into our  country home. I may have gone a little crazy with Christmas crafts and decorating this year, but goodness I have thoroughly enjoyed every second. Today I am sharing a short little tutorial on this  DIY Wooden Christmas ornament. The inspiration to create my own Christmas ornaments all began when I collaborated with  a fantastic group of creative bloggers for  31 Handmade Christmas Ornaments . My contribution to this festive and crafty group

Good Morning! I have been enjoying stenciling these past couple of months. I shared a stenciled jar  candle holder back in September and today  myself along with 5 other bloggers are sharing a themed Christmas with stencils project that we all hope you will enjoy and find inspiring . Our friend Carole from  Garden Up Green  organized this Christmas with stencils blog hop. You will find  links to everyone of these creative artists and bloggers at the end of this post. This post is twofold as it is also the debut of my hand-cut Cedar Christmas Tree from our property. I set out about 2 days ago to find the perfect Christmas Tree and here it is. I shared the details on Instagram and just when I was about to bring the little Cedar inside an IG friend advised against it, because of bagworms.  Truth be told Cedars are very prickly and I suspect that I have a couple of chigger bites too. Oh well,  one might think it looks a little like a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, but to me it is beautiful

We have had 4 fabulous weeks of Etsy shopping and today we bring all of these beautiful shops together. Each one is included right here for your shopping convenience from your home. Below each photo you will find a direct link to the shop and any information pertinent to sales and offers. We also have a winner for the  Darren Gygi  Art Giveaway . Winners are chosen from  random.org . Winner has been contacted by email. Thank you to all you participated, we will have another art giveaway soon! Thank you to each of these shops for sharing their talents and beautiful products with us. If you would like to see these shops  and other talents in the Spring please let me know so that I can begin working on a Spring "Trunk" Show. Eastern Ave Designs Use code JEMMA10 for 10% off purchases through December 5th. Secret Garden Herbs Use code JEMMASFEATURE  for 20% off through December 3rd. Celestina Rose Garden Market Use code CHRISTMAS25 for 25% off through January 1st 2017 NanNas Thing