Wednesday, December 10, 2014

A Cat Endorsed Christmas


Today, Little Miss Anya and I have been decorating for Christmas!

We wanted you to see what we have done so far, and there will be more coming soon!



This is our Christmas tree. I purchased it from a home decorating store called At Home.

When I was looking for trees, I noticed that most white trees appeared gray.
This one wasn't gray, because there were some iridescent needles along with the white needles that reflected light.

Anya agreed with me, we both liked this tree. She wanted to sleep under it, and I wanted to decorate it. We compromised.



This is one of my favorite parts of the new decor. The aspects of the display bring out colors in my tree and other Christmas areas around the house.

Anya helped me make this display, and the rabbit clock is there so it is out of her reach. It is always crashing to the ground when she tries to play with its ears. 

Now, let's take a look at some of the ornaments on my Christmas Tree!


This is a glitter beaded pinecone ornament. It reflects all the lights and the colors of the other ornaments. 

Anya liked this ornament, it went with her fur. I agreed that it did look nice with her, so we got it.



This is a vintage striped indented ornament. It is turned the other way, so you cannot see the indented side of it, but I like showing the stripes.

Anya didn't like this ornament, even though I did. I told her, I'll hang it in a place where you won't see it, but I will. 


This bird almost appears to look like mercury glass. I like the old look, and I think it is very unique.

Anya certainly loves this ornament, she stares at it whenever she sits under the Christmas tree. 


This beautiful sequined pink ornament came in a set of four from Michael's.
It is a medium pink, so it isn't too bright.

Anya and I fought over these ornaments. We should have bought another package, but we worked it out. 


This is a vintage tinsel-filled ornament that I found at a local vintage store.
I believe that the tinsel did not come inside the ornament originally, but I believe both the tinsel and the ornament itself are old.

Anya always tells me that she wishes the tinsel could come out. I haven't told her yet that it is possible.

This ornament came in a set of six different colored churches. It is from the Martha Stewart line, and I purchased it at Home Depot.

Anya took three for herself, and I took three.



These ornaments I bought in a clear set from Michael's. 
I believe they are meant to be painted, but I decided to fill them with flaky pink and white glitter.

These are Anya's favorite. She loves batting at them and looking at the glitter. 


This is a reindeer ornament. I enjoy his gold color, and how he reflects the light of other ornaments.

This ornament isn't Anya's favorite. He's too boring, she told me. 


This snowflake ornament has glitter and has some clear crystal beads on it as well.

Anya likes this ornament, but she wishes it were smaller.


This cupcake ornament makes the tree a bit more unique; I think. It adds a bit more color. 

Anya likes the cupcake ornament, but she thinks it should be displayed in a better place on the tree.


And finally, my last featured ornament... I found this one at my local vintage store, and the colors are fading from it, but I like it anyways.

Anya agreed.



More Christmas decoration posts coming soon!

Thank you,


S.E. Johnson


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Sunday, November 23, 2014

Draw Your Own Fireplace



Since I don't have a fireplace, I decided to make one. 


What you will need :

Black Paint & Paintbrush
Chalk
Canvas of Your Choice
Fake Garland





So, you paint your canvas black and prop it up against a bureau or a drawer. 

Take your garland, and place it inside the drawer.

Then, take some chalk and chalk the whole canvas first, so the chalk sticks on the canvas.

Finally, draw your design of your fireplace on the canvas, enjoy! Maybe have a cup of my 




Enjoy your fireplace! 

Have a nice day, S.E. Johnson


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Monday, November 17, 2014

Gingerbread, Snowmen, and Butterflies


Hi! Today, Little Miss Anya the cat and I have been enjoying our afternoon tea. The days are getting chillier, so we are acquiring our warmth from the large front window.






I love and collect vintage teapots. They are all very unique even if their design is slightly cracked. Even though modern teapots and tea kettles are more functional and useful, I prefer the style of these vintage ones.






As we pawed through Albertus Seba's Book of Natural Curiosities, Little Miss Anya found a flutter of butterflies on a page that I never knew existed.





She pointed to Sample No. 9, a yellow and black butterfly, and tried to claim it for herself. To her disappointment, she could not peel the butterfly off the page. I personally preferred Butterfly No. 5.






Later on, we made some gingerbread tea for ourselves, because it was very windy.






We took our modern teapot and warmed up some water for our tea. I suggested that we make the tea  appear like a snowman, to celebrate the cooler days. She agreed. The following is what we used to make our gingerbread snowman tea.




Gingerbread Snowman Tea

1 tablespoon of the Teavana Gingerbread loose-leaf tea
2 teaspoons of raw sugar
1/2 cup of milk (frothed)
Optional: one scoop of vanilla ice cream to make the tea cold

I am sharing my own recipe (in case you were wondering). Enjoy!


Have a wonderful day!

SE Johnson 

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Sunday, November 16, 2014

Finding Home





What is the meaning of collecting shells? Shells were once homes for creatures that were abandoned. We as humans have a connection to shells. Humans struggle to find the perfect home and the perfect job when really that person's life was something that was divinely created and planned, in this case, a shell for a specific crab. 






Also, shells are all unique. Every shell is different. Even though we are all unique, we share similarities. For example, there are many types of cone shells, but none of their markings match.  








I enjoy studying shells. This book is a reprint of Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities from the 1700's. Along with information, it has many beautiful drawn images of shells, as well as reptiles, butterflies, plants, and sea life. 









This is an image from this book. I found this beautiful swirl of shells, and the design in which these shells were arranged is entrancing. 






 Sample No. 64 is my favorite shell. I love the shape and color of the shell, as well as its ridges. 









When I was younger, I loved this book. This is Kevin Henke's Junonia. It teaches children about persistence, and selfishness. It is also a book about growing up. 





Also, the book is illustrated beautifully. The images are designed to appear hand-drawn. The chapters are short, and the book is very entertaining. 





More coming soon, enjoy!   

S.E. Johnson