Happy New Year + That Girl

Retro TV shows make me happy, & none more so than That Girl. Oooh, I love Marlo Thomas {the star actress}, her quirky charming personality, & fashion sense. This show has much to do with me going out on my own … I knew about the show, but had never seen it until around Christmas last year. After watching That Girl I couldn’t be content until I found my own little apartment & tried my wings… The rest is history. You can’t imagine the squeals let loose {in my apartment} the day I saw the commercial letting me know That Girl was coming back to TV… no more scrounging & saving to purchase the DVD box sets. Tomorrow on the MeTV network {which I sincerely hope you have}, they will be hosting a That Girl marathon, & in the days after that, you can find That Girl every weekday night at 9:30 eastern time! It’s simply fabulous!

I hope to do some That Girl fashion posts in the near future, too… so come back soon!

If you don’t have MeTV, or simply can’t wait till tomorrow afternoon, here’s the first episode {after the pilot}. Hope you enjoy & happy 2012!

Love,

-Bess-

{Last Minute} New Year's Accessory Tips

I'm so excited about New Year's!  Ahhh, a fresh start, new beginning, & all that jazz!  It makes me grin from ear to ear {no, really} =).  Not to mention that New Year's Day falls on a Sunday this year - oh, I'm going to pick out {from my closet} =) the perfect ensemble for church!  Here's some quick accessory tips...  No need to purchase a brand new outfit, make it fresh with all the little {sparkly} extras... 

Add some sequins!

Add some glitter!

 Love,

-Bess-

Christmas Open House

Welcome!  I wish I'd had the chance to show you around before the big day, but better late than never!  Here's a little tour for ya... =) 

My living room has a sort of green & blue color scheme, which I didn't want to alter just for the holiday season... so, I let my Christmas decor match what I already had in place.

My tree had a bit of a theme: nature/things that fly... butterflies, dragonflies, birds, reindeer =)

These glass bird clip ornaments were one of my favorites.  {Michael's Craft Store $1!}

Love this quote I found in a magazine!  It seemed quite appropriate, so I cut it out & layed it on a low branch.  Note the bejeweled glittery green dragonfly ornament.  {Walmart $0.97}

My bookish Christmas continues with my fireplace area.  I tore bunches of pages out of tattered old books {I got them at my local used book store's 'free box'}, & placed them at different angles, taped/glued them together {from the back}, & cut them to fit behind the glass panels...  Don't worry, I don't use my fireplace!  I made a simple paper chain out of more old book paper + a stocking garland out of a $1 chipboard book I got {again} at Michael's, which I disassembled, covered with book paper, & hung on a ribbon.  I love the wall sticker I got at the Dollar Tree which reads, "With God all things are possible."  A perfect promise for Christmastime.

Click here to see how to create another bookish Christmas craft!

My simple card display {which I simply heart}.  Click here to see how to create your own!

Hope you & your family had a blessed Christmas full of the hope, joy, & peace only Jesus can bring!

Love & Happy New Year,

-Bess-

Merry Christmas

This is one of my all time favorite Christmas songs!  Hope you enjoy!

Love,

-Bess-

Mistletoe Misgivings

 

Remember the 'Dear Single Christmas Girl' post from last year {click here to read}?  Well, it's another year, another Christmas, & I'm still waiting solo under the mistletoe.  I don't know what it is about this year, but it feels harder somehow...  Perhaps it's going home to an empty apartment after watching couples holding hands at the mall & chivalrous guys opening car doors.  I just wonder is he really out there someone in this vast world... & if so, how will I ever find him?  Is he just a figment?  I need to go read that post again!  Hope you'll join me!  God is with us!  What am I worried about anyway?     

Christmas Love,

-Bess-

P.S.: Just keeping it real in this tough world! =)

A Bookish Christmas

Yes, I love crafty Christmas-y things that are, at the same time, bookish!  This little Christmas tree art was pretty simple. Here's how to recreate it... 

What You'll Need:

 fabric (for the backing), a page from an old book =), seed beads, needle & thread (for stringing beads), scissors, buttons, glue, frame

What To Do:

Cut a tree out of the old book paper {I find folding the paper in half and cutting out one side of the tree is easiest}.  Next, string seed beads onto thread for a garland, & attach to tree with thread or tape.  Glue buttons on as ornaments.  Glue bedecked tree onto fabric.  Place in frame & enjoy!

Bookish Blessings,

-Bess-

P.S.: I made a paper chain out of ye olde book paper, too!  I heart the written {typed} word. 

Christmas Song Love: "Jesus, Savior" by Chris August

Love it!

-Bess-

{5 Minute} Christmas Card Holder Tutorial

I love the idea of a simple homespun Christmas...  This being my 1st Christmas in my own home, it's easy to get caught up in a decorating frenzy that threatens to steal all my free time & totally deplete my hot glue gun stick collection.  Truth be told, this has been a very trying season for me.  Stuff just isn't going smoothly... to put it lightly.  So, I'm working to keep the decorating simple {yet chic} =) & focus on the true meaning of Christmas... which fills my weary heart with the hope, comfort, & confidence of my heavenly Father's love for His currently downtrodden daughter.  He is sooooo good... & I know He will lift up my downcast face & wipe away all the tears {& tear tracks} in His perfect time.  Love You, dear Father! 

What You Need: long ribbon {wide ribbon works well}; paper clips {I chose red & white ones}; Christmas cards =) {I could see this project being used for photos, too!}

What To Do:

Take the ribbon and tie a nice bow {you may want to sew a couple stitches to secure the bow - I, however, did not}.  Next, attach the Christmas cards {or photos} to the ribbon using the paper clips.  Lastly, carefully hang the back of the bow on a nail {covering the nail head}.  There you have it!  This was super simple... I'm so pleased with how it turned out!

Christmas Greetings

{with love from a girl & her God},

-Bess-

Scrappy Christmas Blocks

Season's greetings, Gal Pals & readers everywhere!  Have some wooden blocks left over from a carpentry project?  Here's a great way to recycle 'em!  

All you need are scrapbooking papers/embellishments; old Christmas cards; ribbon; rubber stamps; glue/gluestick; etc. + wooden blocks, of course {which sadly aren't pictured below - I forgot}. =)

After designing, measuring, cutting, & gluing here's what I came up with...

I was so pleased, I made another... {But, I love the 1st one best.}

They both now sit snuggly on my tiny mantelpiece {which isn't really a mantelpiece at all, but this girl uses her imagination well}.  Can't wait to show you my Christmas-y apartment {truth be told, I can't wait to see it myself...I'm still working on it}!

Crafting Love,

-Bess-