~HAPPY NEW YEAR and MY NEW LIVING ROOM~

~HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE~

My house was totally mismatched after the whole shabby chic thing didn't work to well with all the kids....

I resorted BACK TO MY BLUE JEAN Sofa and mis~matched furniture!!!! UGH!!!! I HATED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!!

My NEW YEARS RESOLUTION....MAKE THE HOME YOU WANT.......(with 2 kids gone, 2 more leaving this year and only 2 left at home, it's time)

~So I went into my shop and "SHOPPED"......I am so drooling over all these gals blogs with the "Old World Whites, Creams and Black" so I decided why not see what I can come up with????~

~I'm NOT FINISHED yet. YEAH, I have many more ideas swirling around in my head and I have to tell you, I transformed my Living Room to this point in just ONE DAY!!!!~

~Bob just rolled his eyes and said, "Really?" then sat down in his big green lazy boy that I covered with a Rachel Ashwell POPLIN King Size sheet and started playing Wii golf....LOL I am so blessed that he is such a trooper with all my decorating madness~

~I am totally thrilled with what I have come up with already and I woke up this morning at 6am while it was still dark out and sat in the quiet with my "French Vanilla Coffee" and all the candles on....

It's my HAPPY NEW YEAR and I WISH THE SAME FOR YOU~

Big HUGE Hugs and ALL MY LOVE,

Amy

~MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE~

~May your day be filled with Blessings and Happiness!!!!~

All my love to you, Amy

~AND THE WINNER IS~

And the winner of my HANDMADE BOTTLE BRUSH TREE IS

L.D. from Alabama (email entry).

Thanks so much for all the sweet comments and entries. I will try to make some more and have another drawing soon.

Less than 2 weeks til Christmas and I haven't even started shopping....LOL.....my get up and go has got up and went!!!!

Hugs and Love, Amy

~BLIZZARD IN IOWA~

Winter Weather Alert Map Data - Terms of Use As of 00:04:00 Sun Dec 12 2010 Blizzard Warning Special Weather Statement Winter Weather is affecting the KCRG-TV9 viewing area. Click on a county for the latest watch, warning and advisory information. Chat with the First Alert Storm Team Current road conditions First Alert Pinpoint Doppler Radar Cancellations Blog: Weather Water Cooler CLICK A COUNTY Top Story Snow Plows and Tow Trucks Halted Amid Blizzard Conditions CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Several Eastern Iowa counties have issued a “tow-ban” and discontinued snow plow usage due to blizzard conditions across the state of Iowa. Roadways covered with snow and ice... Read more »

~GIVEAWAY 2 DAYS LEFT to ENTER!!!!~

~If you haven't entered for my HANDMADE BOTTLE BRUSH TREE GIVEAWAY, you still have 2 days left!!!!~

Leave a comment here or email me at FourSistersInACottage@msn.com

We are bracing for a huge ICE/SNOW STORM and BLIZZARD TODAY so if we lose power (which we usually do being we live in the country) and I cannot get online....I will draw the winner when I can get back online)

Don't forget to check out

our ETSY SHOP because

EVERYTHING IS FREE TO SHIP in the USA!!!!
Love and Hugs, Amy

~A NEW GIVEAWAY, MY BOTTLE BRUSH TREES!!!!~

~ONE LUCKY WINNER WILL WIN THEIR CHOICE OF MY HAND MADE BOTTLE BRUSH TREES~

I am giving away ONE of these BOTTLE BRUSH TREES hand bleached and decorated by me.

You will get your choice of any of them pictures and I will draw the winner on Monday December 13th, 2010. Please leave a comment on this post or email me and I will enter you.

Have a great weekend!!!!
Love and Hugs, Amy

~MOM'S HOUSE CHRISTMAS 2010~

~THIS IS MOM....SHE IS SOOOO HIP....Can't believe she's gonna be 72!!!!~~~

~I WANT HER WHITE BOOTS....They are soooo darn cute and she looks FABULOUS with them on....maybe someday I will find some for myself~

~COME ON IN~

~Boy, sure wish I would have bought this Vintage Shoe-Fly Rocking Horse at my Mom's garage sale....she had it for only $22 and when it didn't sell, she decided to keep it...It's adorable and now I want it!!!!~

~This is the inside of the front door....TOO DARN CUTE~

~Fireplace Mantel in the Living Room. Mom designed it, Dad built it~

~Still one of my FAVORITE things my Mom owns...The Department Store Composition Doll, who stands by the Christmas Tree that Mom placed in an Old Vintage Shopping/Flea Market Cart)~

~The Dining Room....with that RED CUPBOARD I WANT, I really really want it~

~On the back porch is a sweet sprinkle of Christmas~

~Remember that Old Fold Up Camp Bed that Bob found for me in Sheldon, Iowa when we went on a buying road trip this past summer? Well, this is how I want to make up mine....And I made the bed skirt on this one for my Mom....I saw a stack of vintage picnic tablecloths in one of her baskets and I took them out one day while she was on the phone and just layered them between the two mattresses. NO SEWING REQUIRED...That's my kind of decorating!!!! She loved it so much that she has never changed it!!!!~

~Tomorrow I will be posting the chance to win one of my BOTTLE BRUSH TREES~

Have a wonderful day.....

Hugs and Love, Amy

~BOTTLE BRUSH TREES I CREATED~AND GIVING 1 AWAY~

~Over the coarse of TWO DAYS I worked and worked at trying my hand at BLEACHING, DYING and MAKING BOTTLE BRUSH TREES~

~I do not recommend DYING THE TREES once they are BLEACHED....THEY TURN OUT REALLY CRAZY COLORS, LIKE THE ONE ABOVE and BELOW~

~Overall, my COLORED Bottle Brush Christmas Trees turned out pretty cute~

~I was more IMPRESSED with the ones that I just BLEACHED.....this process took over 3 hours and I still had to pick out pieces of green color, this project is just that, A PROJECT, and way too much work for what it's worth....I suggest, JUST PAY THE MONEY and BUY THE ONES ALREADY ON ETSY.COM~

~STILL SWEET for the SHABBY COTTAGE CHRISTMAS HOUSE~

~The tree in the cup was my first one....I quickly learned that you need to use the BIG BALLS on the BOTTOM and progress them upward with the little ones at the top~

~I ended up using almost ALL of my years of collecting Vintage Feather Tree Ornaments for all 11 Trees.....COSTING ME WAY TOO MUCH MONEY to make these eleven trees, that does not include the bleach, food coloring, vinegar, glue gun and sticks, trees and the time it took me to make them...LOL~

Overall.....They all turned out CUTE......

AND I am going to be giving ONE of them away.

I will post the giveaway this week so stay tuned!!!!

Make it a great week!!!!

Love and Hugs, Amy