Kristin’s Christmas Home Tour

I know I am a little late getting this posted, but I guess better late than never.  My decorations this year was very minimal.  Normally I am not ok with that ha! but this year I am COMPLETELY ok with it.  My entry way has our big tree and some glitter and feathers.  I just love the feathers on the wreath! Looks really pretty at night when it is bright with twinkling lights

Once again I will apologize for the ridiculously bad pictures (I’m totally known for it).  In the back living room off the kitchen I have a smaller tree that I have to put up on a box to give it height haha! Poor little tree I hate to get rid of it but it is definitely way to small for this house.  I will be heading out tomorrow morning at 5am to hit the sales for a new big tree whoo hoo!!
 That is little Jojo trying to get in the picture.  I love all the over the top trees I have been seeing so I started this year small and will add to my collection in the after Christmas sales.  I did the top of my tree this year in feathers and jewels and glitter sticks and I am totally in love! And our fire last night while I sat on the couch (I am totally sick with strep throat)

And last but not least I have to show you these awesome pictures of my sweet daddy.  Every year as long as I can remember he has played Santa for all the neighbors when we were growing up and now for all his grandkids.  It is so sweet to know that he played Santa for all our friends growing up and now he is playing Santa for their kids!  All our friends beg him every year to come by and give their kids the same joy they felt when he came to their house as kids.  Thanks daddy for making everybody smile!

Merry Christmas
Kristin

Christmas around the house

I know Christmas is almost here, but I have been meaning to make this post for about a month now.  So better late than NEVER.  I love decorating for Christmas and that is why I usually start the week before Thanksgiving.

  As soon as we get home from Thanksgiving this little guy is here and waiting for us.  This is Linus our elf, and my 5 yr old thinks he is the coolest thing in the world.  He has been pretty creative this year hiding around our house.

 

 

As soon as you walk into my front door, this is what you see on the door and in the entryway.

Here is my staircase.

 

 

My Burlap Wreath.  Thanks to my awesome crafty friend Amber.  

And don’t forger the Ginger Bread House we have to make every year.

Looking into my living room!

 

 

I love my sign that Kristin got me for my Birthday!!!  It fits perfect into our household.

My hallway with my wreath I had made last year.

Harley dog thought I was nuts taking pictures around the house. (so did my husband) haha

The deco Mesh Wreath is placed on the back door.  I am not sure I have much room left for anymore wreaths.

My greens shutter that I made this year to hold some of my Christmas cards.  I love it!

And there it is!  My best craft ever.  The ornament wreath. ( I have only had one ball fall off since I hung it, good to know that the Hot glue really worked)  My goal for next year is to make some really cute stockings.  Not sure if you can tell but I made one out of burlap, and I think it turned out really good for my first time ever.  So I will perfect that by next year.   I have some goals in life, don’t I?? 

And the tree!

I was hoping to Link up to some Christmas décor parties, but I think I'm running out of time. (Especially since I just realized I need to go get 2 more gifts)  YIKES!

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.

 

CAMIE

12 days of Christmas

Every year at work we have a door decorating contest, and we have a theme to go by.  This year it was the 12 days of Christmas.  They told us we could do it any way we wanted, soooo we decided to be funny.  Let me first tell you that Kristin and I work at a surgery hospital in Denton, TX.  Kristin is an Ultrasound tech and I am a MRI tech.  We work right be side each other everyday and that is how Twist of Dazzle was created.  Anyways, we decided to be funny and do the 12 days of Christmas in the Radiology department.  Actually our door looks really plain compared to the previous years, but we wanted to go simple this year.  If any of you have had any kind of Radiology exams done you will get some of the lines, and if not just laugh anyways.     (Don’t forget you have to sing the song as you read it)

We thought it was funny, BUT the front office didn’t. haha  So we had to take the sign down.  They said it would scare the patients.  WHATEVER!!!  Bah Humbug   So our door is just wrapped with paper and a bow.  Merry Christmas to us.

ohhh and on a side note.  Look at this adorable Tree my good friend Amber made me out of burlap.  Isn’t it the cutest.

CAMIE

Glitz and Glam Blog Swap….YES PLEASE!!

Whoo hooo!  Our package came!  We were soooo excited to participate in our first Blog Swap.  We love reading Raven and Lindsey's blogs, these girls are a riot.  You must head over and check them out.

 

We had a rough start with this swap.  The first blog we got teamed up with suddenly fell off the face of the earth….bah hum bug!  We had our gift ready and everything, so we emailed Lindsey and told her what happened and she was on it fast!  We were teamed up with this awesome chick named Katie that was thrilled to come in at the last minute and save the day. Katie blogs over at Katie Lately.  She is super cute and just made a big move and it sounds like she is loving it.  We are really excited to get to know her better and follow her new life.

We waited to open this gift at work so we could do it together.

Look how cute our gift is!

There were 4 little bags in one!

We received some O.P.I polish (which we love to go get Mani's and Pedi's)  Kristin took the polish and the nail bling.  (We can share the polish)  “).  I(Camie)  have been wanting some bracelets with gold in them, so I snatched them up ASAP!  We each got a sparkly reindeer ornament and we hung them on our stockings at work.  We love all our gifts. Thanks Katie!!!!!

We have had such a great time looking over everyone’s blogs and looking at all the goodies.  Would love to do this again!!!!  We hope everybody has a very Merry Christmas. 

Kristin & Camie

 

Work Christmas Party

We had our work Christmas party this past weekend in Downtown Dallas and decided to take the Dart down there,  It was definitely an experience.  Let’s just say the Freaks come out at night. haha 

 

Tomorrow we will be revealing our gift we received for the "How the Glitz Stole Christmas" blogger swap!  I'm excited to see what’s in the box.

How do you help change a life of a child

 

We are all lost in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season and I am guilty of it too.  Wondering how to get everything the kids want but don’t really need.  I got a reality check today when I got home from work and it made me stop and take a deep breath and cry. 

I had every intention to sit down tonight and blog about my cute blingy Christmas mantle and how cute I was wrapping my presents this year, but my daughter Hannah was busy doing something else that made me stop in my tracks.  She was busy trying to figure out a way to help a family stay together in a terrible tragedy.

Indulge me for a minute as I give you a little history.  My daughter dated a boy named Jake for a short amount of time.  He is a great kid and they have stayed friends.  He and his younger brother moved here from a small town in Texas because his father had passed away from cancer after he had already lost his mother.  The boys moved in with their grandmother and a year later she died from breast cancer.  The boys then moved here to live with their uncle and a few weeks ago he died from lung cancer!!!  The aunt has two girls of her own and can’t afford to raise the boys without her husband.

How is it possible that I am worried about how to make my presents cute this year when these boys have now lost another family member and won’t even have a Christmas? How is it possible that this is their path?  How do I help as one person?  Where do you even begin?  My heart aches for these children, losing everyone they love.  Christmas seems so meaningless when there is a friend of my child's that has nothing and is wondering where he will even be living. Christmas is about giving so I have a lot to think about how my small family can make a big difference for this family in need.

Kristin

Deco Mesh Wreath completed

I finally got around to making my Deco Mesh wreath.  I bought this wreath in Canton, which is a fabulous invention, and helped so much.

I used red and white candy cane mesh and gathered around the wreath and used the wire to wrap around the mesh to hold it down.  I did this color all the way around, then I took a thinner green mesh  and did the same thing.

I wanted to add some ribbon to it, and I decided on white with black polka dots.  Then I just added some different ornaments and fill ins to make it look fuller.  This wreath is hanging on my back door.

I really love the Deco Mesh wreaths.  I think I will need one for Halloween too.

 

 

Camie

Thanksgiving this week

It’s crazy to think that Thanksgiving is in 2 days and Christmas will be here before you know it.  I still have 3 projects to finish, 3 parties to get ready for and lots of shopping to do.  (ohh and all the orders we need to get finished and shipped in time for Christmas) Luckily this past weekend I talked my husband into decorating.  I usually wait till the weekend after Thanksgiving, but I wanted to work on it slowly and not be rushed!  I love how my tree turned out this year.

My hubby thought the stuff coming out the top was a little crazy, but I like it and its staying.    (don’t worry it’s not crooked anymore)

 

On another note, we are not taking anymore orders after December 4th. 

Camie

Christmas ornament wreath

Ok!  It’s time.  I have been wanting to post this for over a month, but thought I should wait till at least Halloween was over.  Last year I found the coolest ornament wreaths online and wanted to make one.  Since I didn’t have time before Christmas, I decided my goal would be to collect ornaments after Christmas for cheap and then start it in June of July and have it done by Christmas 2011.  Well I did it, and I LOVE it.  By far the coolest wreath I have done.  (and actually hope it gets pinned one pinterest) haha 

 

This is what I started with, and decided to wrap strips of felt around the wreath.  I didn’t want to take the plastic off the wreath, but I was afraid the hot glue would melt it.  So who knows if it made any difference!

 

I did not have a pattern, or certain colors picked out to use.  I used foam balls, plastic balls, and a few glass balls.  Pretty much whatever I could find.  First I wrapped some ribbon around the wreath, so it would be ready to hang.  Then I started gluing in the inside of the wreath and then putting them on the outside.

 

I then started filling in the gaps and had to go to smaller ornaments.

I used A LOT of balls, I'm not exactly sure how many, but did have to take a couple trips to Hobby Lobby for more.

I

I pretty much think my wreath rocks, and can not wait to hang it on my mirror above my fireplace.

 

I'm so ready to decorate for Christmas.  When do you start decorating???

 

 

I'm linking up here!