Our Not Too Shabby Christmas Tree

I had so much fun decorating my upstairs Christmas tree this year! I decided to make some light pink and white bows and used some pearl strands and a few ornaments. My inspiration started with the Shabby Chic Christmas Tree Skirt then I decided to keep the pink and white theme. So with a few rummage sale items and $20 for some crystal-like hanging ornaments, I put everything together that I loved and it was a happy ending for my decorating day! You know our number 1 decoarting rule by now...always use what you already have first, then shop if you must. It's a great way to save money and decorate with your favorite things. Happy decorating all!

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Homemade Creme Fraiche (or fancy sour cream)

This recipe is so easy I almost feel guilty writing a post about it...almost!  Just in case you haven't tried it yet, I think it's time to give it a whirl! Creme Fraiche is similar in taste to sour cream but heightened to a new level! The good news is that you can't mess it up! 😀

Only 2 ingredients:
        One pint of heavy cream
        3 Tablespoons of buttermilk

I poured mine in a Ball jar then stirred it to combine. Then let it sit on the counter, uncovered overnight or up to 24 hours. It needs to be uncovered so the good bacteria from the buttermilk gets air to do it's thing. The longer it sits the more tangy it will be.

After 24 hours, cover it and put in the refrigerator, it should be almost the consistency of sour cream. It will thicken more when chilled. You can use it in soups, desserts, or with fresh fruit. You can stir it into fresh whipped cream or use it as you would sour cream or whipped cream. If you like it sweeter you can add a little powdered sugar. It will last a week in the fridge. I have seen some recipes say it can last up to 3 weeks. I try to use mine up within a week to 10 days. Give it a try and let us know what you think!

~Simply Angie

No Sew Valance

Roman Shades in kitchen

In my post last week, I mentioned my "no sew valance"  I made with our mom when she came to visit me over Thanksgiving. Since my decorating style has changed since we moved in, almost 9 years ago, I wanted to give my kitchen a French Country look. The roman shades I have in the kitchen have a pattern on them. (pic on right) We have a deck off the dining room with vertical blinds, not crazy about them, but for now they have to stay. I wanted a simple solid valance over the deck door to tie the 2 rooms together and complete the look. After looking for months and not finding anything, I almost gave up-until we saw a queen size bed skirt on  clearance for under $10.  It was the perfect size and it was already lined,  and the edges were finished. All I needed to do was cut off the two long sides, leaving about 2 inches of fabric on the top. We laid the Peel n'Stick Fabric Fuse on one side of fabric and pressed it down to make a rod pocket. Then I ran the rod through it and hung it up! It took us less than 30 minutes...including ironing...including me accidently melting part of the fabric along the top edge of the bed skirt...oops- good thing we didn't get the iron on fabric fuse!  I even had extra fabric left for a table runner-who knew all from a clearance price bed skirt!

~Simply Angie

Decorating A Winter Mantel

We've been busy decorating for Christmas! I decided to scale back on the decorations this year, I think I've reached the "less is better" stage of my life! I always put my tree up first, then move on to the rest of the decorations. So my tree is done and I decided to start decorating the mantel. Before I started, I knew that I wanted to use 3 trees, partly because I love the 3 trees story and I like the number 3.So I started there. After several texts, phone calls, and pictures sent to my sister, we finally put it together. I found 3 sequence trees on sale, used a tree I already had and placed it on my infamous cake plate. I added a white feather tree, placed on a crystal dessert dish. I folded a page of sheet music and placed it in a clear vase with some glittery pom poms, and an angel tree topper off to the side. For a finishing touched, I wrapped Christmas tree pearl strands around the items on the mantel and 2 cream colored scarves. I hope you are having fun decorating and would love to hear your ideas!

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi