I was going to post the second look for the Arabesque dresser I shared yesterday, but I realized I had one more Christmas post to share and I has better share it before it isn’t Christmas any longer! I don’t usually share the work of others here, except for my favorites on FFF. It’s not that I don’t like to link up and support others, but I don’t want my voice to get thinned out by sharing the content of others too often. I am also a bit compulsive about writing blog posts! It’s an outlet and can be very therapeutic for me.
Today, though, I am featuring some beautiful photos styled by Melanie Beilner, taken by Annetta Bosakova. They are both extremely talented ladies and I thought it was worth sharing this shoot…
(I’m really into seeded eucalyptus this year. We used some for the Cottages & Bungalows shoot we did in the fall and I tried to order a box of it for Christmas from my boxwood supplier, but they couldn’t get them from the vendor. I really wanted to mix them with evergreens this year, but alas. It was not meant to be.)
What I really loved about these pictures and the styling is how real and homey, yet beautiful they are. I think my inclination is to try to pretty things up too much for pictures. I love that they used a discolored, ancient baking sheet, because that’s what we all have, instead of one that’s brand-spankin-new. There’s a lot of beauty in simple, used, everyday things.
And there’s another Christmasy thing I realized I haven’t shared, yet.
I found these bottle-brush wreaths when I was out shopping on black Friday. They were 75% off, so I nabbed them for $2.50/each. I loved the wreaths, but the red balls weren’t working for me.
So, as we were glittering other things like plastic deer and paper houses, we threw some glass glitter on these as well. It was a little messier than anticipated, but once on the tree and all of the lights are on, you can’t tell.
And Kriste and I painted some papier mache ornaments with MMS Milk Paint…
We used Shutter Gray and Grain Sack…
..and glittered them once the paint was dry.
…and then they ended up in a bag in the studio, waiting for hooks. They’ll get finished next year, I think. Or maybe we’ll finish the project properly before then and highlight it in the next look book we make.
There you go, a little last minute inspiration for Christmas and an unfinished project to make you feel better about your unfinished projects!
24 Responses
Loved all the Christmas inspiration posts!
Just wanted to ask if anyone else has had problems getting to MMS site? Several times in the past week or so, when I open the MMS site, I am directed to the online shop and cannot get to the daily blog post. Almost had withdrawal pains—but then it would work the next day. This evening, I kept getting an error message saying that today’s post had been deleted. Have you heard of any other people having issues or is my computer trying to get a new iPad from Santa?
I’m experiencing the same problem along with an ad that keeps trying to load at the bottom of the page (only on this site).
This is the message that I am getting.
NOT FOUND, ERROR 404
The page you are looking for no longer exists. Perhaps you can return back to the site’s homepage and see if you can find what you are looking for. Or, you can try finding it with the information below.
Also as soon as I try to scroll down the ad at the bottom pops up and will not load.
I don’t have a problem with pop ups and this is the only site where the bottom ad is not loading correctly. This all started when I came to Miss Mustard Seed yesterday (Sunday night) and instead of the blog coming up from my blog roll, I got what appeared to be a Miss Mustard Seed page where you could list your furniture etc for sale. There were 10 pages and multiple categories. Hope this info helps you fix your site problem.
Sorry, Jan. We are having some technical problems and I have my tech guys working on it. I’m receiving the same error on some impressions.
I am having the same problem too. It took me to the online shop and then an error page popped up. I thought it was my computer… at least I know now others are having the same problem.
I had that same problem too the other day. It would go straight to the shop instead of the blog post. Today it seems to be working fine. I have Adblocker Plus installed to block out the ads.
I have been having the same problem!
Yup. Me too. Thought it was an error on my end but maybe it’s not. I could not get to the recent postings either but then I found a list of posts by month somewhere on the website. I was finally able to access the most recent posts by going in under December. Never had to do that before. I’m sure these little bugs will be worked out soon now that they are known.
I have been following this site for several years and the ads have become “over the top” distracting. I understand the need for them but jeesh….this is too thick for me.
Yes, first there’s the one at the bottom that you have to close, then ads appearing at the bottom border of EVERY SINGLE PHOTO – even with my pop up blockers (which I guess don’t apply because these aren’t really popups). I agree, it’s getting very overwhelming. I do love your content and visit daily, but I’d rather pay a subscription fee to the blog!
I too had problems, but never fear I kept trying. I can’t go without my “Mustardsizing”!
I got a few error messages,but tried again and immediately scrolled flow, that seemed to keep on the page…using an iPad.
Merry Christmas
I faced the same problem, on and off, for the last several days as well.
Same here. Tried to open from my favorites, but I kept getting the online shop. I had to enter as a search. I thought it was because we updated our Apple system.
Annetta is so talented and a genuinely sweet person. I’m so glad you featured her photography!
I agree! Annetta is such a wonderful person and so talented. Check out her Instagram for daily inspiration. Thank you Miss Mustard Seed for featuring our collaboration!
I never have any problems loading the site and complaints about ads are uncalled for….most bloggers have ads it is how they make money and keep the content coming that you love so much. Marian is behind generous with tips, tricks and creative ideas, she never sells to us as readers and she gives so generously of her time and creative talent. We are all trying to provide for our families with as my honesty and integrity as we can, don’t judge people for doing that. I find those type of comments rude and insensitive. Thanks Marian for all you have done and continue to do for us. Merry Christmas
Gilly,
I agree and have never complained either about the ads on bloggers sites. This is part of the world of blogging and they rely on their sponsors to support what they do.
However, what most readers are complaining about is the “error messages” popping up and not being able to get to the MMS homepage not the ads on the site. That’s great that you haven’t experienced any problems but too many others including myself have been to just ignore it.
Regardless, Marian needs to be aware of it so she can find out if its on her end or the users so it can be resolved. It defeats the purpose of having a blog if you cant get to the homepage.
Yep, there is a problem right now with some code that’s been installed on my site and it’s causing these error messages. We’re working on getting it fixed. The feedback is good for me! Sometimes I try out some new ads and I learn that my readers hate them and I hate them, so I remove them. Others, we can all live with. 🙂 It’s always a balance.
I’m having the same problems with the page loading properly as well.
Love this last minute Christmas inspiration, the glittered wreaths and stars are so pretty!
Gilly,
I agree and I am not complaining about the ads because I realize that is a part of the world of blogging and bloggers couldn’t do it without their sponsors.
However, there is definitely a problem with the MMS page loading properly that just recently started. While some haven’t experienced problems too many others have including myself. Error pages are popping up and I am having problems getting to the homepage. Sometimes, the online shop page is coming up first before the homepage. Regardless, this is something that Marian needs to be aware of and let her readers know if its a problem on her end or the users.
Beautiful! Don’t let it stop on Dec 26th, that is what the 12 days of Christmas are for! You observed Advent with the wreath, observing the Christmas season through Epiphany (12 days after) is the other book end to embrace the richness of Christmas, steeped in history and tradition.
Would love to have recipe for gingerbread men cookies.
This is the recipe for Jane Huey:
Gingerbread Boys
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 Tb dark corn syrup
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
Directions:
1. cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and mix well. Mix in orange peel and dark corn syrup. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves and salt, mixing until well combined. Chill dough overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.
3. Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick and cut into desired shapes. Place cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 -12 min. Makes 16 3″ boys.
This recipe is from allrecipes submitted by Janice Brubaker.
We have been using the recipe for at least 10 years and it is the only “sweet” I’m truly addicted to! *the orange zest may be the secret; don’t skip it!