"Pin a Pillow" Give Away

I know there are a lot of you out there that are pillow addicts, just like me. Christmas is the perfect time to get your pillow mojo going for some added "decking the halls" fun. It's so easy to change the atmosphere of a room or space with just a few pillows.

 Whatever your style or theme this Christmas, 

Elliott-Heath Designs

has just the right pillow to add that something special to your Holiday Home.

Heather and I have teamed up before, for my 4th Anniversary Give Away, and she's one of my great sponsors. You may remember that she has tons of great designs for holidays and decor. Here are just a few of Heather's wonderful Christmas Designs:

Elliott-Heath Designs

even more designs...

Heather and I have planned a fun little way to get a Christmas Give Away going. We want to get the word out to all you Pinterest fans of her great pillow designs for Christmas. All it takes to enter is for you to go to her website and Pin your favorite Christmas Pillows to one of your Christmas or Holiday Pin Boards. On the right hand bottom of the page you'll find a "Pin it" Button, just click and add the pins to your board, then come back and leave a comment saying you did. If you leave a link to the board in your comment, you may have visitors. 

OK, here are the guidelines:

1. Go to Elliott-Heath Designs and Pin up to 3 of your favorite Christmas Design Pillows. Then come back here and leave a comment. (if you share the link to that Pin Board it invites traffic to your board.)
2. Like Elliott-Heath on Facebook
3. Share this Give Away on your blog, Facebook page, Pinterest, Twitter or the streetcorner. Just let me know in a comment (thanks a bunch!)
4. Be a follower of this blog, Common Ground, and let me know.

The Lucky Pinner will get to pick 

one of Heather's wonderful pillow designs

 as her Give Away Gift.

Get Pinning!!

and have fun,

Have a Cuppa Low Cal Hot Spiced Tea

There's a reason why I totally went with this great pic 

from Lipton of their Hot Tea.

I cannot photograph food.

or drinks...

at least not well enough to make it look appetizing.

I remember having this delicious hot spiced tea

also know as "Russian Tea" or "Southern Spiced Tea".

When I was young I could sip on this all afternoon.

I would make big batches of it, blissfully unaware...

But I stopped making it because of all the sugar.

It has a ton of sugar.

and I rarely use sugar.

Maybe Splenda or Truvia.

Before you could say "Brrrrr, It's Cold Outside",

I would have consumed hundreds of calories

and waaaaaay too much sugar.

not gonna happen anymore.

Recently Pinterest was abuzz with pics and recipes for this yummy cold weather pick me up, and it had me reminiscing about how good this recipe was, and how it warmed you on a snowy, blustery day. Like today.

These were taken from my front porch...

I'm not getting out in it.

Now that there is sugar free lemon flavor iced tea mixes and Sugar Free Tang, I thought, "now wait a minute. I can still have this without tempting the Diabetes that runs in my family". (do you ever think out loud?) I really don't want to rile that monster up.

(what did I tell ya, no way to make this pretty.)

Super simple to put together. I used generic individual Splenda Lemon Iced Tea Mix and No Sugar Orange Koolaid cause hubby couldn't find Sugar Free Tang. Then just added equal packages of both in a plastic container; plus some cinnamon, and Splenda or Sweet n' Low or Truvia to taste. I just use about 2 rounded teaspoons full in a mug with boiling water. really good, tastes the way I remembered.  And hey...it's like I'm 20 again! 

stay warm!

xoxo,

Be Inspired #167

First of all I want to thank all of you that came by last week and linked up with the party. Thanksgiving week is such a hectic time, so thanks so much for coming to the party! I enjoyed seeing what you all have been up to, and I know that we had lots of visitors over the weekend. Whenever I'm feeling a little low on inspiration, all I have to do is click thru the links of this party, you guys are so creative! Here are a few links from last week:

Rita from Mammabellarte has been busy painting, glittering, and sewing

 as co host for her wonderful California event, The Vintage Marketplace.

 I thought you'd enjoy seeing a few of her Christmas Creations.

Tart Pan Pedestals

Susan from Must Love Junk has this amazing chippy door on her mantel.

It's reversible, creating a wonderful backdrop for her Natural Christmas Mantel 

Love this adorable Hoopy Holiday Snowman
from Nici at Posed Perfection

The perfect classic is Christmas Red and White in the Kitchen

from Carolyn at Aiken House and Gardens.
I'm in love with that metal picnic hamper!

 Barbara at 21 Rosemary Lane shared a DIY

of her beautiful Williamsburg Traditional Wreath

Each year I see these Vintage Jewelry Christmas Trees  and I want to make one.
This one from Betsy at Coastal Colors
is framed beautifully in a vintage gold frame.
Perfect for a little Christmas Bling!

Elizabeth from Blue Clear Sky wanted something different this year and she chose  to sew up some gorgeous White Denim bags for her armoire doors. You need to hear where she found the fabric, great upcycle!

Amy from Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

shared the recipe for Nutella Pumpkin Pie.
Pumpkin and Nutty Chocolate?
yes, please.

thanks so much, gals!

Lets' get the party rolling,

here are a few courtesy guidelines:

Please remember to turn off word verification. I tried leaving comments that didn't go through. I'm sure others have tried also.

Please have an individual link back to Common Ground within your post. I'd love to feature you. This is just part of the Party Etiquette.

Please no direct links to Etsy or Advertising.

Link up to three of your current posts.

Take a minute to visit a few of the other links.

Please be a follower of Common Ground.

Thanks for joining in,

Today's Sponsor

Marionberry Cottage

It All Starts in the Dining Room

I'm not sure why, but I always start my seasonal decor on the Dining Room Table. My choice for the centerpiece and tablerunner seem to sort of set the stage for the rest of the house. This year I fell in love with a burlap fabric my sweet friend Judy was working with in her Etsy Shop, 20 North Ora. She was creating tablerunners and I just had to have one.

I had Judy looking all over town trying to find more fabric to fit my table. I've threatened to paint this table more times than I can count, but my interim fix is to just cover up as much of the big brown wood top as possible. Anyway, Judy came through and I love how it turned out. I just put it on top of another raw burlap fabric piece and then gave it a stripe of red Tartan. (gotta have some plaid)

The ribbon isn't attached,

 and I would like to find a wider one, 

but for now I think it adds a little fun!

Last year I wanted Preserved Boxwood wreaths and topiaries, but never found them. So for something different this year I ordered 3 of the Preserved Boxwood Cones in cement vases to go inside the newer smaller windowbox. You can find them HERE.

Judy also sent along a sweet pillow, just right for my end arm chair.

Thank you so much, Judy!

For the chandy, I left the twiggy garland and removed the Fall leaves,

 replacing them with faux red Winterberries,

and then tied on a little Tartan ribbon.

Decorating this year is proving to be a work in progress.

I started with the basics the week before Thanksgiving, 

and I'm adding a little more each day.

Who knows, I might even have it done before Christmas!

(more coming in the Dining Room)

Joining in with these great parties:

Savvy Southern Style

DIY by Design

City Farmhouse

The Style Sisters

From My Front Porch to Yours

Daily Cup at Mrs. Olson's

No Minimalist Here

French Country Cottage

Craftberry Bush

Shabby Art Boutique

Dwellings

Coastal Charm

Cozy Little House

A Stroll Thru Life

Mod Vintage Life

xoxo,

p.s. Santa brought my white lanterns and they're 

HUGE

Now I just have to find a place to put them!

Today's Sponsor 

is Judy from 20 North Ora

The Marketplace: Etsy and Boutique Showcase

Hi Everyone!

Do you have your Christmas Shopping done?

We had a lot of items sold last week.
If something is taken,
 then just browse the store,
I know you'll find other great items!

Here are a few links from last week
visit that item link here


Decorate My Life

Christmas Chalkboard Printable

Vintage Santa Ornament

Rustic Wren Antiques

Book Page Wreath

Knick of Time

Anything Goes Here

6 Vintage Ornaments

Christmas Ribbon

Crafty Nest Supplies

Hand Painted Vintage Angel Sap Bucket

Folk Art by Donna

Please run by and say Hi to Michelle 

Today's Sponsor

Glass Bead Treasures

This is a linky party that is for items that are FOR SALE only. You don't have to have a blog to link up. If you have a blog post about your items that's great too, but they need to be available to purchase. Please try to link to the individual item that you are selling if possible. Please be a follower of Common Ground and if you have a blog it would be so nice for you to grab the image below to share somewhere on your blog. (not mandatory, just nice).

Thanks so much for joining in for the shopping fun.

Remember this link is open all week, 

so check back in for newly added items.

Hope you have a great week!

Add a Little Plaid...

For Some Instant Christmas Decor

Tartan and Christmas Plaids are one of my decorating "go-tos" for the Holiday Season...always have been. It's pretty easy to add some plaid for some instant Christmas Cheer. The red's, greens, and whites, are iconic additions to any style decor; from traditional, to modern, to country. Each year I try to incorporate a little plaid into my decorating scheme. Even an all white space can be given some Christmas flair with a little plaid on top!

(My Dining Room is starting to look a little like Christmas!)

This is one of my favorite Christmas Decor images;

White lanterns with some greenery and a sassy red ribbon.

I've ordered white lanterns and I hope that Santa

 brings them on his truck this week!

All the following photo images can be found on my 

Pinterest Board, Christmas Plaid,

please wait to pin them by going to that site. 

Thanks so much!

Here are some great ideas for your Christmas Table.

Mixing plaids even adds to the fun.

Let it greet your guests in the Entry.

Dress up a mantel with just a few bows.

Take a ribbon and run it through your vignette or tablescape.

Wrapping Packages

Drape a wool plaid blanket on the bed or sofa for instant "Christmas"!

So much fun when it's "Out On the Porch"...

Here are a few pics from my sunporch last year.

 

Vintage lunchbuckets and containers 

are perfect for setting the mood with flowers and greenery.

Thank you, to so many wonderful ideas

 from such talented people!

Several images have been borrowed from

  Celebrating Everyday Life and Savvy City Farmer.

All the images in this post are found in my Pinterest Board

Christmas Plaid

Please go to Pinterest and Pin these images from their source.

I don't want to infringe on any original design or images,

just wanted to share them with all of you.

thanks so much!


Joining in with these parties:

Favorites on the First at The Polohouse
Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings
Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life
Inspire Me at A Stroll Thru Life
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House
The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse
Tuesday's Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Hope you're having a wonderful Thanksgiving Weekend!

xoxo,

Today's Sponsor
Bel Monili
is having a sale until Midnight 11/30
use code BF2013
 for 25% off orders over $35