Life at a "Swell's" pace

This is the second annual "12 Days of Christmas Pinspiration" posts dedicated to the wonderful Christmas DIY ideas found on Pinterest. There are so many fantastic ideas out there to add to your Christmas decor, and most of them end up right on Pinterest. Last year's posts were shared and repinned with many others to add to their Christmas inspiration boards. I hope they added to your fun of decorating last Christmas and many Christmases to come.

Here are this year's "12 Days of Christmas Pinspiration."

Day One:

Cinnamon-Applesauce Ornaments
from: Modern Parents Messy Kids

What you'll need:

1. Cinnamon

2. Applesauce

3. Cookie Cutter

4. Glitter

5. Drinking Straw

6. Red Ribbon

Mix equal parts cinnamon and applesauce until you have a dough-like consistency. Roll out the dough and cut with a cookie cutter into Christmas shapes. Sprinkle with glitter if desired, and cut a hole in the top with the drinking straw. Allow to dry completely for a few days and attach the red ribbon.

These could also be used to adore packages this Christmas.

Please be sure to visit Steph at Modern Parents Messy Kids and see the rest of her fun ideas for the holidays.

12 Days of Christmas Pinspiration-Day One 2012

Follow Shelly Hardage-Wilkerson @ SNS's board 12 Days of Pinspiration (SNS) on Pinterest.

Recently I've been slowly adding to my "vintage" collection with little pieces here and there. I've found antique bowls, hair acccessories, linens, and furniture. Along the furniture category, I have found these two wonderful pieces. The first one is the nightstand that I stumbled on by accident.

She was a lovely piece that just needed a bit of tlc. I'm not sure what exactly I want to do with her just yet, but right now, I think I will leave her as she is.

All cleaned up and on display in the living room is where she sits.

My next piece was a really worn 1940s-style radio. I did a bit of research online and found this information on it. It's an Admiral Console sold around 1947. The radio part is supposed to have a door on it that pulls down, similar to the turntable side, but the last owner apparently removed it and fixed the radio so it won't move. It was a lighter brown, but I added Old English Furniture Polish, in a darker tone, to cover up a lot of wear and tear.

The turntable was replaced sometime in 1980, the seller said, and works fine now. The old turntable was with it though, if I wanted to get it repaired and have it re-installed.

I snagged this radio for $10 at an estate sale and I am pretty pleased with it overall.

It is a great conversation piece in my living room and my Persian, Meia, seems to approve of it too!

Along with the turntable I picked up a few vinyls to add to my EVER GROWING collection. I am currently on the hunt for some vintage milk crates, or wine crates to house them in.