AND THE WINNER IS.......!!!!!!

So many entries....

I asked my little girl to help me with the drawing.....

We put them into a stocking and shook it up....

She reached in and pulled out the winning entry.....

...and the winner is......

McMaster and Storm!!!

Congratulations!!

Thanks to everyone who participated!!

 And we wish you all a very, very

 Merry Christmas!!

just a few more hours.....

....If you haven't entered to win the Annie Sloan Chalk paint giveaway better do it fast!!
We will be drawing a name later this evening!!


While you are waiting for us to draw the name, here are a couple of fun things to do this evening while you wait for Santa...  (even if you don't have kids!)


You can watch Santa's whereabouts on NORAD.
You can check on your computer and see where he is and how close he is to getting to your house!!

Here is the story of  NORAD...from ABC news.....

On Christmas Eve, children all around the world will lie awake  wondering if, at any moment, Santa Claus will slide down their chimneys and leave the presents of their dreams. But all they really have to do is call in or go online to find out where Santa and his team of reindeers are at any given moment.

Every year, the North American Aerospace Defense Command tracks Santa’s journey around the world, using radar, satellite, fighter aircraft and, of course, a “Santa Cam.”

The tradition began as so many do – by accident. In 1955, a little girl who saw a Sears and Roebuck ad called in to what she thought was a Talk-to-Santa hotline. But she did not hear Santa Claus on the other end of the line.

Instead, she heard Col. Harry Shoup. He was working in the CONAD ops center (NORAD’s predecessor) and was shocked to hear a child’s voice. According to a NORAD spokesperson, John Cornelio, only two people had the number for that line – the president and the four-star  ommander.

As it turned out, the department store had printed the wrong number in the ad and alas, a  tradition was born.

“It’s the innocence of the story that makes it so special,” Cornelio said. And Harry Shoup was given a new title- he is known as  Santa Colonel.

Since that innocent phone call more than 50 years ago, NORAD tracks Santa’s progress around the globe, year after year.

To track his journey this Christmas Eve, you can visit the NORAD website, or call in to 877-HI-NORAD.

The NORAD Santa Tracker also uses social media to connect with Santa enthusiasts. NORAD has Facebook  and Twitter pages, and a youtube channel. And this year, for the first time, NORAD has a smart phone application for Andriod and iPhone users.

Another fun thing to do is at Capture the Magic website.

You can take a picture of your house and insert Santa's picture!  So your house, your tree, and there are a ton of poses you can put in.  My hubby and I had so much fun doing this last night.  We will be leaving the pictures next to the milk and cookies tonight!

Here is one of the pictures we took!  Looks pretty real doesn't it?!!  We will take another picture tonight after Santa delivers all the gifts!!

HO HO HO!!!

christmas in new york!

Love New York at Christmas time!
The windows!

The skating!

The displays!

The treats!

No trip is complete without a visit to ABC Carpet!

...and  St. Pats!

Wishing everyone a wonderful Holiday Season!

religious medals

I have been collecting religious medals and rosaries for many years.  
I am now making them into something very special.  

I love the fact that they have all been hand touched, and cherished for so many years.  
They have a magical sense about them.  
I try to imagine who held them in their church service or during times of trouble, times of joy.

I am making special gifts this Holiday.  They are really two gifts in one.  
The first is a beautiful charm bracelet.  
The bracelet is made of many, many vintage religious charms and medallions, buttons, pearls and baubles and bits.


Added to it, is additional length so that you can wear it as a necklace.  
Each necklace contains a piece of vintage rosary beads.
In addition each piece will contain a vintage four leaf clover button or charm for added extra good luck for the wearer!

A perfect way to bring in the New Year, with a very lucky, blessed new gift for you or a loved one!
I will be listing these and a few others in our Etsy shop this week. 


PS...5 more days until our drawing for the Annie Sloan Chalk paint Giveaway!

mismatch redo... one more week of annie sloan chalk paint giveaway

I thought I would show you this picture of two lonely, ugly mismatched pieces that I found their way together and made beautiful and matched together by using paint!
I found the top portion on craigslist, but it didn't have a bottom. :(  
But I loved the scroll work...

My husband did not want me to buy it because he thought we would never find a bottom for it.  
I begged and assured him I could make it work! 


He reluctantly loaded it in the van....
Of course that made me even more determined to find a bottom for it! 
One weekend, when I took my daughter to one of her gymnastics meets, we snooped around the local antique shops, and lo and behold, I found a piece that measured the right size!

We brought it home and I painted both the pieces to match.  
I used Annie Sloan's new color French Linen with Cream trim.  

I topped them both off with a coat of clear and dark wax.
I couldn't wait until my husband got home to show him the finished piece!
I think she looks pretty good for being a mismatch!

You can get this look too, by entering to win our Annie Sloan Chalk Paint giveaway!
Only one more week!


See all the details here!

silver deer

I have been collecting vintage reindeer for years.
I had a lot of vintage deer that didn't match each other...
So this year I decided to add a little sparkle to them and make them match!
My daughter and I got out the glue and glitter!
She used a paintbrush and glued the deer and I glittered them.  
I finished them off with a shot of hairspray to set the glitter.  
I think they look so cute!
The nice thing is you can take deer that don't match and make them look like a little family by adding glitter!
Have a great weekend!


If you haven't entered our Annie Sloan Chalk Paint giveaway, there is still time!
click here for all the details!

A FANTASTIC Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Giveaway!

For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, you know I love to paint furniture and I really love Annie Sloan Chalk Paint!

To spread some Holiday cheer and celebrate the Annie Sloan American Tour 
I am excited to announce this great giveaway!!

My friend Michelle, from Di Lucca Designs is a stockist of this paint. 

I have referred many of you to her wonderful website for your supplies. 

 She sent me a note yesterday about a wonderful opportunity for you all to get your hands on some of this great paint!!! 

Together we are going to offer a FABULOUS giveaway!

What a way to start off the Christmas Season! 

She is generously offering a basket packed full of wonderful Annie Sloan products which will include the following................

2 cans of your choice of color of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint,

2 cans of Annie Sloan Soft Wax one in clear and one in dark,

A hand painted color chart,
A wax brush,
An apron,

and

Annie Sloan's book Quick and Easy Paint Transformations 
VALUED AT OVER $200!

Everything you need to get started!!

Plus there is even more!  

In addition to the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Giveaway, a lucky winner of the holiday basket from each shop across North America will be entered for a chance to win a $350 gift certificate from Annie Sloan Unfolded.  

It is good toward your choice of a credit on your Annie Sloan American Tour registration fee OR $350 in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint!!!!

The big winner will be announced on Annie's blog on January 10, 2012!

Just in time for Christmas!  

A gift for you?  A gift for you to make for someone? (using the paint!) 

All you have to do is this:

1) Become a follower of my blog and leave a comment letting me know you did.  If you are already a follower, leave a comment letting me know you are - 

ONE ENTRY

2) Like Di Lucca Designs on Facebook and let me know you did- 

ONE ENTRY

3) Blog about or post this giveaway on your blog and let me know you did-

ONE ENTRY

4) Become a follower of Annie Sloan's blog and comment with "American Tour 2012"
ONE ENTRY

Check out all the exciting details for the Annie Sloan American Tour and read about this incredible event!!

A winner will randomly be selected on Christmas Eve, December 24 and be announced on this blog and Michelle's blog !

IMPORTANT- If you are a no reply blogger and I don't have an email address for you, I can't enter you, as there is no way to contact you.  

Please make sure I have an e mail address for you!  If I don't I can't enter you.  

(US residents only)

Later this week I will post some of the awesome pieces I have done with this great paint!.  There are a lot of previous posts that I have featured this paint too!

Good Luck!!

Have a great week!

  

lots of holiday gifts!!

....on our etsy page...
....we have clips...

vintage pendants...

helping hands....

vintage finds....

all kinds of goodies!!!
check it out
click on our shop button or visit
www.etsy.com/shop/FrenchHenFarm

STAY TUNED WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A FABULOUS EXCITING ANNOUNCMENT LATER TODAY!!


CHECK BACK FOR DETAILS!!

give me a hand

Here are a few of the hands I got over the weekend.
We found some great old mannequin hands.

You can always use another hand!!

We also got some great glove vintage glove mold hands.

The glove mold hands are made of resin and make great chalkboards to write messages.  

These are listed on our Etsy shop if you want one!

crackerjacks memories

Does anyone remember when Cracker Jacks had real treasures inside?

 "Back in the day".... i remember when opening a box a Cracker Jacks was like opening a treasure chest.  
Sometimes you would get a great treasure, sometimes not so much...

This past weekend I found a necklace that was made from some of those Cracker Jacks treasures from many years past...
We will be listing this treasure in our Etsy shop later this week.
I'm sure the previous owner of these Cracker Jacks treasures wore them proudly!

the lost art of penmanship

I am obsesssed with old handwriting.  
I especially like old penmanship books where people practiced their handwriting.  
It is such a wonderful art that is lost today.  Today very few people even write.  
Most things are typed via computer.  
It was interesting, I was reading the book about Steve Jobs and the reason that computers have the many options of different fonts and typography is because when he was in college (actually had dropped out of college) he took a calligraphy class and was so influenced by it,  that is why he incorporated many different type options in his creations.  
Microsoft copied Apple and therefore they have font choices too. 

Such a simple thing that we take for granted today, but it was all due to a brilliant, creative mans love of handwriting too.
Here are a couple shots of someones practice book.

I think I will be matting and framing these pages and selling them in our Etsy shop. 
Gorgeous!

my favorite find this weekend

My sister and I had such a fun weekend.  We went to Scotts flea market Saturday morning and made plans to go to an auction that evening.
I went with one thing that I wanted to get.  I had viewed the auction on line and saw these WONDERFUL trophies.  
As you know we collect trophies and we love anything "farm"!
I had never seen trophies so wonderful as these. We have many loving cups, but these were trophies of a pig, a cow and an ear of corn!
I went to the auction with all intents of coming home with at least these three.

What I wasn't expecting, was the added bonus that we got!
We ended up getting all the trophies (6 in all), as well as the neck ties the gentleman who won the trophies wore when he won the trophies! 

How sweet that this collection was kept together after all these years!   (60 + years!)
I was glad that they didn't split them up at the auction!