The "Eyes" Have It...Most Viewed Posts of 2014

At a Haven blog conference that I attended one of the speakers

was talking about how to get more "eyes" and "eyeballs" on our

blog posts. I had not heard that term before but here are the posts

on this blog that had the most "eyes" on them in 2014.

There were actually two different posts on the same subject...

making carrot door hangings out of deco mesh but with differing

mechanics underneath. If both of these numbers of views were

combined, the deco mesh carrots would be the top viewed post.

How To Make A Deco Mesh Carrot

While I was making the first carrot I thought about trying

another way of making the mechanics for attaching the mesh

and made another tutorial using a coathanger and floral wire mesh.

Coathanger Deco Mesh Carrots

The one post with actually the most views is a craft/party item

that I made for my new grand daughter's baby shower.

It is tiny candy pacifiers made with life savers and jelly beans.

Candy Pacifiers For Baby Showers

A project that I totally copy catted from StoneGable blog

('cause I just loved the look) is to make pillow covers from

old sweaters.

Make A Sweater Pillow In Thirty Minutes

I'll be getting those sweater pillow covers out again very soon. 

Although I had done a blog post back in 2012 about  how to 

submerge flowers in vases full of water, I wanted to try an

easier/prettier way of keeping the flowers under water. 

I used my Valentine flowers to experiment again in 2014.

This is a great way to make flowers go a long way in decorating.

How To Submerge Flowers

A blog post that surprized me when I was looking back to
 see on the blog's stats which posts got the most views for the

 year was the post about making faux terrariums.
  When it first came out it did not have many views but it, 

like most of these posts, grew in views thanks

 to Pinterest and Google searches during the year.

DIY Faux Moss Terrariums

Thanks for coming by to see the most viewed posts for the

2014 on Miss Kopy Kat blog! If you would like to see some
 posts that didn't get as many views as the ones above but ones
that I think deserve another look, click on this link...
Miss Kopy Kat's Favorite Posts of 2014

I am sharing this post over at these blog parties...

Between Naps On the Porch's Metamorphosis Monday
A Stroll Thru Life's Inspire Me Tuesday
Savvy Southern Style's Wow Us Wednesday
From Gardners 2 Bergers' Handmade Hangout
The Answer Is Chocolate's BFF Open House Link Party
The Shabby Nest's Frugal Friday

Christmas 2014 Home Tour...Part Two

Thanks for coming by to see the living room of the Christmas

Open House Tour at Kopy Kat Kottage!  

This is the third year that I have used DIY bleached bottle brush 

trees as the main decorating element in the living room.

They are such an inexpensive (if you bleach them yourself)

yet warm, fuzzy, classic version of a Christmas tree. 

 Each year the mantle in the living room has taken on a 

 different look with the little trees depending on the other 

accessories used in the display the trees. In 2012 old books

were the props with the trees.  In 2013 the trees were placed in

glass apothecary jars with epsom salt mimicking snow. 

The Christmas 2014 Mantle pairs wood and wire elements 

with the bottle brush trees. 

When I attempted to make bottle brush tree wreaths, none of

them turned out as well I as had thought they would.  

This year I did add more trees to this wreath and I am liking 

it better.  It reminds me a little of a sunburst mirror.

The center of the mantle has a collection of trees held by a wood

and wire two-tier display stand from World Market. 

This angel used to be gold and not used very often. This past 

summer she got a chalk paint makeover and is more versatile now.

 

To the right of the mantle is a set of double bookcases.

In front of the double bookcase is an end table holding 

another vignette of bottle brush trees.  Epsom salt once

again gives the look of snow. 

(Epsom salt is cheap...about $1 per pound.  This salt has also been re-used for the third year. 
Just put it in sealable plastic bags and store in a dry place if you want to save it.)

The other end table holds more trees.

The coffee table is kept pretty simple to allow it to be a good
landing place for drinks, etc.  This wire frame reminds me of a
mini-cathedral. I got it at Hobby Lobby a couple of years ago...
I think they still are carrying it. 

Looking to the left of the mantle/fireplace is a single bookcase.

Wire baskets lined with shed birch bark...

"Top Shelf" in my house does not mean "the best". Usually I put
things on the top shelf that I don't want folks to see too well like
these metal trees that I thought I could spray paint to look 
similar to bottle brush trees (that don't so much). 

Another way to disguise trees that don't turn out 

quite right is to spray them with adhesive and 

then sprinkle them liberally with glitter.

On the wall opposite from the sofa is a thrift store
 re-painted console with frames holding Christmas cards above it.

Originally I made the framed chicken wire to hold Christmas
cards. I have ended up leaving it up year-round and using
it to decorate seasonal displays like Valentine's Day, 
St. Patrick's Day, Summer, Fall, etc. 

The Christmas cards are held in place with tiny clothespins.

The top of the console holds mini-winter-wonderland scenes
made from glass vases, small Christmas-village-type people
(these are now available pretty inexpensively at Wal-Mart 
and craft stores), epsom salt and more bottle brush trees. 

If you want to try the "glass/epsom salt/bottle brush tree"

 combo in a small version, here's a place to start...

If you walk towards the back of the living room, you will

come into the kitchen area.  It doesn't have a lot of Christmas

decorations but it does have an off-shoot of the little bleached

trees on the kitchen table...I call them bottle brush critters.

Most of the bottle brush menagerie came from Michael's a couple

of years ago as a line of ornaments that they had that year. 

All I had to do to them was to cut the tags and hangers off.

I have collected a few other critters when I run across them. 

The "milk glass" stands they are on are actually just inexpensive

glass or plastic pieces from Dollar Tree or yard sales that have 

been spray painted white.

For better information on spray painting items to look like milk glass, you can click on

"Myrtles Milkglass & Martha" and "Bottle Brush Critters Vignette".

Over by the oven/stove in the kitchen is another small vignette.

It has a moose cookie jar from Hobby Lobby (that I probably 

bought for myself while I was supposed to be shopping for others).

He is elevated on a cake stand and surrounded by iced 

oatmeal cookies and Mexican wedding cookies which 

both look like the are snow-covered to me. 

Next to him are cute dish towels from my friend, Donna.

The Christmas rabbit was made by my sister, Jeanne.

My grand daughter, Lilly, made me the cute Christmas chalk

drawing on the home-made chalk board when she was at 

my house at Thanksgiving. 

Thank you so much for coming to visit my holiday living room

 and kitchen! If you would like to see the outside decor and 
the dining room decorated click on
Christmas Open House Tour Part One. 

I am sharing this post over at these blog parties...
Dwellings' Amaze Me Monday
A Stroll Thru Life's Inspire Me Tuesday
Savvy Southern Style's Wow Us Wednesday
Sand and Sisal's Inspire Me Monday
Between Naps On The Porch's Metamorphosis Monday
Knick of Time's Vintage Inspiration Party