Happy Holidays!
Holiday Sewing
I've been busy with some holiday sewing. I made another Flashback Skinny Tee for miss P and then added a bit of embroidery from Aneela Hoey's Little Stitches. The shirt is made from a thrift store woman's top and I was able to save the neckline and sleeve hems. Yay for quick sewing projects.
The design was one that P had marked in the book so I'm pretty sure she'll like it. Since this is a knit fabric, I left the interior of the bird free of stitching. I didn't want the fabric to become stiff from the extra stitching.
Miss P has been doing a little holiday sewing of her own.
Now, I must get back to Santa's workshop...Are you working on any special holiday projects? I'd love to hear about them.
A Little BLing
D made us these tiny origami initial ornaments last year. I love them. He also made an "M" and a "P". I thought these two should be next to each other on the tree this year.I'm enjoying a little quiet time and working on some secret knitting while the recipients are away. One of my projects is driving me a little nutty at the moment. Let's just say that I have started over FOUR times.
Handmade
I am remembering when P made some bird ornaments for gifts last year. M was also thrilled to find his and put it on the tree.
We've Been Decorating
Decorating for the holidays takes us a long time. I love our mix of thrifted vintage, family heirloom, gifted, travel collected, and handmade decorations.
Putting lights on the tree is exhausting for me. There are six hundred lights on this tree! Remember, it's the one on the right in this picture. I like the little lights! They help get through the long winter. If only we could leave the tree up through March! Once the lights are on the tree the decorating is all fun.P and I have fun remembering all of the ornaments and who made them or where they come from. This is the beginning of the season for me -really thinking of and remembering loved ones. Holding the ornaments and choosing just the right place on the tree is a time to pause and remember. I feel a little like I have family members and friends past and present visiting for a short while. There are so many ornaments made for us, by us, and purchased on travels around the world hanging on our tree. Each year I treasure this trip down memory lane touching each little treasure.
We ALMOST have all the decorations on the tree. almost.We are even using a new (to us) tree topper this year. 
Oh, and we still need to find the white sheet that goes under the tree and add the icicles.P is looking forward to doing her homework and coloring in the glow of the tree lights after school.I have a quilt that I need to finish but I also really want to mix up some gingerbread dough for cookie boy cookies, and there are the other boxes of decorations. What is a mother to do?
Christmas Countdown
This is not what I had planned to spend the day doing yesterday.P had the day off of school - I think it was a teacher work day. Anyway, the boys were back at college and she and I started the big tidy to get ready for our holiday decorating. We remembered that we need to get out our advent tree before Thursday. Then she remembered that the boys will not be here to take turns with the ornaments. We decided that we should make something to send them at school so that they can have their own countdown.
I opened up a small envelope from my desk and used it for a pattern. The envelopes are made out of double sided craft/scrapbook paper and perfectly sized to hold a 3 by 5 inch index card. Miss P stamped the numbers and helped with the flower punching.It took us most of the day to make and number FIFTY envelopes.We don't have them all filled yet so we thought we'd send them in batches. I'll get the first few in the mail today!I know they don't read the blog so it's OK to post this here - as long as no one else spills the beans. Ahem. You know who you are. Don't tell. I want them to be surprised! If it hadn't taken ALL DAY to make these I probably would have made a set for you too. Maybe D will share.I'm off to do some quilting.
Thoughtful Sunday
"Remember how happy you were when the magic of Christmas entered your hearts?"The Christmas Witch, Steven Kellogg, 1992
Shiny Brite
Today am trying to make the house shiny and bright! I need to clean up so that we can put out our non-tree decorations.
Enjoying the Glow
P and I are having a quiet day at home today. She woke with a little cough and stuffy nose so I'm keeping her home. We will spend time on the couch listening to holiday cds and reading books.I may even get some knitting done!I hope you don't get sick of pictures of our tree over the next few weeks. I'm sure I'll be posting a few more. Because, you know, Christmas comes but once a year. Soak it in!
Happy Holiday Happenings
Whew, that was a busy weekend. Thanks to all of you who came to the show. It was fun to meet so many new people.Yesterday was a day for changing gears and getting caught up a little. P and I spent a long time putting ornaments on the tree. This tree is different from any we have had before. It is one that we grew and has never been trimmed (except maybe nibbled a little by deer). It is very open which is great for allowing the ornaments to dangle but there are also fewer branches for the ornaments so each branch is loaded with a number of decorations. This is one of those times that I can let go of my "less is more" mantra. I think with the tree "more is more" is the way to go!!More sparkle.More light.More memories!I never used to be a fan of glass ball ornaments but I really love them now. We have collected quite a few vintage shiny brites in the last few years. I love the way they make the tree sparkle even more by reflecting the lights.
This tree makes me very happy. I love the mix of handmade, vintage, and other new ornaments. There are so many memories hanging from the branches of our tree.I do wish my mother were here to see it. I think she would appreciate its overloaded branches in all their glory.We still have the icicles to add but P has requested that I wait until she is home from school to do that.What is making you happy today?
Reframing the Season
Sometimes December can seem overwhelming with people bustling about, going shopping, and stressing over gifts and activities of the season. I have been trying to cut back the stress by thinking about what it is that I enjoy about the month of December.
I like that our advent calendar is ready to go at the beginning of December each year. I don't have to purchase any toys, candy, or even write notes. The focus here is on the passing and savoring of each day.
Tomorrow I'll have a booth at the "All The Trimmings" craft/art show at the Chelsea Fairgrounds. The hours are 10-4. I hope some of you local readers can make it. I would love to see you there.After the show tomorrow I am looking forward to a month of fun - making gifts, twinkling lights, baking cookies, family games, visiting with friends, and singing with the holiday cds.What are your favorite December activities?
The Quest
Today we went on a quest,
a quest for a Christmas tree.This is the earliest we have ever gone out to get a tree. We usually wait until the first or second weekend in December, but the next two weekends are already very busy for us so I thought it would be fun to go ahead and get the tree early while D is still home from school (after all, he is the master at putting on the lights so that the entire tree is lit up and we don't see the wires). B is out of town but we decided to go ahead without him.It started this morning with a drive to the tree farm where we have purchased a tree for the last few years. It was a lovely drive, a bit longer than usual because we missed the last turn. We did get to see lots of animals - cows, dogs, goats, horses, chickens, even little bantams running across the road in front of us.After stopping to ask for directions at two homes we finally found the tree farm. Sadly, it was deserted.Not open.Closed.There was no one there.So, we drove home.I didn't think any of the trees we had planted were big enough to be Christmas trees but, not wanting to go to another tree farm or purchase an already cut tree, we ran down to assess the situation in our field.Happily, there were a few trees that were tall enough.I like that this one is not too fat and has space for the hanging ornaments to hang freely between the branches.
So exciting. The kids were thrilled
that the hunt was over and we didn't have to go out in the car again.
The best part is that from now on our tree hunting expeditions will only be a walk from the house!
Flock of Turkeys
I am glad P is around to remind us of the importance of family holidays even when it is just the five of us here. She loves all of the little details that set a holiday apart from any other day. Last year when we had Thanksgiving dinner with friends, there were place cards for each of us on the table. P remembered this and set to work yesterday morning making place cards for our table.I had a quick idea of a way to add a turkey to spiff them up. Here is a quick tutorial if you want to make your own (If we had thought of this before Thanksgiving day I would have posted it earlier. You can just file this idea away for next year.)First, gather your tools. We used a two inch flower punch, a one inch circle punch, a standar hole punch, glue, and a fine point marker.
You will also need some fancy paper. Double sided craft paper works best for the tail section.
Next, cut out one of each size circle for the turkey body parts. From left to right they are the tail, body, and head.
Fold the largest circle so that the back edge peeks out behind the front. Glue the folded paper together and then add the body and head as shown. Use the marker to make a face.
Lastly you will glue the turkey to the card and add legs.
The legs can add quite a bit of character to the turkeys.
Handmade Holiday
Here are a few of the handmade gifts given this year. This little sweater is for a doll.
I made one of these ascots a few years ago and really like it. The pattern is from a workbasket magazine from the 1940s. This one is made from alpaca. I should have looked in the mirror before taking the photo because I didn't have it on quite right.
There is just one toe left to knit on D's Christmas socks. I think I can finish that today.
B helped out a bit with our handmade gifts too. I couldn't find a frame that I liked for this print so he made one from some walnut he had in the basement.
He used old glass from a barn window and an old violin string for the hanging wire.
I think it turned out great.I also consider my calendar handmade since I took the pictures. We gave a few of those too.I think we did well to have a mostly handmade holiday.edit: The print came from Jenny's Bake Shop on etsy. She has them in different sizes and colors.
Christmas Memories
I have said it before, but the holidays always bring back a lot of memories for me.
This 1950s Santa is one of my favorite decorations. It was given to my mother by one of her friends. I remember visiting in her friend's home and seeing this Santa on display when I was young. My mother had a large collection of Santas and her friend gave this to her to add to her collection. It reminds me of my mother and the wonderful friends she had and the joy she got from giving to others.I love that in December my home is filled with reminders of family and friends.
Decking the Halls
Decorating for the Holidays is always a trip down memory lane for me. I love getting out the decorations that we haven't seen since January and recalling the history behind them.These old favorites always make me smile. The one on the left made by M in third grade and the one on the right made my B with leftover plaster from a home renovation project. I love how they are like family so, different yet still alike.
This girl with the roses around her dress is another favorite. When I was young we had three of them on our dining room table. My sisters and I each had one at our place to admire during meals. We thought they were so very special. I hated to split them up at first but now I am happy that we each have one at our homes.
These deer belonged to my mother. We did not have them when we were young, she thrifted them after we left home. They do remind me of my mother's love of Christmas and her favorite quote from Santa, "It is better to give."
Holiday decorating brings new opportunities for memory making each year. The kids and I enjoy making decorations and I enjoy picking up a few "new" items like these during the year.
Yes, the holidays are a time to remember, share, and pass on the family traditions.
