Jingle All the Way (Christmas 2012 prep)

It’s the 25th, and that means only 11 months until Christmas!

Okay, I’m going to try to do at least one thing a month to prepare for next Christmas and get it posted here…

This month it’s a fun thing and it whipped up in just a couple of hours while watching TV. I found this idea on Pinterest.

This jingle bell garland is crocheted using crochet thread rather than yarn. You need to string all of your bells onto the thread before you start stitching, so it’s a constant process to move the bells down the string as you work. I got several feet done, then the string snapped – the bells had frayed the thread as I moved them. Jess used that on her Christmas tree anyway, and will tie this longer garland to the shorter one that should decorate the entire tree next year.

For a full tutorial, you can go here.

Snow Window

January is traditionally the month when I use some snowflake/snowman decorations in the house. Somehow that seems a bit incongruous this winter, though, since we haven’t had much snow. (Not complaining! The past couple of years have had enough white stuff to last awhile.) Temps have been mild, almost early-Spring-like, so I really didn’t get behind the snow stuff in the house.

Then a couple of weeks ago I came across this photo on a blog:

It inspired me to gather my blue glass canning jars and do something similar in my own kitchen window:

Instead of battery-operated candles and glass beads, I used some Epsom salt in the bottoms, then added some of my collection of crocheted snowflakes inside the jars, and draped a string of white lights behind them:

 

This is so pretty at night, plus I get to enjoy some snow without the cold, wet, muddy mess it makes!

 Linking up to Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special and French Country Cottage's Feathered Nest Friday.

Popcorn Ornaments

I made these fun glass popcorn-filled ornaments a few years ago to hang on the Christmas tree on the ticket counter at our local movie theater. The theater manager donated some boxes of old candy to add some color. This will be the fourth year they use them – they’re holding up wonderfully.

The customers just love them, and each year several of them ask what the secret is to getting the popcorn inside.

I'm going to share that secret here with you:

 

Supplies:

clear glass ball ornaments

unpopped popcorn (don't use the pre-packaged microwave corn that includes grease)

microwavable dishes

hot pads

First remove the metal top on the ornament and set aside. I rinsed the glass balls with vinegar and water and let dry overnight.

Put popcorn kernels in the ball - the amounts I used varied with the size of the balls. I think I counted out between 40-60 kernels per ornament.

Set the glass ball inside the microwavable dish. (Some instructions I've read say to use a paper bag, but that didn't work so well for me. Plus, I like being able to see the ornament and monitor the popping of the corn.)
Microwave on high until the kernels no longer pop. Each microwave is different, so I hesitate to put a length of time in my instructions. I just watched and listened, and when there was a count of 10 after the last pop I heard, I removed the ornament.

Keep in mind that these dishes and ornaments will be HOT when you remove them from the microwave. Use the hot pads and let everything cool before you handle them. I also had to take a few breaks and let my microwave cool off. Be warned, also, I did have a few of the glass balls break. Have some extras handy and please HANDLE WITH CARE.

Once they're cool you can shake out any unpopped kernels, then put the metal hanger back on and embellish as you desire. We added colorful candies from the theater concession stand, and hung them using ribbons.

These are an easy way to have somewhat old-fashioned decorations on your holiday tree, with a modern-day twist. Enjoy!

 

Decking the, um, Deck (Make Do and Mend)

I did this project on Monday, which was Make Do and Mend day. Some of my other online friends post their projects, too. Just check Heidi’s blog for a list.

This one was easy and (almost) a no-brainer. While Greg’s niece Hannah was in high school, she sold greenery every year for band fundraiser. I always bought a large evergreen wreath. Now that she’s graduated, I don’t get my pretty wreath each year. I was thinking about that the other day, and remembered that I’ve kept a couple of the wire forms from them.

I dug one out of the garage at great risk to my well-being since it was hanging on the garage wall, under pieces of chicken wire and the rotisserie for the grill – all of this behind the bicycles – it was a trick to get the wreath form down without everything falling on me!

Then I found the tote with the greenery and took off the old and faded bows.

In no time there was a nice, big, albeit fake, wreath for the front deck.

Not one dime spent after I discovered a spool of ribbon in the Christmas decorations and made a fresh new bow instead of spending $5 for one at the store.

This was the beginning of holiday decorating at my house, done on a 60° late-November afternoon. Just in time to welcome the snow coming this weekend – then it will look a lot like Christmas for sure!

Snowflakes I love

Several years ago I started collecting crocheted snowflakes to put on the Christmas tree. The summer before she got sick, my mom made several for me for my birthday gift, and I love them. I hung them on my Christmas tree, knowing what an effort it had been for Mom to learn to make them, and that she’d enjoyed learning a new handcraft.

The Christmas after Mom died, as I was unpacking my ornaments and decorations, I had a pit in my stomach and an ache in my heart. My mom loved Christmas and I was missing her so much. I called Tonita and we cried a little and she made me feel better. Then I opened the package that held the snowflakes. I literally felt like someone had punched me at first, but soon I was able to be comforted by the love they represented.

Over the years I’ve used the snowflakes well after Christmas as part of my winter decorations. Usually they’re on a small tree that stays up past Easter, but this year I did something a little different. You saw snowflakes hanging on the baker’s rack in my previous post – some are from Mom, but most of those are the ones I purchased.

They’re hung using twisted ornament hangers. The ones on the candlesticks just have their strings under the candles so they hang freely.

I wanted something wintry for my few apothecary jars, and filled them part-way with fake snow, then started looking around for something else to tuck inside. Aha! The snowflakes.

I love how these came out, so delicate looking.

So while I long for Springtime, I can’t help but enjoy these wintry displays. You see, they warm my heart.

Winter Therapy

The days have been gray – foggy, wet, cold, and depressing. Winter is a long way from being over.  In an effort to lift my spirits I picked up some clearance tulips at the store the other day.

Yes, those are snowflake decorations hanging on the baker’s rack, and I think they’re very pretty, but the tulips made me smile. They’re a little touch of Springtime, a glimmer of hope that this insane winter will one day go away.

Patriotic Decoration

This was a "use what you have" craft project I threw together last weekend. I've been looking at a piece of 4x4 in the garage for awhile, thinking about painting it up to be a firecracker for 4th of July. Turns out I already had red, white, and blue spraypaint, so I didn't have to buy anything.
This photo shows the piece I started by painting white. The other piece shows what it started out like.
It took several coats of white to get soaked in enough to cover. You'll notice the wood isn't in great shape, but that's okay. It lends a more "rustic" look to the finished product. The next step was cutting several stars out of adhesive-backed vinyl using my Cricut. I rubbed the edges down really well,

then painted the top section blue. Peel off the stars right away, then leave it to dry awhile. I had a fan running in the garage to help the drying process.

For the stripes, I taped off the blue section, then ran tape down the remaining length of the wood.

Make sure you really rub down the edges of the tape - then spray a couple coats of red.

Remove the tape immediately and let dry.
Here's the finished product sitting on the porch. It really catches your eye when driving past the house.

The best part was not spending any money to make it!

Front door decor - Summer

Remember when I put together the Springtime door decoration? It made me smile everytime I drove past the front of my house.

Well, the weather may not agree, since the sun won't come out, but Summertime is on it's way, and it's time to brighten the display, I think.

I still took flowers out of the arrangement we got for Dad's funeral, and I bought one bunch of red daisies to put this together. I love how vibrant and colorful it is. Who needs the sun anyway?

Front Door Decor for Spring

I drove by my front door this morning on the way to the post office, and saw that there was nothing decorating it except an old cracked magnet hook. Um, time to add a little touch o' Spring, I think.

Started out with a metal wall pocket I found at Goodwill back in the Fall. It began life as a green-ish color and I spray-painted with a texture paint that was supposed to make it look kind of rustic instead of cottagey. It's been on a shelf in the den ever since, waiting for inspiration. It was a long winter.

Ah, but today it just seemed like Serendipity the way I found all the components of a sweet little Springtime display here at home. The wall pocket, a forgotten silk ivy, the bird and nest that have been perched in the kitchen window. Made for an okay door decoration. But.

I kept going back to it, going out on the porch and looking at it from outside. It was nice, but something was missing. Oh, that'd be color!

Now began the hunt for some silk flowers. Wait. I donated all the silk flowers last Fall, keeping only a couple of small swags for candles.

My goal was to decorate the front door using only what I had in my house. Now I'm thinking that if I have to go buy a small flower pick, I will, but first I'll see what I have for ribbon. Perhaps a bow to add that little splash of Spring brightness.

I have lots of ribbon for scrapbooking, but nothing appropriate for this. Still thinking silk flowers. Still thinking I'll have to buy some. REALLY wishing we had a Hobby Lobby closer than 45 miles.

I turn around and glance around the room, and lo and behold, there it is, up on top of tall shelves, put away in "storage". A basket with a silk flower arrangement from my Dad's funeral. I've used it during the summer the past few years, so I really wasn't sure I wanted to tear it apart. I'll just look and see if there are a few picks I can pull out and then put back easily. Well, there were several that ended up in that wall pocket, and there is grave doubt they'll ever go back in the original arrangement, but that's okay. I love the results.

This brought a tiny touch of Springtime to an otherwise cold and dreary day, and helped brighted my heart just a tad.

Front Door Decor

All of the Christmas decor is packed away and the house is clean and fresh-looking. I love/hate the starkness of the house in the aftermath of removing holiday decorations. I love the clean look, but hate the seeming coldness.

To warm up the front door, I dug out Dad's old ice skates and hung them up, along with a floral swag. Then I took the big wreath we bought from Hannah (school band fundraiser) and added a large wooden snowman. Right now that hangs on the North end of the deck, in front of the magnolia tree. Makes me smile when I drive by on my way to the Post Office.

I wish I had some history to share with you about the ice skates. They were in a heavy cardboard box, wrapped in newspaper from 1972. I'm pretty sure they haven't been used since before then, but don't really remember any stories about Dad ice skating. Wendell? Eugene? Jan? Any of you have any information?

[The only story I remember about Dad and ice was in a card he got when he was sick, from an old school friend of his. This friend talked about the two of them riding their bikes down the middle of the frozen river, going around a bend and finding the river NOT frozen, and their scramble to keep from riding right into the water. I'm pretty sure Grandma never knew about this! :o) ]

What do you have on your front door/porch to warm up the winter blues?

He's coming to town...

Santa, that is!!

In 1969 my mother made Santa mugs for each of us, and it became a tradition to drink hot chocolate from those mugs on Christmas morning. Each mug has our name and "1969" on the bottom.

We each have our mugs now and I think they are on display at each of our homes during the holiday season. I also have Mom's and Arlan's mugs.

You know what they say about when you have 3 of something, that is a collection? Well, these three mugs sparked a definite collection for me. Over the past several years, every time I found a Santa mug at a garage sale or at the thrift store, I'd pick it up.

Then along came ebay and, well, we all know what ebay does to a person. I now have many Santa mugs, most vintage, some newer. I like to display the smaller ones on the glass shelves I have for vintage family photos. The larger ones are on a small dresser near the kitchen.

Along with the smaller cups, I have some Santa candleholders and salt & peppper shakers, and a small boot. More things to turn into a collection? I think so.