Everywhere You Go...

Yes, it's beginning to look a LOT like Christmas in this sparkly, tinsely, glitterly house of ours!  My once bare metal tree is far from bare all wrapped in silver garland and adorned with vintage ornaments.  The candy box ornament that I made as part of the swap with Elizabeth at Creative Breathing is made with a vintage Christmas card so it counts as OLD!

Mr. Wonderful played in band all through high school and college.  I had to settle for French horns because, well, I can't find a silly TUBA!  He still loves the bass clef music and we usually go to the Tuba Christmas every holiday season.

We will hang another patriotic ornament on the tree, it's the 10th year without our son at home.  This year the young Airman celebrates Mele Kalikemaka in Pearl Harbor where he serves at Hickam Air Force Base.  For each Christmas he misses at home I hang a red, white and blue ornament; I didn't know when he enlisted that it would last this long!

In high school I started making these pins, pearls and sequined ornaments.  My dream was to have a tree of home-made ornaments.  Thanks to our crafty habits, 35 years together and three kids who provided adorable contributions from pre-school through their elementary years, my wish came true.  Having the next generation start making some cute stuff will be my next dream...

 I decked the window box today; it was 40 degrees here in the north land and that's downright balmy in our part of the country in December.  I added a couple new things to the box this year, and there is more to come! 

                             

I will be taking a pause, not one that refreshes actually, but a little LOA.  I am slated for surgery on Tuesday and I'm not sure when I'll be able to come back.  Please add me to your prayer list and do keep in touch!  Thanks for being (as the young Airman used to say when he was little) my 'mortal support'.  I'm blessed by knowing so many of you who have come to visit and write to me!

 

 

I'm a Gurley Girl!

I grew up in the 1960's and my Gramas had these little darlings, so did my Mom; Gurley Candles.  Mom had the Jack 'o Lantern man and the two Pilgrim people.  I remember the Christmas Santa too, all part of my happy childhood holidays.

Finding a Gurley candle still makes my heart beat faster.  Faded, slouching due to heat exhaustion, they peek out from thrift store shelves or flea maket tables and my memories run right back to those 'back in the day' times of simple holiday decorating.  I hate to admit that my folks didn't spend three days putting out their Christmas decorations like we do. 

On Saturday, entering into the sixth hour of decorating (my Mom came and helped us too) I walked up to Mr. Wonderful who was putting up the second tree and whispered, "I am so happy that you love Christmas as much as I do!"

 

My Dad gave this little sleigh to my Mom on their first Christmas together in 1955; it was stored in the original box with graphics as adorable as the tiny reindeer themselves!  The silver deer head is a hood ornament!  It has wiring to light up the antlers.  How's that for Christmasy?  Mister wouldn't put it on my car...boo hoo.

This vignette is full of family memories; my Little Grama, the cake decorator gave me the colored bells, deer and toy soldiers, the Santa and horn came from Mr. Wonderful's 107 year old Grandma, the angel with star is from his Mom...

 

 Ah, it is

 

The Hap-Happiest Season of All!



Christmas Craft-a-Palooza!

What do you get when you cross a couple of creative bloggers meeting in the Real World?  Eleven hours of glue sticks, paper crafts, Shiny Brites, glitter and precious outcomes.

Erica of Golden Egg Vintage inspired me with her ornament wreath.  I can cut and create banners telling stories; each of us wanted what the other could do.  A plan began to form; a marathon craft day teaching each other. 

I pulled out my stash of ornaments; I hit every thrift store I could find for more Shiny Brite darlings.  I piled them in the corner until the day arrived:  Craft-a-Palooza commenced!  Arriving with a huge gift wrapped present:  Erica gave me even more vintage ornaments and a big surprise that I will show you tomorrow...

Asking only that she bring a book we could use for her garland of story tags, we started at the craft table with choosing the graphics. Erica and I both love Little Golden Books and her book:  Santa's Workshop!  Too perfect.  Next up, picking paper from my newly acquired October Afternoon warehouse sale stash.  Sheet music or white borders?  Out came my button jars, Baker's twine, colored alphabet stickers and assorted garnishes.  Finally, four hours and two tired crafters later:  five adorable tags that I strung on a vintage tape measure! 

Santa truly did come to my house and read my wish list!  Christmas and Cute Counts!

Here's my completed bare metal tree adorned with vintage ornaments and a few leftover Shiny Brites.  Under the tree the most INCREDIBLE Christmas present ever:

A Cup of Kindness from Elizabeth my idol!  When Debby who blogs at Cozy Blanket set up her one to one swap, I joined not dreaming I would be matched with my mentor over at Creative Breathing!  Yikes, the MOST CREATIVE WOMAN ON THE PLANET would get something I made?!  I learned everything I know about paper crafting FROM HER!  This last week has been a tough one personally, but because of the love and friendship of these two amazing friends, I am happy beyond what I dared to dream.