Peace Tree

I absolutely love my Christmas tree this year. 

 I didn't get everything made that I wanted to put on it - so it isn't quite as full as I would have liked it to be . . . but I will add to it next year.  I will also start a little sooner.  

This was sort of a last minute idea and I still was in the process of making pom poms when we brought the tree home.  We got it in the stand and Charlotte was ready to decorate the tree right then . . . 

. . . so we decorated the tree - ready or not.

For me decorating a tree with my 5 year old granddaughter is mostly about letting her decorate how she wants.  This tree is so kid friendly . . . and we had so much fun!  

We added a few ornaments that I had to fill it it and set the tree in front of this tapestry . . .  I LOVE IT!

We are calling it our PEACE tree!

If you notice the little doll toward the top.  I won her in a Giveaway on Instagram @ b3twixt.  

Check out her dolls in her ETSY shop - B3twixtByJessi 

I like the idea of a WISH doll . . . now what to wish for?

a butterfly and some ornaments . . .

There was a very unique butterfly in my yard this week.

One of a kind . . . very colorful . . . and prettier than any butterfly I have ever seen. 

I think this is the beginning of what is going to be my Bohemian Christmas tree this year. 

 I have a lot of pom poms to make . . . and ideas for other ornaments . . . and a week to get enough done to fill up a good sized tree.  Wish me luck.

I am going to use these God's Eyes, pom poms. some painted sticks, tassels, paper cranes (because I have a lot of them).  Any other ideas are welcome. 

I should have taken a picture of bits of yarn all over my floor . . . it's only going to get worse.  

more paper crane ornaments . . .

I am still making paper crane ornaments.  I am pretty sure I will end up with more than I need for my Christmas tree.  I may have to try and sell some of these.  I love making them!

more paper cranes . . . .

So I fold them . . . then fold more of them. . . and then I have to do something with them. 

So I give them to kids and use them for my 1000 paper crane project . . . and for right now I seem to be obsessed with making these ornaments.  

I am really going to like my Christmas tree this year!

It all starts with one little bead . . .

 Jake and Kasey wanted a dream catcher to hang in Avery's nursery.  (No Avery yet, but very soon.)

I don't  think I would have ever made a dream catcher otherwise . . . and I'm not sure if I will ever make another one . . . although I do have some ideas.  

 All the beads on the table inspired Lily to make a necklace.  She spent the night this weekend . . . so we painted . . . and beaded . . . and read . . . and stayed up late eating popcorn and drinking root beer.

Fun Night!

I've been folding these cranes from old book pages . . . hoping to get enough to fill up a tree this coming Christmas.  I have over 200 so far . . . I think I will have enough by December.  

Charlotte's Ornaments

The light in a child's eyes is all it takes

to make Christmas a magical time of year.

Grandpa came home with some Christmas ornaments for Charlotte to paint. 

 She takes her painting very seriously . . . (that is until she starts mixing colors.)

 Then it is all about the mixing rather than the painting.  But she did get the ornaments painted and insisted that they stay on the tree at our house.  

I recently split up the ornaments that we had on the tree when my kids were growing up . . . giving each of the boys the ornaments that were theirs and that I though they would like.   so I guess it is time to start a new collection.  

She makes me smile!

paper crane ornaments

 First of all . . . I am doing other things besides taking silly photos of my Skeleton and Christmas Elf.  Second . . . please excuse the awful pictures in this post.  I was in a hurry and then really didn't want to go back and take them over. I wanted to give some kids at school a paper crane ornament.  They are forever coming into the office to get paper cranes and origami paper.  They are polite . . . and cute . . . and full of stuff that kids are full of.  I love them.  I made about 30 of these for the kids that come in regularly and for a few more that I knew would come in once the other kids had them.  

 I started with plane clear ornaments from Michael's . . . and a bunch of small paper cranes that I folded . . . 

 I used a needle and strung a string though the back of the paper cranes . . . 

 After removing the ornament "topper/hanger" - I folded the crane a little tighter 

and fit it into the top of the ornament.  

 Using the eraser end of the pencil helps to open the crane up again once it is inside of the ornament 

 Insert the two ends of the string into the bottom of the ornament "topper/hanger" and pull up - tying a knot on the top of the ornament. 

The kids loved them! 

Ninja Turtle ornaments . . . .

Simple ornament idea that I saw on Pinterest.  Luke and Jacob each wanted a set. 

They are both Ninja Turtle fans from way back.

Christmas Ornaments

"The perfect Christmas tree? 

All Christmas trees are perfect!" 
~ Charles N. Barnard

It has been a few years since I have decorated our tree with our old collection of ornaments.  This year after listening to the kids . . . and thinking about Charlotte - I thought it would be fun to use them again.  So last night we decorated the tree with Charlotte.  I forgot how much "fun" it is to decorate a tree with a two year old.  I think the bottom portion that she decorated is the best part of the tree.

When the boys were little they always had to hang these two ornaments together, with the reindeer pitching to Santa.  It is great how these simple little ornaments bring back memories.

One of Luke's first ornaments . . . when he was quite small and we called him "Roo".

One year there was a necklace hanging on this ornament - that Richard hid on the tree for me to find.  

On of my favorites.   There are actually six of these.  The first Christmas Richard and I were married we were living in Orlando, Florida.  We had only been married about three months.  He was in the Navy and we went out and bought a beautiful big Christmas tree . . . but had very few ornaments.  We threw a tree decorating party with all of his friends in the Navy.  (They had to bring an ornament to come to the party.)  What a fun party that was.  We had guys who bought us ornaments.  One guy went to White Castle - and got a free ornament with his hamburger.  Another young man stole an ornament off one of the trees on base.  Then there was this kit of little "Peanuts" characters that someone bought.  The kit came with glitter paint.  It still makes me smile to think of those young sailors in my living room drinking beer and painting little plastic Snoopy ornaments.  

Jacob's little socks from his first Christmas . . . 

We have quite a few Disney ornaments . . . 

Luke was a big fan of Mickey Mouse when he was little.

A count cross stitched ornament that I made years ago. 

 I believe I made quite a few of these for gifts.

The ornaments that the boys made in school are special of course.  

They were always so excited for us to open them and to hang them on the tree.

This is an Avon ornament that was a gift to Luke from my Great Aunt Myrt.  This was another one that Luke and Jake liked to hang on the tree each year.  

My Grandma had a collection of Campbell Soup ornaments.  I believe the collection was split up when she passed away . . . so everyone got a little piece of her collection.

Claus Construction - a gift to Richard one year . . . 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . . . just as popular today and they were when my sons were young.  It is hard to believe those four masked turtles are still around and going strong. 

This is the first ornament Luke had to put on the tree.  It plugs into the string of lights so the inside actually lights up.  He laughed when he pulled it out of the ornament box . . . He had Charlotte help him hang it on the tree this year.  

Just a few of my favorite ornaments . . .  I found a few that need some repairs, which I will do before I pack them away.  I am also going to split them up . . . so each of the boys have the ones that belong to them.  It did my heart good to break out all those old sentimental ornaments.  It also did my heart good to watch Charlotte decorate the bottom of the tree.  It may not be a perfectly decorated tree . . . but it is beautiful and symbolizes what Christmas is all about to me.