(no subject)
Dec. 8th, 2012 10:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dreamflowerI meant to make this post a week ago, but didn't get to upload my pictures any sooner. Last week the DH and I did our Christmas decorations.
First up is the tree; this one is new this year, somewhat smaller than our previous tree. The DH and I have a tradition: we put the boxed of tree decorations out, and the DH takes each one out and hands it to me to put on the tree, and we remember just when and where each one came from, or who made it. (Actually, I remember, and he marvels at my memory! Though he does recall some of them, especially the ones I made.) Then he puts the angel on top--it's a crocheted one I made the first year we were married, and it's not in the best of shape but he won't hear of replacing.
Here's the mantel--mostly the same decorations, but we rearranged them somewhat this year. The garland is new--it came with the tree, and the poinsetta garland I'd been using was coming apart, so I put it on the shelf beneath the TV as backdrop.
A closer view. The figurines reside in a glass-doored bookcase the rest of the year. The DH's favorite is the center piece on the mantel: the kneeling Santa. My favorite is the cut-glass sculpture of Bethlehem on the upper shelf.
I've shown the ornaments hanging on the garland before, but thought I'd show close-ups of my favorites of those this year. I made these forty years ago when I was still living at home. One year my mom, sister, brother and I sat around and made these using pins and beads old jewelry and satin-covered styrofoam ornaments. This bell is my favorite--the flower was an old earring of my mother's. I am not sure what happened to my sister's and brother's that they made, but I kept the ones I made.
The white one is another favorite, though really I do like them all.
This was to have been my December project this year for my craft column. Unfortunately the article was cut due to space. She's made from an empty DawnTM dish detergent bottle.
I still haven't taken pics of the top of the piano and bookcases, or of the outside. I'll try to get to those in a day or so.
First up is the tree; this one is new this year, somewhat smaller than our previous tree. The DH and I have a tradition: we put the boxed of tree decorations out, and the DH takes each one out and hands it to me to put on the tree, and we remember just when and where each one came from, or who made it. (Actually, I remember, and he marvels at my memory! Though he does recall some of them, especially the ones I made.) Then he puts the angel on top--it's a crocheted one I made the first year we were married, and it's not in the best of shape but he won't hear of replacing.
Here's the mantel--mostly the same decorations, but we rearranged them somewhat this year. The garland is new--it came with the tree, and the poinsetta garland I'd been using was coming apart, so I put it on the shelf beneath the TV as backdrop.
A closer view. The figurines reside in a glass-doored bookcase the rest of the year. The DH's favorite is the center piece on the mantel: the kneeling Santa. My favorite is the cut-glass sculpture of Bethlehem on the upper shelf.
I've shown the ornaments hanging on the garland before, but thought I'd show close-ups of my favorites of those this year. I made these forty years ago when I was still living at home. One year my mom, sister, brother and I sat around and made these using pins and beads old jewelry and satin-covered styrofoam ornaments. This bell is my favorite--the flower was an old earring of my mother's. I am not sure what happened to my sister's and brother's that they made, but I kept the ones I made.
The white one is another favorite, though really I do like them all.
This was to have been my December project this year for my craft column. Unfortunately the article was cut due to space. She's made from an empty DawnTM dish detergent bottle.
I still haven't taken pics of the top of the piano and bookcases, or of the outside. I'll try to get to those in a day or so.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 04:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 04:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 05:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 10:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 05:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 10:42 am (UTC)And it really is nice to have all the memories of these different things, not only the ones I've made, but things my son made when he was little (although in deference to his grown-up sensibilities we usually put them to the back of the tree. He gets embarrassed easily by things like that) and the special ones we've bought over the years as well.
I do hope to get some other pics up soon, and look forward to seeing what you've done!
no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 09:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 10:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 10:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 10:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 12:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 03:29 pm (UTC)Our son loved it when he was little, but he lost interest when he was about 10. Though if he's home when we do it now, he'll help.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 01:44 pm (UTC)I love those beaded/sequined ornaments. They remind me of dolls I used to make when I was a kid. They came as a kit, with a body made from velvet-flocked styrofoam, and then lots of beads, sequins and push pins. (Our of curiousity, I googled the kits and found one of the exact ones I made: http://compare.ebay.com/like/140747509741?var=lv<yp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar )
no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 03:34 pm (UTC)You can buy kits to make those balls now, too. But you can't seem to buy the balls by themselves, as I found to my dismay several years ago when I bought what I thought were covered styrofoam balls so I could make some more, only to find that they were plastic underneath instead! I made my thumbs sore trying to stick pins in those!!
no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 02:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 03:35 pm (UTC)I will have to post a couple of picks of my car, which also got decorated this year, LOL!
no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 02:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 03:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 07:10 pm (UTC)*hugs*
no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 09:20 pm (UTC)We also have the same tradition for when the tree goes down. I take each ornament off and hand it to him. All our "boughten" ornaments still have their original boxes, which he puts them in. And I have jelly-jar boxes from canning that we use for the homemade ornaments or for ornaments that did not come with boxes.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 07:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 09:24 pm (UTC)The exception is the Chrismon ornaments I made the first year I got married. I cut them out of white styrofoam trays such as grocery produce comes in and used glitter to decorate them. Unfortunately I learned that they disintegrate fairly quickly, as they aren't meant for crafting! But that and some ornaments I crocheted were all we could afford that year, LOL!
But almost everything else, yes, we still have.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-09 11:44 pm (UTC)I had the wherewithal to put up the lights along the white picket fence around the front yard and the icicle lights over the pergola. All white lights of the standard variety. Rampaging Frodo helped me with the Swedish candelabra that we placed in the front windows (a 7-light device in the middle window, 5-light candelabras in the office and the guest bedroom bracketing the center window. Looks nice and will be a cheerful sight when I come home late this coming week (and yes, I will be coming home late from work). RF is inspired now to set up the tree in the sun room. Next weekend then.
I was debating about putting up a garland of holly over the mantel as my holly bushes need significant trimming. But the darned things are so prickly! I might do it next weekend if I have a moment.
I love your tree!
no subject
Date: 2012-12-10 12:07 am (UTC)Not to mention all the outdoor decs the DH did last week.
We have two gigantic holly trees by our driveway and they are LOADED with bright red berries They are gorgeous. The DH threw some strands of lights over the biggest one. But we'd be taking our lives in our hands to try and cut any for decorations; both of them are inhabited by hundreds of sparrows that burst out whenever anything startles them.
Miss Belladonna loves the biggest tree--it's right by the corner of our screened in front porch; when we let her she will sit there and stare at that tree for hours twitching the tip of her tail. I think she can see the birds...
no subject
Date: 2012-12-10 05:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-10 11:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-12 02:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-12 04:18 pm (UTC)And it helped to have the plunder from my mother's costume jewelry--single earrings, brooches that had lost their pins or broken necklaces.