Merry Merry!

Favorite quotes of the day:

"Someday I'm going to surprise you and decorate the tree all by myself (imagine me registering pleased surprise) and I'm going to put every single ornament on (I'm joyfully thinking that he's got Real Christmas Spirit at last) and they'll all be right together!" proclaimed adult son #2  as he held his hands showing about six inches square, knowing that he really had me going there for a bit.  Hey, at least he kept me company while I finally decorated the tree early Christmas morning.  And he made me a delicious bowl of Apple Spice oatmeal for breakfast.

 

"Something that I've learned about your mother is that she never thinks there are enough ornaments on the tree," said my husband to aforesaid son. I promptly informed both of them that it's been over a decade since Every Single Ornament We Own has appeared on a Christmas tree at the same time.  Which is my way of admitting I'm guilty as charged.

 

"Wow, these Legos are older than I am!" marvelled my nephew as he opened a pack from Santa.  The nephew is a teenager and the pack was dated 1989.  The Queen Mother has a history of misplacing gifts which is apparently genetic.  My kids shake their heads at my forgetfulness but I have every expectation that they've inherited the same gene.  Although they do favor their dad so maybe the Forgetful Gene stops with me and there will be whole generation deprived of vintage Legos in original packing.

Another Christmas has come and gone, bringing memories of times past and creating new stories to tell.  Each Christmas with its own character, each to be enjoyed and cherished.

Happy Christmas to all and to all a Good Night.

Bring joy,

Vintage Ornament Wreath

I made a good start on my latest Christmas obsession.

I've been drooling over wreaths like the one below from BHandG on Pinterest for the past year or so.  It's almost a yard across and the ornaments are glued on.  It's gorgeous but how does one store such a beast?  Happily there are other ways of making them.

I've been diligently collecting vintage glass ornaments from yard and rummage sales all summer. Not only did I score some old Shiny Brites in their original box, but I found some oldies like these blue carolers and the green and gold flowered balls in the background.

 

I found that the simplest way to make one is also completely reversible.  Which means that I bent a white wire coathanger around my spaghetti pot to create a round shape, then strung my five boxes of thrifted glass ornaments.  I secured the coathanger and used the hook to hang it.  And when it's time to store it, I'll simply unstring the ornaments, replace them in their boxes so they can't break and tuck my trusty coathanger in the same bin.

Turns out I really need a sixth box to cover the last six inches of wire--so the wreath is temporarily hung from a wall sconce.  I'll either stop by the Goodwill in my spare time, cannibalize our regular tree ornaments or add a large bow and leave the wreath unfinished until next Christmas while I collect another six inches of ornaments.

I'm leaning towards option three since there are only nine crafting days before the Big Day and I am loving the sparkle it brings to Mrs. Santa's workshop.  Hopefully Mrs. Santa can stop admiring it and commence some serious holiday present-making now that she has wreath-making out of her system.

Bring joy!