Christmas Decor, Part II

A peek at more of our Christmas Decor...

I have one section dedicated to traditional colors

  

Plus a couple of jolly fellows...

One with a song and dance 

and a sporty guy.

(Have to feature masculine elements for the poor fellows in our household)

A birdcage filled with a star and silver/gold ornaments

Holiday books

A Christmas Deer

And a sparkly, jewel-toned section

Birds of a different feather

Ornaments...what can I say?  

Pink looks great on a white tree!

The angel that graced my childhood Christmas Tree

ushering in the true reason for this blessed season...

Jesus

Christmas Decor Projects, Part I

A few Christmas decor projects...

I finally got around to making a garland of my own 

(they've only been floating around the blogosphere like forever),

so I combined my obsession fondness for the 12 Days of Christmas with twine 

and hung this across my bookshelves.

I scored these crackers at my mother-in-law's house last year

when I saw them lying around unopened.

After eyeballing them with envy for a few days, 

I finally asked her casually what her plans were for them.

A gift from an acquaintance, was I interested in them?

Um...YES!  HELLO?!?

I eagerly popped open each cracker,

filling the room with the scent of smoke...no worries,

and tenderly embraced each of the symbols.

Aren't they gorgeous?

Do you remember these thrift store finds?

I found some miniature cakes in the dollhouse furniture section at Hobby Lobby

and attached them to the top of two of the glass bells.

Since they'll be used all year, 

I wanted something whimsical vs. Christmasy.

The objects inside will be swapped out, of course.  

This last bell has a simple white ball glued to its dome,

to balance out the personality of the other two.

This final project was inspired by one featured on 

Dollar Store Crafts.

Buy a large vase, glass candlestick and small bowls (they come in a set of three) 

from the Dollar Store.

The small bowl fits the opening of the vase.

If it wiggles around a bit (like mine did), 

then apply a thin strip of hot glue to the rim and let it harden completely.

That'll make the fit better.

I attached a glass handle that I had leftover from another projects,

but the original project featured glass knobs from Walmart.

Glue the vase onto a candlestick.

 Voila!  

A lovely, tall, inexpensive apothecary jar!

I Went Black

Yes, indeed. 

I crossed over to the Dark Side this morning in my quest to fulfill my little girl's long-held desire for a collection of Disney Princesses.  And it was fun!

Up by 2:15 a.m. to peruse the ads one last time and get dressed in layers, I called my shopping buddy and headed out.  Traffic was light.  A good sign.  The parking lot was mostly empty, and I didn't see a line.  Could it be? Then I saw the row of shopping carts creating a line barrier.  And I saw the people.  Time to hustle and stake out my place in line.  2:45 a.m.

Two ladies covered in blankets on camp chairs and a single gal bundled up were in front of me, while two Euro dudes lightly dressed (and by lightly, I mean one of them was wearing shorts) took their place behind me.  The wait began.

My friend pulled up a few minutes later, but there were already 10-15 people behind me in line.  I couldn't let her join me in fear of a riot but was also unwilling to lose my place in line to get at the back of it with her.  So I sent her to Kohl's, which was just opening at 3:00 a.m.   since there wasn't anything in particular that she was after from Target anyway.  Instead of heading there right away, my generous pal stopped by Starbucks and brought me a Venti Latte.  Generous, I tell you.

I pegged the ladies in the camp chairs as pros and pumped them for information.  They shared strategies and their experience.  A gentleman in front of them counted the number of people ahead of us in line:  103.  I hoped that none of them wanted Disney Princesses.  Security passed out store maps, and a news cameraman appeared.  The parking lot started to fill as more and more people joined the line that now snaked around the side of the building.  Did I mention that this was a SuperTarget?  A humongous building.

During the final minutes before the doors opened, a curious wall of people formed by the entrance - why weren't they joining the line?  Either they were going to try to merge into the crowd heading in or were reluctant to walk all the way behind the building to the end of the line.  Target security was on the ball and monitored that crowd diligently.  No line cutters!

The adrenaline rush and excitement tinged with a bit of anxiety grew as the doors opened.  Would there be enough?  Was it going to be madness inside of the store?  Did everyone want the same thing I did???  I walked to the Toy section, rounded the corner and saw my prize on the shelf.  No one else was there!  Seriously, tears sprang to my eyes as I took hold of a box.  My daughter had been doing extra chores and saving her money for months to buy the dolls, and Target was offering them for 30% off.  I could imagine her excitement and appreciation on Christmas morning - all of her hard work had paid off in a different way.  

Next I headed to the Men's section to look for the plush robe my husband wanted that was being offered for 50% off.  Again, no one else was in that section, and I took my time deciding on a color.  The two items that I'd come for were in my possession.  I was thankful.  And relieved.  

The store was super crowded as I made my way to the registers, but people were pleasant and patient.  Though I'm certain this wasn't the scene at every store, my first experience as a Black Friday early morning bargain hunter was great!  The store employees were cheerful, helpful and the store organized.  The camaraderie with the people in line, the thrill of the hunt, and the reward of a bargain price on a Christmas prize...I'd do it again if there was an item I wanted to purchase.  I can assure you, however, that I won't be camping out with my tent just to be first in line - there was a woman who'd been there since noon on Thanksgiving day.  She's outta my league as far as being a dedicated bargain hunter.  

Overall, I'm feeling extremely blessed that I was able to get the dolls and robe for such great prices as well as a few other items for my family at other stores we visited after Target.  We were finished with our shopping just as the sun was going up over the mountains. It was time for bed!

This post is about my experience and opinions about shopping on Black Friday - I was not asked or compensated by Target or any other store to write about my experience.   

Thanksgiving Blessings...

...to You!!!

I hope you have a wonderful holiday 

filled with lots of warmth and love and great food!

A Gift from Nature

 Look what I found on a walk recently!

A gorgeous branch filled with orange leaves begging for me to take it home!

I placed it in a moss-filled, burlap-net covered vase ( inspired by Pottery Barn)

and arranged it with my ceramic pumpkins.  So happy!

Thanksgiving Blessings to you!

I hope you have a wonderful holiday

filled with lots of warmth, love and yummy food! 

My Christmas Wreath & Ribbon Flowers

Embroidery hoop + Garland + Ribbon = 
My Christmas Wreath!

Total cost = $3.25

I picked up a large embroidery hoop from a thrift store, then wrapped it with an evergreen garland from the Dollar Store.  On top of the green is a roll of a wooden trellis-type "ribbon" from Michaels that's been hanging around my craft supplies just waiting for the right project, followed by 25 cent ribbon from Hancock Fabrics that's looped around the wreath and made into a rose. Isn't she lovely? 

A close up of the Ribbon Rose, 

my first time making one out of wired ribbon.

I kinda got addicted to making more flowers out of wired ribbon.

Directions:

Gently pull out the wire from one edge and gather the ribbon, 

then roll up the ribbon on the gathered side to make the flower.

I dabbed hot glue as I rolled the ribbon in order to secure it along the way.

A loose ruffled edge makes a rose, 

while a more tightly gathered one makes a carnation.

This last one wasn't wired but was a lovely two toned ribbon from Martha Stewart's line.  

I made two small rosettes and stacked them up on top of each other...

thinking of turning them into cocktail rings!

 I'm linking to these parties - 
check out the other fabulous projects!

Get Your Craft on at Today's Creative Blog