Hold on! I think there's still some tree showing...

Amanda and I spent Saturday, from late afternoon to late evening, decorating our tree -finally!! (Court is still at college and said she's looking forward to coming home to a fully decorated tree!) So here's how the evening went down...


(FROM THIS...)
First we got out all the special ornaments (photos, handmade, memory items). Most of our Christmas decor gets stored in the basement, but these sentimental favorites go in the top of my bedroom closet.


Next we put in our Little Women video to watch/listen to while we decorated.


(TO THIS...)
Hubby likes it with just the lights on it... Are you kidding? We've only just begun! Ribbons and bead garland were put on first...


(TO THIS...)
Then Amanda and I spent lots of time carefully putting all the photo, handmade, and sentimental ornaments on the tree. Now to most people, this would look done (dare I say even over done??)... But we forged ahead and put lots more on the tree...


... until it looked like this! We're done now, but only because there isn't a single branch left to hang anything from! (Did I mention I have a hard time coming to terms with Christmas minimalism??) Now to most people this probably looks way over the top (which it is!), but I can't help myself! I figure there's no right or wrong way to decorate a tree as long as we love the end result, right? When the girls eventually have their own places, Amanda says she will also have a tree with lots of special ornaments whereas Courtney says she will definitely opt for a decorator/themed tree. And I'm sure they will both be BEAUTIFUL!!


This is one of the photo ornament boxes. Every year I add a new photo ornament of each of the girls to the tree (that's over 40 ornaments alone between both of them!!)...

Add to that our loved ones and our sweet furry family members... And before you know it, the tree is full!

I have these two vintage tree toppers...

We decided to go with the white one for the tree this year.

Here are a few close up shots of the various items that go on our tree...

There are lots of handmade ornaments from Amanda's and Courtney's nursery school and kindergarten years, as well as some they made at home...

Here are some of Amanda's...

A sweet little crayon-colored bird (who never got his wings apparently!)...

A scotch-taped fabric holly and berry ornament...

A glittery little egg carton bell...

A hapy little gingerbread man...

...and a colorful stocking....

And here are some of Courtney's...

A sweet painted kitty..

A marker colored Christmas tree with pinking shear edges...

A glittery sandpaper gingerbread man...

A reindeer with antlers made from the traced outline of her hands...

... and a beautiful sequined Christmas tree...

There are also lots of personal ornaments on the tree. Here are just a few...

A duck for hubby because he loves ducks (his love for ducks is so cute!)

A pink flamingo for Courtney to remember her trip to Florida...

An Empire State Building ornament for Amanda to remember her trip to New York City.

A loon ornament to remember a 1999 family vacation on a lake in New Hampshire (our first time seeing and hearing loons - so magical!!)

My mom bought this ornament for me when the girls were little. I had seen it in a store and loved it, but thought it was too expensive. Mom surprised me with it later (she'd been with me when I originally saw it and knew how much I loved it!)...

And then there are the store bought ornaments that always appeal to Amanda because she's certain no one will ever buy them since they're broken (so she wants to give them a good home on our tree)... A few examples...

The soaring bird without a beak...

...and the one antlered reindeer...

And finally, our tree just wouldn't be complete if it didn't have....

... Fred Savage (Kevin, The Wonder Years) hanging from a branch. We met him on the Cape back in 1998 and he was such a sweetheart, talking to the girls and posing for pictures with them... (Needless to say, they weren't wearing Santa hats - that was my little photoshop job!)... This photo serves as a reminder of that fun time on the Cape...

So I hope you all are enjoying your Christmas trees as much as we are enjoying ours... Whether your tree holds family photos or shiny new baubles, whether it's green or silver, pink or white, whether it's real or fake, tall or short, skinny or fat... Enjoy!!

Merry Christmas!

Donna

The Glitter of Christmas...

Gather up some friends and/or family and have fun with this simple DIY project, creating glitter ornaments and gift tags for the holiday season!

Be sure to treat everyone to a mug of hot chocolate topped with marshmallow and a candy cane before you start! It's sure to put everyone in a festive mood!

Well, Spotty says we've lingered over hot chocolate long enough and it's now time to get to work! (Any photos can be enlarged if you want to see more detail.)

This is a great way to recycle old Christmas cards that you've received, or the few that are left in the box after you've sent your sout. (I cringe when I think of all the beautiful ones I've thrown out over the years!)

I think these two chickadees are perfect for this project.

And I think I can get two out of this beautiful card (I'm just using a small frame to see what I want to cut out). I definitely want the dad and boy decorating the tree as well as the mom and baby sitting next to the nativity set... So let's start cutting these cards!

Once you have your card designs cut out, it's time to make them fabulously sparkly! First, brush Folk Art Gems Diamonds over the entire design (this gives a subtle glitter); while wet, sprinkle Twinklets Diamond Dust over the areas where you want incredible texture and glitter (for this project, more is better in my book!). I painted this angel with Gems Diamonds, and then sprinkled a generous amount of Diamond Dust on her wings... Hold the card sideways and tap the excess Diamond Dust back into the jar (use a paper plate or lid under the jar to catch any spill over so you can easily put it back into the jar when you're done).

Then set them aside to dry. This little chickadee got full coverage of both Gems Diamonds and Diamond Dust for an all over sparkle... I love how he came out!!

I wish the camera truly captured how glittery these cards actually are...

Just imagine how these ornaments will sparkle and shine with the reflection of your Christmas tree lights!

Oh, good - they're all dry. Now it's time to punch or poke holes into the cards and attach hangers if you're planning to use them as ornaments or gift tags. My ornaments are very simple, but you could get really creative and add trims or buttons or whatever your heart desires..

Done!! Since I don't have our Christmas tree up yet, I hung them from some bare branches to show you the finished product. I hope you enjoy this fun & simple project!

Donna