O' Christmas Tree

O' Christmas Tree.....O' Christmas Tree.....You Bring Me So Much Pleasure!

Although we are never home for Christmas, I still decorate the house and the tree every year.  I figure we have a few weeks prior to Christmas to enjoy it before we leave to visit our family.  

Last week I showed you some of the other Christmas decor around the house this year.  Here is our super, duper skinny tree (the only size that will fit in our pint sized home)...

Most of our ornaments are either handmade or they have a special meaning to us.

Last year I told you all about the special sequin ornaments that my Grandmother used to make for my mother every year.

I was SOOOO excited when I stumbled upon several bags of antique handmade sequined ornaments at my favorite Antique Mall last month.

They were bagged 4 to 5 ornaments to a bag for $5...I felt like I had won the lottery!

They are just as beautiful as the ones my Grandmother used to make.  I had a hard time believing that someone's family actually gave these beauties up.

To be able to add to my collection, and so inexpensively, was a wonderful surprise this year.

I hope you are all having a special holiday season!

Deck the Halls....

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I have had a much needed break this past week and took the opportunity to deck the halls....walls.....shelves.....and more. :)

I also got a new camera on Black Friday!!!!!!  No, I did NOT get a DSLR...I'm still an unemployed student remember...what were you thinking. LOL  Anwho, here's hoping the new Nikon Coolpix L105 can make up for my lack of photography skills. ;)

I thought I'd kick off my favorite holiday with a few pictures of the holiday decor this year.

I hope to share more pictures of our holiday decor soon.  But until then, enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend. :)

12 Days of Christmas - Day 12 - Deck the Halls

Deck the Halls House is complete here at Erin's humble abode!! :)

Some say it's silly for me to decorate like I do considering that we are never home for Christmas.  But the truth is...I cannot imagine NOT decorating!!

I mean, we are home from Thanksgiving until almost Christmas!

One thing you will notice is....I'm still a traditionalist people!  I'm sorry...but I like my reds and greens around here!  Just like I like my orange and black at Halloween.

I kind of like a 'homespun' Christmas look, so I changed out the curtains and pillows to reds, and took my usual oranges out.  I put down the more traditional rug and sprinkled Christmas cheer, mostly in the living room, but touches are in each room.

So, without further ado, my final day of the 12 Days of Christmas (on the 21st of December, LOL)...my home all decked out!! :)

Um, I don't intentionally collect Snowmen...but I apparently have quite an affection for them that I didn't realize.

An older lady I worked with at Burger King, when I was high school, gave this reindeer to me!  She did crafts and sold at craft shows...that might have been when my true love of crafts took off!

The sign was from a blog with free printable...but I can't remember WHOSE!  If you do, let me know and I'll give credit!

This one was just scrapbook papers.

This little guy lights up (with a nightlight style light bulb)...LOVE him...not sure why I didn't take a picture with his light on.

Well, I hope enjoyed this little tour or our snowmen home!! :)

Since we will be driving Wednesday evening and Thursday and spending time with our family in Dallas, this will be my last post until after Christmas.  So, I hope each and everyone of you and your families have a VERY Merry Christmas!!! 

12 Days of Christmas - Day 11 - Gift Presentation

Are you irritated with my serious lack of follow through yet?  I mean, 12 days of Christmas SHOULD have been finished on the twelfth if I was any kind of blogger. ;)

And here we are on the 20th of December, and I'm still have one more day!

I gotta tell you, I had  BLAST this weekend! 

First of all, on a total side note, I went and saw the play WICKED Friday night....FANTABULOUS!!!!  Not at all what I was expecting...but completely worth it if it comes to your area!!!

But that's not what I was referring to!!  I am done with all my Christmas doings.  So, I actually just got to sit home and enjoy the house all decorated before we leave this week for Dallas!!!

But of course, I don't really 'sit' ever.  So, I had to be doing something. 

That something involved my newest toy!!!  I went last week and purchased (with a nice gift card I received) the Martha Stewart Scoring Board!!!

I am completley IN LOVE!!!!

And just as an FYI, no one really cares about my opinion enough to pay me or send me anything, LOL, so this is my own personal review. :)

It was only $20 at Archivers, PLUS I had a 30% off coupon...so I only paid $14!!!  WELL worth the cost!!!

First thing I made were holders for the gift cards I'm giving to my brothers (and cousin).

The score board has measurements and tells you were to score for different size boxes, cards, and envelopes.  There is an angled thing-a-mabob for making envelopes, which is what I had to use for the gift card holders.

Here's what it looks like after I scored it and made the creases.

This was my practice one, so I used a plain piece of cardstock (so I didn't waste money with fancy paper just yet).  But here's the inside.

I just used double sided tape (that I got at Archiver's too) to seal it all together.  Once I got the technique down, I changed to fancier paper, so the inside was pretty too. :)

Once I got the card made, I embellised it so the gift card is, hopefully, a little more exciting to open.

And here's the final product!!

I just added a little button embelishment I got at Hobby Lobby awhile back.  Those were $2 for nine of ten of them...so these were still super cheap to make!!

I also made boxes, with my Martha Stewart Score Board, for the Cake Pop goodies I made this weekend!  (I still had to give one guy at work at gift, plus I like to do something for our FedEx and UPS delivery guys that come to work all the time).

I made all the boxes with scrapbook paper (card stock quality) I already had (from a book of Christmas paper I bought on sale earlier in the season).

The presentation can take a simple gift to a "Wow" gift. :)

Until next time....

12 Days of Christmas - Day 10 - Gift Bags

Ok, I feel I must address this before we get started here today. 

I'm really sorry, but I'm afraid of the mass hysteria that might ensue and I figure I should just head it off and get it out of the way.

In the upcoming pictures you will see......my kitchen countertops.

And I KNOW, there will be many of you feeling the little green eyed monster creeping up on you.  It's ok...I understand.  It happens to everyone.  Don't feel bad.

I mean...it's not everyday you can behold the beautifulness of my faux wood grained laminate countertops. 

The only suggestions I have for you, is, you might be able to scrounge up the few remaining luxurious countertops out there from the dump high end salvage yards.

Good luck on your hunt!!! ;)

******************

Ok, now onto gift bags.

I KNOW I said I wasn't giving my coworkers anything again this year.  But I had to.  It's been a year of change around here, some ups and downs, so I DID make my donation to the homeless shelter, but I also made the Sandie cookies, I posted about yesterday, for each of my coworkers.

Not many...I mean, I wouldn't want to be accused of adding to their caloric intake during the holidays! ;) 

But I put some in a baggie for each of them.  And I put them into the small brown lunch sacks.  But I decided to decorate them to make them a bit more special. 

I folded down the top layer of the bag to meet the bottom fold (when it's closed).  Then I cut scrap pieces of scrapbook paper to that size.

Then I glued a piece of paper to the folded down top of each bag.

After that dried, I cut along the edge with my fancy scissors (I cannot for the life of me remember what these things are called). :)

Then, I punched two holes for me to put ribbon through.

After that, I tied some ribbon (all of which were crooked, but at 12:30 in the morning, you stop caring).

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, one of these bags I decorated the front with paper, the rest I decorated the front with stamps.  I will be honest, my favorite is the one decorated with paper, but I was tired and had lost all steam.  So, stamps were quick. :)

I also printed this years poem (which I didn't get pictures of) and tied them to each bag.

I'm sure you feel as I do, a poem of this kind of quality and depth will be read for decades to come.

In lieu of gifts again this year

Jessica and I are spreading cheer

For my daughter I want to plant a seed,

That giving to others, who are in need,

Is the greatest gift we can receive!

It fills our hearts to give to those with none,

So what her and I this Christmas have done

Is given a gift of to our favorite charity,

To help people who deal with all sorts of asperity.

We hope you’ll find our lack of personal gift giving,

As our outpouring of thanksgiving.

To our God who is so generous and forgiving!

 

In lieu of gifts again this year,

Jessica and I have made a donation to the Wheeler Mission.

And wouldn't you know....I got more compliments on my cute brown paper bags than I've EVER received on a gift I've given.  Such is life. ;)

Until next time....