Christmas Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Linda Nelson

MEET BAUBLES AND BLINGSTER

December 16, 2016

Ha! I bet you didn’t know that Santa had two other reindeer….. Baubles and Blingster. I’m somewhat late with decorating for Christmas this year, but fashionably late, don’t you think?

©Linda Nelson 2016

Here’s a glimpse of some other little curiosities I’ve placed about.

©Linda Nelson 2016

I think a vintage glass doorknob makes for a great bauble.

©Linda Nelson 2016

I made this angel last year. Actually, I made three, sold two and kept this one for myself. The faceless cherub….. Isn’t she sweet?

©Linda Nelson 2016

This is my little candle and tree forest. I love candles; however, I’m “one of those”, in that I usually don’t light my candles because I want to preserve their “newness”. I’ve christened two of them; that’s a pretty good track record for me. Silly.

©Linda Nelson 2016

And, finally, a trio of “cement” ornaments I made. These will be shipped to a friend. Check out my tutorial if you’d like to make some, yourself.

Our local weather forecast is calling for a rainy weekend, which will be perfect for cozy indoor activities like baking cookies and wrapping gifts.

Stay tuned…… I hope to squeak out another post before Christmas.

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THIS ONE’S FOR YOU, LITTLE SISTER!

November 30, 2016

My sister had been doing some clutter purging, and passed a few fabric remnants on to me when I spent Thanksgiving at her home. I’m a sucker for handouts like that. A few days later my mom mentioned to me that she had a box of trim, lace and sewing notions stashed away in a closet, and asked if I was interested in the stuff. Yes, mom. Oh my……. I’ll need to prepare quite a bit for this future post because opening that box led to opening other boxes, and to opening up a running stitch of memories. And, I can’t wait to share those memories with you!

Anyway, I’ve decided that I’m going to return some of the fabric to my sister. Yep, I’m going to “gift” the piece of olive green velvet fabric back to her……. for Christmas.

Ta-da!

©Linda Nelson 2016

If you’d like to make a stuffed yo-yo Christmas tree, you will need –

a sister who’s getting rid of about 1/2 yard of fabric
button thread (it’s much more durable than regular thread)
a needle
round templates in graduating sizes (I used pot lids dishes, etc…)
beanbag fill (rabbit/guinea pig bedding shavings would also work!)
a dowel or metal rod about 3/8″diam. (the length depends on how tall you make your tree)
a small pair of pointy scissors
tree base and tree topper (*see note)

©Linda Nelson 2016

Stitch, stuff, cinch and tie off all your yo-yo’s. Using the pointed end of the scissors, poke a hole through the center of each yo-yo making sure the hole is wide enough to feed the dowel/rod through. Feed all the yo-yos onto the rod (cinched side facing up). Now, it’s time to add your topper and base, though I must let you in on a little secret –

©Linda Nelson 2016

* I used old lamp parts to assemble my tree, but I’m confident that if you don’t have any lurking around your home, you will successfully finish the assembly some other imaginative and resourceful way. Just get creative!

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LITTLE SPLASHES CHRISTMAS

December 18, 2015

Because my dining room and living room have served as crafting lab and production station for the past two months, and is currently a weekend open-to-the-public handmade holiday shop, I’ve held off on decorating those rooms. It’s a bit unnerving, as they are usually draped with my beloved baubles by now. However, I’ve managed to adorn my kitchen with curious little splashes of Christmas. The flavor for this season is homey, vintage, general store-esque…… with a pinch of kitsch. It’s subtle, but I’m finding it quite delightful.

©Linda Nelson 2015

Aren’t these Twelve Days of Christmas cloth napkins just darling? A client of mine passed them on to me. They’re just too pretty to smear a holiday feast upon; I think they’d make for a fabulous banner, though!

©Linda Nelson 2015

I had just enough vintage glass baubles to fill this scale tray with, and especially love the look paired with the colorful candy canes.

©Linda Nelson 2015

Not a creature was stirring………. This sweet little felted mouse, a gift from a friend, quietly perches on my kitchen window. Washing dishes won’t have to be a lonely task.

©Linda Nelson 2015

I love decorating for Christmas, don’t you?

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GRAB YOUR PRUNERS AND TAKE A BOUGH!

November 22, 2015

‘Tis the season to make some evergreen statements, be it bud vases…..

fresh bouquets……

or front porch arrangements!

A pair of hand pruners, a few vessels or containers and some fresh cut greenery are all you’ll need. There’s no need to wait for December, either. Feathery boughs of cedar, juniper, arborvitae, microbiota, chamaecyperus, fir and spruce fit right in with and nicely complement all those decorative Thanksgiving trimmings.

Two of my favorite trees to snip from are Japanese umbrella pine(Sciadopitys verticillata) for it’s leathery-like whorled needles…..

and white fir(Abies concolor) for it’s clean, citrusy scent.

Both were ones I bought live and that served as my Christmas trees many years ago. My, how they’ve grown! The Japanese umbrella pine was a very pricey purchase. I slapped down a hundred bucks for what resembled a three-foot Charlie Brown tree; I just had to have it. My kids were very young at that time, and were absolutely mortified. “Mom….. this is not a Christmas tree!”

Assemble your outdoor arrangements in containers filled with damp soil or old potting mix. Make use of decorative plastic nursery pots if you live in an area where freezing weather is a concern. If you hate that idea and absolutely must use your cherished glazed pots, simply make your arrangement in an old plastic pot then insert it inside the nice one. I also use that approach when choosing to work with metal pails, as frozen soil expands and could bust open the pail’s seam.

Embellish with baubles of your choice, and you’re all set!

I made this arrangement just for the birds; after all, they deserve a pretty feeding station, right?

Well, there you have it.

Now, grab your pruners and take a bough!

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