Best wishes for a blessed and happy New Year!!
Christmas At Our House {4}
Christmas cheer on a kitchen shelf along with old tin ceiling tiles, French mustard crocks and juniper berries.
Happy day before the day before!
Christmas At Our House {3}
Our Christmas mantle, twinkle lights, greenery, starfish, and paperwhites.
Christmas At Our House {2}
A cheerful kitchen windowsill with a collection of old, very old bottles, a chippy santa mug, vintage (there’s that word again) santa candy mold and, of course, my handmade candy cane ornament. You can make one too, there is still time.
I bought these chenille stems at Hobby Lobby as is. They were with the Christmas crafts and may be sold out but you can twist red and white ones together yourself. Get the extra fluffly chenille stems. They just look better for this project.
I gave mine a tea bath overnight to give them that “vintage” look. See the difference? Then you can tumble them in the dryer (by themselves so they don’t get all bent), for a few minutes to dry and fluff them. It really doesn’t take long. Or you can air dry them, which does take a while, and fluff them by hand too. I’ve done it both ways, the dryer is easier.
Cut each stem in half, curl the end to make the cane shape. You can use the mouth of a bottle as a form to wrap the end around so they are all uniform and you aren’t forever fiddling with the shape, because you know you will.
Overlap two canes, put a dab of glue between them to hold them together. Let that dry and tie with a red bow. And if you’d like, brush the tops with glue and sprinkle with glitter. I used Martha Stewart’s “Snow” glitter. It really is flakey and sparkly, just like last night’s snow.
Below you can see my inspiration, a very old and brittle ornament from an estate sale.
Now, what to do with all these little lovelies. Hang them on the tree, or a cabinet knob, or a wreath. Display them in your chippy santa mug or an apothecary jar. Layer them in a bowl with starfish, tie them onto gifts, give them as holiday party favors. Put several in a clear bag, tie with a bow and give as a hostess gift. Print out the Legend of the Candy Cane, attach the ornament and give that as a gift.
Or leave one in an unexpected place to give a little holiday cheer.
Christmas At Our House {1}
I love starfish and use them year round, in bowls, perched on piture frames, propped on window ledges. Add a vintage looking, but made yesterday, candy cane ornament and they become holiday festive.
Today’s Reading Material
This stack has been collecting and waiting for someone to have a free moment to catch a breath, make a cup of coffee, grab a piece of yummy shortbread from a cookie exchange and sit down. Not at the sewing machine, or work table, or ironing board, for I have become quite familiar with those places over the last three months. But actually in a comfy chair and look, however briefly, at some holiday inspiration.
And just as school is winding down for this calendar year, our personal calendar is filling up with church choir rehersals, a Christmas Tea party, gingerbread house decorating with cousins, plans for indoor rock climbing and mini golf, and surely some crafting and sledding. Ooooh, and some more baking.
What are your holiday plans?
Happy Friday!
Altered Dishtowel
49 cent dishtowel from IKEA, before.
Burlap rickrack from the clearance bin at Hobby Lobby, red rickrack and green striped ribbon from my stash.
New holiday dishtowel for me after.
Keep warm! And happy Tuesday
Holiday Shop Craft Show
I am so very excited to be participating in the very first Freeman Elementary School Holiday Shop Craft Show. Located at the school, you can shop this Friday, December 10 from 3pm until 7pm and Saturday, December 11 from 9am until 4pm. There will be lots of handmade goodness and holiday cheer to share so stop in and visit. There is no admission fee and the show is open to the public. Hope to see you!
Garden Fresh
Yes, it is December and that is snow on the roof of the house next door. And those are the last of our garden grown tomatoes. Of course they were picked about a month ago, at the end of a pretty long growing season this year. They were hard and green then. I’ve never brought them in that early to ripen completely on the windowsill. Usually I bring them in when they need just a day or two to ripen.
Until next year then, dear tomatoes.
PK Handmade/Vintage 