Quick Christmas 2011 Re-cap

I know, I know, Christmas is over but I started my blog just after Christmas so I didn't get a chance to capture photos I liked.  This post is just a quick re-cap so I have some memories in print. 

A look at our tree:

This is my very whimsical Christmas tree!  Son E called it a 'whirlwind of Christmas'.  The past 2 years I ended up decorating the tree BY MYSELF!  No worries, I wasn't alone, it's just that everyone seems to have burned out on decorating the tree.  So this year as I was looking at my bare naked tree I was actually not all that thrilled about trecking up to the eves and pulling out all the decorations while hitting my head at least 5 times during the trips back and forth.  My back was especially not excited about it either. 

As I was sitting gazing at the tree, I thought that my little tiny lamp might look cute in the tree.  I had come across pictures in a catalog where they displayed fuctioning little chandeliers hanging in a Christmas tree and I fell in love with the look.  Well I don't have 10 tiny working chandeliers so why not improvise and try my 1little adorable lamp?  It looked darling once placed on a branch.  Then I thought, I bet "M & M" would love to see their favorite horse and favorite owl in the tree.  One thing lead to another and I filled that baby with only things we actually had around the house that meant something to each of us.  A clock, a crown, a candelabra, a book, an english bully, a favorite creamer, even an old pair of glasses!  I did have one aesthetic goal, I wanted to stick to things that were either cream colored or in the brown/gold family.  I threw in a few actual ornaments as well.

Oh my gosh, it came out gorgeous and everyone who saw it just smiled and thought it was so much fun (or that the lady of the house had completely lost it--I'll never be sure).  All I know is it sure was purrrrdy.  I did a burlap skirt (just put down one of the many coffee sacks I've collected).  I even covered an ornament with a sweater and used the collar of the same sweater to wrap around the base of the trunk (to keep it warm of course!). 

A look around the house:

                                        Bathroom

                                                   Below are pictures of our Livingroom

                                                   I can't quite figure out why my first pic is so small--working
                                                   on that.
                                                   I don't have a mantle right now, so our nice long narrow book
                                                   bookcase
                                                   is kind enough to let me change it's decor throughout the
                                                   year.

                                                   Love my sweater candles (wish I had thought of that!)
                                                 
                     

                                                   Kitchen
                                                   I had a deer love this year.

                                         Diningroom
                                         I also had a love affair with mercury glass.

                                             

                                                   Few homemade crafts:

                                        Layered Pepperment Soap.
                                        Melissa and I made about 12 of these for 'girl' gifts.

                                         Candles in Burlap Ticking
                                         These are great 'fillers' with other gifts and also great hostess gifts

 

We also made peanut butter dog treats for family pets as gifts and put them in dog bone shaped tins.
Unfortunately I did not take pictures of that!  They looked pretty much like this...




In this tin...




I wrapped the tin in twine with a treat attached.  It was fun and well received!

-Lisa