Tag Archive | decorations

Tips and Tea on Tuesdays

On Tips and Tea on Tuesdays, I will cover a topic and hopefully provide you with some tips that will be helpful! And just as an afterthought, tea may occasionally be a cup of Joe!

Tea today is a cup of Tazo Joy, which is a blend of black and oolong green teas. There is a pleasant little hint of peach, so I decided to accompany my morning repose with a few of the thumbprint cookies I made (with apricot jelly centers). The aroma is just wonderful, and the cookie(s), well are divine! Pictured here is my Angel and Hearts tree. My mom called me her Christmas Angel, probably because I was born on the 21st of this month. Each year she gave me an angel for my collection, and here are just a few.

Speaking of trees, I wanted to share a few unconventional trees, that I have made from recycled objects. These are pretty simple to make, and the supplies are easy to find.

Tips: Recycled Trees

Note: Always practice safety when using a glue gun. Keep a glass of water on hand to dip your finger into just in case you burn yourself.

Wooden Ruler Tree

Gather a collection of 12″ rulers.
Choose one for the stem.
Cut the remaining rulers into varying lengths from long to short.
Glue these to the stem with wood glue.
Glue a pop top hook to the wrong side of the stem with a low temp glue gun.

Cork Tree

Gather a collection of wine corks.
Arrange the corks in rows.
Use a low temp glue gun to glue the rows in place, then the rows together.

Vintage Kitchen Tree

Gather old sieves, and other kitchen equipment that will stack nicely.
Use a wooden chopstick, or knitting needle for the center pole.
Hold the center pole in the center of a pie tin.
Thread the utensils onto the center pole, from the large to small.
Arrange aluminum cookie cutter molds around the bottom of the tree.

Happy tea drinking and stitching to you! ~Christen

PS: If you have any questions or thoughts, just leave a comment! See Tips, Tricks, the Basics, for more helpful ideas.

Friday’s Favorites: Thanksgiving Decorations

Nov18

Fridays Favorites is all about the Thanksgiving Decorations. I decorate for fall at the end of September and leave the decorations up until the end of November. Here in California, we really do not see the colors of turning leaves, and experience only the occasional crisp cold weather mornings. That said, I still appreciate the change of the season.

Here is a collection of my pumpkins, and other fall ephemera.

I love these wine cork pumpkins, what better way to use up all of those wine corks! I also love these wooden spools, so cool! The aluminum tins on top hold wax candle pumpkins.

Here are a few more vignettes, the first showing a collection of bird nests and paper wasp hives, along with Indian corn and mini pumpkins. The second shows Oliver and Aubriana, two art dolls that I have made. The third, a host of pumpkins, flowers and other fall ephemera.

And more owls, candles, gourds, and a turkey or two!

These images and poem encompass this time of year for me:

Dirt roads lined with
brown dusted bushes
and autumn colored trees
Leaves falling with even prettier colors
than last year.
Crackle air smells
of snow and cooked
turkeys and pumpkin pie.
Family days spent with
distant relatives, loved ones
and Thanksgiving.

Christen, 10-15-79

All Friday’s Favorites posts.

Well I hope that this inspires you to be creative with your decorations, and that you are enjoying this time of year.

Happy Stitching! ~ Christen

Friday’s Favorites: Rust, Wood, Bark

Nov11

Fridays Favorites is all about natural rustic decorations. I love to collect things, and I am sharing some of my favorite treasures with you today.

This is one of my favorite boxes, it rests on our mantel year long. I change the decorations according to the season. Here I have lots of wooden spools, keys, dyed gourds and cool treasures.

The first image is a grouping of rusted tools, in a really cool woven container. The second is an old wash board, with a very well used wooden pole.

This is just a collection of more of my treasures, and all of them make me smile!