Santa's Key

Clement C. Moore'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

 

Last night I was in the basement trying to finish a few last projects for my customers. As I looked around the room I spotted a couple of silver keys I had purchased for a special project. It seems as if I forgot all about the special project, even with the keys sitting in my full view! I found this picture on pinterest and thought what a wonderful idea for children without a chimney for Santa to come down.

 

 I immediately rushed to my office and started coming up with a tag for the keys. I had to get this done before I hit the sack!  I hope you like it and can use it for your own key! The poem came and idea came from http://picadillyandcompany.blogspot.com/2011/11/santas-magic-key.html. I just changed the look of the project. She ask that you not use the poem itself if you intend on selling the Santa Key. I found plenty of tarnished silver keys at Target. Now to find those special children without a fireplace to give it to!

She challenged me and I created....

I have a cousin, Renee, that is always challenging me to create her inspirations. Renee needed an ornament for her Bank Christmas Party. She knew she wanted a pink pig on it. From there, I could add anything else that I wanted. It is hard to tell from the picture, but the piggy is on 3-D foam. Renee was really happy with the way "our" ornament turned out. I hope the recipient is just as happy!

Christmas Trees, Hymnals, Jewelry and Bobbins.....

I am having a little fun in the studio creating Christmas Trees! I have played around with the trees creating all different colors and then putting German glass glitter and old jewelry around them. It's so fun coming up with something new!

What's you first decoration to pull out?

I know the Christmas Spirit is in the air when these little fellas come out! These little guys are the first ones to adorn my house! We purchased them on a trip with our children to the Epcot Center. I don't know what is so special about them.... they just make me feel festive and ready to decorate. And don't you just love the skinny trees from Dept. 56? So much fun!

What is the first decoration in your home to be pulled out?

The ART Birthday Party...

Happy Birthday Karis

Yesterday I had the pleasure of hosting a small ART birthday party for one of my babies (one of the many babies that my cousins have that I love and cherish so very much). Karis, who lives out of state, was visiting for Christmas and wanted her AuntE (my nickname) to let her have a small party for her and a couple of her cousins. I feel so blessed to be in a family that loves each other so much that we don't think twice to ask each other to do favors like this. Christmas was wild this year having so many gatherings (we still get together with MY aunts and uncles and all of their children, about 50, counting children) on both sides on my MOM's and DAD's family. It is so awesome that my children know they are so loved and I have to admit..... I love the fact that the children keep me feeling somewhat young!

Anyways.. Back to the party... We had an awesome time painting little boxes that held

Baby Jesus.

Karis, I hope you had a great time and a wonderful party.

AuntE loves you so very much!!!

Creating with Bottle Brush Trees....

Have you ever purchased a package of bottle brush trees and half of them be so messed up you wonder why you even purchased them?? Well... today I will tell you how to spruce up those little trees so they look like new! All it takes is a little hot water. You can just stand there and run the hot water over each one of them (which is actually better for each tree) or be lazy like me and stick all of them in the sink at one time and run hot water over them like crazy! This does take more of the color out of the tree! After you do this, just lay them out to dry on a towel. If the bottom comes off, just hot glue it back on or better yet make another project out of it! When they dry you have a bushy little bottle tree for a fantastic project like mine!

Christmas Tour 2008...

Thank you for joining my family on the virtual tour of our home.

I hope you enjoy it and are blessed by being on our blog.

I will remember YOUR MIRACLES... Psalms 77:11

Merry Christmas

When looking at our Christmas Tree, you will find handmade ornaments made by our children at Vacation Bible School to Christopher Radko. I love having all of them mixed together and having my tree tell a story of our adventures. Reid and I had been dating two weeks when I gave him our first ornament. I knew the moment I met him we would be together forever!
Sweet Baby Jesus!
A gift from my husband's sister the first year we were married!
A worm in the tree made from toilet paper rolls! So Fun!!
The Christmas Moose and the following Santa were handmade by a local artist. They were gifts to my children from their grandmother. She collected a fur hat from my husband, my sisters bridesmaid dress that she had used in our wedding, jewelry from our grandparents, a blazer from their grandfather ... Well, you get the picture! Both pieces are full of heirloom pieces from their past! What a great gift!

Norma DeCamp Santa

Some of the light fixtures in our home are actually outdoor fixtures. I really liked them and decided to use them. We hung this one upside down to take advantage of the loop.

My mother, knowing how much I love Christmas,

is always starting me a new collection or either buying me a new Santa!

This is the Lenox Collection...

A few of our hand carved Santa's...

My new JOY banner...

The Beach Study Room.....

My son's Nutcracker collection...

Using an old trunk for the Santa bears...

Dee Gann Santa in an old sled...

This is a handmade Santa that is amazing!!

Recycled Art to the fullest!

This is in my bathroom and I am amazed at how many

people drop coins into the bucket at Christmas!

After stumbling on my breakfast room chairs,

I decided to hang them and place a Santa and bear on them!

Finding a place to hang a snowman wherever I can, on the edge of my kitchen door.

My son gave me these beautiful snowman spoons for Christmas two years ago.

I decided I need to show them off this year!

This poor Christmas tree had seen its day, but I decided to keep using it.

I decided to place my handmade "antique looking"

Santa's in the places where the limbs were missing.

You could never tell there was a problem with the tree! Using an old ironing board to show our Family Village!

This is a great project ... all you need is scrap wood, paint and someone to cut the wood for you!

I picked up the gumdrop trees and the village people at the dollar store.

This was really a fun tree. I ran slinky's all through it and

then I let red and blue cable lights start at the top and fall where they may.

A very dear friend made me this throw! It stays here all year long!

This Christmas tree holds all of the ornaments that my grandmother gave me.

Bear, our helper is ready to go!

Our Favorite Nativity!