The decorated band on it shall be of the same workmanship and materials, of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen. Exodus 28:8
The past two weeks have been filled with final projects and exams, ending this semester of school for me. I haven't had much time to think about Christmas beyond my work at the church. This weekend I decided it was finally time to do a little decorating. I am almost always a late decorator....if any decorating gets done at all. Kevin and I don't host family or friends during the holidays, so if we decorate, it's really just for us. And, of course, our decorations have to be kitty-proof, too.
I have a lot of Christmas ornaments, miniature houses, and other trimmings. It's all a conglomeration of inherited things, pieces from when I worked at a Hallmark store, and gifts received over the years. Each year, I try to do something a little different. I don't have the room (or time) to bring all of it out at once, so I try to rotate things from year to year. It's also nice to add something new to the mix, as well. This year that was more of a challenge because I couldn't buy anything new.
I really like rustic, folk art, handmade kinds of things. With that in mind, I set out to create a garland. I was thinking about the simple paper chain garlands that children make. I wanted to make one out of fabric, so that it could be used more than once. I found some small squares of fabric from a project I had started years ago. I pulled out anything that looked remotely like Christmas...reds, greens, blues. I cut the squares in half, then folded those piece in half and made a small seam. I turned the pieces inside out and laid one end over the other and sewed the ends together to make a loop. The garland wasn't going to be long enough with the squares I had, so I raided my fabric stash again and cut more squares. I made the garland long enough to hang across the windows in our den.
To add to this homemade feel, I also hung a Christmas Tree designed to hang on a door. I made this last year from some upholstery fabric and based on an idea I'd seen of little table top trees. On my tree, I added some buttons so I can hang some ornaments. This tree works great for us because the cats won't mess with it, and I can put out some of my favorite ornaments.
I found some stockings I made more than a decade ago (also with scrap fabrics). These helped to pull the whole theme together. It all works well in our wood-paneled den.
Truth be told, we could celebrate Christmas without any decorations, but opening the boxes each year opens a flood of memories of Christmases past. It's a sweet reminder of the innocence of childhood, of laughter once shared, and of family and friends held dear. The tattered old ornaments I've packed and unpacked for 20 years or more are worth more to me than any cookie cutter baubles I could buy at the nearest discount store.
Box of standard glass Christmas ornaments--$10.
Trip down memory lane--priceless.
The past two weeks have been filled with final projects and exams, ending this semester of school for me. I haven't had much time to think about Christmas beyond my work at the church. This weekend I decided it was finally time to do a little decorating. I am almost always a late decorator....if any decorating gets done at all. Kevin and I don't host family or friends during the holidays, so if we decorate, it's really just for us. And, of course, our decorations have to be kitty-proof, too.
I have a lot of Christmas ornaments, miniature houses, and other trimmings. It's all a conglomeration of inherited things, pieces from when I worked at a Hallmark store, and gifts received over the years. Each year, I try to do something a little different. I don't have the room (or time) to bring all of it out at once, so I try to rotate things from year to year. It's also nice to add something new to the mix, as well. This year that was more of a challenge because I couldn't buy anything new.
I really like rustic, folk art, handmade kinds of things. With that in mind, I set out to create a garland. I was thinking about the simple paper chain garlands that children make. I wanted to make one out of fabric, so that it could be used more than once. I found some small squares of fabric from a project I had started years ago. I pulled out anything that looked remotely like Christmas...reds, greens, blues. I cut the squares in half, then folded those piece in half and made a small seam. I turned the pieces inside out and laid one end over the other and sewed the ends together to make a loop. The garland wasn't going to be long enough with the squares I had, so I raided my fabric stash again and cut more squares. I made the garland long enough to hang across the windows in our den.
To add to this homemade feel, I also hung a Christmas Tree designed to hang on a door. I made this last year from some upholstery fabric and based on an idea I'd seen of little table top trees. On my tree, I added some buttons so I can hang some ornaments. This tree works great for us because the cats won't mess with it, and I can put out some of my favorite ornaments.
I found some stockings I made more than a decade ago (also with scrap fabrics). These helped to pull the whole theme together. It all works well in our wood-paneled den.
Truth be told, we could celebrate Christmas without any decorations, but opening the boxes each year opens a flood of memories of Christmases past. It's a sweet reminder of the innocence of childhood, of laughter once shared, and of family and friends held dear. The tattered old ornaments I've packed and unpacked for 20 years or more are worth more to me than any cookie cutter baubles I could buy at the nearest discount store.
Box of standard glass Christmas ornaments--$10.
Trip down memory lane--priceless.