Handmade Christmas Decorations

My house is ready to embrace Christmas visitors. I've made room, by relocating all the Fall decorations to a closet until Fall of 2014 and dragging out all the Christmas decorations from their hiding places and setting them up in places of honor for this season.

The one new  embellishment I made for this year is the wreath on my front door. I had seen one like it at a shop and knew I had all the materials in my stash. I went home from my outing in the country and put together this wreath in a flash where it hangs proudly on my front door waiting to greet holiday visitors.

I set out a grapevine tree, which I made years ago. It's a table top tree. I scrunched up a couple vintage lace doilies on the table to resemble snow, then set the tree on top of the lace "snow". Also, standing knee deep in snow are a few snow people - standing guard over the tree.

I have two grapevine trees, each in a matching pot, standing guard over the front entry of my house.

These grapevine trees are a joy to make in the Fall. I wrap wild grapevine round and round a tomato cage 'til I'm happy with how it looks. I may have to secure some bits of the grapevine to the tomato cage with bits of florist wire (to secure the vine to the base structure). Once done, these trees can be used over and over again ad infinitum. I have mine all twirled with tiny white lights, which I normally just leave on when I store the trees at the end of the season. I cover the whole enchilada with a giant garbage bag - and into storage it goes until next Christmas season.

There are millions of spots near where I live to access wild grapevine. I usually bring my pruning shears when I'm on the hunt. I toss huge, long strings of vine into the trunk of my car. I leave the vines outdoors until I'm ready the make the trees. I make them outdoors too because the process produces a huge mess of dried leaves (which just get mixed in with the leaves that have fallen off the trees in my garden and eventually raked up and dragged to the curbside for the town to collect and dispose of).

One little important note: if you intend to make grapevine trees and don't get to it right away, remove the leaves clinging to the vine, twirl the vine into circles and put in a tub of water - leave this outdoors - the water will keep the vines nice and supple so you can wrap them around the tomato cage - otherwise they will dry out - become brittle and difficult to wrap around the cage - this lesson was learned the usual hard way.


These three little trees, I made last year. They are cupcake paper liners trees. Made by removing the flat bottom of decorative cupcake liners. The pleated sides of the liners are then wrapped, layer over layer, around styrofoam "trees" and attached to the form with straight pins. On the very top of the "tree" fit a tiny cone made with a scrap from the discarded cupcake paper bottoms. I have mine displayed atop a spool of pink crochet cotton "tree trunk".

Christmas time - my favorite time of year. "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift"   11 Cor.9:15

Live Nativity

This is Sean. He's about 10 years old in this picture. He has the faculty of always keeping me in stitches by his hysterically funny observations about life. He is one of the main reasons why grandparenting is so much more fun than parenting.

It was at this time of year, when he was about 3 1/2 years old, that he and I had a date to see an outdoor presentation of what happened on Christmas night 2000 plus years ago.

For our neck of the woods, it was an unseasonably mild night. But, always the cautious parent, his mama dressed him up real warm. Warm coat, wooly hat and mittens, and leggings (ski pants). I suspected he might be a tad warm in this get-up since it was about 50 degrees outdoors. As we were driving to the spot where the presentation was to take place, I warned him that he might feel too warm and that he might see other children dressed in much fewer layers of clothing. I asked him if he wanted me to remove his leggings. "Oh no, Gramma", he replied. "I have to wear my leggings, otherwise I may get a leg infection".

It was quite difficult for me to contain my giggles. It took me a few minutes to figure out his rationale for the "leg infections" but somewhere his little ears must have heard that old adage that, to avoid ear infections you must wear a warm hat(ears covered). His reasoning - same must go for legs - cover 'em up or you may get a leg infection !!!

I have hid this little story in my heart for many years. Sean has filled my heart with with his observations and I treasure each one he has shared with me. I keep them in a little journal exclusively for that purpose - just stories told to me by my grandchildren.

I should have done the same with my children but I guess I was too busy raising them, living life, being young...........

My grandchildren journal is a special delight. I'll share some of its treasures with you from time to time.