Favorite Decorations - go tell your stories..

Do you have favorite decorations? What makes them favorites? Does anyone know this besides yourself? Have you written any of this down? Although I think that my children know which holiday decorations I cherish most, I wonder if they really know it. This year before I put away the decorations, I'll be taking some pictures of heirlooms, favorites, and just some things whose story should be passed down to the next generation.

I love this cross-stiched Santa. I made him so-o-o many years ago. I think the pattern would have created a picture twice this size, I did it my way and made the crosses very tiny - his coat almost looks like velvet!
I love this bell. The idea came out of a parchment paper book that I purchased in Chicago on the Million Dollar Mile! The street has a real name, but it escapes me right now. And although I've not made any of the parchment paper crafts, they seem to have translated well to fabric..
I love these angels. They were among some of the last things my mom gave me before she passed away. These angels belonged to my grandmother. Their dresses are made of velvet and satin. Gold trims bedeck their edges. My grandmother cherished these and now I can too.
And this.. well it was such a surprise when I first saw this. Bernina chose my quilt to use as a media piece when they introduced the Bernina artista 200 sewing and embroidery machine. Then they found someone to make a picture of the quilt into an ornament. I have two other ornaments depicting my quilts, but the first one is my most favorite!

This year, take time to enjoy your decorations and remembering the stories behind them. Those stories are what make them really special anyway. What are your stories? Tell them.

Christmas Traditions - What are yours?

Traditions are a big part of the Christmas Season. I find that as I get older that they mean more and more. They a bit of permanence in this hectic world. They are a soothing ritual. They are a way to connect with those who are not with us anymore.

In this photo:
a lace table runner from my godmother
an old family photo of my grandparents
and a Schwibbogen.

I am of German descent so we partake in lots of German traditions. We have St. Nikolaus day on December 6, the Christkind comes on December 24, and we have lots of European delights. So just what is a Schwibbogen? As taken from Wikipedia:

Schwibbogen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

A typical Schwibbogen

A Schwibbogen is a decorative candle-holder from the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) region of Saxony, Germany.

The first metal Schwibbogen was made in 1740 by the blacksmith Teller in Johanngeorgenstadt, a town in the west of the mountain range. The next candle arches always consisted of black ore. There were made out of one single forged piece and could be painted. The number of candles varies with the size of the arc. The original one featured 11.

The most famous design was created by Paula Jordan in 1937 for a show in Schwarzenberg. It depicted the 3 main sources of income of the people in the region in the 18th and 19th century. Thus the Schwibbogen showed apart from some traditional symbols; 2 miners, 1 wood carver, a bobbin lace maker, a Christmas Tree, 2 miner's hammers, 2 crossed swords, and an angel. It holds 7 candles. Contrary to popular belief the candle holder was always associated with Christmas. The light symbolizes the longing of the miners who didn't see the daylight in winter for weeks sometimes due to their long working hours below the surface. Over time the designs changed. Especially in the last few decades after the World War II the Schwibbogen has reached not only a new popularity, but has changed a lot in its looks. Now it is typically made out of wood which depicts historical or religious scenes. But there are even landscapes, skylines, advertisements ... there is almost no limit to the possibilities. What remains is the link to Christmas traditions. Especially in the Ore Mountains the windows of the houses in villages and towns feature a lit candle arc - usually with the traditional designs or at least local scenes.

The town of Seiffen is particularly noted for its production of Schwibbogen in its craft shops, usually wooden arcs now.

When do you decorate for Christmas?

So when is it that you decorate? Do you decorate? Live tree? Man-made tree?

There's a joke in our house that the pie is served in the attic after our Thankgivings' meal. It did seem that we cleaned up the dinner mess and then promptly began to decorate for Christmas. I agree. But I LOVE this holiday. (I don't love it when Hobby Lobby takes down Fourth of July and puts up Christmas though, that is tacky IMHO.)
I thought I'd share a fun advent calendar with you today. When do you know you have a collection? I ask because I think these advent calendars are multiplying. Anyway, back to this calendar.
In my past life, I traveled a lot! Not all hotel keys found their way back to the front desk ;-). So at last count I had hundreds of them. This advent calendar is made from 24 of them. I chose older family pictures for this one. One side has the picture, a ribbon and maybe an embellishment or two. The other has a poem, or Christmas story or simply some pretty paper. It was great to find the kids first visit with Santa pics...

Basic instructions: adhere a picture to the front, adhere something to the back. Add a number. Add some embellishments. Use a Crop-a-dile to punch a hole in the top. Tie a ribbon through the top. Find a suitable ornament hanger. Find a tree. Done.

Be Creative!

Thanksgivings.. and the winner is.

Here's a not so recent picture of a Thanksgivings tablescape. Old house, taken a couple of years ago. But it's my favorite tablecloth. Made of rectangles cut from a large variety of fabrics. Serged together and then backed and finished off with a binding. White plates Wedgwood; turkey salad plates Spode; Mikasa crystal, WMF silver; Silver wines from ebay!; Silver candlesticks from TJMaxx; silver mint julep cups - Huntsville Al -?? Charlotte knows the name of the store.

And on the what you are really waiting on: From the twelve posts labeled Christmas Countdown, Random.org chose:
And on that day there were 3 posts;

And the second post that day was Caroline!

Caroline said...

My absolute favorite is the nutcracker! He is so adorable!!!!

November 20, 2009 6:28 PM

Congratulations Caroline, email me with your address and I will mail the Printed Treasures printable fabric. You are going to love it!

Be Creative!

Happy Thanksgivings all y'all!

May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump.

May your potatoes 'n gravy have nary a lump.

May your yams be delicious, may your pies take a prize,

May your Thanksgivings dinner stay off of your thighs!

Check in on Sunday to see who won the package of Printed Treasures printable fabric!

Christmas Countdown - Day 12 - Believe

I love banners. They proclaim! They announce! They are festive. Believe. Christ in Christmas, the season, Love. I believe in them all. Although this banner is made form paper, it's easy to translate to fabric and fiber. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
I love adding small details to the die cuts to bring them to life.
Brads come in so many different colors and textures - try some.
Not all letters have to be letters. Doesn't the stocking make a perfect 'L'?
Decorative buttons can be used on other items besides just fabric!
Tiny lights adorn the letter E and a bell hangs from the bottom.
Two holly leaves form a V.

Santa's hat rests on the last E...This is a little quilt that hung in the boy's bathroom - just a reminder that if Mom believes, so does everyone else!!

Be Creative!

Christmas Countdown Day 11 - Door Danglers

I created these door danglers for Creative Machine Embroidery Magazine it seems like eons ago. I use them every Christmas and have them on all the doors of our home. The motifs are embroidered by machine, but any of these could just as easily be translated to paper. Just be sure to have a sturdy chipboard backing on them so they withstand the daily use. Santa and lots of different ribbons and gold bells... it sounds so festive.
Instead of Santa, this one sports the word Joy. It was soo much fun to find all the ribbons.
This jolly snowman was embroidered on green velvet, sewn into a star shape and then the cording was sewn on. Click for a close up- the simple white cording available in the notions department of your local sewing store was embellished with a simple machine stitch. Bells from Bernina Sewing Studio in Lubbock.
Purchased tassels hang from the bottom center of the star.

This is probably my favorite. Santa, antique bells, red ribbon and a beige tassel. Once again a machine embellished cording.

Be Creative!