Christmas Notebook

At the end of last week, I worked on making twelve boxes for Chistmas card shadow boxes.

I managed to embellish one of those before setting the project aside for the weekend.

I know size is hard to figure out in pictures. This box is about 5″ wide by 3″ tall (not counting the hanger), and 1″ deep.

If you are interested in making Christmas card shadow boxes, here’s the link to my tutorial. Feel free to ask if you have any questions about the process. I’m happy to help.

Making shadow boxes from Christmas cards.

Genny came down for the weekend and we picked up with decorating again. I washed the prisms for the glass tree. All the ornaments on this tree are made of glass, mostly clear glass. I like spun glass ornaments the best, but I also have lampwork ornaments, molded glass ornemants, and more that 150 chandelier prisms, as well as chandelier chains as the garland on the tree.

We finished the glass tree (my favorite!) with DH’s help on the high part. The tree sits on a two foot high wooden box and the box has an eight inch high “box” on it to give the tree a little more lift. It’s a 7.5′ tree, but the ceilings are 12′ tall, so we put it on the box to give it more oomph.

Genny and I put stars up on the arch over the bay where the glass tree sits. These gold stars were on the Three Kings Tree but, since we didn’t put that one up this year, we are using the stars on the arch. Check out that 150 year old, walnut woodwork. We have lived here for twenty years, but this house continues to amaze me.

This is the Three Kings Tree, as we used to set it up. This year, because we aren’t decorating the upstairs, we didn’t put up this tree. We put the “Glass” tree where the Nativity used to be (in the bay). We used a smaller tree for nativity ornaments on the desk in the music room. And the Bubble Light Tree that is usually on that desk is set up in in the front window in the library (where the glass tree also is). Got that??

Where the Three Kings tree used to be, we put the green cupboard that houses our games and puzzles. We had to move it there when we put the Bubble Light Tree in the front window.

Anyhoo…DH did another high job for me. He put lights around the 12′ ceiling in the music room. We are so thankful for our Little Giant ladder! It is wonderfully secure while reaching high places. That’s unsolicited praise! No affiliation with Little Giant. It’s just a great, great ladder!

While Genny put vintage ornaments on the laundry room tree, I wrapped my “favorite gifts.”

Genny also put Frosty and his laundry on the dryer door.

Some of my friends in other parts of the country had their first snows of the season this week. Thankfully, we are still enjoying fall here!

Friday we even opened the windows for a bit. Ski, Winston and Clark enjoyed that! Ski continued to chill in front of the open window, but Winston and Clark watched intently as DH adjusted my TV in the craft room for me.

You can see five of my ten boxes of Christmas cards in the above picture. And boxes of embellishments sorted by color. I’m always looking for more cards, if anyone has some to give away!

I’ve made 25 kinds of cookies and candies in the past few months. All in the freezer waiting for the party! I have two more cookie recipes to bake. Then I have seven goodies left to make, but they are things that have to wait until closer to the party. We have ten trees decorated and four to go. Well down from the twenty-two trees we usually have. But not decorating the upstairs is the best option for us this year, so that has cut our tree decorating down quite a bit!

Back to work! I’ll check in again soon!

~~Rhonda