Monday, December 10, 2012

Gale's Gallery: Christmas 2012, Part One

Greetings!  I apologize for the gap between posts, but I am sure you all are just as busy as me, if not, more so!  I have been trying to take photos for this for several days, but here in Ohio we are practically living in 24 hours of darkness.  I like natural light for photos, but gave up the wait.

This year I've streamlined many of our traditional activities and I don't think it's even going to be noticeable.  Taylor and I decorated one real tree, I put my mini-tree on the dining room table, put out my Nativity, probably no baking and shopping was mostly online.

I do have some crafts I'd like to share.  Mostly mine, but this time I am "borrowing" some other ideas as well that I like.  Please look in the index for holiday posts and ideas from last year too!

CRANBERRY WREATH:
This might be something "anyone can do" but it took me several years to get around to finishing it!  Not hard, but time consuming (and a bit painful.)  The complete directions for the "original" wreath are available at marthastewart.com.


Basically, you wind red binding around a floral styrofoam wreath.  Then paint tiny nail heads (pins are too small) with red nail polish (pun intended.)  This is easier if you poke them into scrap styrofoam and do a bunch at once.  Martha used glass beads of different sizes for texture.  Not only were faceted glass beads hard to find, but expensive and heavy!  So, I used three sizes of plastic ones and it still looks nice.

Next you slide a bead over the nail and push it through the binding into the wreath.  This is the part that hurts.  Maybe a little hammer would work better.  You just keep filling in (the back is flat and just covered with the binding.)  In 7 or 8 years, viola!  I had a wreath!

I wanted to do something different than cards this year, so I made a few paper stockings instead.

This is the year of shortcuts, so I used a Sizzix stocking die and cut them out of scrapbook paper.  Just added a candy cane with ribbon.  My glue pen wasn't holding, so I used colored staples.  I've been kinda disappointed in the Martha Stewart Craft adhesives.  The tape runner has giving me problems too.   BTW, that tiny tree is a mainstay at our house.  It's a Hallmark miniature from the 90s.  The first thing up and the last down.

Another tradition is running over to West Liberty, OH for a Marie's Candy run.  It's in an old train station and is always decorated like Santa's Workshop (well I guess not always.  It's cute at Easter also.)  I love the peppermint chews, but I only get 1/4 pound as they are gone by the time I get home!  Audra loves the chocolate and carmel coated pretzels.

They do a lovely job of wrapping the boxes of candy so they are "eye candy" as well under the tree.   As we were leaving we saw a candy train station.  I had Taylor take a pic with his ipod.

Really cute!  You can order online at mariescandies.com  (not the this, but the candy!)





Well, it's getting late.  I am planning to have another Gallery or two, plus a humor post this week.  When we get to the 10,000th hit, I will post some photos and write about my Hollywood years.

Until then, 
Gale

2 comments:

  1. Very nice Gale. You always do such cute things. It has been almost like dark all day here recently too.
    Cher Sunray Gardens
    Goldenray Yorkie Puppies

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