Made and Found

Origami Diamond Ornaments by How About Orange

I've said before that I when it comes to Christmas decorations I prefer more natural wintery things, but I do also love when Christmas isn't all about red and green, and Santa's and such. So if you also take a liking to the more fanciful candy colored ornaments and decor this post is for you. 

Here are some great Christmas decorations that give you the ability to embrace all different colors and really mix it up...

Make: handmade ornaments

So I am sure it comes as no surprise that we are kind of the 'make your own ornaments' type of ladies. I wanted to share some of our little tree treasures from years past.

Featured above: glittery pipe cleaner monograms, knitted acorn (by Catherine) and probably my favorite sentimental DIY ornament of all, a sprig of my first Christmas tree with Ben (it's totally a fire hazard so we have to be very careful with the placement)...

Christmas time is here...

We wish you and yours all a Merry Christmas and hope you'll tune in for all of our amazing post-Christmas crafty present reveals. As a contribution to the spirit of lights and whimsy of the season here is a brief look at my tree...

Strange Porpoise compliments of Christine a couple years ago.

Hand knit ornament compliments of me a couple years ago.

Strange sloth-bear ornament, it's a pair with the porpoise... they're friends. Friends to the end.

Christmas Pickle, whoever finds it on the tree gets good luck for the coming year.
Christine found it this year... and the governor's goose too!

My homage to spring in winter.

They like to stay close on the tree. I respect their wishes.

This is a sprig of the first Christmas Tree Ben and I had together, I made it in to an ornament (how sweet of me).
Notice the vintage moon ornament in the background...it noticed you.

Merry Christmas!

new ornaments!

I decorated my Christmas tree last night, an exceedingly noble Noble Fir, and I was quite excited to break out a few of the ornaments I'd found at estate sales this year. I've been keeping them in this World's Greatest Dad Garfield mug box. I have proof!

Yep. 

Here are a few of the treasures I was so tickled to place on my tree. 

old nuts. yeah, I said it. 

nativity scene made in Spain.

cowboy from Italy

sweet birdhouse from West Germany

And the cutest: bunnies in walnut shells from Italy!!! 

These might actually be for an Easter tree (see the colored eggs?), but they're down for Christmas this year. Aren't they super-cute? It looks like they're best friends sharing a secret!

simple silhouettes

Last year, I sent a Christmas ornament care package to the sisters. It contained, in part, a set of Nature-themed paper silhouette ornaments. I decided to make some for myself this year, and it only seemed natural to document the process. It's really simple and the result, in white paper, is quite elegant.

Let's get started!

gather supplies

trace or draw silhouettes

cut

admire

gently roll

gently feed

gently arrange

hang and enjoy!

Here are last year's paper silhouette ornaments, 

and here's Matilda approving of the finished product, as she must.
We'd love to know how yours turn out--leave us a comment with a link to your own ornaments!

yarn bombs

I am sick again. Again! But being sick did allow for a couple days of lying in bed (and on the couch), situations which, for me, often lead to crafting. So on the plus side, I got a little glass ornamenting accomplished. And really, what could be simpler? Vibrant-hued yarn (a little too scratchy for a scarf), shoved right inside an empty glass ball. Fun and festive.

A little yarn explosion of your very own.

But be careful when shoving yarn inside your ornaments.

Sometimes there are sharp bits along the rim of the opening, and then stuff like this happens.

And you end up pulling glass shards from your index finger. Not cool, ornament, not cool.

Matilda approves!

Matilda had to check out the ornament project--because I forced her! I'm always like: look at this. Do it! In my defense, there's no one else in the apartment to look at anything, and I always fulfill Matilda's look at this requests. We have a nice symbiosis going.

No time for anything else today because it's the day of Mom's birthday party! Here's a little secret just for you: we're flying Monika in from California. That's right: it's a surprise guest!

More on all the party details later...