Decorations - Our Beautiful World

Last weekend HWNSNBP brought down the tree, brought in the rocks for the "tree skirt", and we had our annual frustration with the lights, but the tree was set up by late Sunday afternoon.  I prefer to decorate the tree in the daylight hours and working all day and not getting home until just before dusk meant that the actual "trimming" of the tree was done today.  

Can you see the rocks around the base?  HWNSNBP brings them in by the bucket, washes them off in the downstairs shower, and when dry, places them around the tree stand.

We have lots of ornaments accumulated over the years.  And a lot of them are handmade.  I thought I'd show a few handmade ones.

HWNSNBP and I started making tree ornaments together before we got married.  Back then they were the kits you picked up that consisted of a ball or other shape, beads and/or pearls, some trims, and tiny straight pins.  There are a pair of these boots with our initials on them and a dozen or more other various ornaments of this type.  Not all of them go on the tree these days, but when they do, they're usually the ones that get put "into" the center of the tree to be illuminated by the lights.

I moved on to painted ornaments.  This egg Santa was one of the first I tried my hand at.  

And then there were some sewn ones. 

These little felt bears were fun.  We have a set for the family.  The blue-vested one is my son's and the one dressed in lace my daughter's. 

These trains I made from two different types of clothes pins.  HWNSNBP would cut the wood for me and I did the assembly and painting.  We used to go on a Santa Train Ride with the neighborhood families when the kids were little and I had made these for all the families that year.

And with practice over the years my painting got a little more polished.  I adapted a nativity set pattern to create this holy family ornament. 

And found a pattern for this heart-shaped one. 

In 2001, after 9/11 I took part in the "Angel Project".  A craft magazine (which I've forgotten the name of) organized a collection of angel-themed ornaments to be distributed to the families of those lost that day and to the many first-responders.  This ornament was adapted from a decoration designed by my good friend (and painting teacher) Linda K.  I put together kits and had several gatherings of friends and families to make lots of these.  One friend had me come to her classroom to help her students make them, and another friend got her company to pay the postage on the box of finished ornaments that were shipped out.

I happened to be doing a long-term subbing assignment right around the holidays that year in a Kindergarten class and this is the ornament that I did with them to commemorate that year.

A couple more painted ones using various wooden pieces and parts. 

This one uses those wooden tongue-depressors and popsicle sticks.

I added the face and hat to these glittered tree light ornaments.

And last year, these were the bottlecap snowmen that I put together for the staff at work.

There are so many memories on the tree - some store bought and some handmade and each time I put an ornament on the tree those memories become so very real.

I'm sharing my decorations at Our Beautiful World this week.  I can't wait to see what has been shared from around the world.  Won't you come along and have a look too?