Tour of Trees 2010

I've been winding down the transactions in the wee little business shop this past week.  All inventory is either down at Ceramic Dreams in Broad Ripple or on Etsy.  It is that time of year, time to sew not a thing.  Until next week, when I get an itch. 

This weekend I finished up a few personal gifts in the sewing room.  Well, except for the bag that I made for my mom, that I made in the wrong style.  Right colors wrong bag entirely, didn't even realize it until it was completely done.  So, I guess that counts for a personal handmade gift that was completed this weekend, it's just that it won't be given to my mom who specifically chose a hobo bag and not a messenger bag.  Good thing my mom's birthday is in January.  Because it might take me until her birthday to get it right. 

In other small increments of creative time around the house we have been working on the tour of trees here at our end of the cul-de-sac.  Let me start by saying I still consider our family a one big tree type of family.  I'm not that Martha that has 9 beautifully decorated trees in every room.  The whole multiple tree idea has been their idea.

Tree hugger #1 Ava at Tree Lighting Downtown 2010

Tree hugger #2 Olivia wishing world peace and power to the people at preschool performance 2010

 This is Ava's tree.  Fiber Optic of course, for the technologically advanced 8 year old.  

 

Next is Liv's tree.  You may or may not have noticed that the trees do have some ornaments but they are neither matching nor equally spaced.  This is because these trees have been 100% styled by their owners.  With no help from their mother.  Excellent work my dears.  I'm sure Neiman Marcus will be calling soon.

Now, the big tree.  This is a delightful mixture of vintage preschool art and these fabulous brightly colored shatterproof balls in every shade of pink, purple, blue and teal, red and green that I found at Target and simply HAD TO HAVE even though we already have about 6,000 Christmas ornaments.  That's the thing about drinking the Target kool-aid, they have this knack for making you covet crap you don't really need but buy anyway and then come home doing a happy dance because you are so flipping happy with your non-that-needed purchase.  Seriously, those big brightly colored balls have been making me happy everyday for the last 3 weeks.   I even saved the clear plastic package to see if I could pack them away, the same way they came to me they were that darn pretty.  

Finally, last stop on the tour.  This is what it looks like when you enter my house. 

Notice the good luck Chinese Christmas kitty?  Sitting under the Santa? And the Christmas Chinese dragon nutcracker.  What international prowess my children have brought with them to the cul-de-sac.  I fear there is an ancient Chinese biological great-grandmother rolling over in her grave, may she know we were only searching to coordinate reds and greens with gold.  It is no statement of intentional mixing of heritages here. 

One more thing.  I'm sharing this because it is one more tid bit I have discovered in my newly found state of domesticity.  I now completely understand why my new cranberry velvet pillows are always dirty.

Dog snot.

Merry Christmas from Our Tour of Trees To Yours.  Would it be tacky to consider this your Holiday Card?