The Christmas Tree version 2014

Hello Readers!

Today we're going to go off track a bit and take a look at my Christmas Tree instead of looking at art projects.  I finished putting ornaments on the tree when I got up this morning. It's been standing in the livingroom for two days, naked of all but its lights. The lights never come off the tree. Whoever came up with the idea to make fake tree with lights already attached, was a genius! 

This poor old tree is headed into its 8th Christmas. 

Every year I add a few ornaments to the collection and most years I retire one or two. Retirement only happens when an ornament just can't survive another year.

I like the tree to be chaotic and fully covered with ornaments. This little ceramic boot is my favorite ornament on the tree. There are a good mix of handmade and store bought ornaments. The ceramic pig off to the right in the photo above is another of my favorites. There's an inchie cube to the left of the boot that one of my art friends made. I'd have to go look at it to tell you who that might have been...There are quite a few ornaments on my tree made by others.

If you click on the pictures they will get a bit bigger. The purple spikey ball aka Polish Star was made by me. The crocheted star with the purple gem was made by an art friend.

There's a big brass bell that has been on my tree every year for the last 30 years or so. The paper star was made by an art friend. The bells are as old as I am. Ma tells me they've been around since I was a little kid. I've had them for a few years now.

There are two circus lion ornaments on the tree; one for each of my sons. That red thing is a little cloth stocking.

I made both of these. The red and white one was made from a letter I wrote to someone. What I had to say in that letter didn't need to be seen by any other eyes than my own. I had said what I needed to get off my chest but I wasn't prepared to throw those words away because they still mean a great deal to me and I still feel the way I felt when I wrote all those pages! So I cut them into 2 inch squares and made a flower ball ornament.  

The blue one is a Polish Star made from security envelopes.

There are a lot of birds on my tree. This pheasant isn't really an ornament, but he has sat on the tree for at least four or five years. He goes nicely with all the other birds. That pink and clear glass beaded ornament was made by an art friend. The candy cane is another ornament from my childhood. There are a couple of these chenille candy canes on the tree.

Another flower ball to the left of the cardinal bird. Gold poinsettia leaves fill in a bare spot. The red flower thing with a gold bell is really a package decoration but I have put them to use as ornaments. There are four or five of these fastened to the branches here and there. There's another inchie cube above the pink flower ball that was made by an art friend. 

Another little bird. This one is a carved wooden bird. He just sits among the branches. The red thing in the middle of the picture is a button butterfly that you will see better shortly. The eggnog ornament is one Ma gave me a few years back. There's another inchie cube; this one made by me. 

There's an inchie cube, a polish star, a flower ball and an origami crane folded out of cellophane on the lefthand side of the picture. That green blob just right of center is a little wooden bird.

More polish stars and a flower ball along with a teddybear and a drum ornament. 

A polish star made from phone book pages, a ceramic bird and a ceramic angel.

There's a flower ball, a beaded cross, an origami tree made by an art friend, and a felt snowman. If you look real close you can see me taking the picture in silver ball. 

More polish stars, a crocheted copperwire medallion, an inchie cube and that pink flower ball again.

Some of the polish stars are big and some are small. There's a paper mache heart, a wooden santas and some plastic candy canes.

The white stars are a paper garland I made a few years ago. There are several of the little trains on the tree. All different from one another. There's another polish star, pink this time.  I have no color scheme on my tree! None at all!

Here's the button butterfly ornament. There is a white one somewhere on the tree. Not sure I got a picture of it.

Gold crocheted star made my an art friend. Felt snowman made by me. And a wooden santa ornament that has been hanging out my tree for quite some time!

A catnip ornament, a wooden rocking horse and two acrylic candy pieces. I have no idea what that purple thing above is. I think it is the light reflecting off something. I don't recall putting anything purple on the tree. Not that color of purple anyway. 

Alright. I take that back. There is this purple bird I put in the branches. The gold stuff beneath him is poinsettia leaves.  

And here's the angel atop the tree.

In the dark, lights shinning off the windows in the china hutch. 

I am pleased with the result!

Thanks for taking a look!

Remember 

be good to one another!

It matters to us all!

Peace

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