Decorating

Since the days leading up to Valentines Day are some of my busiest of the year, I tend to look for very simple, easy ways to add hearts to my decor!

Two sweet and easy tutorials were safely tucked away in my bookmark files and a third happened quite by accident!

Yarn wrapped wreaths have always appealed to my eyes! Danielle shares this great tutorial for making a yarn wrapped wreath on her blog Take Heart. And since I had just found a straw wreath at the thrift for $.50 and already had lots of red yarn in my stash, I spent some TV time wrapping!

  Danielle's tutorial includes the technique for making lovely little felt roses. Her roses are simple and quick but since I needed even more "simple and quick" - I cut lengths of red and cream yarn and added an easy peasy bow.

I am loving how this balsa wood heart turned out! A very, very simple to make heart - made from balsa wood which is available in almost any craft store - already cut to size!

Kate - the clever designer of this heart - shares her technique on Design Sponge.

I did modify the heart a bit by staining the inside surfaces with red acrylic paint (slightly diluted) and attaching a little heart shaped mordiford.

(Tutorial for making a mordiford or wheat weaving).

See Diane's beautiful heart shaped mordifords here!

You might remember that my friend Gill sent me a supply of Bastelspan (also known as Spön or hobby chip) from Norway last spring. Spön is very thin shavings from what I am pretty certain is Ash - a tree found all over northern Europe.

The idea came to me that I could duplicate Kate's balsa heart using some of my Spön. But it just didn't translate well in the smaller, thinner material.

It kills me to waste even one inch of my precious supply, so I carefully cut the failed heart apart to save all the portions that were not hot glued together.

Turning to inspiration found on the Magic Onion to make a simple heart from recycled paper, I decided to experiment! Will wet Spön and hot glue form a good and lasting bond?

Happily - they do! I was actually surprised. However, the join must be firmly held in place with a paper clip until the wood completely dries out - that would be overnight.

So really no faster than good old Elmers glue.

Thanks to Danielle, and Kate, and Donni, I am ready for Valentines! How about you?

We have made it! The darkest days of winter are behind us!

The mid-way point between the winter solstice and spring equinox will be celebrated by many in the northern hemisphere tomorrow - on February 2nd.

This truly special day, known as Ground Hog Day, Candlemas, Imbolc, Brigid's Day or mid-winter has been marked with special celebrations and traditions since ancient times. At the end of the post you can find links that will enlighten you further as to the history and customs.

I am indebted to blogger Denise - "mom in madison" - for first introducing me to the celebrations and mystery of February 2nd, which up until that time I had dismissed as Ground Hog Day - ho hum.

She set me on a path of discovery resulting in lovely traditions now firmly planted in my celebration calendar! I am sharing my celebrations here with the hope that many of you will be inspired to find your own ways to mark this very significant "quarter day" of the earth's yearly journey around the sun.

By planting a pot of Paperwhite bulbs sometime near the winter solstice, I begin my celebration in anticipation of the open blossoms in the top image. This picture was taken about mid-January to mark their progress. Right on cue - tiny white flower buds began opening yesterday!

First thing in the morning, coffee in hand, I search the garden looking for signs of spring. Look what I found hidden under the ferns! Helebore buds!

Image by the Pickled Herring

Then back inside to a warm kitchen to prepare pancakes - grain foods are traditionally eaten to mark this day. Since ancient times, farmers have considered this day as the proper time to begin preparing the fields for spring sowing.

This year - Swedish Pancakes with Lingonberries - the recipe here on the Pickled Herring.

I have been making a Brigid Cross every year, but now that I have three displayed all year long on my walls, I will simply take time to thank Brigid, the goddess of creative inspiration and fertility by placing a small sprig of lavender on her crosses. (Yes, the French Lavender in my garden is still green!)

My burlap table runner interwoven with wheat shafts is laid out on the dining table and white candles are placed in a wire wreath.

Then out to the garden to clip branches from plants that remain green all winter: rosemary, ivy, holly and grape ivy. These are added to the wreath as a reminder that in a few short weeks now, the first signs of spring will begin emerging from winter beds.

(Instructions for making the large candle here.)

Since they must be started very early, Iceland Poppies are planted in peat pots. And dreaming of the summer garden begins in earnest!

Fire and water are important elemental symbols to be included in celebrating "mid-winter".

Fire represents the sun already making it's way northward on it's return to the northern hemisphere, and water represents purification and renewal which originated with ancient holy wells named for Brigid.

My little garden pond is dedicated to Brigid and at dusk, candles are floated on the surface and lit in her honor.

And then at dark, all candles in the house are lit. This is the only day of the year I light the candle sconce I made from tin cans (and dedicated to Brigid).

Although for some this day traditionally marks the beginning of "spring house cleaning", at my house that "tradition" is delayed until early March.

February is my month to focus on thankfulness - baking over 100 dozen cookies to give to the amazing people and wedding sites who refer to us most of our wedding business - and - devoting the blog to thanking and featuring the many bloggers and online friends who have given me the gift of friendship and inspiration through the past year.

A couple short Valentine posts, and then beginning February 7th and through the rest of the month I hope you will join me to celebrate these very special people.

In the meantime here are some great links to how to find your own celebration!

My most favorite presentation of all traditions associated with Feb. 2nd.

Additional links can be found attached to these  previous posts:  Imbolc, Brigid's Day and Candlemas  and Candle Wreath for Imbolc

Cyn shares very detailed information on her post The Feast of St. Brigid on her blog My View of Reality.

And this lovely post by Georgene Lockwood - sharing how she celebrates and what she has learned about February 2nd on her blog Romancing the Everyday.

Georgene inspired me to add the Paperwhites to my celebration in this post last February!

Happy February 2nd, Imbolc, Candlemas, St. Brigid's Day, mid-winter - oh - and Ground Hog Day!

The Crafty Christmas Tree Challenge ends tomorrow! And I am sliding in just under the wire with my finished ornaments!

My plan was to show them all together on the little four foot tree I use as my year-round seasonal tree. However - that is not going to happen! During a very long phone conversation with a dear, dear friend this afternoon, my sweetie decided it was time to decorate his "Star Trek Tree"! My seasonal tree is now covered with Star Trek ornaments!

So - I am sharing the images of the ornaments taken BEFORE he got to the tree!

Meg's idea for using cookie cutters as a needle felting guide grabbed me and wouldn't let go! I decided to find out just how complicated a shape I could use! Apparently, almost any cookie cutter out there will work for Meg's amazing felting technique!

HAD to make a snowflake!

Bees wax sheets and cookie cutters pair together to make great ornaments! Cutting sheets of bees wax designed for candles using cookie cutters is a piece of cake ornament making technique! Use a needle to carefully string through a hanging loop and your ornament is ready for the tree!

These little wax ornaments are very effective for catching and scattering the light from tree lights. No matter where on the tree an ornament is placed, it will glow!

I fell in love with cutting Danish paper ornaments last year and decided I really, really needed a couple trees on on my Crafty Tree!

There is nothing to these! I simply traced a Danish pattern four times and cut.

Stitched all four together as shown with needle and thread! That is all there is to it!

I used saved copier paper - you know the sheets that blow through before beginning printing with like three words printed on them!

Simple designs work beautifully! Make one of your own, cut out four, stitch together and guaranteed, it will be love at first sight!

And if you prefer, your little trees make great  table toppers! Imagine a whole forest! O yeah - I am having a whole forest!!

And finally, I collected scraps of yarn left over from several projects completed this year, wound them into little balls and added a couple tooth picks. You might remember this tutorial from last year!

This would make a cute gift topper for knitted or crocheted gifts using yarn left from the gift.

Now to the boring old task of accounting!

Felted ornaments: Actually I had the roving. But to be fair, I am charging my bank for four 1/4 oz balls of roving from the Pendleton on line shop. Four at $1.50 each equals $6.00.

Bees wax ornaments: Found bees wax candle kits at the thrift last summer. I purchased two at $1.00 each.  I used the wick as hanging loops. Total cost $2.00. And I still have tons of bees wax left.

Danish Paper Trees: These are basically free! As I said, I used those wasted sheets of printer paper that go whizzing through my printer just before it begins printing! Why does that happen anyway?

Yarn Balls and Knitting Needles: Again, using up those little scraggly balls of yarn that are beginning to accumulate now that I have learned to knit! And I still haven't exhausted that $3.00 bag of yarn purchased at the thrift and used for the woven ornaments. So really no cost there. But I did purchase a package of fancy toothpicks - one end is carved. $2.89.

Total spent for materials for the above four projects - $10.89. Add $3.97 spent on the mirrored Yoyos and $4.24 for the woven heart, and $.25 for the gingerbread man and the sand dollar ornament and the grand total is $18.35.

Meg is posting highlights of all the entries here! Go check them out!

Image of Colonel Santa Sanders taken by Arielle for this post!

A special post created to share Christmas in Japan by Arielle.

Arielle is an American currently living with her husband in Okinawa, Japan and over this past year has become a virtual friend. She is not a blogger so it is all the more special that she made this post to share with my readers.

Me-ree  Ku-ree-soo-ma-soo from sunny Okinawa, Japan! 

As with many Asian countries, Japan is not a traditionally Christian nation and, therefore, does not celebrate the religious holiday, but rather the Hallmark holiday of santas and snowmen. 

The tiny Japanese subtropical island of Okinawa, which my wonderful husband and I have called home for the past three years, offers a glorious blend of Japanese and American culture sprinkled with the peaceful, laid-back mentality that often accompanies island life. Walking into the local 100-Yen shops (something akin to some of the nicer dollar stores Stateside,) this time of year, shoppers will find all sorts of small holiday decorations.

Gift giving at Christmastime seems to be focused mostly on children, and often takes the shape of monetary gifts presented in beautifully-detailed, festive envelopes available in most stores. 

Interestingly, Christmas is also seen as a Valentine-esque holiday here, with many couples dressing up and going out for a fancy dinner date to celebrate the season. 

Two of the traditions my hubby and I have come to associate with Okinawa Christmas are Christmas cakes and Kentucky Fried Chicken. You can order a Christmas cake from your local grocery store or bakery, and they come in an impressive array of flavors.  As presentation is such a large factor in Japanese food, each Christmas cake is a miniature work of art.  Whether you choose my personal favorite of white cake, white icing, and strawberry slices, my husband’s favorite of dark chocolate cake with layers of rich chocolate mousse and a covering of semi-sweet chocolate ganache, or a delicious Japanese cheese cake (heavy on the cheese,) you are sure to find a cake that will be visually appealing and make your taste buds happy you indulged! 

Be sure to get your order in early, and if you need a last-minute cake, the friendly staff at Baskin Robbins will help you complete your Christmas menu.  Christmas cakes are perfect for gift-giving, and you just might start a tradition of your own in sending your friends their favorite variety!

Christmas Cakes - image by Arielle

And while our counterparts back in the United States are feasting on spreads of ham or turkey, stuffing, and sweet potatoes, a “set” of Kentucky Fried Chicken is a very popular choice for Christmas dinner on Okinawa.  KFC offers an extended, extensive menu specifically for the holiday season. 

Visitors can get their photos taken with a Santa-suit clad Colonel Sanders, and order from KFC’s Premium Series, Party Barrels, or Party Packs.  Their specially-seasoned chicken is quite a departure from the yummy seafood fare readily available throughout the year, and while it’s not reserved for only Christmas dinner, it is considered a very special treat by many locals as well as “imports” like my hubby and me who enjoy a little taste of home now and again!

KFC Christmas menu by Arielle

So next holiday season, when you are stressed out of your gourd from all your holiday gift-making and baking, and just can’t face the idea of preparing a big Christmas dinner, tell your family you’re celebrating Christmas Okinawa-style.  Grab some KFC and a Christmas cake and celebrate like an islander!

Me-ree  Ku-ree-soo-ma-soo!

Christmas Barrel of Chicken by Arielle

THANK YOU ARIELLE !  I love your post!

As soon as I read Arielle's Christmas Japan style post, I wrote Diane and told her I thought the Japanese might have something here. I could easily get behind relaxing with a bucket of chicken and a decadent Christmas Cake - especially the cake!

Intel Tree in Akihabara by shinyai

Although, as Areille shares in her post, the Japanese people are on the whole not Christian and do not celebrate the religious holiday, they certainly love the idea of decorating for the holiday! AND they love their Christmas cakes! Link here to view some amazing - and beautiful - light displays and Christmas cakes that share beautifully what Christmas is all about Japanese Style! Don't miss the Darth Vader Santa!

Illumination in Tokyo by D.J. Milky

It seems that the holiday is also akin to Valentines Day in America and sweethearts invite each other out to an extravagant dinner as a way of showing their affection and devotion. Who knew?

Hello Kitty in Christmas Parade by ignites

Below are a few links to how Christmas is celebrated in Japan in case you wish to read more.

But for me, there is nothing quite so satisfying as hearing about Arielles' first hand experiences. Again, thank you Arielle.

Christmas in Japan

Christmas Celebrations in Japan

Christmas Traditions in Japan

Japanese Culture: Christmas Eve in Japan

Just finished a couple more woven ornaments for Meg's Crafty Christmas Tree Challenge.

I decided after having success with my little heart, that I would see how far I could push this! There are lots of curves and nooks and crannies associated with the shape of a gingerbread man. I am happy to be able to report that it worked perfectly!

The links to all the how-to tutorials can be found in the Woven Heart Ornament post.

Although originally intended for my "Challenge Tree" I just couldn't stand it and gave this to Diane already. You see, the pattern is a slightly shortened (to fit on the weaving) version of the very first gingerbread men I ever baked for her Christmas tree. Being a particularly humid year, all the gingerbread men fell off onto the gifts during the night!  Now she has one that will never fall off and break!

Can you believe I still have this page from McCall's Magazine? AND the cardboard pattern I cut from a cereal box?

Didn't think glueing currents on the body would be the best idea so I made a questionable  decision and glued on a couple googly eyes I happened to pick up at the thrift. But Diane loves the eyes so that is ALL that is important.

The buttons are red hots - part of the Christmas candy collection Diane and I made several years ago out of Sculpy.

HINT!  These would work very well using burlap! Think about it!

This ornament didn't work out at all. But it will still be on the tree - in the back - and then probably the garbage. I am so disappointed with it.

I chose the yarns to reflect the colors of a beaded snowflake I was intending to put on the front. But once done, it was too big and it looked more like a sea shore than a starry sky. So I glued on a sand dollar. NOT happy with this one at all. Waste of a perfectly good weaving and a sand dollar.

Anyway - onward and hopefully upward! Regarding the budget. Since I am still working on that bag of yarn from the thrift, the only expense in either of these was the googly eyes which were in a bag of eyes I picked up for $.25. So - $12.54 remaining in my budget.