Where's the Snow?

We're in Ohio over Christmas visiting with our brothers and their families.  

You would never know yesterday was the first day of winter.  

Because it poured RAIN all day and night.  

And it's raining this morning but is suppose to finally stop around noon.  

Santa faces and beards done.

The temperature has also been unseasonably warm too.  

Apparently that will end soon with colder temps on the way. 

Getting better at making the Chinese Ball Buttons for Santa's eyes and mouth.

I finished crocheting the Santa Badges and started giving them away to family.  

One Santa, in the middle, has a pink beard (due to crocheting at night in low light!). 

We stay at a hotel centerized to our brothers' homes.  

We get a suite with a separate bedroom, two bathrooms, living room and kitchette.  

It's comfortable and sure came in handy two Christmases ago when I came down sick Christmas Eve and Day.  

I bought the crocheted Christmas doily.

And sewed the pillow cover several years ago.

We love seeing our families but we are always ready to be home to celebrate our Christmas. 

Our living room Christmas tree.

I love blogging at Christmas and joining in on all the Christmas Home Tours!  

Our Christmas trees are up and decorated in our living room and family room.  

Family room Christmas tree with ribbon topper.

Our two Christmas trees are skinny ones... not too tall either.  

Only $50 each at Target.

We gave away our large Christmas trees and downsized.

I can put as many ornaments on the skinny ones as I did on the large ones and the trees don't take up as much room.

Since we don't spend Christmas at home we have to had the fake trees as a safety measure.  

The trees are so pretty with our white and red berry lights and all our decorations.   

I added two more ribbons to our ribbon tree topper in our family room to fill it out this year. 

Sorry low light again.

I used fake garland on our fireplace mantel this year.  

I may add some fresh holly and pine branches from our yard when we return home.  

I added Santas to the mantel along with a vintage red lantern and a wooded Santa painted many years ago by a dear co-worker. 

The forest scene is a fabric panel I machine quilted, painted and added embellishments to back in the early 1990s.  

It's stapled to a wooden frame. 

Red mesh ribbon is weaved in and out of the green garland.

May the joy and love of the Christmas Season be with you!

My Santas

I have to crochet one more Pincushion - pattern click (here) - to take home for Christmas.  

Then I will have enough for all the gals in my family.

I'm enjoying crocheting the Santa Badges - pattern click (here).  

I have five made so far.   

I even went back to the first one and added another row of white fringe to Santa's beard.

  

Today I'll start packing clothes for our trip to Ohio for Christmas.   

Get my hair done.   

Decorating is finished...well as much as I want to do. 

Yesterday we booked another tour across the pond with our college friends.  

This one is for northern Italy 2014.  

We loved our tour to England/Wales/Scotland this year and are thrilled to be going to Italy next spring.

Happy Wednesday!

Chalkboard Christmas Art & Crocheted Ornaments

Remember my cheap and easy chalkboard that I posted about (here)?

It's my second highest viewed blog post.

I decorated it for Christmas!

See my three vintage Santas on the teacup shelf?

That was fun!

I should make a larger chalkboard.

I love Santas!

Click (here) for my Santa Badge project.

I found this cute, free tutorial (here) by Sharlene McKay to crochet this adorable Santa Badge. 

And the Christmas wreath is made with pipe cleaners, believe it or not.   

I crouched the wreaths in two sizes and put them together and added a ribbon.

For your Bendy Scalloped Ornaments patterns, like the Christmas Wreath, by Jennifer Dickerson click (here).

Jennifer's Christmas Wreath tutorial is great and the wreath is so easy to crochet. 

Did you see my mistake yet?

The one on the left is correct.  

I added the third fringe row in white above the face on my first one on the right and it should be below.  

The tricky part is making the Chinese Ball Buttons for the eyes and nose.  

Here's a video (here) that helped me.  

Still practicing them though.  

LOL!