Merry Christmas to Me!!!

Aren't they THE. CUTEST. COUPLE EEEEVVVVER???? They make me soooooo happy! I have embarked on a new craftiness venue and I'm so excited about it...Ceramics! It started when I was trying to find the christmas tree with all of multi-colored lights on the tips that my mom made when I was a little girl. Come to find out she gave it away...I saw some at a craft show over the summer....but they were pretty pricey. A friend at the gym told me about a ceramics shop in a nearby town...in the meantime, I remembered my mother-in-law had made a tree like the one I was looking for.....So I turned my attention to a  Mr. and Mrs. Claus that I has seen on ebay.

I called the ceramics shop a week ago Wednesday to see if they happed to have them, and they did! Helen, the owner of the shop, asked if I wanted them done for THIS Christmas? Well, duh...Of course! She said she didn't think even she could get them done in time....Well, that's all I needed to hear! There are classes on Wednesday nights and Saturdays......I ran right down there that night and got started. I painted and painted...I brought them home and worked on them for hours....Went back last Saturday for hours, painted more hours at home and finished them up last Wednesday....Ms. Helen does the faces for you and sprays the protective coat.....But all in all, I am just thrilled with my first project. I'm hooked!!!! Ms. Helen declared that I was her best new student she ever had.  I can see a lot more ceramics in my future. It's like when I was little and loved to color....and the results are much quicker than knitting :)

While I was waiting for Ms. Helen to work on the faces and spray Mr. and Mrs. Claus I made a few other little treasures. Look how sweet this ornament is....

And Santa's little boot, too!

There are shelves full of things beckoning to be painted....I just need more shelves in my house to hold everything I want to make!

I've also been very busy doing a few other little things that have made me happy this Christmas season....

                                               

  We've lived in our house for ten years now and I've toyed with the idea of decorating our banister several times...but just never did. Well, this was the year. I got the garland for $5....and the rest of the stuff from the Dollar Tree and snowflaked it out.

 I just love it! I wish I had a plug nearby....I'd wrap some little white twinkle lights in it....but oh well. It's pretty the way it is :)

Remember when I made pickles at my dad's over the summer? After my lesson I sent the pictures to my Aunt Emily, and in return she send me this picture Christmas card from my first Christmas. I c an't believe she still had it 47 years later????  I just had to frame it :)

Here is the craft I put together for Cub's class at his Holiday party at school. Another thing I'll treasure always.

Oh...ANOTHER treasure. I had a little note Cub wrote to Santa 2 years ago....I copied it on the copier and framed it too!

While I was looking around on ebay for the Mr. and Mrs. Claus I wanted to paint....I came across these cutie patooties. i just had to have them...they're vintage and take me back to when I was a little girl.

And I conned the kiddos into painting me these sweet little ornaments. I know they really didn't want to....but they played along. When they dried, of course I slapped some Mod Podge on them and glittered them up! 

I was feeling a little stressed last week when my wrapping and baking wasn't done....but  look at all of these things I was doing? And all of it got done.....I have to keep reminding myself it always does. So in these last few days I hope you're enjoying the season. It's the most wonderful time of the year!