Have you decorated your tree yet this year? We're getting a late start as we usually decorate right after Thanksgiving. We did a poll on our Facebook Page recently and it seems most everyone decorates between Thanksgiving and December 1st. Well, we're really behind the curve if that is the case! Inspired by Heather Mann's tree decorating video, we did a video of our family decorating the tree this year. It's super fun and if you have not yet decorated your tree, consider making your own video! Here's our time-lapse tree decorating video:
The kids were in charge of the decorating and they did a pretty awesome job. The only part we had to help with was the star on top that didn't want to stay on. I think everyone has that problem!
We decided to go with mostly green and red ornaments this year from our collection of handmade and special ornaments. Starting in 2008, we started an annual Christmas tradition, buying each of our kids and my sister's two eldest kids an ornament every year. We'd choose a special place to shop and each kid chose an ornament that represented themselves and what they were into that year. We bring the ornaments home and I attached a tag to each with the child's name and the year. Over the years the kids have collected ornaments from spaceships, to cupcakes, to cups of Coke, to cell phones, and more. My sister recently came over and was looking for all of her kids' ornaments on the tree, thinking about how old they were when they got a particular ornament. This is a tradition Xaver and I do with the kids – no one else is invited! Ha! My vision is that when the kids move out and start their own families, I can gift them with a tin of all of their childhood ornaments to start their on trees with their families. Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links. Thank you!
Every year, I have scrapbooked our annual ornament trips, from the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA to Roger's Gardens in Newport Beach to Collective Journey (now Crackerjack's) in Redlands to Cost Plus World Market. Wherever they want to go, that's where we'll go:
This year, I have a big box of ornament making supplies and I thought it might be nice to make ornaments. The kids are coming over this weekend, after school releases for winter break, and we will probably make several ornaments each. I have all kinds of supplies I plan to set up like a little bar – toy cards, wire for making hangers, beads, empty glass balls, Smoothfoam balls, buttons, chenille stems, ribbon, and lots of hot glue! I've been collecting some ideas on Pinterest that we can look through for inspiration before starting. We'll set up each kid with a cup of hot cocoa and then start browsing the ideas I've collected!
Would you like to create an ornament tradition with your kids and family? You can set up an ornament making bar for everyone in your family – they can do this before Christmas or even on Christmas Day, creating a keepsake ornament to take home for their tree and to remember that year. Here are 10 ornaments to make at your keepsake ornament bar or just for yourself:
- Button Ball Ornament
- Monogram Initial Ornament
- Cinnamon Stick + Pipe Cleaner Christmas Tree Ornament
- No Bake Bird Seed Ornaments
- DIY Scented Ornament
- Vintage Style Snowman Ornament
- Scrabble Tile Ornaments
- Button Wreaths
- Reindeer Thumbprint Ornament
- Decoupage Cardinal Ball
And if you're in Southern California, here are some great places to get unique ornaments:
- Crackerjacks (previously Collective Journey), Redlands, CA
- Charity Wings Art Center – Make your own ornaments or buy from them!
- The Desert Cottage, Hesperia, CA
- Hecho Con Carino on Olvera St, Los Angeles, CA
- Roger's Gardens, Newport Beach, CA
- Applewood Court, Wrightwood, CA
- Shops by the Mission Inn, Riverside, CA
- The Makery and A Little Known Shop, Anaheim, CA
- Whimzy, Tustin, CA
- Gilding The Lily, Fullerton, CA
- Downtown Disney, Anaheim, CA
This book has loads of great softies you can stitch, including many that can be made into ornaments. Kerry recently announced her new line of dies with Sizzix so keep an eye out for those in 2015! Follow Kerry on her blog here: kidgiddy.
