Handmade Ornaments
Hey stitch-alongers! I hope over the weekend, if you had some spare time, you were able to get some stitching in. Since I played hooky last week when company was here, after they left Friday, I had to get back to work, so no stitching for me. :(
But, before the kids left, we put up the tree, which we bought last year. Our old one had started looking pretty beat up after a number of years of cats climbing up in there. I think this one is too dense, because they don't really get up into it.
Putting up the tree and ornaments is always fun, because looking at them brings back memories of people and events. The picture above contains two happy memories: the Santa at the front is an original piece of art made by Karenlee Spencer in 1989. My family was living in the Minneapolis area at the time, and mom had purchased one of these as a gift for my dad. For some reason, we all got the giggles on Christmas, because the ornament was made out of a gourd. I don't know, it just struck us as really funny. And so after Christmas, mom went and got Santa gourds for my brother, my sister, and me. It looks like her handmade ornaments pop up on Etsy and eBay, and she has, I think, and Etsy shop, but it is closed right now.
The little snowman in the background is a glass ornament by Inge-Glas, a company founded in Germany in the 1850's. The General Store in Amana, Iowa (where I go for retreats run by Farm Girl) carries thousands and thousands and thousands of ornaments (they have an entire SHOP of just Christmas ornaments). There is a selection of the Inge-Glas ornaments, which have a distinctive star wire at the top of each ornament for hanging. This little snowman is made from a very old mold, and I love his prim look. I have made a habit of bringing an Inge-Glas ornament or two each time I go to Amana. You can find these all over online, and although Amazon has them, it looks like getting them from small businesses may be a less expensive option.
Share pictures of your progress on Margaret, if you've made some, or share pictures of ornaments on your own tree that have special memories or people attached. It's such a neat thing to have a decoration with many, many years, friends, and family all attached. - Theresa