I bought these bottle and mercury glass ornaments at Create and Barrel the day after Christmas. I have been waiting for these hearty ornaments to go on sale because they are prefect for decorating an outdoor tree and you need a lot of them to make a statement. I tied a red ribbon to the acacia tree in front and poked the hangers through the ribbon. The morning sun catches them and makes me happy.

This is the time of year I get ready for next Christmas. With everything on sale, I stock up and keep decorating for the next two weeks. Then, when December comes next year I know exactly what to do and decorating takes a fraction of the time. I even take a picture of my favorite ideas and store a print-out in the boxes of holiday decorations.

I hope you have been enjoying this special time of year. My family had a wonderful Christmas and we are looking forward to a great 2012. I hope you are too!

oxoSarah

Dried leaves piled into a bowl have that holiday spirit. I picked leaves off my fruit tree and dried them under a heavy sheet (that allowed the edges of the leaves to curl a bit, giving the leaves a holly feel). They are too delicate to string into the garland, so the alternative is this arrangement that reminds me of a wreath. Love!

I found this little tree with birds in it at a thrift store. It was painted black (yuck) and lacked personality. I took it home and repainted it (above) and added a bit of t-shirt yarn that resembles both a nest and a scarf. Love it!

A waterless snow globe: miniature tree, tiny gifts and kosher salt captured in an inverted glass and glued to a glass coaster. The gifts roll around in there to my delight.

Holiday crafting is all a go in the airstream in December. I have been trolling the thrift stores, dollar stores and craft stores for interesting pieces to put together. Wreaths, mini Christmas trees, garlands, and gifts are on the list to make. So far I have made the first two. Leaves from the lemon tree are drying for a garland and my gifts include felted wool wallets, needle-felted mushroom ornaments, and ceramic vessels. Here are a few pictures…