Do you have a favorite Christmas tree ornament?

I know many of you have your Christmas Trees up and decorated before Thanksgiving, but if you're like me and wait until closer to Christmas here are a few tips on decorating the perfect tree.

Step One:  Hang Christmas Tree Lights.

Step Two:  Add Christmas Tree garland.

Step Three:  Hang Christmas Tree ornaments.

That raises a question on how many ornaments do you put on a Christmas Tree. According to Better Homes & Garden you need approximately 70 ornaments for a 7 ft tree.  If you go really big and have a 8 ft tree you need 80 ornaments, 9 ft tree you need 90 ornaments and if you go all out and have a 10 ft (whew) tree you need 120 to 160 ornaments and a large step ladder.  And don't forget the tree topper, that will add additional height to your tree.  

As I've aged and my children now have their own Christmas traditions I don't put up a tree.  I can now enjoy their decorations without pulling all those boxes out of the closet.  However, this year I did pull my boxes of ornaments out, just to see what all I had.  What I found was several vintage Hallmark Card and Avon ornaments that were my favorite for so many years.  I decided instead of keeping them boxed up in a closet where no one was enjoying them I would put them up for sale on #Etsy.com.  Several have already gone to good loving homes and that makes me happy.  

If you need more ornaments to fill that 7 or 8 or even 10 ft tree check out my #vintage #ornaments at 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/stormrowstudio?ref=seller-platform-mcnav&section_id=25032448 

  This is just a sample of what you find on the above website.  

HAPPY TREE TRIMMING!!

 

#jigsawpuzzlelovers

Recently I had a small medical issue that resulted in limited lifting and walking restrictions for a duration of several months.  Preparing for this I put the house in order, stocked the freezer and refrigerator with lots of good food.  Then I began to address all this spare, possibly boring time I was about to have.  Not one to watch a lot of TV I decided to load up on books and knitting projects.  While at the book store my shopping companion and I noticed a shelf of puzzles.  She thought this might be a good way to keep me busy for a while.  Not wanting one of the 1,000 to 2,000 piece puzzles, I agreed upon a 550 piece puzzle that looked very colorful and fun. 

                                                                                                                                                                     

Now I haven't worked a puzzle since my grandchildren were small and most of those were of the wooden type.  But years ago when our family worked puzzles during the long winter months, I do remember that you should put the edge of the puzzle together first, after turning all the pieces face up on the working surface.  Which I proceeded to do.

Day one and two:

 Once that is done you are free to work as you wish.

Day three:

 I have to tell you that there were several surprises in this puzzle.  I began to find pieces that I didn't have a clue to where they were to go.  Finally looking closely at the box top I saw items I hadn't noticed to begin with. I didn't see the butterfly at the top or the tape measure above the gold thread. I was also surprised by the colors in the fork at the bottom. I guess that's why it's called a puzzle.  Right?

All in all I loved working with the colors and articles that were represented in this piece.  It's all things that I deal with in my art work, love of clocks and unusual objects.  These were things I really didn't notice when I bought the puzzle.  I was mainly looking at the different shades of yellow.  

It was bitter sweet when I placed that final piece in the puzzle.  I almost wished it was larger so I could work a few more days on it.  

Day five and the finished puzzle:

 I have to admit I left the finished piece on my dining room table for another week.  I just didn't have the heart to tear it apart and put it back in the box yet.  Finally I decided enough was enough so Gretta, my helper, and I disassembled it.  Hopefully it will be passed on to someone who will enjoy it as much as I did.

 Now that I've worked this one, there will be more puzzles in my future and who knows I may venture to the 1,000 to 2,000 piece puzzles.  But that remains to be seen.