Christmas Tree Decorating Instructions

I thought to share a few tree decorating ideas that seem to be very effective in getting that "wow" factor. These instructions have been tested in my own home using a real tree. Please do try this at home!

Your ornaments should be mended, whole and in general, in good shape. Lights should be in working order and your tree trimmed (if its natural) or properly splayed out if artificial.

1. Find your Christmas music and put it on. If you haven't any, make one the kids put a hamster on the piano key boards and let it run up and down the boards. The kid needs to provide constant supervision or the hamster may fall to its death and that would make for a crummy tree decorating memory, but maybe a good laugh or two in a few years... maybe not, hard to tell with kids these days.

2. Pour 3:1 parts of eggnog and scotch whiskey into a shaker. Shake until well blended, pour into a glass and take a sip.

3. If using a natural tree, make sure to water it at this time if you haven't done so already.

4. Decorate tree - start with the lights. Test them first! The lights should be the same, that is, the same size, the same style, the same color. If using white, then use all white, if using red, then all red, if using multicolor, then all are multicolor. Start on top and run the first string of lights closer to the trunk. Use as many strings as necessary to wrap around the inside part of the tree. Then take additional lights, beginning at the top, and lay them on the branches, more towards the outside. This will give the tree a layered look of lights and will make your tree glow inside and out! Take a sip of the eggnog.

5. Next, add the garlands. I use beads. You can use smaller diameter beads on the top third, then medium diameter in the 2nd third and larger diameter beads on the lower third. The key is to use the smaller garland towards the top and finish the bottom of the tree with the large ones. I like the effect of the garland hanging in a curve between the branches but you can lay them straighter across the branches. The key is consistency. Lay them in the same way all around the tree.  Step back from the tree and make any adjustments necessary and take another sip of the eggnog.

5. Next, start adding the ornaments. Separate the ornaments by size. I pack them away by size so its easier, but if you are not that obsessive, then rummage thru your ornaments and pick out the smaller ones and put those towards the top of the tree. The medium sized ones go in the middle of the tree, and the large ones...you guessed it, they go towards the lower part of the tree. The key is start on top with small and then work your way down the tree finishing with the larger ornaments.

As you are doing all this, take a few steps away from the tree every few ornaments and check on placement; filling any gaps as necessary.  If you are getting so called help with decorating the tree, you will want to step back more often and move things around, but do this discreetly so folks don't get all bent and start yelling at you and stomping off. I also advise that you do not allow any drunken guests or family members to help with this crucial evaluation step as I find that their wobbling makes them incapable of determining if anything is off kilter.

6. OK, take one last look and reposition any ornaments or garland until its perfect. Your not done, yet!

7.  My sister introduced me to adding little red bows to the tips of the branches. I find that this part is the piece de resistance. Of course, your bows should be a color that complements the general colour theme of your tree. You have two options here, place the bows randomly or place them in rows so that they appear to wrap around the tree like a ribbon or garland. The first method is easier, the second is a nightmare and borders on the psychotic (no offense to those of you out there that are doing it this way as its quite impressive and I am sure that your are not actually psychotic - not that there is anything wrong, necessarily with being psychotic - I think I will stop now). If you decide to try the latter method, you might want to have several sips of the eggnog as you do this and not wait til the end for your treat. Of course, this means that you might have do it all over again if you drink too much!

If placing randomly, the key is to make sure that an ornament hangs from just under the bow. So that as you go around the tree (again, starting from the top) you want to reposition the ornaments to fit on the same branch as the bow so that bow appears to sit on top of the ornament. Very cute! Take another sip of the eggnog. You might need to fix yourself some more eggnog depending on how big your sips have been. You could switch to drinking Ponche Cuba, instead.

8.  Place the tree topper on the tree, using whatever methods necessary to make sure the darn thing is on straight and securely.

9. Sweep up the space under and around the tree.

10. Place the tree skirt around the tree. You can now decorate under the tree.  

Well, that's it and I hope you find these to be helpful. If you have any suggestions for making these instructions better, please do share!

General Update

Greetings to all,

Had a bit of a stressful week. Hubby has been ill and spent some time in the hospital but he is better. Now, he just has to believe that he is better ...hee, hee.

My TGOS ornament would have been finished last night except that I didn't have the beads... boy, was I in a funk! I have to finish the Sleigh Ride ornament and another I started last night, LHN Pine Tree House, I think its called. Pics later!

As soon as I am done with those, I am going to start on this needle fob by Shepard's Bush. Its not my typical style but I thought it was too sweet (hence the name, sweet stitches fob!).

I am not too sure how to make the ribbon ruched like that. Are there any good tutorials out there?

Thank you for visiting and hope your week is going well! Blessed Be!

Ornaments, Past and Present

Hello friends,

I thought to post a few pics of ornaments. My sister, who is a very talented stitcher, made the teacups. You might be able to see the tiny pewter charms in the shape of tea bags that she attached just under the bows on the tea cup ornaments. Just precious!

This is the lovely ornament that I received from my exchange partner, Dianne, in Canada. It's done in a lovely variegated teal floss and its very unique...I love it. Thank you, Dianne.

I received this one and the following two from my exchange partner Kate. She couldn't decide which one to send so she sent three. They are just too cute. The purple one above has sparkly thread in the star and around the lettering. Thank you so much for these, Kate!

These two little stocking will feel right at home amongst my other stockings!

This one is done over one, so this it is very small and cute. =)

You can see the little tea bag in this one.

This is the one from TGOS that I am doing over Aida. The words are supposed to be done over one. Its been quite a challenge but its turning out OK.

Isn't he cute? This one is from the Cross Stitch and Needlework magazine, a few years ago. It's done on a pale blue fabric.

My sister made this one, too.

A freebie from somewhere? Using DMC variegated in a deep red/burgundy.

This one is from the 80's.

From the 90's.

Well, that's my little trip thru the years in ornaments. Ornaments are a great way of seeing the evolution of style over the years.  I like to think that my daughters will pass these on to their daughters. How many years does your ornament collection span?

Christmas Ornament just finished

Greetings to my stitchy friends out there! I finished a Christmas Ornament from the November issue of The Gift of Stitching emagzine. I have also posted pics of a few WIPs and another finished Christmas Ornament. I will likely spend the next few weeks stitching ornaments and cards so these WIPs are just going to have wait!

This is the little one from Michael's craft store.

This is the one from TGOS - Gingerbread Christmas. I made a few substitutions. Just too cute!

This one is from Little House Needleworks - Brave Hearts. I've substituted with Vicky's Hand-dyed Fibers. Stitched on Aida 14 count, Flax, I think.

This is one I started in October intending to have finished it my Thanksgiving, but I am nowhere near completion.Chart is by Lettie Eckberg of The Needle's Notion, published in Oct. 2007 The Cross Stitcher magazine. See below for progress.

I have substituted with Vicky's Hand-dyed Fibers which makes for a much more subtle effect.

Anyway, that's it for now. Hoping to have a few more ornaments completed in another week! Wishing all a wonderful stitching time.

Christina G

Thanksgiving Day

I always prefer a bit of a funky menu at the Thanksgiving meal. This is primarily so because growing up in a Cuban-American household, we would have roast port, black beans and rice and the ever ubiquitous boiled cassava. As children of immigrants, we were definitely thankful for the opportunities, even if the gratefulness was a bit marred by resentment of the prejudice and rejection we faced constantly. Still, we knew that here, in the United States, we could at least have "a go" at real success. Our school mates were children of immigrants, too. They were, amongst others, Polish, Peruvian, Irish, Russian, Pakistani, Italian, Vietnamese, Ecuadorian, Korean, and Egyptian. When Thanksgiving Day came around, their tables were invariably filled with foods reminiscent of their own motherlands but always included some "American" dish. At our house it would be a pumpkin pie.

These days, my Thanksgiving table is more traditionally "American". We have string bean casserole and dinner rolls and of course, a gigantic over-cooked turkey. My mother-in-law brings the most fabulous sweet potato concoction with marshmallows and brown sugar ever made. My kids enjoy the American ubiquitous food....  macaroni and cheese. And now, instead of a token "American" food, we have a token Cuban food, something I know my Father would have enjoyed,  such as sweet plantains or turron.

No matter how our Thanksgiving menus may have evolved, however, there are somethings that haven't changed; that is, the love, humility and hope that is felt by all sitting around the table, on the wonderfully American Thanksgiving Day.

Farewell, little hamsters...sniff, sniff

A local pet shop was willing to take the baby hamsters out of my hair. I gave up the Dad, (heart break), but my daughters wanted to keep the girls. So I gave up Daddy, two brothers and a sister and kept Mommy and 2 sisters. The shop proprietor was happy to get the hamsters for free and I was happy they would find a good home. One of the workers fell in love with He-man and so he was going to take it home to his girlfriend, who is a hamster lover as well. I also got 20% off of the purchases made that day, so all in all, a very good deal.

Hopefully, none of the female hamsters are pregnant. The pet shop proprietor told me they could get pregnant by day 45. Yikes!

Update

Hello to all, 
I was eventually able to get to the post office to ship the magazines to the winners. Elaine, from Ireland and Mary Joan from the UK will hopefully receive their magazines over the next few weeks.

I have finished both ornaments for the exchanges that I am participating in, one is for the Friendly Stitchers yahoo group and the other for The Gift of Stitching yahoo group. I want to keep the ornaments for myself, but won't. I think they turned out beautifully, but I am biased! I've already started another two ornaments for myself.

This is just a little cheapo ornament I bought at a Michael's craft shop. I enjoy making these little ones because they are great for filling up the empty spots on a tree and are a quick finish. Each of my daughters is  also making one.

This one started out for an exchange but it is just too big. The pattern is by Praiseworthy Stitches and published in the 2011 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament Issue. I am deleting the front horse...just because. The fabric is one of my own hand-dyed "experiments" and I think it looks nice. How shall I finish it?