Happy People Decorate, Part 2

It was nice to have Thanksgiving so early this year, which allowed for time to pack away the fall decorations and haul out all the Christmas stuff.  Boxes and boxes of it, and no room to put it all out, but I have to look through everything to decide exactly what gets displayed.  Plus this year I need to paw through everything and remove all non-sentimental items for use in future craft projects.  In the process, I unearthed these starched snowflakes I got from a catalog about 20 years ago.  Can't believe it's been that long.

I was hesitant to do this, because of Destructo Dawg and his tail from hell.  So far it's worked out fine; nothing's been torn down.  Pepper photobombed me.

And without the flash.

This is next to my chair.

On top of the TV

Our ornament from last year in the center.

The votive cup in the middle in front of the snowman was beaded by me.  It's not very good, but it was my first attempt at a complex design in peyote stitch.  It was a lot of work.

Tree #1.

Without the flash

Tree #2 was made by my dad out of wire hangers, garland and lights.  I've no idea how he did it, but I treasure this.  It also looks waaaay better in real life than in pictures.  Americans of a certain age (ahem) seem to readily recognize Rhonda the Reindeer, holiday mascots of Hallmark stores in the 80s. 

This is the tree completely out of focus.  Oooooo Shiiiiiny!

Tree #3.  Also was hesitant about putting this on the floor, but again, so far so good.

My parents bought this tree topper star in 1952.  I love it.  It's the best tree star I've ever seen, and believe me I've been comparing it to every star I see since I was a child and I still think this is the most unusual.  Again, it looks way better in real life than photos because those fibers really sparkle.  

Rudolph, King Moonracer, Bumbles, Hermie, Charlie in the Box & the misfit toys.

Yukon Cornelius, baby Rudolph & the owl that swims.

I wish I could find more of those 3-D shadow box cross stitch kits.

And that's Rodney Reindeer, Rhonda's pal.  Hard to tell but the santa and snowman are cross stitched onto plastic, then cut out and placed on those backgrounds and framed with a glass piece. 

The cross stitch that caused me to lose my eyesight for good.  When I finally looked up from this project, after months of stitching during my lunch break, after work and for hours on the weekends, my vision was shot.  Everything was blurry.  I had to start wearing glasses full time.  I refer to this piece as 'My Sistine Chapel' because Michelangelo lost his eyesight after painting it.

I forgot I brought outdoor lights with me when I left Washington, a box of which are the clear bulbs which are my fave so I decided to put them on the deck rail.

The Putz village arrived and I found myself without lights that would fit between the houses.  They are all too close together nowadays.  I tried a set of lights from a different village I have but those lights were made for that specific set.  I am waaaaay too impatient to order, and wait for, a set ordered online too.  So, I ended up using an old set of whites and did my best to hide the green wires with fluffy 'snow banks' behind the houses.  And because it was a set of 100 lights and I only needed 16 of them, the other 84 lights are in a wad on the floor all lit up too.  

And finally, our 2012 ornament that we picked from one of the trees at the Glass Museum, also made by Sayuri Glass.