DIY Card hanger

This post was originally posted at See Vanessa Craft

Materials:

Window frame

Jute

Small or large clothes pins (I used mini in red and white)

Small bow (to hide nail on top)

Step 1: Paint the frame. I used Valspar red spray paint that I had left over from a previous project.

Step 2: Tie 3 lines of jute across the front.

Step 3: Hang frame on wall with nail.

Step 4: Hang your cards.

Oh Christmas tree

I love the way a lit Christmas tree looks. The lights beaming and reflecting brings life to the green teepee shaped object in my living room.

Round ornaments hold a special place in my heart, a childhood memory. My grams tends to like things matchy matchy. I cant remember the year but judging from the awful color of mauve I’d guess mid ‘90’s. Grams had this crazy idea to get her ball ornaments and spray paint them mauve to match her couch! We took off the top piece put pencils inside held the stick and sprayed away. I hated the process then and now thinking back they were ugly. For years after, anytime you went for a pencil it was painted a lovely shade of 90’s mauve. They weren’t all bad because its 20 years later I still remember them and the process.

I like memory trees. Don’t get me wrong you can do amazing things and make trees look beautiful with colored round balls (probably not mauve painted ones). I like to use the balls as filler. I love ornaments or different shapes, size and meaning.

Each morning when I get up I turn on the tree’s lights as take a minute too look at it in all its beauty. Baby’s firsts, handmade, ones from my old job, and a few really special ones my mom has given me from when I was a kid (if you look closely at the pictures there’s one dated 1985). I love memory trees, trees that you can look at and see a family.

So how do you do your tree? Balls, memories or something else?

Holiday oh holiday

Despite all the negativity I went for it… Heck yes I completely decorated my house for the holiday’s this weekend.
I love the holidays and I want to enjoy it as long as possible. Even if that means I am decorating the house in the middle of November all by myself.

Growing up my mom went NUTS over the holidays. She decorated, she cooked and not just a little I mean the entire house was changed over. We usually had 3 or 4 trees and she cooked enough for 50 people every Christmas. It was a huge event. Things have gotten a little smaller since moving to Tennessee but we are never short of love, family, decorations or food. She still cooks enough for 50 people lol. She’s convinced my husband can eat enough for 20. That’s how Italian mammas are, we could tell her to cook less but she wouldn’t even know where to start.
I love the holidays like I said before. I am so happy to be finished shopping and decorating. I do have a few more projects I’ll be crafting but that’s about it.

Santa stationary

What kid doesn't love a letter from Santa Clause around Christmas time or anytime for that matter. Make it look even more authentic with Santa's very own stationary.

Source

This letter would go great for your Elf letter

Putting Jesus into Eli the elf

source

By now most of us are gearing up for the holiday season. I know I have been searching for ideas. I came across this idea during the summer (when I went back to the source it was no longer available. Please message me if this is your idea and I will give credit where it is due).

Most of us know the story of Eli the elf… Little elf that creates fun messes at night while you are sleeping to keep kids on track for the christmas season. Great idea but… Christmas needs to be about Jesus. As we all know he is the reason for the season.

So here is the letter to go along with the Eli the elf.

Letter from Santa to go with Eli the elf

Dear Payton, Preston, and Cooper,

First off, I have to tell you that I think you are all very special children. I know you are filled with love for each other, your parents, but most importantly, you are filled with love for Jesus, and I know that He lives in your hearts. He lives in mine too, that makes us all especially special!

I have to let you know something important. You know that whole naughty and nice list that you hear everyone talking about? Well… truth is, that’s not really true. I don’t have a naughty and nice list. Because I know Jesus, I also know a lot about grace and getting what we don’t deserve. I know you know all about that! Like when you make the wrong choice and when you choose to sin, Jesus gives you grace and loves you still! And sometimes I know that your parents even give you grace too… like when you deserve to be disciplined, but they give you another chance!

I know that kids are not perfect. I know that you guys are not perfect. But I know that Jesus loves you all the time, and I do too. So you don’t need to worry about being on my naughty or nice list. If you believe that I will come to your house on Christmas Eve and leave you some special surprises, then I will come!!! That’s all you need … is to believe!

To help you remember about grace and about love even when you don’t deserve it, I wanted to send you a very special treat for this Christmas season. Since it’s the first day of December, the month that we celebrate Jesus coming to earth to be our Rescuer, I thought you might enjoy a little visit from a very special friend of mine.

This is Eli the Elf…

He is a dear old friend of mine, but he tends to be a bit naughty. I have explained grace to him many many times, when he chooses to sin and be a stinker. I have told him that is why Jesus had to come… to rescue him. Because he has sin in his heart. He is beginning to learn, but I thought that if he stayed with you for the Christmas season, then you might be able to teach him some more about the way Jesus loves us even when we sin. I know that you both are learning that you get to obey and love God because He first loves you so very much. I love Eli so much and I want him to understand and believe Jesus and know that his heart can make good choices too because Jesus loves him so very much!!

One important thing about Eli… he is an Elf, and elves are not the same as humans. Eli stays still all during the day, but he comes alive at night. You can talk to him; play with him just like your other toys. Eli is quiet during the day, but loves to play at night once everyone else is sleeping. That’s usually when he can get into some trouble, so you’ll have to watch him carefully!

When I told Eli that he was going to stay with you guys, he jumped up and down in excitement! He really things you guys are so fun.

Have fun! I’ll be back to pick up Eli on Christmas Eve when I come to drop off some surprises for you!

I love you guys so very much!

Santa

Santa has his very own stationary for this!