Handmade Ornaments

My mom was obsessed with Christmas ornaments. Every year when we were little we would go on a special family shopping trip dedicated to each choosing our own special ornament. We would also receive an ornament as a gift each Christmas Eve. My mom put lots of time and energy into choosing ornaments that reflected each child's unique personalities and enjoyments. You can imagine what our Christmas tree looked like - every year it held 12 more ornaments than the year before, a mish-mash of ballerinas, birds, cars, balls, rabbits, dogs, musical instruments, comic book characters...

She also had us make ornaments every year, and was herself constantly working on some little ornament which she usually gave away. Happily, she kept a few of them and I was able to steal one for myself when I got married and moved, along with my huge box of ornaments, to our own place. Here it is - a little bit dirty unfortunately, but the perfect reflection of her love of needlepoint and lace:

So cute, and I love that it isn't the typical Christmas colors.

My Grandma also loved making ornaments and would make huge batches of them for all us grand children. I have such fond memories of driving to her house in Napa during the holidays, walking inside and seeing the entire kitchen table set with undecorated sugar cookies in all shapes and sizes, along with dish after dish of fancy candy and sprinkles to decorate them with. Off to the side would be our ornaments, adding even more cheer to the already festive table.

This heart that she made me has the letter "H" hand-stitched on the back. I love that - to know that she made this one specifically for me makes it even more special.

I think this angel is my favorite ornament that my Grandma made. I love her simple little face and calico dress. Perfect.


This year I tried my hand at making a few ornaments, and have put them up last-minute in the shop. I'm really happy with how the little trees came out. I know I'm trying to sell them a bit late, but I don't mind if some are left over for me. :)