Did you all think i was never ever going to blog again? Sorry no such luck! I’ve just been taking my down time very seriously and trying to power through the holidays with my good cheer intact. We’ve had some bumpy moments, but overall, we are still pretty joyful here in the buttonbox. I warn you now, this is gonna be long rambly post that no doubt will wind and wander into pointlessness at any turn!

We finished this one rather massive project finally…it took alot longer than i originally thought it would, as these sorts of things often do! Using the tute from Allsort’s blog for her super cute red and white advent calender, we made a red and green “secular countdown” version. Both my mister and i worked on this project together and i think it turned out to be really cute! Beastie is loving opening each little felt envelope to find his daily treat, too.

Alas, xmas is not really my best holiday, so my other mantle decor is alittle, well, awful! I insist on trying to collect Rankin Bass Rudolph stuff and my dream is to have the entire mantle covered with misfit toys someday! Raven was home this past weekend, so we fianlly go the tree up and decorated…it’s beginning to look lot like Christmas!

There is no real rhyme or reason or GOD FORBID, a THEME to it…many of the ornaments are heirlooms, others are just silly little things we’ve added on along the way, as well as the more pedestrian “filler” stuff. I am still convinced that the tree topper (which we got for our very first holiday together all those long years ago) is some form of device that my mister installed to contact UFOs to come and take him back to his people…swing down, sweet chariot, stop and let me ride..we are ready to make the Mothership Connection, baby!

Proof that we are pretty dang geeky around here!

Years ago, My Paper Crane had posted about this really cool holiday wreath she’d made with origami peace cranes. At the time, my oldest son was REALLY into origami (the kid is the McGyver of paperfolding) He loved the idea, so we made one of our own….it’s gotten a wee bit crushed and croggled over the years, but it’s still one of my favorite decorations, and a wonderful memory of the two of us crafting together! I miss him when he is not here, and he is REALLY on my mind alot right now because he’s having surgery tomorrow to correct his “impressively” deviated septum. He’ll be Raven the Red Nosed Emo, the poor thing. I’ll be so glad when it’s all over so he can breath and i can stop worrying!

Along with decorating, we also baked a pie while he was here….tart apple, ala Calamity Kim. Yum! Looks so pretty hanging out on my grandma’s beautiful vintage organza holiday apron…i still remember seeing her wear that at our family xmas gatherings, she was so soft spoken and ladylike, and always had a hankie in that little pocket….her hair was always arranged in the most spectacularly beautiful pin curls and finger waves….she was a real southern beauty.
The pie was pretty dang good too…i hope grandmama is looking down at me and smiling right now as i try sooooo hard to create some fusion of old and new traditions for my family. It’s true we are pretty non-traditional people…it’s caused a bit of family friction, unfortunately. But we love our family, and we are amazingly stable and happy. That has to count for something even if we are not doing the church thing. It really blows my mind that you can be happily married, gainfully employed, have happy healthy kids, choose to be a stay-at-home-mom rather than put your kids in daycare, etc etc etc…but still have a negative image to people who should know and love you best, just because you are alittle “different” or choose not to be part of any form of organized religion! I don’t get it. I am all about living and letting live, minding my business, and loving people for who they are rather than who i WANT them to be. Alas, not everyone feels the way i do. It’s sad.

ANYWAY, that is all i have to say about THAT!!!!

(cue Nightmare Before Christmas Music)

Meanwhile, Halloweentown has indeed been making Christmas…..i had no choice but to press the pause button on the other dolly i was working on to make this girl because it was ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT…sometimes my muse can be VERY pushy.

You may think that too much holiday joy can’t be lethal…but you’d be dead wrong!

Holly Humbug was never very fond of the holidays, but one year, she somehow found herself caught up in the joy of the season. Maybe it was too much eggnog that caused her tragic tumble into the holly bushes but the poor poor girl suffered too many punctures to ever celebrate again in this lifetime! Good thing they have great undead holiday parties too!

Holly is the first of two “holiday edition” little dead dollies i’m working on. I’ll get her listed on Etsy soon. Meanwhile, she has a frozen little sister who is demanding my attention, as well as a rather cob-webby looking absinthe sipper in the works for a certain VERY PATIENT knittin’ mad Hattress! I better get back to my stitching.

I hope everyone is enjoying the season! I’ve missed “Bloglandia” so much, and Big Daddy promised that the Buttonbox will be all pretty-fied and nice again by the first of the year. I have alot of catching up to do!

Huge hugs to you all!!!!

xoxoxox