December 26th, 2007 by 
Charm & Grace
Well, since the Christmas presents have now been given and warmly received, I can finally post pictures of the sketches that I did for my mom and for my parents-in-law.
First my mother and step-father’s home:
And the framed sketch accompanied by the note cards:
Next, the home of my hubby’s parents:
And finally, this piece framed with note cards made from the sketch:
My mother squealed with delight when she saw hers (which is very much her personality) and my mother-in-law’s eyes filled with tears when she saw hers (which is very much her personality!) All were happy to have the picture as well as the notecards… and they talked about “placing orders” for the cards as their next year’s Christmas Card. So, it was a very satisfying and wonderful feeling for me.
I am hoping you’re all enjoying your day after Christmas as much as I am. Blessings to all!
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December 24th, 2007 by Charm & Grace
The most wonderful parts of the holiday season to me are the warm times of being together with family and friends. We have been doing that now for the past week. The memories created in our families are treasures that will never be taken away.
This nativity scene is a special family memory for me. When I was very young, my mother and I made two of these nativity scenes… one for our home and this one for my future home. It has been with me so long, and each year that I set it out I remember making it with my mother and all the times it made its appearance first in my room growing up and now in my own home.
This nativity was hand painted and given as a wedding gift. It is a thing of beauty and a real treasure. It graces the mantel in our den and it helps to remind us of what Christmas is really all about.
May your days be merry and bright… and may your home be filled with the love that only Christmas could have brought to our world.
Merry Christmas!
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December 19th, 2007 by Charm & Grace
This is our den tree, filled with ornaments of all colors. The skirt is a handmade heirloom stitched by my husband’s grandmother. It is a treasure to us all. All of our den decor is bright and colorful… Christmas cheer in every corner of the room!
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December 19th, 2007 by Charm & Grace
As promised, here are some photos of my handmade stockings which were made just before each child’s first Christmas. Each decoration, down to each bead and sequin, is hand-sewn. The first one was made for Christmas 1991.
The second was made for Christmas 1993.
The third was made for Christmas 1997.
Christmas blessings!
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December 15th, 2007 by Charm & Grace
I will be taking part in a Holiday Home Tour hosted by Tracey at A Cottage Industry on Wednesday, December 19th. Check her site for all the lovely details of the tour.
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December 10th, 2007 by Charm & Grace
My inside decor is all about tradition, but I have a wonderful new piece in the midst of my traditional things. It’s a stunning hand-blown glass rose in the richest cranberry red which goes perfectly with the Christmas decor on my dining room table.
This rose was hand-blown by a new friend and lovely glass artist who, judging from this piece, does some amazing work! I love it paired with my crystal Christmas trees and set on the mirrored tray which graces the center of my dining room table.
And here (below) is a group of my favorite characters which greet you from my hearth, while surrounding my wonderful collection of candles. There are nutcrackers along with a vast assortment of stuffed animals… everything from Rudolph, the Abominable Snow Monster, and the Burl Ives snowman… to Eyeore… to a dog who, when unzipped and turned inside out, becomes a present… to two love-geese with interwoven necks… to some sweet little mice with stocking caps… and the list goes on.
I hope to have some photos of some of my heirloom decorations in my next post, which will include handmade stockings for all five of our family members and a beautiful hand-stitched tree skirt with thousands of sequins. Until then, Christmas blessings to you!
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December 3rd, 2007 by Charm & Grace
With the warm lights of Christmas glowing all around us, it’s impossible to ignore that the bright Season is upon us.
For me and my house, we are roundly decorated from room to room and surrounded with familiar lovely things. We have three trees and each with its own personality. The kids have a tree which they decorate all on their own with ornaments they have made or been given. Then there’s another tree that we collaborate on, which resides in our den, with all colored lights and colored ornaments. But there is one tree which is mine to complete all by myself, so I will begin my Christmas postings with it.
This particular tree has all crystal, gold, silver, and white ornaments with traditional white lights. The skirt is a beautiful lacy cutwork tablecloth which I have draped around the base of the tree. Most of the ornaments, aside from the gold and silver balls, have been given to me by family members and precious friends.
A beautiful heirloom Gorham angel graces the top of the tree. This is a treasured wedding gift from one of my dear college friends, and it has been with me for twenty-one years and through six moves.
Along with all the ornaments that are heirlooms from family or gifts, I have also made some ornaments from very simple materials. First there are the shells that I sprayed gold or silver. I then glued a loop of ribbon to the top from which to hang it and wrapped and glued pearls around the loop.
I also made ornaments from pinecones by spraying some small ones gold. Then I glued one end of a strand about 6″ long of decorative braided gold trim into the top of each cone so that they would hang over the branch.
These were easy projects, but they add such a bit of sentimentality to the tree as the shells were collected on one of our vacations to the beach and the pine cones came from our yard.
What a joy to look at the tree and remember all the wonderful people who contributed to it and all the wonderful memories it evokes. Enjoying the glow…
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