Tea Ball Tree

A tea infuser, sometimes called a tea ball, is what you put your dried tea leaves in in order to make the tea. It keeps your tea leaves from floating around in your teacup. Of course, tea bags do the same thing but aren’t nearly as cute.

Since my chorus has hosted a fundraiser Tea for the past six, going on seven, years, I became interested in tea infusers. They come in all shapes and sizes. I had one aluminum infuser that had been my grandmothers. 

One day, while browsing Pinterest, I came across this picture…

Oh, my goodness! Tea balls as Christmas ornaments!! I loved the idea and started hunting yard sales and estate sales. One Sunday afternoon I ran into my friend, Donna, at an estate sale. I told her about my idea. She joined me in my hunt, so did my mother-in-law, Brenda. I’m not sure I actually found very many of the tea balls in my collection my self. Every time I saw Donna she was handing me another treasure. Brenda gave me a box full of tea infusers for Christmas one year! 

This Christmas I finally had enough “ornaments” to fill a tree!

Ok, I think I need a better tree. This was actually a branch off of an old tree I pulled off the curb! 

I thought the tree needed a little color, so I added these fake poinsettias I’ve had for a while. 

You can’t tell from the pictures, but I had the greenery stuffed into some styrofoam in a piece of crockery. It made me happy to see it on the counter. However, I will have to do something different next time. It took up too much valuable space for setting out nut clusters and rolling out cookie dough!

I loved my little “tea tree”. It would be cute to add little teapot ornaments to it. Tea bags or other tea items would be fun, too, and add more color in the process. 

Thanks, Donna and Brenda, for my fun Tea Ball Tree!

 

A “Berry” Merry Christmas

You may remember that I am part of the Arkansas Women Bloggers group. The group had a Secret Santa ornament exchange. What fun!

The ornaments were to be handmade. Even more fun!

Little did I know when I signed up that I would be sick for a week and not really have time to make anything before the shipping deadline.

Fortunately, I had an entry in the county fair this year that was a handmade ornament. I was very excited about participating in the exchange, so I kissed my sweet little ornament goodbye and mailed it off to my counter part. There has been a little trouble with the mail. I was told she would receive it today. Fingers crossed! Since the exchange it cloaked in secrecy, you will have to surf over to the ARWB site and see if you can figure out which one I sent. Click the picture below.

The shipping deadline was December 10th. As soon as the 10th arrived I started watching for a package.

Hooray! It came!

This exchange is interesting because many of us do not know each other at all. That is the whole reason I joined ARWB. I wanted to get to know some of the bloggers in my area.

I was thrilled when I opened my package. Just look at that cute little box. Who wouldn’t be excited?!

There was an ever so thoughtful surprise awaiting me when I opened the box.

Not one, but THREE ornaments! Just wait, I’ll tell you more of the thoughtfulness.

My treats came from Brittney at Razorback Britt. Brittney said in her note that once she received my information she started snooping around my blog. She came across this post from last year. She saw the ornament that Chip and I made back in our OBU days. Turns out that Brittney is a Ouachita graduate too! We weren’t there at the same time, but if you went to Ouachita, you are part of the family. That makes us sound like mobsters! Let me say it this way…there is an immediate and special bond when you meet a fellow Ouachitonian. I am so glad to “meet” Brittney.

THE iconic building on OBU’s campus is Berry Chapel. Here is a picture Chip took on one of our visits a few years ago.

Well, look at what my Secret Santa did.

She took a picture of a snow-covered Berry Chapel and glued it in a cookie cutter!

I was so touched that she would take the time to do the research and come up with something so special. Thank you, Brittney.

The other ornaments are great too. I’m thinking she used an old Christmas card for the star and snowflake.

The edges are all glitter-fied. Sorry, I failed to get that photographed.

What a cute craft idea from someone who says she is not a crafter.

I hope you will check out the rest of the handmade ornaments that were exchanged. I’m off to track a package once again!

UPDATE (12/18): My Secret Santa Swapper, Jeanetta at Splendid Things, finally got her cotton boll angel ornament! Click here to see it on her tree!

 

Christmas Tree Tour

Not too long ago, someone asked me what my decorating style was.  I really don’t have a style. I’m very hodge podge. I like some modern, some traditional, some shabby chic, some country. I guess I lean more toward the shabby chic style—mainly because I have a lot of old, worn out stuff! Really my style is “Early Grandmother’s Attic.” In other word…hand-me-downs. Don’t get me wrong. I love me some good cast offs! I just like too many things, I guess.

My Christmas tree is the same way.

I am VERY sentimental. Ooo, maybe that’s my style.

Anyway, I don’t have one of those fancy trees where all the ornaments are coordinated. I don’t put that mesh stuff in my tree. There really isn’t room for it anyway. We always buy a REAL tree. Frasier Fir is our tree of choice. We always make the trek to Lowe’s to get one. The girls still like to ride the cart back to the building after we load the tree into the truck!

Here is a brief tour of our tree this year. Keep in mind that this is not all of the ornaments, just a few of my favorites. It is not even all of my favorites!

Bible ornament I made from a matchbox and alphabet pasta.

Chip's Aunt Shan made these red birds. They are wonderful! She is quite the seamstress. All the tiny stitches are so perfectly even. A true labor of love to make 6 of them.

My grandmother, Juju, made this one. I have always loved it.

Chip's Mom painted this Santa on a tiny gourd. She also made a really cool larger Santa. She made feet for him, so he could stand.

My Mom made this ric-rac Christmas tree for me when I was about 4 years old.

I made this one last year. I like the little bells as berries.

My knit-crazed girls each got one of these knitting baskets from me last year. My Mom's friend, Patsy, made a similar one for her years and years ago.

Chip and I fought Sandy Fisher for this starfish Santa at a Christmas party back in '94.

Chip's family used to raise chickens. One year Aunt Shan gave us this ornament. The chickens "bawk" Jingle Bells! We affectionately call it "The Bawk Bawks".

The Martha Stewart inspired glitter birds I made. I love that Martha Stewart glitter!

Spool ornament made by Juju for me when I was too little to remember.

Spool ornament I made for my kids!

Made from the hemlock tree that was in our yard when we lived in Indiana. Megan used to love to collect these little cones.

One day on my way to work, there was a lady passing out Christmas ornaments at the guard shack in our apartment complex. This was where we lived when we were first married.

I painted this at the Christmas window decorating contest in Evans Student Center at Ouachita.The front says Peggy & Chip.

My prize from an ornament exchange. Sandy Goins brought this one. Funny the things you remember.

I liked the neon colors the year i made this one.

When we were first married and living in Memphis, we would frequently ride the downtown trolley. Shan remembered that and got us this trolley ornament.

Sorry, I cut off the birdy's head. I think my grandparents gave me this one. I remember wearing it in my hair (notice the clip) to the church's Christmas banquet. I must have been about 6 years old.

Chip's Mamaw made this plastic canvas mail box. Katie loves how it really opens.

Cotton boll angel. I don't remember where this one came from, but I do know that I made about 50 of these one year. Boy were my fingers sore!

I bought this one as a patten. I made them for my students one year.

This came from the craft bazaar we had at school one year. I must have been in kindergarten.

Mom made this birdfeeder ornament out of a communion cup.

I made this embossed velvet ornament in 2000.

Well, that’s the end of the tour. I’ll have more goodie to show you later.

I joined a couple of linky parties. Check it out!

I also joined the party at House of Hepworths. For some reason I can’t get her button to work. Love her blog though!