a dear little tree

hi, friends!  how was your weekend?  i can't believe how quickly we're moving through October, can you?  we are finally getting some fall weather and i couldn't be happier.  it was a bit gray and drizzly on Saturday and i think most everyone in SoCal welcomed it.

we had a bit of an eventful outing on Saturday when Mr. Bagubian threw up in Wal-Mart!  i should let you know that i don't do vomit well.  i know no one likes it but i am actually afraid of it.  (example:  i have to close my eyes and cover my ears when it happens on TV!)  i hate it so much and when i decided to become a mother i knew vomit would be an inevitable part of that life.  luckily, i had no morning sickness with either pregnancy and i can handle infant spit up just fine.  Mr. Bagubian has been sick before--in fact when he had a cold last month he threw up in my lap.  each time he's been sick i've handled it okay because my first feeling is to feel bad for him.  my second feeling is fear and worry that he is seriously ill.  then there's the hamster wheel of anxiety:  will he puke over and over and over again?  how long will this last?  will i get it?  will my husband get it?  the anxiety is really the worst part.  Gooby didn't throw up again and was fine the next day.  knock on wood, Hoss and i are also feeling good.

so, thank you for listening and now let's move onto more pleasant topics...   

today i have another Christmas card to share and, if you'll allow me, a special story about the little tree you'll see in the photos beside the card.

i'm using my old supplies again, too, so some of them may look familiar if you recall this post.  this card has a vintage look to it and the "garden center" tag by Melissa Frances is several years old, but since it's meant to look vintage, i think it's still relevant.  i added a bit of glitter to the flowers by the door to draw attention to them.

the burgundy flower by Prima is glittered, too.  with a tiny jeweler's tag that i inked and stamped "Joy" onto and a button from my grandmother, that old flower is interesting again.

the glittered poinsettia and text paper is Making Memories and the chocolate snowflake paper behind it is from SEI's Alpine Frost collection.  anyone remember that from a couple of years ago?  a very good friend of mine gave me that collection pack at the time and i have hoarded it ever since then.  so silly to be a scrap hoarder but i know a lot of you probably do the same thing!  

i matted the poinsettia paper onto the snowflake paper and stitched the top and bottom edges with red thread.  i inked a white doily with red ink and then layered a scalloped circle punched from the poinsettia paper on top of it.

for the envelope, i stamped a poinsettia in red ink on the lower right corner and added glitter and an adhesive gem.  since it's for Christmas, even the envelope needs a little dazzle, too!

allow me to digress for a moment as i share a little story about my Grandma Peg.  this tiny tree was decorated by her years and years ago.  she and my Grandpa Bob shared a love for dollhouses.  he built the houses and small furniture that fit inside, and she hand-made accessories to go with them--small pictures and frames for the walls, beautifully decorated bedclothes and pillows, itty-bitty woven rugs, and these lovely Christmas trees.  

when each granddaughter turned twelve years old, Grandpa Bob built her a dollhouse and Grandma Peg pitched in with a box of hand-crafted treasures she made especially for that granddaughter.  sadly, my grandfather passed away before i turned twelve.  however,  Grandma Peg, not wanting me to be left out, made me a dollhouse, too, with help from my uncle.  she still gave me all of her hand-made treats, too, and i remember receiving a Christmas tree, not unlike this one.

this tree was hers and after she passed away, my mom found it in her house and gave it to me.  the details are amazing and so was she.  we're coming up on the 3rd anniversary of her death, November 1, and i guess i'm feeling nostalgic.  i keep this tree on a shelf in my studio year-round because it reminds me of her and inspires me.  the women on both sides of my family were/are a talented and crafty bunch and i am so thankful to have been blessed with some of their genes.  

that's all from me today, guys, but thanks so much for listening to all of my personal stories.  take care and i'll talk with you soon!