December Pagan Circle

[DaughterOfKali]

Hello December.

Let's post ideas for decorating mantels. I'm bored with the same old thing.

[mary3mama]

Decorating mantles, eh?

Ours has loads of family pix, some seasonal stuff that was just added and just a few other odd bits, oh and ashes. Nothing fancy, pretty ordinary I guess.

Welcome December!

[DaughterOfKali]

I should have said decorating for the holiday. I typically add greenery and such but I really want the Wow factor this year. Without it costing much.

[redveg]

December, here already?

Morning mamas. It is so cold this morning. I would love the wow factor too. My mantel has sesonal items that myself and my kids have found on our walks, pics of family & friends, some candles in holders, I guess it's pretty basic too. I will be checking out what you crafty mamas do.

[Valerie.Qc]

Mantle... I really don't know what I'll put up there... It gets so hot... I might add something in the big glass vase with water I put there for humidity. Floating candles maybe.

[mary3mama]

LOL! Wow factor without cost, eh?

One thing we did this year was replace our old lights with new LED ones. They were pricier, but use less electricity and are supposed to last longer.

The thing is, they are so much brighter and the colors are so much more intense. That really made it more festive here immediately.

That, streaming holiday music from accuradio and the scent of good things cooking...that's my strategy this year.

[Aeress]

Mantle- mine is inspired by a photo from Better Homes and Gardens- it has a wreath with a pinecone in the middle, my santa shoe from my childhood, a porcelain girl in a sleigh, and a woodsman santa. Plus a pretty candy dhish and my normal stuff. We are putting up our ribbon count down to christmas garland today

We are supposed to get snow- honestly wouldn't mind some snow.
Though what the heck was I thinking- Bella's winter coat is broken and Gillian doesn't have one (did I give away all my size fives/sixes?), so I had to order them and I had to pull money from here and there to do it. SO much for being good about saving.

[Autumn Breeze]

I have a teeny weeny little shelf on a wall. I might buy a bigger one this season because I've always wanted to put pictures up there. But only one would fit on this little thing.

[earthmama369]

No mantle here! But my parents have a lovely one. My favorite was the year they decorated it with driftwood, sand dollars and conch shells, and carved wooden birds that my grandfather made (they live by the shoreline). The sandpiper got a Santa hat and they draped greenery garlands along the front with mistletoe at the points where the garland met the mantle. Very pretty.

Today the kids and I are making a felt advent calendar that celebrates both Yule and Christmas. It's white with pockets in dark blues, purples, reds, and greens with a light blue color for the two special days. I'm going to put little craft projects in each pocket that they can use to make ornaments for the tree each day. Hmm. This means we should probably get a tree soon. We'll have to have a special ornament basket until then.

[femme_rouge]

Happy December! :

Yesterday I made our advent paper chain that has something to do everyday from now until Jan 1. I really want to make a special permanent something sometime, but I'm also trying to work on being "good enough"and not overdoing things when it is stressing me out. So, at least one more year with the construction paper chain. It does remind me of my childhood though. Maybe I should try to make something in July or sometime of year I'm not as overwhelmed.

Tomorrow we had our plan to go into the forest to get our tree, and DP just told me he can't because he forgot about something he has to do. I think I was as excited as the kids.

Maia- Are you back? Sounds like a great trip. I'm so happy for you. Love, love, love...ain't it grand?

Earthmama- that mantle sounds beautiful

I need to run and get the kiddos and myself ready for school.

Happy Merry Making

[wombatclay]

December!

I had a huge post but the internet ogre ate it so let's see what I remember...

I'm not sure if you've owned (been owned by?) kittens before... but they rather have a tendency to go SPAZZZZZ during the night

Kiki- maybe her inner kitten? She was a stray so they don't know for sure but they think she is 2-3 years old and the vet who did the spay noted that she'd had at least one litter (but she wasn't lactating when found by the SPCA). She was at the shelter since April though and I bet she is just enjoying not being caged for the night.

pictures- I marched the kiddos into the woods and took 50-60 pictures. I narrowed that down to 7 I really liked and then dh picked the final picture... he wanted a "joy" picture and liked how Tor was looking at the camera in that one. I'll print the other 6 for us, and mail the "winner" to family/friends.

mantle- bang for buck... if you have a clear glass vase (or can find a few at a thriuft store for a few cents) you're set! I fill these with cranberries, ball ornaments, holiday lights (just shove them in and drape the cord down the back), pine cones or branches, even just spiffy rocks can look cool. Also candles in all shapes and sizes. Grapevine wreaths are really inexpensive at crafts stores and you can either leave them bare, wrap them with ribbon/yarn, stuff herbs or greenery into them, cover them with buttons, whatever! Cut paper snowflakes and origami cranes look cool and are fairly easy to make... I hang them in windows and from the ceiling. Sliced citrus fruit (dried) is pretty and if you hang them in front of holiday lights the smell/glow is nice too (or take a glass vase, press the citrus on the sides and fill the middle with lights).

We don't have a mantle, but I decorate the top of the piano (it's our nature table). I'll be unpacking the holiday box later today but usually we have greenery, pomegranates, an old clothespin style Father Christmas, holiday lights, candles, and the cards from the yule exchange. Oh, and a few special ornaments.

Solstice calendar- so close to done!

Tor is teething... ugh!

[doubledutch]

i just wanted to say hello while the thread is still tiny and i don't feel super behind.

i don't have a mantel, but i think cranberries would be beautiful. lots of cranberries and white candles. maybe a little something sparkly too!

[TulsiLeaf]

we don't have a mantel ( we live in florida and they are hard to come by!) but we are decorating our living room.

We have a nature table already, but I think we are going to put some things under the tree. The only thing I worry about is that my dog, who is a 9 month old puppy, will enjoy them to!

[DaughterOfKali]

I haven't used cranberries before so I'll try that. I can't use any lights as there aren't any outlets nearby. I won't be using real candles. I may use the battery tea lights somehow.
My mantel isn't deep so it's tricky.

I'd love to paint something but I'm out of paints. I have a canvas, just no paints. heh.

Ok, I'm in a foul mood due to ds's behavior these days so I'm going to try to chill out for a bit.
He has a Sensory Skills playdate today but I'm afraid that he'll continue acting horribly for it. He really needs this so I hope he's on his best behavior for it.

[SunshineJ]

Happy December! How the heck is it already DECEMBER though??

We returned from our trip back home and the weather was nice enough to stay pretty mellow, but now that December is here all bets are off. It's cold and snow flurries are predicted for the next week.

We're trying to figure out how to decorate the place this year. Since we moved, it's a whole new setup and smaller than our last place. We'll figure it out though, I'm sure. A few things I've done that were kind of neat in the past were to use what's available (cheap!). We lived next to a few trees that dropped acorns, so I took a large glass punch bowl, set 3 fat candles of varying sizes in it, and surrounded them with acorns. I think an acorn cranberry mix would be really pretty! As for lights, you can get a string of 10 lights that are battery operated at the dollar tree.

Working hard to get the advent calendars finished here. Along with a dozen other things. I need to refocus, I have too many projects on a tight deadline that I'm starting to flit between them instead of getting one done and moving on.

Happy December everyone!

[wombatclay]

I was about to mention the battery lights! I was at the dollar store today and saw them there.

This was last year's Tday centerpiece... not a vase but a wooden platter from walmart (we use these for SCA events), three candles (5 dollars for 20 at Michaels), and a bag of cranberries (99 cents at supermarket).

If you don't want lighted candles maybe those led battery pillar candles? or just leave them unburned?

(the napkin rings were 10 cent mini grapevine wreaths from craft store)

[saphire]

Golly I'm excited for winter holidays! And it's freezing here too.

This morning we got the car window replaced so the girls and I will head to the library soon.
I have gone back to last year's winter solstice camp a couple times to look for some ideas. Mostly for creating lessons for homeschool about how other countries & cultures celebrate. I've run across some other fun stuff. It reminds me I want to make more wooden animals for the nature table too!

To spiff up decorations I recommend cinnamon dough ornaments- they smell so good. I've found plastic glitter covered snowflakes at craft stores and the dollar store- I have quite a few and use those all over. And another fun idea is to make a garland with small paper pennant like this http://goddesshobbies.blogspot.com/2...d-pennant.html Oh, look she's got another good idea http://goddesshobbies.blogspot.com/2...oard-sign.html We'll be making paper snowflakes tomorrow, for the countdown activity. Over the weekend we got all the decorations out and up and I even managed to get the countdown all planned. I have too much I wanna do! I really need to remember to ground myself. And maybe some tapping too. Which reminds me, I haven't seen Aweyn post for a few days... hope all is well dear!

[SunshineJ]

Ok here's something I don't know. I've been inspired (ok I've gotten off my duff some!) and have been working on decorating the house. I'm very intrigued by the idea of using the cranberries as decorations as I like the accent color. How long do they last out like that? Are they something I could use to jazz up a display and keep them out for 3-4 weeks or would they go bad? Clearly I'm cranberry illiterate!

[Indigo73]

Subbin'

Hoping I can come back tomorrow to catch up.

[KJoslyn78]

wow - i'm so far behind in reading/posting - yikes!

decorating - will be very minimal this year - as we are still in an very small place at this point - but i have high hopes for moving into a bigger apartment soon!

My grandmother called me, she had cashed out one of her CDs and is splitting the money 3 ways - between my 2 younger brothers and I. This is such a HUGE help for us - i was out of work injured for over a month after our car accident that totaled our van - and just have been unable to catch up since. I'm so... grateful - i don't think words can express it. So tomorrow (or Thursday), after nearly 2 months of being carless - we should have a vehicle again - YIPPEE!

And physical i am just so WIPED OUT after spending all that time at my SILs place with all the rest of my nephews, nieces, BILs/SILs and even my MIL/FIL for 1 of the days there... i crashed at 8 last night until almost 6 this morning!!

ok - must get my crew ready and do dinner!! I so need to catch up here soon!!