signs of the season part 2

I. Want. My. Christmas. Tree. I can craft and craft and craft and craft, and it just isn't Christmas until we have a tree. As a child, whenever things got messy around the holidays (as anyone with a family knows it does) i would sneak off into the corner behind the tree. Surrounded by favorite ornaments, soft white lights, and the smell of pine, everything just sort of seemed to get better. Now i am an adult, our trees seem to be getting smaller (no joke - last year we definitely waited too long and ended up with a Charlie Brown tree) and i don't fit as well as i used too. But i have found a new favorite spot. These days, even when things aren't messy, i love to snuggle with my husband and my kitties, comfy on the couch in front of the fire. Luckily, this time of year is cold enough for the roaring fires Todd likes to keep going (it was almost 85 in the house last night when we finally went to bed), and we haven't had a bill from the gas company since September! But i digress....

As i look in on all my favorite bloggers out there, i keep seeing images of trees and conversations about wonderfully hand knit garlands, and heirloom ornaments. I have finals coming up, and all i want to do is decorate, craft, bake, snuggle, and celebrate!!!
So i have chosen one of the five to keep me sane while i muddle through the last week of school.... crafting! The bowl of felt balls has been depleted for garlands galore!!

I finally made a few trial runs of the felt tree, and was greatly impressed! (by the way, a good old paper Trader Joe's bag works wonderfully if you are like me and don't keep interfacing around the house)

I even made a felt-ball snowman... who is adorable - and just a teensy bit creepy (i think its the eyes, i should have used a colorful bead).

And then i just had to have some holiday cheer for the couch, and so a few scraps of printed cotton and corduroy became these lovelies!