RED CHRISTMAS: speaking of ornaments . . .

Kim has me totally thinking ornaments!

She's inspired me to chuck my usual tree decor which is very prim and proper. My usual tradition of tree decorating is to do the whole coordinated tree decor thing. So basically, I spend the night decorating the tree myself and fending of the kids who want to help because I want the tree to look a certain way. Then I spend a month keeping them away from the tree so they don't mess it up!

Now, that I think about it that entire tradition seems completely silly. Why on God's green earth would I try to keep my kids OUT of the fun of decorating. I could kick myself for doing it this way for the past five years. Sometimes I just need a swift kick to the behind as a good wake-up call . . . so THANK YOU KIM!

BUT NO MORE!!!

From now on my kids are going to be part of our tree traditions.

Enter the Memory Mitten Ornaments.

I actually did this ornament for Stephanie Lynn's ornament extravaganza over at Under the Table and Dreaming. I was originally planning on starting this tradition and putting all these handmade ornaments on a special wooden ornament tree that I have on the piano. However, with Kim's tradition swimming around in my head, I'm excited to add these memory mitten to the tree.

These ornaments combine two things I love around the holidays: memory-keeping and tradition-keeping. Each ornament is made from clothing that my children wore at some point during the year. Every time I look at these ornaments I will remember this year in their lives, and every year I will make a new ornament from another article of clothing. Then as we pack away the ornaments for safekeeping until the next Christmas, I will ask them to write down one memory from our Christmas celebration (or write it for them) to tuck inside the mitten. I imagine the Christmas celebrations to come as we read the memories tucked inside each mitten together.

Here's what you need:

~sweaters or other clothes that your children/grandchildren have out grown and hold a special place in your heart

~yarn or embroidery thread

~a yarn or tapestry needle

~ribbon

~felt or other embellishments and hot glue/fabric glue (optional)

Here's what you do:

1) Draw freehand or use a mitten to trace a child's sized mitten shape onto the sweater. Make sure you position the mitten or draw the mitten shape so that the open cuff of the mitten will be either the bottom edges of the sleeves or the waist of the sweater.

2) Pin the front and back layer of the sweater together and cut out mitten shape.

3) Thread needle with yarn and sew the two layers together by using the blanket stitch to sew around the outside edge of the mitten. Make sure to tie a hidden knot at the beginning and end to secure the yarn.

4) Heat seal the end of your ribbon by running the ends very quickly through a candle flame. Push ribbon through one of the blanket stitches toward the mitten cuff and tie into a bow. Secure with a dot of craft glue or hot glue in between the folds of the center so the bow doesn't come undone.