A tale of a stolen Christmas wreath (with a happy end)

Once upon a time there was a little boy, and his name was Eddie. He loved everything about Christmas. Christmas tree and all the baubles made him ecstatic. So he was very glad to have a Christmas wreath attached to the front door at the beginning of December. Eddie was very proud of it, and it was truly a beautiful wreath, made of branches with little red apples. Very festive, with a touch of "merrie olde England" look. Probably not the most magnificent wreath in the neighbourhood, but much loved and admired by Eddie and family.

One day (last Sunday, to be precise) the wreath was gone. It looked like it was stolen by some heartless person who didn't think that stealing Christmas wreaths was wrong on so many levels. Eddie was saddened, Mama was upset, two older men in the family shrugged their shoulders and mumbled that it was not the end of the world. Yes, it wasn't the end of the world, but pretty upsetting nevertheless for people who care about such things.

So, indignant Mama wrote a note and stuck it on the door with the scotch tape. The note read "Whoever stole our Christmas wreath, hope you enjoy it" (she was very tempted to add "low life" but resisted, but she did swear under her breath, that's Mama for you).
The next day they got some sympathetic comments from the school bus driver and assistant and some neighbours, who expressed their disbelief at the un-Christmasy spirit of the thief. What next? Stealing the mince pie and a glass of milk left for Santa?
Mama ran around a few shops to find the wreath that she liked the look of, but was appalled at the prices, and came home empty-handed. She complained to her friends on Facebook and got a lot of supportive comments from kind people.

In the evening Papa arrived home from work and beckoned Mama to the front door, saying Have you seen the door? Mama opened the door, and stopped in her tracks. There, attached to the door knocker, was a shiny new Christmas wreath, colourful and festive, and a little note tucked under her own note which said "Sorry to hear of your loss: Probably not as good as your original one, but maybe acceptable as a temporary replacement!" The note was not signed. The mystery benefactor didn't want to reveal their name or be thanked in person.

Mama was amazed, touched and moved. Eddie was delighted to have a new beautiful wreath.
She wrote another note, thanking the lovely person for their wonderful gift and their kindness, and wishing them a Merry Christmas.

The beauty of the act of kindness is that they didn't expect us to reciprocate. And this little miracle happened in our street.

Our Christmas tree and one enthusiastic boy

"Is it Christmas yet, Mummy?"

Every morning in the last month or so Eddie wakes up with a question if Christmas has arrived. He is particularly concerned about Santa not forgetting to visit him. He is so full of enthusiasm about all the Christmas-related business like doing the cards, Nativity play in the nursery, stories about Jesus, Santa's imminent arrival and of course, our Christmas tree.
Decorating a Christmas tree is one of my top pleasures of the season. I have always loved it, for me it is a pleasure bordering on magic. As my older son is 11 now, he doesn't show much interest in the Christmas paraphernalia. Not Eddie. He is super eager to help and get involved. He was absolutely ecstatic when our John Lewis Vintage Blue Christmas tree arrived in a big box.

It is a tall 7ft tree, which looks very realistic. You know, when you see things online, they might look different in real life, but our tree looks as splendid (if not better) as the image shows. It was easy to assemble - the tree comes in three big pieces plus a stand, you just need to slot all the pieces together in the right order, and adjust the screws on the stand for the tree to be stable. You will also need to adjust the branches and fluff them up (the branches are hinged).

It is really heart-warming to see our tree in its full glory. The tree itself reminds me of the Russian forests. It is a perfect basis for any decorative style. Consider yourself an artist with a white canvas, you can create anything you want with it, and give it either a traditional look or a modern minimalist one.
The branches are made of Polythylene, and look hard wearing.
We usually have a real tree from the garden centre, but I am converted now.

Felt So Good Mini Christmas Wreath (Multi) and Santa Coat tree decorations

Our tree was delivered with a whole packet full of Christmas tree decorations by Felt So Good. They are truly funky, cute and innovative. I love it that they were made in a small cottage in the Himalayas. I told Eddie that they were made in the faraway land, hand-stitched and embroidered, and he was fascinated. He kept asking me if they knew he would receive them. I said, of course, they knew. Very colourful felt toys vary in design. There are mini-wreaths, Santa coat, mini Santa, penguins and squirrels, spotty presents and stockings. Charming and adorable.

Felt So Good Snowflake and Penguin with Red Scarf tree decorations

My very own Elf

We didn't put a conventional star or an angel on the top. We actually do have a few angel decorations on the tree, but there is a flying elephant sitting on the top. It's Eddie's masterpiece, made with love from a recycled milk bottle in the nursery. Eddie was thrilled that his creation is at the very top of the tree.
We also added a string of lights, and they twinkle merrily, adding to the festive spirit.

Last summer, when I knew my Mum was coming to visit us in July, I asked her if she could bring with her a few of my old tree decorations. She carefully wrapped four of them in bubble wrap and carried with her all the way from Russia. I look at them, and travel back into my childhood. When we were kids, my parents would wrap the walnuts in foil and hang them together with the mandarins on the Christmas tree.

Decorations from my childhood, vintage Russian glass ornaments

Eddie has been so proud of his decorating skills that he insisted on having his photo taken next to the tree. He goes around it and repeats every few minutes "What a beautiful Christmas tree!". I imagine all his nursery class will be informed on what a fabulous tree he has at home.

Eddie loved the big box in which the tree was delivered, and has been playing with it for the last few days. One day it is a house, the next it is a boat. We cut out the windows in it, and Eddie painted it with blue gouache. Simple pleasures of life. Boxes are fascinating toys, which appeal to a child's imagination.

It is lovely to walk in the evening in the neighbourhood and see all the twinkling lights and decorations on the Christmas trees in the houses. Some of our neighbours are very particular about the style. One of the ladies always goes for the pristine white look, the other decks the tree with lots of gold.

We are very proud of our beautiful tree and love all our colourful decorations, each toy tells a story and each one is a joy.

Disclosure: we received a Christmas tree from John Lewis and a selection of felt decorations by Felt so Good for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are mine.

Felt So Good Stocking with Snowman tree decoration

 

Kippas tee (Oh, Christmas tree)

If you come round to our house, Eddie will give you a tour around the Christmas tree, which he calls "Kippas tee". He will show you Santa and an angel, a snowman and a sock (it's a stocking actually, but Eddie calls it a sock). He is very proud of our tree. Last year he was still too young to appreciate it and hardly noticed it, but this time Eddie was actively involved, as we went together to the garden centre to pick our tree, selected a few decorations with him and put the ornaments together.

While I decorated our Christmas tree, I looked at the baubles and figurines and recollected when we bought them and thought of our friends who gave them to us as gifts. Some of these dear friends are not with us anymore.

This lovely angel (below) was purchased in Woodstock, when we lived there and Sasha was still a little boy. We returned last week to Woodstock to have a long walk in the Blenheim park, and I popped into the gift shop where I bought this angel, but alas, they didn't have anything similar this time.

This cute little ceramic bell is one of the latest acquisitions. It is so jolly and bright, very festive and Christmasy.

The little glass drum reminds me very much of the ornaments we had in Russia when I was little. Of course, in those days, it wasn't Christmas that we celebrated, but the New year's eve. I loved everything about that holiday: the tree, decorations, food, party and presents. Seasons were proper seasons, and we would have had a deep snow and a biting frost outside.

When I saw this little girl in the shop, I immediately thought of the Russian fairy tale Morozko.

And of course, we need the three crowns for the three kings.

It actually looks quite garish and cheapish in the day light, but the Christmas tree's lights transform it into a crown sparkling with jewels.

I also used to decorate our trees with Sasha's artwork in the past, but to my dismay, found out that all the salt dough decorations that were made by Sasha and which I kept in a box up in the attic have gone soggy and disintegrated.

Now that you have seen our Christmas tree, what ornaments do you have?

Create your own gift tags with VELCRO

Blogging challenges are always fun, and keep one's grey cells from a sleepy stupor. I was quite thrilled to hear about another challenge for bloggers, this time organised by VELCRO. I received a hamper of VELCRO® products to participate in the VELCRO® #101uses challenge.

Apart from the obvious use like tidying the cables with the reusable ties, I thought the range of Velcro will be perfect for any crafter's stash.
You can make any gift tags with the Velcro super slim stick ons.

To create the  Christmas reindeer tag you will need
a piece of stiff upholstery fabric
Tulip 3d paints (Bronze/Metallics & Diamond/Glitter)
a card tag
1 VELCRO super slim stick on

If you are looking for free materials for crafting, go to your nearest furniture store and ask if they have discontinued fabric samples books. They come in different sizes and types of fabric. Any soft velvets or woolen fabrics won't be good for painting, you will need quite smooth surfaces like cotton or viscosa, linen or silk.

Cut out the desired size tag from the fabric.
Using the 3d paints, draw a reindeer or any other simple design like a snowflake, or a Christmas bauble. Let the paint dry completely, it will take at least an hour, to speed up the drying process, you might put your tags on the radiator (painted side up).
Once dry, attach the Velcro stick on to the cardboard tag.

Tulip 3d paints are versatile, and are not difficult to use, you need a steady hand and a bit of patience.
I found a lovely online shop where you can buy a selection of Tulip paints - CraftMerrily Arts & Crafts. Even a child can do this basic design: this snowflake was painted with Tulip Bronze/Metallics and Diamond/Glitter.

This Christmas bauble gift tag was done with Tulip Glitter paints in Ruby and Champage and Bronze/Metallics. Glitter paints take a bit longer to dry, as the lines are thicker. Once the bauble is dry, cut the tag out around the design, and attach with Velcro to any gift package.

If you are still not confident to paint free-hand, then stamp an image you like on the smooth fabric (I used the Stazon inkpad) and add the highlights with the Tulip 3d paint.

Fot this project I have done some basic designs, but you can do much more complicated and intricate ones, if you have confidence and patience.

To show what you can do with 3d paints, I invite you to have a look at the old blog of mine. This traditonally built mermaid was painted with 3d Pebeo paints (another brand which produces these paints).
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That's my first tip for the challenge. You will find me posting more ideas, and I am open to all your suggestions on how to use VELCRO products.

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