If you remember, I talked about how I wanted to take pictures of my tree all lit up but didn't want to post them as they looked demonic. 
Well, Christmas is over and now I will show you. The tree is lovely in real life but in photos it just looks too red. These are the good ones there are worse photos I still won't show.
My daughter finished her Nutcracker. To bad she forgot to tell me it was due the day before vacation so now it is late even though it is done.
One of these days I am actually going to see that drawing because she completed it at school and entered it without me ever seeing it. Her Russian needle punch is in 3D art and there isn't a division of that at the State level of the Reflections program, so it was stopped at this level, I think. She will have fun with the awards ceremony as the mayor of our little town will give her the award. Pretty cool for a 7 year old.
About four or five years back, my MIL was making these trees as gifts for her kids for Christmas.
I was living with her at the time. No joke; she is a great lady and living with her proved it more to me.
Any way, these are made out of dowels to desired length, and torn home spun fabric in Christmas colors, a rusty tin star, raffia, and a piece of branch that has been cut on a band saw and drilled in the middle to accommodate dowel. I can't find the original instructions or I would post them. The strips of fabric are just tied around the dowel and they get shorter and shorter as they approach the star. I think they came out real cute and would be cute in other colors and fabric too. The neat thing about homespun is that it has no right or wrong side to the fabric, so it does work a little better for this project.
It is trendy right now to have a stripey blanket. I know it is on about five other blogs, just can't remember where. Well you can see ours on the sofa in the back by the big Christmas tree. I made that one about three years ago for my husband's birthday present.
Hi! I saw that Sunshine needed this pattern, so here it is:
The Three Trees
Each tree requires 1/2 yard of fabric. For three trees, you should have three different plaids that go well together. The fabric should be printed on both sides; homespun works best. The trees look best if the fabric is torn, not cut, into strips.
Dowels are approximately 7/16 inches in diameter and measure approximately 19 1/2 inches, 16 1/2 inches, and 13 1/2 inches in length. All three should be able to be cut from a single 40-inch dowel.
Medium and Small Trees
Tear thirteen (13) strips, lengthwise, from your fabric. Each strip should be approximately 1 1/4 inches wide. Lay six (6) of the strips side-by-side and cut in three (3) 12-inch lengths. (Note that there is a short area of wastage with this set of strips. If you are doing multiple sets of trees, this wastage can be combined to form usable lengths of ties.) Lay five (5) strips side-by-side and cut in one (1) 12-inch length and three (3) 10-inch lengths. Lay the final two (2) strips side-by-side and cut in one (1) 10-inch length, and four (4) 8-inch lengths.
Large Tree
Tear thirteen (13) strips lengthwise from your fabric. Each strip should be approximately 1 1/4 inches wide. Lay seven (7) strips side-by-side and cut in three (3) 14-inch lengths. Lay six (6) strips side by side and cut in two (2) 12-inch lengths and two (2) 9-inch lengths.
You should end up with
Again, these lengths do not have to be exact, but it helps.
If you are doing multiple set of the trees, you may end up with more fabric, or extra strips; GREAT! (Or, you may want to use a bit more fabric and just cut some extra strips.) The more strips you can get from your fabric, the more full your trees will be. However, be aware that narrower strips than 1 1/4 inches are too small and don't look very nice on the finished project.
I received this pattern from a leader when I made a set of three trees at a Church women's homemaking activity. The set of the trees, accompanied by the book "The Legend of the Three Trees," retold by Angela Elwell Hunt, were given as a gift to each of my children for the Christmas of 2002.
A wonderful Christmas and a joyous New Year to you and yours.
Pattern Posted by Myrna
( Up date: if you don't know who Myrna is, it is my Mom-in-law aka MIL; but I just call her Mom. I am not a great speller or grammar-type person, but she is. So she was kind and agreed to check over my stuff from time to time and fix mistakes. Here, she was kind enough to give you the pattern I couldn't find. Thanks MOM)
She made these when I was a little girl in the 70's. For years and years they hung on doors or stair posts. She doesn't have rails; just two big posts. A few years back she stopped hanging them. I asked what happened to them. She offered them to me since I missed them. I need to re-stuffed them as the stuffing is all gone from their necks, which is probably why she stopped using them. I still remember her sitting at a sewing machine making these. Very few times in my life do I remember my Vavo sewing. These 3 angels a doll and some soft ornaments my cousins and I stuffed are all I remember although I know she sewed a lot when she was younger. I also own some of this same type of ornament (stuffed ones) that my grandmother Campbell made. They are all very 60's and 70's in appearance, but I love them all and, wow, she used cotton not polyester; way cool. I hate polyester. I now own all of these items. In time I might make a wreath with the ornaments; have not decided what to do with them. So they sit in a bag in my sewing room.
As promised, here are a mass (no pun intended) of angels that my grandmother made. 
We actually have more of these in the house; they are in the attic, still in three separate boxes with my kids' names on them. They will stay there for many more years as they are not mine, but my children's. She, my grandmother, gave me some for them so when they grow up they will have items their Biz Avo (great-grandmother) made for them when they where little.
their 90's. They are such different people, it is fun knowing them all.
It is sad to say that I hope they, my children, will be old enough to have memories of such great, loving people when they grow up. I could not ask for my children to have better great-grandparents than those they have.
The birth of our savior was the most wonderful event that has happened here on earth. He was born of an earthly mother, with a God for a father. He is truly the Prince of Peace.
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, Behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him.
These are all gifts from " Miss Bee Haven " on the MJF forum; such a wide variety of color materials and styles! There are mother of pearl both buttons and buckles ,big and little. Lots of really cool vintage-patterned buttons; and I love the wild colors. I have yet to sit down and go through all of them, but I pulled out the first few that caught my eye and set them out so they could be seen better in the photos here. Such fun I am going to have with this.
I got these on the 18th I am just a little slow posting, with the holiday and all.
The Angel:
My children made this Creche last year; we have three of them on our tree. I think it is just precious, even if baby Jesus is made out of a Popsicle stick. Don't forget in all the rushing around to spend time with your children. They are the closest you can come to being with angles without being in heaven.
The sheep:
Buttons, Tassels, Yo-yos & Christmas=Garland
Well, they are all made! Now to get the other supplies and get this garland swag thing made.
The Donkey:
