Favorite things - Ornaments

12.5.14- 

Thanks for following along on my 12 days of sharing some favorite things.  Also thanks to all those who have entered the GiVEAWAY for a 5x7 H&H Holiday Frame so far.  All you have to do is read each daily post & answer the question below by leaving a comment.  I've enjoyed reading them all so far.  

{Keep them coming!} 

Day 5- Vintage Christmas Ornaments

I know I say this a lot but why can't things be made like they used to be.  Just something about vintage glass ornaments that are so charming. As with a few other favorite things I've mentioned you can easily find these & they usually are pretty inexpensive.  You can pick them up at antique stores for anywhere from $1-$4 each or sometimes if you're lucky in a pack of 12. 

I like to look for these everywhere I travel.  There are always 2 things to look for on my list it seems, a pop bottle & a Christmas ornament.  Surprisingly, I haven't lost one yet while traveling home or being damaged in a suitcase.  So if you see one, wherever it may be, that you love take the risk & bring it home.  As with all vintage items you want to look for something that's unique, has great color & it a picture or words are on it, that is an added bonus!  A MuST buy if there is words or sayings on an ornament in my opinion.  They are a treasure & becoming harder to find.  

I like to show off & display my ornaments in a few different ways.  Sometimes I leave them in the box & just set out as is, especially if it comes in a cute box {See Day 2's post} or I've put them all out together in my famous chicken feeder & set it on a bench in our family room & this year I've just enjoyed placing them here & there.  As with the other favorite things I've shared these seem to just draw your guests in, they look closer, ask questions & creates a great conversation.  

Since my collection continues to grow each year {so fun!}  I've thought that it would be fun to actually decorate our Christmas tree with them.  Just glad it wasn't this year though because this is what happened yesterday.  Tiiiimber!!  Oh, my gosh!  Sitting by & watching a 12ft.+ live tree come falling down is not fun.  It actually was a bit scary & LoUD!  Glass was everywhere & ornaments were flying, what a mess.  Lost about 25 glass ornaments, lots of clean up.  After it happened all I could think about was maybe my vintage ornaments will always just be decor & never put up on a tree.  Oh, that would be so sad.  At least the ones we lost can easily be replaced, thank goodness there's Target.  

Question of the day:  Do you have a fresh, fragrant live tree or do you go with the trusty, sturdy artificial tree? 

On a side note, handmade ornaments are just as sweet too.  I participated in an ornament exchange this year with some other bloggers across the country. It was so fun!  I wanted to create something unique for them.  A good ornament is something that can look good on it's own or be hung just about anywhere. 

Created these from a slice of wood {thanks to my husband for slicing & drilling for me}  & then I printed off some of my favorite holiday quotes, of coarse added some glitter, tied it with some yarn & attached a silver bell {one of my favorite holiday sounds} with some bakers twine & there you go.  Really simple & sweet.  I added some fake snow, glittered snowballs, tiny trees & a pinecone to the package, because you know presentation is everything. 

-One of my favorite lines! From The Polar Express- 

Have a wonderful day! 

{M}