Hobby Lobby, Goodwill, & Christmas Cheer

Yesterday, I posted that I was supposed to go into Lansing. I kept putting it off, until I had no more time left to go before the kids got out of school. Procrastination Queen, thy name is Heather. I also posted about the Hobby Lobby gift card I got in the mail from Lisa.

Well, today, I had no time for excuses- I had to go into Lansing to deal with the insurance matters. Since I was heading in, I made sure to bring the Hobby Lobby card with me. My goal was to find some pretty ornaments for the tree- I love ornaments! I have over loaded my trees so badly in the past that the tree had to be anchored to the wall because it kept tipping over. Usually, every branch has at least -something- on it.

I also like having enough ornaments that I can change the theme a bit each year. Well, anyway, I got to Hobby Lobby today, and they had some good sales- including 50% off all ornaments, either individual or in packs. What a great deal! I have been really looking at my tree this year, and I love the way the bright colors (bright pinks, purples, aquas, greens, etc) look against the white tree.

I decided I wanted to find some ornaments that would go well with a bright colors theme. My ultimate plan for next year (and it will depend on A- if I have any money on the day after Christmas, and B- if there are any good trees left) is to put my white tree in the dining room, and put a regular, nice big green tree in the living room.

The living room tree would be the catch all, put what we have on it, tree. The one in the dining room would be more themed around the colors I mentioned above. Again, it depends on how cheaply I can find a tree after Christmas, because I want a nice one that will last several years, but I also want a taller one. Our ceilings will allow for a 8-9 foot tree easily, because they have the beam work at the regular ceiling level, and go up at little over a foot from there. I have a 6 foot tree right now, but I'd really love a taller one for in here.

I digress (I do that often, don't I?). So I found the ornaments to be on sale, which meant the card would stretch even further! Yay! I glanced around the individual ornaments first, but they were pretty picked over in the colors I was looking for, so I went for the boxed ornaments.

The first ones that caught my eye were large round bulbs in cotton candy pink with a bright colored flower on them. They were all right, but too pink. Then I saw the same ones in both aqua and a nice deep royal purple color. They were $4 for a package of 4 (after 50% off, that is), which was right up my alley!

I grabbed the purple color, then moved on. Next I found a box of bright aqua bulbs with a darker aqua and a lime green glittery circular pattern on them, also $4 for 4 ornaments after the discount. Lastly, I found a box of small plain round bulbs in a pink shade- a slightly deeper color than the cotton candy color, and smaller, so not as obnoxious on my eyes. There are 10 in the box for $3.50 after the discount.

Here at home, I already have a box of 12 matte finished purple bulbs (same size as the pink ones I bought) that I found at Dollar Tree this year, a set of 32 tiny round matte & shiny finished aqua bulbs, and some other random brightly colored bulbs. I don't think I'll have to buy any ornaments next year for the 2nd tree- just the tree. Hopefully at half off, too!

While I was there, I also picked up pom poms in assorted sizes for a craft project, plus small jingle bells, and glittery felt for the same project. Last year, Gillian got an ornament from one of her teachers in Kindergarten- it was a tree made from pom pom's, with smaller pom pom ornaments on the tree, and a jingle bell for the 'star'. She used card stock for the back, but I'm going to use the felt.

I think these will make good gifts for the kids to give teachers and relatives this year. I bought enough to make up around 25, I think. The ornament Gilly has was made with white pom poms for a white tree, but I was hoping to make a green one.

Well, they had packs of 48 green pom poms for $.99, or packs of 125 white pom poms for $1.47. That made them about half the cost of the green. I opted to go with white for cost. I got packs of multi-colored tiny ones for the ornaments on the tree, and tan for the tree trunk (there weren't any dark brown packs).

That will make for a good project this weekend to keep the kids busy.

While I was in Lansing, I stopped at Goodwill. I had stopped by the one here in Charlotte last night, and found a cute stocking- it's red velvet, and has an embroidered Nativity scene on it, but then it also has little fiber optic lights along it as stars, and on the Christmas Star. It lights up nicely! It was $1.99, and I do need to do some sewing on it- the cuff was already personalized in gold thread- Happy Holidays from Dixie Stampede- it must have been a gift from a  company.

After Christmas, I'll get some fleece in a matching color, and just sew a new cuff onto it to cover that part. This is the begining of a stocking collection for me. Anyway, back to the Lansing Goodwill. Today I went in there, and found several small cute ornaments for the tree, plus a nice big rubbermaid dish, a Mickey & MInnie Christmas candle holder, and lastly, a red velvet stocking with bright colored circles on it.

I want to start collecting stockings for Christmas. I love how they look, and they can be hung on the walls, from windows, from door frames, and so much more. I'm going to keep my eye open at places like Goodwill, or on clearance.

Right now, my "collection" is mostly older stockings we have used, or stockings we were given, plus the ones we use currently. We have 1 really big one made of cotton, and it has Gillian's name on the cuff in sharpie marker. It was from when she was born (December 27th), the nurses gave it to her.

We have 3 of the traditional red stockings with the white cuff and the gold braiding on it. I added felt snowflakes to it that I found that year, plus I put their names on them in silver glitter, and added some silver glitter to the snowflakes. Simple, but pretty.

I have mine & Nick's stockings- they were red felt from Dollar Tree, with a green cuff, and then on the front they have crystal looking snowflakes on them, and I added "Mom" & "Dad" in red glitter glue to the front.

I also have 2 Dollar Tree ones with teddy bears on them, which were from back before Gilly was born. They're just simple ones, but still cute. A few years ago, Chris won a contest at the local bank- the prize was a big fluffy red stocking filled with goodies- candy, a small piggy bank, a tootsie roll bank, money pencils, etc. That's hanging behind the tree. There's a matching tiny stocking next to it.

All in all, I have 12 or 13 stockings right now. I'd like to keep adding to it over the years. Maybe when I'm old and gray, I'll have grandkids who bring me stockings. My grandma collected snowmen, and we always got her new ones each year.

I think I'll try to write down on a piece of paper where each one I have currently has come from, and safety pin it to the inside. Then, if I'm still at this in 10 or 15 years, I'll be able to remember where each comes from, or if they were gifts.

All in all, it was a decent day. I had some blah moments, which reminded me that I need to start carrying my panic attack medication with me again.