Peace on Earth

This year Big Daddy, myself and Miss Priss tried a new Christmas tree farm, one that was local and much closer. Now, let me explain something here. If it was up to me, I'd have us all in matching Christmas sweaters, singing carols and drinking hot cocoa while we chopped down the perfect tree. And Big Daddy, well he'd drop into the closest and cheapest place around and grab the first tree he saw. This has been a point of contention for the past 11 years of marriage. But somethings are worth fighting for and dang it, a great tree is one of them. Well in an effort to keep the peace, I voted that we try and local tree farm that we hadn't ever gone to before. Well, we ended up buying a precut tree there as the ones growing were in Big Daddy's words, "There ain't no way that tree is gonna hold all your ornaments!" So even though the perfect tree wasn't cut down there, we did get a dang fine tree and we came across these jewels! These handmade baskets.

The baskets are made by an elderly couple out of Ashville, NC. They go into the forest and harvest smoke vine and sycamore. Now I've never seen anything like this and frankly never even heard of smoke vine but I was diggin' the baskets. Picked up one for MIL and myself. Now they had them premade and $$$ but whats the fun in that. I'll take an empty one please and thank you. Well here's what I came up with.

Floral foam in a recycled plastic bowl, filled with florist foam. Wrapped a ribbon around it to cover the writing.

Began filling with harvested Frasier fur Christmas tree trimmings, free from the farm.



Purchased these from Hobby Lobby with 50% sale. I disassembled the large bundle in the back to get more mileage out of it.

Added this ornament as to the top, also a HL 50% deal.

Filled in both sides so that it could be enjoyed from either angle.

Well, total cost for mine was $37, $20 of that being the basket. All being reusable other than the tree trimmings. And that's about $70 less than what they were asking at the tree farm.

Here is a picture of another version that I did as well.

I hope this finds all of you enjoying the advent season.

Enjoy,

ginger

Luke 2:13-14And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, (14) “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”