Orbs 'r' Us

MY FIRST XMAS DECOR...

I moved out of our family home right after graduation [69] as things at home weren't going so well with me and the stepmother. Something about no freedom, paying rent but living under harsh restrictions....you know how the young are and I wasn't any different...;}


Young and naive, all I could afford [saved wages from part-time jobs while in school] was the basement 9x9 room in my older sisters house. I went from one nightmare to another it seems but that's not what this blog is all about. It is about my first start on MY OWN decor in my own home room! I was the chief decorator [as in, do all the work] in my family home during Xmas time, with strict rules from the stepmother! These didn't always go well with what I wanted to do...;{


With little cash from frivolous things I managed to scrape together this little thing...

Back in 69 I don't remember there being artificial trees and if there was, they probably were expensive. My sister's complaint was about fire hazards and the cost of extra electricity...I was supposed to be happy with hers? I know I didn't live there long! This too, was another unhappy story better left unsaid...;(


Did have lots of other places and my decor did grow...not a lot at first as I moved around way too much to want to cart too many boxes. The decor hording started when I started my family.


One of my fondest memory I have of my mom, was watching her decorate the house for Xmas. Being poor, we couldn't afford decorations and I remember her decor even today. It was always the same way, that never changed, only the material that she used. It was the sparkle of the tinsel that she used, that caught my eye the most. Plus the care that she took while doing it...placed so lovingly!


There was a permanent hook in the center of the living room ceiling. She would gently swag 4 streamers [the crepe ones] to the four corners of the room. Then she would take 1 strand of tinsel and drape it over the streamers about 1 inch apart...they looked like icicles! Then she would place those honey-comb [wedding] bells in the four corners and in the center. The streamers were always red. I do recall her changing them after awhile to the tight curly foil style that has come back into style once again. The tinsel draping was always the same. As for the walls she strung string to hold all of the cards that we got, so many, that there were two rows sometimes. This might have been a 10 x 10 foot room?

I believe this is where my addiction started for decorating. My Xmas weren't always the happy events that most were...too much alcohol involved...;( 

But the glitter seemed to take the harshness away...kind of like living in a fantasy world.

Glitter made me happy....


So, if I can bring happiness with glittery decor....I am certainly going to try!


LOTS OF IT!...;}


This was my general style when we lived out on the farm [17 miles west of Dodge]...

These pictures were take in 98 with my first Xmas with a grandchild...:)

The living was much of the same draping of the windows and large mirror plus the archway. I loved doing the stairs the most. The lights hanging from the stairwell made it look so magical and AJ was completely mesmerized by them.

In the beginning there really wasn't a collection started but after awhile, I noticed a preference for Santas, trains and snowmen. Also my power symbol is the snow flake, so I use it a lot!

Being on the farm we had lots of wheat growing around so I used bunches of it for floral arrangements...very rustic like. I don't do rustic much anymore!

I'm more into Santa...as noted in last years post.

As of date I have 75 of them! From tiny [1/2"] to large [3']

Stay tuned for Santa's Workshop....somewhere near the north pole [Dodge]...