O Fiesta tree, how lovely are thy branches...

I don't know about you, but I'm neck-deep in my annual Christmas tree trim-a-thon, with four trees getting all decked out.  If you stop by for a visit, be prepared:  this week my house looks like Hobby Lobby exploded, with tubs and bags and boxes strewn around.  It was clean last week and it'll be clean next week but there's just no way to put up Christmas decorations without making a mess.  If there is, please let me know - I haven't found it yet.

The first one to go up was my kitchen tree.  For years I gave up precious kitchen counter space to a small kitchen tree, decorated with vintage cookie cutters from my childhood, cinnamon "gingerbread" ornaments and other kitchen items.

This year brought us to a new house with a bigger kitchen. That could only mean only one thing, right?  Bring on a bigger kitchen tree!  I spied a 5-foot alpine-type tree on sale before Thanksgiving, and I dragged it home.

But long before I "felled" the new tree, I was hunting down Fiesta ornaments.  I snagged some off eBay and a few more at the October Nashville Flea Market - an even dozen Fiesta disks and  miniature pitchers.   It's not enough to fill the entire tree, but it gave it a theme.  Then I tucked in old and reproduction kitchen utensils and hung my Christmas cookie cutters and used ric-rac in Fiesta turquoise, red, orange, yellow and chartreuse to hang everything.

As I began writing this post, I assumed I would find countless other Fiesta collectors' Christmas trees on parade in blogs and websites. In fact, I had high hopes of finding some inspiring ideas to copy - after all, Fiesta has been making and licensing ornaments for quite some time.  But I found nary a mention of a Fiesta Christmas tree.  C'mon, fellow pottery lovers - surely there are other collectors who do a Christmas homage to your favorite dishes, too!

Without further ado, here's my new kitchen tree, next to the hutch filled with my vintage Fiesta pieces:

And here's the "big picture" view, with my new eBay bargains: a Fiesta Riviera platter and Kitchen Kraft cake plate (plus my existing Kitchen Kraft red and green bowls) perched merrily on top of the hutch.  The vintage tins in the apple basket beneath the tree are on standby - next week they'll start filling up with homemade candies and cookies, then stored in the freezer until time to serve or make up plates of sweet treats to give away.

And here's Luci, who has decided this is HER favorite tree - at least until the others are up and she can check each of them for napping spots.

So how many trees do YOU decorate?  I try not to play favorites, but I really do heart this tree and I smile every time I pass by it.  (Don't tell the other trees, please? They are special, too!)

Happy Christmas decorating,

 

Recipe of the Week: Cinnamon "Gingerbread" Ornaments

December's recipes will focus on holiday foods, but to kick things off, I'll start with one of my all-time favorite crafts:  cinnamon dough for "gingerbread" men and women.  This recipe is quick, easy and the results will smell good for years to come - I've had my ornaments for at least five or six years and they still exude the scent of cinnamon when I open their storage tin each year.

Cinnamon dough for "gingerbread" ornaments

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups ground cinnamon (cheap dollar store will work as well as the more expensive brand-name gourmet cinnamons)
1 cup applesauce
1/3 cup white school glue (Elmer's or other non-toxic glue)
Whole allspice
White puff paint for decorating
Ribbon for hanging



Directions:
Mix the ingredients together until a dough forms. knead for a few minutes. Placed on waxed paper that has been dusted with cinnamon; place waxed paper on top and roll out to 1/4-inch or slightly thicker. If the dough is sticky, dust the dough, your hands and rolling pin with more cinnamon - you want it to be tacky but not too soft to maintain its shape.

Cut out with cookie cutters in the shape of your choice.  I used a gingerbread man and woman; simple shapes are best.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment or foil.  Use a large flat spatula to transfer cut-outs to the lined cookie sheet. The pieces can be placed close together, just not touching. Use a drinking straw to make a hole for hanging (the ornaments and hole will shrink upon drying, so leave at least 1/4-inch between top of ornament and hanging hole.)  Use the allspice to make buttons and eyes; press into dough.

Heat oven to low (170 degrees) and "bake" for several hours or until dry to the touch. Transfer to wire rack and allow to air dry for another day or two before decorating and hanging.  Note:  these will be darker than true gingerbread when dry.

Use white puff paint like "icing" to outline the shape, color buttons, and add other embellishments to make them look like cookies.  Thread ribbon through hanging holes and hang on tree.  If storing in the attic after Christmas, be sure to layer with tissue paper or plain newsprint; the puff paint can soften and stick when it meets the summer heat of an attic.  Makes at least a dozen 3-inch ornaments.  Be sure to keep out of reach of hungry and curious toddlers, although one attempted nibble should be enough to stop them in their tracks.

Happy (fake) baking!
 

Saving Christmas: Decorating Dilettante-Style

We're back from our Thanksgiving trek.  On the trip home, we were briefly serenaded by Christmas music, just to put us all in the holiday spirit.  And now begins the countdown to Christmas.  So how does a dilettante do Christmas?  Here's this week's list of my must-do's:
 
Monday: Laundry and cleaning the house are at the top of my to-do's for this evening; it's also  a chance to snag the last of the fall decor from around the house.  If there's time, I'll print off Christmas card address labels, even though we won't have cards ready to mail just yet.
Tuesday:  Up goes a new (bigger) kitchen tree, bedecked with Fiesta ornaments and assorted kitchen-related accoutrements I've collected over the years.  A few weeks ago, I snagged several packages of bright-colored rick-rack to hang the ornaments this year, for a truly Fiesta feel.  The kitchen table and china hutch will also get a quick green/red makeover.
Wednesday: The dining room gets shifted from fall to wintery white and shimmery blue and silver; it's the easiest room to switch up, so I scheduled it for the night I have the least free time.  The off-white Christmas dishes will be washed and stacked on the buffet for easy use.
Thursday: The bonus room tree goes up, displaying our true colors, loud and proud:  it's orange and white all the way, baby.
Friday: Mr. Official is working the Tennessee 5A championship game tonight, so I may or may not have time to Christmas-tize the den and sunroom, or just prepare the spot for the big tree.
Saturday:  Fun, old-fashioned family breakfast followed by outdoor decorating and indoor tree-trimming activities.  I debated on the cut tree vs. artificial tree, and decided to go back to my artificial tree for this year since I have room for it.   Weather permitting, we'll also get the outdoor porch decorating done, then spend the afternoon and evening putting ornaments on the tree in the den, and get a family Christmas photo in the process.
Sunday:  As soon as the family shot has been uploaded and photo cards ordered, it's time for some rest and relaxation so we're prepared to launch into the next week full-throttle. Unless I get the urge to put up another tree or two in the bedrooms.  But if not, it's no big deal.

Bottom line:  This week's list is daunting for sure.  But keep in mind we travel cross-country for Thanksgiving and the typical weekend-after-Thanksgiving tree-trimming activities are on hold until we get back. However, it's feasible to squeeze these tasks into evening and weekend hours because my decorations are fairly well organized and accessible from the walk-in attic.  (I've said it before, but really - God bless the person who first thought of giving over some second-floor room to attic storage.  You have my undying gratitude.)

Next Monday, I'll post pictures of the to-do's that have turned into "done's" along with a rundown of the second list of must-do's, so we can get to the fun stuff.

Happy holidays!