nature

I made another treasury today.  I (and my mom) have been collecting things from nature to use as decorations.  As long as I can remember my mom has always gone outside to take clippings from pine trees, rosehips and holly to create beautiful mantle displays and wreaths.  One of my favorite holiday jobs was nesting little ceramic houses on the mantle among the pine, which we lit up at night.  It was magic to me.  Anyway, this treasury was inspired by going out into the cold and collecting beautiful natural treasures and watching animals scamper across the frosty fields.

I'm looking forward to getting a tree this weekend, making our traditional cookies (russian butterballs, pepparkakor, fried rosettes, cream cheese foldovers...), and getting some holiday crafts done...