just a bunch of hooplah...

...OVER THESE!!! Finally, I have proof of those Christmas ornaments I made way back when. It seems so long ago. I'm a lil' torn as to whether I love these or my (er, Will's) ABC blocks more... hmm, the alphabet blocks I think are a personal treasure to me. But in both cases, some darn fabulous paper is where the magic lies!

I've taken two pictures of each block so that you can see all four sides. The tops and bottoms are covered in crinkled tin foil (a personal decorative favorite of mine, as some of you well know) and we used some more-industrial-looking-than-I-wanted wooden hook screws, that are also much too large for my taste, but oh well. And I just used some cross-stitch floss for the ties (hopefully to be replaced with something a little prettier and stronger, like ribbon; when the budget allows). These were created out of the same wooden blocks as Will's were, and with the same method (ModPodge and also have yet to be sprayed with Acrylic, which is a must since Will loves to grab these and chew on them- rips the foil right off! And the throwing and smashing and banging them all around doesn't help either...).

So without further adieu and any more hype, here they are!!! (PS- Only four are featured here, because the other ones are at home in AZ with the rest of my new found Christmas decorations. But these are my four favorites.)

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This one is my absolute favorite! It is the main reason that I've gone toward a new direction of Christmas colors; a palette of retro colors and just all around funkified. If I haven't made a big enough deal about my future plans, then here I go again: SO E-X-C-I-T-E-D!!! Just you wait until I unload it all on you guys!

My second favorite. I was a little more resourceful with this block and it turned out great! The mainly red side is fabric, which is a painful medium to use when ModPodging, but somewhat worth it. If I had had the paper, let alone the money, I would have tried to find some similarly dried, designed, and colored tree-pulp. Besides the foil and fabric, I also used paper from a thank you card, which is where the green argyle comes from (thanks Ashley, for last year's thank you card! Now I will always remember it and will always have it on display, not in a file...). Oh, and can you tell how much I'm loving the retro flower motif???

Another reoccurring theme you have probably noticed, the beautiful plaid! Absolutely gorgeous! And I was able to hand select and cut the plaid out by its different color sections, so they would match their respective blocks (even though it all comes from the exact same, single sheet of paper!). I must also admit that I was resourceful, once again and used some old wrapping paper and an old gift bag (in second picture). Not my most favorite combination, but it worked. But I love the unexpected shamrock looking flowers! I chose it because it was retro, and had green, brown and blue (colors found in my new Christmas "bouquet" along with red, of course! Mustn't neglect my favorite color...).

Last but not least (and not really last, since there are more out there, just not pictures of them for me to post) is another crazy combination of colors and designs. I really wanted to mix up the different kind of patterns and colors and designs and tastes of all the blocks. So here we have another red robin (so cute, and adds just enough of that crafty charm... but not too much! Had to be careful, because I'm wanting new and fresh, and a mix and match of things going on.). And we have the unexpected retro pink, with my new colors and a bit of pink, to match the large floral print adjacent to it (which was also used from a bag... a favorite look of mine since high school a la Waverly). Gotta love the sweet polka dots, too! One of my favorite scrap purchases, and one that wedged its way into my mind, where it whispered sweet nothings and encouraged future additions, ultimately bringing me to my doom and the sugar-coated despair of "crapping."

"Ah! woe is me, woe, woe is me! Alack and well-a-day!"

For pity, girls, find out that hobby
Which bore my cares (and money) away.
- based on Robert Herrick's The Mad Maid's Song,
with a little of my wit thrown in.