our holiday hearth

IMG_0473

Last night we hung our stockings.   Originally, I had strung our stocking advent calender across the mantel (you can see it a bit in the pictures from my tree post), but I decided that I really wanted the stockings here (I told you, it’s a work in progress), so the advent calendar relocated to a nearby wall.

IMG_0460

All of the large stockings are from my Mother-in-law.  She sends a new one each time a baby is born.  Some of them match, some of them don’t, it’s kind of a mishmash, they are all nice in their own way though.  Sometimes she goes a bit overboard, I think Màiri ended up with 4 in different sizes.  There are also a couple of doll stockings, that the boys made years ago from felt.  I think I’ll add some more hooks.  Currently we have shared hooks, one per person, but if I put the doll stockings in between, none of them will be obstructed.

IMG_0442

Up on the mantel are these little snowy owls, also from my Winter Season’s Round partner last year.  I never did get around to sharing these because we were in the middle of a move, followed by Christmas and birthdays.  Aren’t they cute?  There is one for each of us.

IMG_0458

Above them is a sampler of the Swedish straw ornaments we made earlier this week.  I love the owls, tucked between the branches, under the stars.

IMG_0471

On a completely unrelated note, a friend tipped me off to the *best* children’s woolens.  The company is called Hestia Global.  I ordered some a couple of weeks ago and I was just blown away.  They are so thick and soft and luxurious, for a pretty incredible price.  Everything is still 50% off until the 20th, as in thick, merino/cashmere blend sweaters for like $17 (discount code here).  I just ordered another shirt and another pair of pants because, since we got them, neither Màiri nor Galen wants to wear anything else (seriously, Màiri has been known to cry when I try to change her out of her leggings and Galen insists on wearing his ribbed pants all day and then to bed at night).

I do wish they had more colors though.  They only offer really bright colors and sometimes natural, which just get’s stained too quickly.  Personally, I prefer earth tones or deeper colors, maybe even a pastel here and there, but it’s a minor complaint.  Word of warning though, the red is very much a coral red.  I was quite surprised by that!

Also 50% off right now are their wooden toys.  I was really impressed with their bathtub boats.  They were much bigger and sturdier then I expected (especially for only costing $6).  We have a couple going into stockings here.  They have lots of fun things.  The puzzles are really hefty.  And the tractor is sweet in person (again only $6).  It can be so hard to find good quality, natural clothing and play things that are actually affordable.  I was so pleased with this find, I couldn’t resist passing it along!

By

2 thoughts on “our holiday hearth

  1. a little crafty nest

    A cozy hearth indeed! I love your owls too! Who made them for you…I love them amongst your evergreen boughs and beneath your straw stars (is this something you are innately talented to make or did you follow a pattern?) And last of all, those woolies are so great. Our local Waldorf store carries them and they had a wonderful overall for young ones but they’ve sold out…I’ll have to wait til next year! I like taking a peek here…Happy holiday-making to all of you:)
    xo Jules

  2. Melody Post author

    Her name is Carson. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have a blog or anything that I could direct you to.

    We used the directions in “Crafts through the Year” by Tomas and Petra Berger for the stars. I think the kids, even the older ones, found them a little frustrating at first, but they got the hang of it after a bit.

    And yes, we are still love, love, loving our woolies!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>