"Grouping" in Design Studio - Snowflakes in Circles

The decorations are coming down from the attic fast and furious now - I want to get most of them up before I go to pick up our younger son for his Winter Break next week.  This stained glass Santa was a gift from my brother many years ago and always hangs in the kitchen window.

The next tree to go up is the "upside down" tree.  It has a base and two sections and it takes two of us to put it together.  This is the tree for all of the delicate glass ornaments - lots of room to dangle and out of reach for the smaller visitors!

I usually try to keep the lights on the top section and then rearrange them when the tree is assembled but this year I took them all off and started right from the top.  For the next few days we will enjoy the tree with lights only and then I will start adding the ornaments - it takes a couple of days to finish!

I did make a quick video showing how to make the snowflakes in circles.  These are what I call "adjustable" designs.  You can do some grouping in Design Studio but you need to plan and have the patience to do a lot of nudging!


 I hope you find this video helpful - I will try to make another one showing a more complicated grouped design soon.  I am limited to five minutes on a video so I may need to do this in parts.  I'd like to purchase some software that will make it possible for me to make longer videos but it is very expensive so that will have to wait a bit longer.

We have a lot of family plans for tomorrow but I want to try to get more holiday decorating done later in the day.  I hope you don't mind me posting the stages of decorating our house - it helps to motivate me to get things finished.  I know that many people put things up right after Thanksgiving, but we have always done it in gradual stages and then leave everything up well into January (the days are short, dark and cold and the lights just make things more cheery in the dead of winter).

I wonder how many of you are still decorating...

A Very Busy Time!

It's that time of year - so much to do and never enough hours! I wanted to let my regular readers know that all is well - I just have been preoccupied with family matters and holiday preparations so I haven't been able to post any designs for a bit. I do have a few that I have been working on by request and lots of exciting plans for the New Year.

But now, for something completely different, I thought I'd share some photos of some of our Christmas trees. Not a bit of Cricut or a Design Studio file involved at all on the ones I post tonight, but I do have a few "specials" up my sleeve that I can post after the big day.

The first tree to go up most years is in the front hall and it is full of Santa ornaments that I have collected over the years - still adding a few more each year but I am nearly out of room!



Here is a closer view showing the Star Santa tree topper



The mantle in the Family room is also full of Santas - mostly larger ones that couldn't go on a tree.



In the Dining Room nearly all the decorations are blue, white or silver. This is the mantle



and here is the Nativity scene close up - it is modern Dedham pottery which is a Massachusetts speciality.



Of course, there are a few more Santas too!



The tree in the Dining Room has crystal and sparkly ornaments and a few special silver balls.



Here is a closer view - it is hard to capture the sparkle in a photo but in real life it just glitters!



My favorite thing is the view in the mirror as you enter the room from the back hall - the tree is reflected and it makes the room glow.



In the Family Room we have an upside down tree (!) This one is perfect for all the delicate glass ornaments that look best when they are displayed dangling - the unusual shape means that there are many places to hang these and they are high off the ground and generally safe from little hands! We also place a table in front of the tree to help prevent a crashing disaster!



Here is a closer view looking up



and from the side (before the icicles and garlands were added).



We have had a big snowstorm over the past few days and this (somewhat blurry - call it artistic effect!) is how our large outdoor tree and the lights on the fence look tonight,



Here is how the tree on the deck looked last week



and here it is tonight - it seems to be shrinking!



One more snow picture - not a good day to eat outside!



So -I am still decorating - and will be for another day or so. I love putting up the trees and once they are up they will stay up for a while (well into January).

Our only real tree is a "Charlie Brown tree" which we put in our sunroom. The lights are on it but the decorating will wait for both of our sons to be home (the college student is home and the older one arrives tomorrow night). I will try to post a few more photos of the rest of the trees - but I think you probably get the idea - I do have a bit of a CDO (a Christmas Decorating Obsession)!

I may be able to fit in a design post or two before Thursday, but, just in case I don't, I want to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!