Americana Ornaments

Happy Independence Day!

For my first Christmas in July post I decided to share the three americana tree ornaments I found last month in a local thrift shop. Each is wood, in a red, white and blue color way. They were photographed on the table set in a patriotic motif, with a star spangled runner:

 First is a handsome drum decorated with stripes and stars. It is 3.75” tall x 3” across, with blue ribbon loop for hanging:

Second is a Letter addressed to SANTA/ NORTH POLE, measuring 2” tall x 2.75” long, with blue ribbon loop for hanging.

Third is and off-white snowman with padded plaid fabric heart. Six inches tall by 4.25” across, it features a natural cord loop for hanging. The sticker on back reads: “Center Street Design/ Wood Snowman Ornament/ Made in China c2002 81-8274."

I am linking to A Debbie Dabble Christmas where Debbie is celebrating Christmas in July. Visit her blog for a list of other participants.

I am also linking to Rednesday, hosted by Sue at It’s a Very Cherry World.

My Christmas Stockings

I am linking to Keeping the Christmas Spirit Alive 365, where Natasha is featuring 12 Days of Christmas Traditions. The theme for December 6 is Christmas Stockings

Back in December 1974, (as my two youngest sisters were living with me while attending a college very near to the secondary school where I was on the faculty) we got the idea to make stockings to hang from the fireplace. We each gathered up some scrap fabrics and set about designing our own Christmas stocking; we then took turns at my sewing machine. Each stocking was made from the same three fabrics and each one used some of the sewing machine embroidery designs. I have used mine almost every year since.

Mine had embroidery around the cuff and the heel. The star is padded and then satin-stitched, as are my initials.


Each sister felt sure her design was the best. I can almost see the entire design for my youngest sister’s stocking – it had her first initial in white on the cuff. I am not quite sure about the other details, though.

At TJ Maxx I found this lovely nativity design in needlepoint. At just $7.99, I swept it up.

Among the Christmas books here at Oak Rise Cottage is one called, The Christmas Stocking: Elegant Projects for the Holidays (The Pat Richards Crafts Collection)

Here is a beautiful "Charmed Stocking" which uses small embellishments in an allover pattern.

Another book I have is The Christmas Stocking Book:50 Exquisite Designs to Celebrate the Season by Mary D’Alton.

This velvet fabric design, "Rhinestone Stocking," puts the focus on the cuff with its rhinestones on a ruffled ribbon.

The form of a Christmas stocking is often used as a packaging design. Here is one I received several years ago as a gift from my brother and sister-in-law. It contains four mini books.

I have not opened the package because I have copies of each of these miniature books (The Night Before Christmas, A Christmas Carol, The Little Book of Christmas Carols, and The Nutcracker) in my miniature book collection. These gift books are published by Running Press and may be found in many bookshops and gift stores. Many subjects are available to suit most every taste.

Of course the subject of Christmas stockings is included in many of the books on Christmas or holiday crafts. Two such books: (1) Leisure Arts Presents The Spirit of Christmas: Creative Holiday Ideas, Book Nine, gives instructions for handmade holiday stockings.


(2) Malcolm Hillier’s Christmas gives instructions for four tartan stockings.


Both books are helpful in providing ideas for many aspects of holiday preparations.

I hope you are having fun setting up for the holidays, whether with store-bought or handmade items.

Clipart from http://www.antiqueclipart.com/

Christmas Stockings

I am linking to Keeping the Christmas Spirit Alive 365, where Natasha is featuring 12 Days of Christmas Traditions. The theme for December 6 is Christmas Stockings

Back in December 1974, (as my two youngest sisters were living with me while attending a college very near to the secondary school where I was on the faculty) we got the idea to make stockings to hang from the fireplace. We each gathered up some scrap fabrics and set about designing our own Christmas stocking; we then took turns at my sewing machine. Each stocking was made from the same three fabrics and each one used some of the sewing machine embroidery designs. I have used mine almost every year since.

Mine had embroidery around the cuff and the heel. The star is padded and then satin-stitched, as are my initials.


Each sister felt sure her design was the best. I can almost see the entire design for my youngest sister’s stocking – it had her first initial in white on the cuff. I am not quite sure about the other details, though.

At TJ Maxx I found this lovely nativity design in needlepoint. At just $7.99, I swept it up.

Among the Christmas books here at Oak Rise Cottage is one called, The Christmas Stocking: Elegant Projects for the Holidays (The Pat Richards Crafts Collection)

Here is a beautiful "Charmed Stocking" which uses small embellishments in an allover pattern.

Another book I have is The Christmas Stocking Book:50 Exquisite Designs to Celebrate the Season by Mary D’Alton.

This velvet fabric design, "Rhinestone Stocking," puts the focus on the cuff with its rhinestones on a ruffled ribbon.

The form of a Christmas stocking is often used as a packaging design. Here is one I received several years ago as a gift from my brother and sister-in-law. It contains four mini books.

I have not opened the package because I have copies of each of these miniature books (The Night Before Christmas, A Christmas Carol, The Little Book of Christmas Carols, and The Nutcracker) in my miniature book collection. These gift books are published by Running Press and may be found in many bookshops and gift stores. Many subjects are available to suit most every taste.

Of course the subject of Christmas stockings is included in many of the books on Christmas or holiday crafts. Two such books: (1) Leisure Arts Presents The Spirit of Christmas: Creative Holiday Ideas, Book Nine, gives instructions for handmade holiday stockings.


(2) Malcolm Hillier’s Christmas gives instructions for four tartan stockings.


Both books are helpful in providing ideas for many aspects of holiday preparations.

I hope you are having fun setting up for the holidays, whether with store-bought or handmade items.

Clipart from http://www.antiqueclipart.com/

St. Nicholas Collection

I am linking to Keeping the Christmas Spirit Alive 365, where Natasha is featuring 12 Days of Christmas Traditions. The theme for December 5 is Father Christmas, Santa Claus or St Nick?


My first collection relating to Santa Claus was started in the 1980’s when I began to collect editions of Clement Moore’s A Visit From Saint Nicholas. Then in the last few years I have gathered a variety of Santas mostly from thrift stores. Actually, I named my Santa collection is the St. Nicholas Collection, in honor of Nicholas, who was the Bishop of Myra (born 280 A.D.). Myra, (then part of the Holy Roman Empire) is now Demre, in Islamic Turkey Tomorrow, December 6 is the feast day of Saint Nicholas. He is renown for his acts of charity and is held as the patron saint of sailors and others, and of many cities across the world.

The Santa we usually see depicted, however, got many characteristics from Moore’s poem and from illustrations for CocaCola by Thomas Nast (1840-1902). The name Father Christmas, I believe is mostly used in England.


This year I have most of my St. Nicholas figurines and other items on display in the study. An assortment of Old World Santa figures are on a top shelf. I wrote about these in an earlier post here.
Most of these wear long robes, some trimmed in white fur.

I've grouped several large Santas together on a chair next to the Santa Tree.

This one looks “Old World” with its velvet and fur garments. I bought it in about 1995 from a catalog. It is 13 inches tall.

This one is stuffed printed fabric and 18 inches tall. I bought one like this in the 1980’s for my sister, and found one for myself some years later.

Two plush Santas look very much like our current images of Jolly St. Nick.

This painted wood cutout is 16 ¼” tall.

At 15” tall, this soft and cuddly Santa is dressed in red and white knits and carries a felt wreath. Note his blue gloves.

The most unusual of this group is an African-American one I got at a local thrift shop after Christmas. It had been priced at $7.50, so at 50% off, it was then $3.50.

Sixteen inches tall, he is dressed in a brocade and velvet robe with fur trim. He carries a bag filled with gifts and a bottle-brush tree on his right shoulder, and a world globe on his left.

The ornaments are on a tree just in front of my desk, as described in the last post, Santa Tree.

The other Santa figurines are arrayed on three other shelves of my bookcase wall.

Shelf One

Shelf Two

Shelf Three

In another post I will introduce my extensive collection of editions of Clement C. Moore's A Visit from St. Nicholas.