I think that most of you that read my blog on a regular basis know that I don't "craft". I work with florals, I cook and on rare occasions I attempt a bit more...but, I'm not very good at it. So, for me to actually make something is a big deal! When we were in St. Charles, MO I saw something in a shop that I liked. I just wasn't willing to pay the price that was being asked, so I decided to attempt to make something similar. I didn't take any pictures of their version, but I'm happy with mine. It is probably better that I can't see what the original looked like!
It starts with an old book. I bought mine at Goodwill and I looked for one with rough edges on the pages. I brushed a little tea along the pages to darken them and make them look more worn.
The little mouse I bought for $6.99. I loved it that he was
reading The Night Before Christmas!
I couldn't find any wrapping paper that looked like old Christmas paper, so I bought a large gift bag and cut it to make a book cover. I left the long edge exposed, and folded the paper at the top and bottom edges of the book as if I were wrapping a gift. A touch of the glue gun held the paper in place. Brown kraft paper was burned around the edges (do this over the sink, I had to turn on the water to put out a couple of fires) and the beginning words of The Night Before Christmas were printed on it before attaching it to the covered book with Mod Podge. After attaching the wording, go over the entire front of the book with Mod Podge and add a hint of glitter if you want to.
I tied a bit of twine around the book and added the mouse
to the top with a drop of hot glue. Easy!
Saturday night we went to see Lee Greenwood's Christmas Concert at our local theater. Over the years I've enjoyed a few Lee Greenwood songs, but I think in recent years he has mostly been known for singing God Bless the USA at various important events. Knowing that he sang it right after 9/11 for the firefighters and police made it even more of an honor to be in the same room with him when he sang it. The entire audience (sold out theater) stood during the song. It is certainly no wonder that Lee has won many awards, his voice is like velvet.
He has a new Christmas album and one of my favorite songs was Til The Season Comes Around Again. Click here if you'd like to hear it. If you get a chance to see him in concert, I highly recommend it.
