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  • Shoebox: Holiday Cheer
    		•
    From "Carol Duvall Show"
    episode CDS-1462F


    By Carol Duvall

    PHOTO

    Figure A
    The Shoebox was all but overflowing with holiday cheer today, starting with a very cute and clever Christmas tree ornament made from jigsaw-puzzle pieces. Sent in by Rose Sims of Hawthorne, Calif., the tree was composed of a group of puzzle pieces put together next to and on top of each other to form a tree shape (figure A). One piece made the stand. All pieces were held together with glue. One side of the tree Rose painted dark green then embellished lavishly with flat-backed "jewels" to give it sparkle and shine. It was neatly, nicely and cleverly done.
    PHOTO

    Figure B
    Norma Robbins of Yorktown, Ind., sent in a photo of herself proudly displaying one of the 16-paneled tree skirts she has made (figure B). The panels--red, green and white--were each outlined with gold trim, and in each of the white panels Norma cross-stitched a holiday design. Very lovely.
    PHOTO

    Figure C
    Inspired by a segment presented on one of our past shows, Karen Blanchette of Ormand Beach, Fla., decided to make a tomato-cage Santa. From the photos Karen sent in, I would say she was very successful (figure C). After turning the cage upside down, Karen's husband nailed it to a wooden frame to keep it steady. Then Karen went on a "hunt." She found velvet for Santa's outfit at a garage sale for 50 cents, decorative rope for around his waist for 25 cents, and a green swag for him to hold for another 50 cents. She added flowers and ribbon that she already had at home as well as the fur trim. She unraveled a mop for his beard, gave him a pair of her old glasses to wear, and decorated the front of his jacket with wooden buttons from her mother. Karen was delighted with results and said that the only problem she encountered was with the sewing. She sewed through one of her fingers! Santa himself however was a great success and has had several admirers want to buy him. No sale.
    PHOTO

    Figure D
    And from Fay Veinot of Saugus, MA a holiday table decorating idea that could easily become a tradition. Fay covers the dining table with a plain colored cloth...white, red or green...and then places Christmas cards from Christmases past all over the tabletop (figure D). These she covers with a large sheet of clear plastic to both hold the cards in place and to keep them from becoming soiled. At first thought this might seem like nothing more than a colorful way to decorate the tabletop, but Fay wrote that she has cards going back to the 1940s and '50s and some from her childhood on the table. She mentioned that the children love finding some of their cards from years ago. Fay's mother started the tradition and she is continuing it. How clever. How easy. What fun!
    PHOTO

    Figure E
    It wouldn't be Christmas without some mention of the Sock Monkey, so it was most appropriate that Betty Pritchett of Manteca, Calif., sent in a photograph of the handsomely dressed monkeys that she had dressed for all of her great grandchildren (figure E). Each boy gets a sock monkey dressed in a suit and hat, and the girls get monkeys garbed in dresses with matching panties. She also adds yarn hair. Of course the children love them. So did we.
    PHOTO

    Figure F
    In keeping with the sock monkey tradition, I showed a Christmas garland that Ana Araujo, who is a frequent guest on our show, sent to me last holiday time. It was a garland consisting of several mini sock monkeys in between an equal number of hobby horses! (figure F)

    And that was the Shoebox for today!

  • ALSO IN THIS EPISODE:
  		• Holiday Cone Ornament
  		• Mock Chenille Stocking
  		• Shoebox: Holiday Cheer