We had gone to the big, orange, box store to look at a lighted, 6 foot Nutcracker for outdoors. He was going to be a Christmas gift for Himself . The Nutcracker was magnificent, but looked a bit too delicate for New England winters, and his base was too wide to put him in our little, front porch. We did bring home his little brother for the front porch.
With visions of Nutcrackers dancing in my head, nothing in the Christmas box fit. So against the frugal rule an expedition to WallyWorld to see what could be found.
I had ribbon, and white and silver snowflakes. In the cat toy aisle, I found the Rat King. A Barbie Fairy ornament would make a good Sugar Plum Fairy. There were ornaments shaped like wrapped candies. A child's tea set for the coffee and tea dances. Himself thought a wooden nutcracker emblazoned with his beloved Red Sox would make a good addition. Um, no. A doll for Clara, though she turned out to be not quite right. And since this is a T Day post, there's my cup of tea I sipped while I worked.
The Young One and I liked the Nutcracker with the crooked smile, too, but his white uniform didn't really stand out.
The Rat King needed a crown. When the girlies were young teens, we found some princess rings in the party store, and we each got one. I had mine on a key chain with my old car keys. Perfect.
I didn't realize Barbie's pose was so sassy and sexy as I was blinded by the butterfly wings.
Everything laid on the wreath and spaces were filled in with stars and ornaments from the Christmas box. Oh, I found Christmas tree earrings for Clara's Christmas tree.
The mess that was left after all the moving, gluing, wiring, and cutting. If I had managed to score Robby the Robot, he would have cleaned up my mess. But Robby's not here with me . Deep sigh.
My tablemate, L, had sent me this little, knitted mushroom. That's the cosmic psychic connection I mentioned the other day. The little mushroom would be an homage to the tea dance from Disney's Fantasia. A perfect addition to the wreath.
The completed wreath festively hanging on the front door.
Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.
Love your beautiful wreath and especially the nutcrackers. They are traditional decorations here, too. The knitted toadstool is really cute, too. Thanks for sharing! Have a happy T Day, hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteWow, your wreath is amazing! I love the nutcrackers and the cute little knitted mushroom is beautiful - perfect 😁. Wishing you a very Happy T Day! J 😊
ReplyDeleteI think the mushroom makes the wreath.
DeleteI get the nutcracker thing;) I'll share a pic next time around. Your wreath is beautiful-so charming!! Happy T day!
ReplyDeleteThe Nutcrackers just put me in the Christmas spirit.
DeleteI really like that wreath. It is truly cool and a fun holiday piece, but it is also very clever. :) Are you in for snow today? I work in Portsmouth so with rain coming, we had school and it was a nasty drive. Hope you get more rain than snow too. Happy T day. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteThe wreath was a fun piece to create. No snow for us today. (-: We were supposed to be in for a bit of a messy mix early this morning, but the rain just started and the temp is 34 oF. Himself and the Eldest had no problems going to work. With temps on the rise to the high 30s or low 40s, they should have no problems for the commute home. Temps are supposed to drop overnight so tomorrow morning will be another story. Hope your drive home is easier than your morning ride. Stay safe.
DeleteYour Nutcracker wreath came out beautiful CJ and i especially loved to hear how it came together....Happy T day! Hugs! deb
ReplyDeleteDon't tell Himself $$$ :-D
DeleteYour wreath is amazing and I love nutcrackers enjoyed all the photos of your "finds" and putting it all together.
ReplyDeleteHappy T Day Kathy
I'm glad I was able to find what I needed, because nothing else was going to look as good as what I saw in my head.
DeleteI'm a huge fan of nutcrackers, and that wreath is fabulous! I enjoyed the description of the process :) Happy T Tuesday
ReplyDeleteThank you
DeleteI love your wreath, CJ! It's wondrous!
ReplyDeleteIt makes me smile to see it.
DeleteFor some reason, after looking at the pieces you laid out before assembly, I kept thinking what a mess this was going to be. THEN I saw the mess you made on your table and thought what in the world! Of course, you can imagine my surprise when I enlarged the photo of the wreath and realized how good it looked. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting anything nearly this nice. And the mushroom, tea cup, and teapot were fabulous additions to the nutcracker inspired wreath.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking us through how you created this wreath, your happy mail, your nutcracker obsession, and your tea with us for T this Tuesday.
It began as a great mess :-D And I hoped it would look as good on the door as it did in my head. Sometimes so ideas don't work out, but fortunately, this one did.
DeleteOh so pretty! I love nutcrackers!!! I used to want a whole bunch but it is difficult to find unique ones that aren't a lot of money.
ReplyDeleteHow clever you are to put all those fun ornaments on a wreath. It looks Fabulous!
Happy Tea Day,
Kate
The wooden ones are beautiful, but as you said so expensive. I'd need a Dr. Drosselmeyer to start a collection.
DeleteYour Christmas wreath looks fabulous. All the additions you added look great. I loved the nutcrackers and the rat wearing his crown. This looks a very special decoration for your home.
ReplyDeleteHappy T day wishes.
Yvonne xx
I'm glad I found a crown for the Rat King. I like his candy cane sabre, too.
DeleteKudos! It's beautiful! (I just don't have it in me to do these things anymore....bah humbug! lol)
ReplyDeleteI started out Grinchy, but the Nutcracker changed that mood :-D
DeleteYou tell wonderful stories, CJ. If there's any judging to be done, you get an A+. Your Nutcracker wreath is wonderful! And now I have lovely tunes floating around my brain.
ReplyDeleteI can't help wondering, though, what you did with too-sexy Barbie. Might we see her hanging on your tree holding a fairy wand and wearing a long gown at the next T-party?
Happy T-day! Hugs, Eileen
Sexy Barbie got glued as is to a snowflake. She's on the upper right side of the wreath.
DeleteOh, I see her now. I had to enlarge the photo. Somehow she looks more wistful than sexy in the Nutcracker setting ;-)
Deletewhat!? this is fantastic!! the rat king and his amazing crown! wow!!!!
ReplyDeletethe mushroom and the smiling nutcrackers, this is perfect.
The big one at the door is pretty cool too:)
love this post!
I love the Rat King. I'm glad I remembered that silly crown ring. I don't think I could have made a crown and would have come out that good. The big one, he's 2 feet tall, at the door lights up, too. Someone didn't put the batteries in him.
DeleteOooh, love it! VERY creative holiday wreath! It looks cool hanging on your door, too!!
ReplyDeleteIt was fun to make.
DeleteThis is simply ADORABLE! Gorgeous wreath and the fab Barbie and your beautiful nutcrackers - you blow my mind!
ReplyDeleteHappy T-Day
:-D
DeleteHow wonderful to see these fabulous Christmas decoration! I really must get moving with mine! Sorry to be so late for T! Yesterday was a little hectic! Belated Happy T Day! Chrisx
ReplyDeleteNever late. Just prolonging the celebration. This is pretty much as far as I've gotten with decorating.
DeleteI love your wreath CJ!!!!! You are so creative! I love all the items that went into creating it! It is truly beautiful! Makes me smile!
ReplyDeleteThanks. It makes me smile, too
Delete