Doll becomes a Christmas Tree Topper

I wanted to decorate in November my sister didn't want any Christmas to after Thanksgiving and this year she wanted a real tree.  We haven't had a real tree since our mom passed away, my sister was at work when she heard the page that Christmas trees were down to $10.  Needless to say she came home with the Tree, it sat two days till we got a stand for it, then it sat a couple more till I had energy to get the decorations out of storage.  We have all our childhood decorations that have survived some of the 40+ years.  We have these old wise men there was 3 now on 2 that have to be over 50 years old.

In addition to those decorations I had a brilliant idea of just using our old and new toys as decorations.  I had a collection of toys that I got from cereal boxes and happy meals and I used some rubber bands to hook them up to the tree. We haven't had a topper for the tree neither of us could decide what to put there.  My sister wanted the Death Star, an arch angel or Yoda.  I thought about created an Archangel with my dolls but there was no time for this year.   Then it hit my like a bag bricks, my sister likes Angelina Jolie and the movie Maleficent.  It just so happen there sitting right in front of me on the shelf with my witches and villains sat that very character.   It took my sister less than a second to agree to use her as a tree topper.  Now how to get her to stay up there without damaging the doll.  I went to Michael's since Hobby Lobby isn't open on Sunday and get some flower wire that had some felt that would protect the doll.  I wrapped it around her waist and then left the rest up to my sister, apparently it was easier than we both thought.  She just wrapped the rest of the wire around the top of the tree and BAMM she was on top of the Tree.

We will have to find some cheap star wars toys to add for next year, the ships would work good.  Last year I put a lot of action figures on the tree, this year only the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle small ones I had made it on the tree, a few Gummi Bears, a Cabbage Batch Kid, some Care Bears, Tale Spin Planes, Muppet Babies, Kermit, Tazmanian Devil, Chip n Dale (the cartoon), Gremlins, some Eqoks, Mario and Lugi.

One of the light string didn't work so I have to get one more strand to add to the bottom of the tree. 

Santa's Sleigh and Fireplace

I lost my mom in 2006 from Ovarian Cancer which was 2 years before I was dx with Stage IV (terminal) Breast Cancer.  Christmas is one of my mom's 2 favorite holidays the other being Halloween, I had started getting back into Barbie/Sixth Scale several years before her death and envisioned displays and houses.  Three years ago while in Big Lots it hit me when I saw a glittered reindeer that was the right size for a sixth scale Santa Sleigh.  It took 2 years to get enough reindeer and to find a sleigh that would work.  The sleigh is a little smaller than I want but it will due for now I plan on making it wider next year hopefully with the help of an uncle whose hobby is bird house making.  It took one more year to find all the other pieces I needed, I almost have all the parts have to get some Santa's hats that are on sell so I can cut them up and make a Santa Jacket.  The pants seen in the picture was on a cheap Santa I bought last year on clearance, I had to down size them to fit on the power team action figure I am using for Santa.  I saw the perfect item in Hobby Lobby for his belt, that is where I will pick up the clearance Santa hats.

I have to go out to our shed to see if a shelf we had is still out there and if it's long enough to hold the Sleigh and reindeer (including Rudolph). Hope to finish the sleigh by Tuesday so I can finish Santa's suit, ,then it will be time to touch up and seal the reindeer.  After the reindeer are finished I will need to make the harness and I will be done.



I also plan to have a workshop scene in a box that I will have to steal from my cat.  I have painted the fireplace I plan to add depth to it with logs and fake fire. I have the tree, toys, a few elves just need to buckle down and get it done.  My sister has decided that we need to get a live tree, we haven't had a real one since our mom died. We had a fake one that I bought on clearance it was my first tree which was in 2011 I had never decorated my apartment till then.  I actually left it up that year and ended up decorating it for Easter...lol.