Family Traditions “The Christmas Card above the Door”

Hadley Hall wins the prestigious spot above our door again this year. My husband’s family has this long running tradition of putting the first Christmas card received over the main door to the house.  The card is placed above the door and remains there until next year. So each year, it is a race to the mail box the day after Thanksgiving to see who won and gets their card displayed for the entire year. Our sons loved this tradition growing up and wanted to be the one to check the mail box and place the card above the door. They are 18 & 19 and mostly out of the house working and attending college but they still check-in to see who won.  There are only four rules: 1) the card must be mailed by the regular post office (sorry no hand delivered or electronic cards in this race!), 2) the card cannot arrive before Thanksgiving or you’re disqualified, 3) if more than one card is received on the first “mail” day after Thanksgiving then you must determine the winner by the date stamp – the earliest stamp wins, and 4) the card must go above the main door to the house that gets used most often – so everyone visiting will see the card when they leave your home. Timing is the essence, if you mail too early you’re probably disqualified as the card arrived before Thanksgiving. If you mail the card late more than likely you didn’t win. The date to hit is the day after Thanksgiving and Hadley gets it right each year.  We have been displaying his cards for the last 12 years, and not just at our house, but he wins the prominent spot at other family member’s houses as well.  Even though all the other cards we receive don’t get the spot above the door we still display them all on our wall of cards until January 1^st. Hadley’s card; however, will remain above the door for 365 days.  I love it when we get visitors during the year and they don’t know the tradition and ask why there is a Christmas card above the door in the middle of July. Hadley loves it too!

I hope your family has traditions and you carry them on for generations.  Please share, I’d love to hear your traditions!

More Decoupage Plate Inspiration

House Divided! Michigan vs. Ohio State

Today is the big football game between Michigan and OSU. My husband is an Ohio State fan and I’m a Michigan fan. GO BLUE!! Beat the BUCKEYES!!

Each year we bring out our House Divided decoupage plate that was made for us. Decoupage plates are an easy and inexpensive gift idea for the Holiday season. Make several and create a beautiful wall display or create plates using holiday themed fabric and serve your home baked goods on them. Below are the instructions:

Decoupage plate instructions:

What you'll need:

• Mod Podge, or other decoupage sealer/glue
• Foam paint brush
• Clear glass plate (you can buy them at the Dollar Tree dollar store for $1.00)
• Print cotton, or poly/cotton fabric (The amount you buy depends on the diameter of the plate.)
• Razor blade
• Newspapers
• Coffee can or other object with a large diameter

How to make it:

1. Wash and dry the plate.
2. Lay the plate on your fabric and move the plate around until the pattern you see through the plate looks good.
3. Cut out the fabric. Leave about one inch of fabric beyond the edge of the plate.
4. On newspaper, "paint" Mod Podge on the FRONT of the fabric. Make certain to coat the fabric well.
5. On another sheet of newspaper, lay the plate face down.
6. Spread the fabric over the back of the plate. You should pick up the plate and look through it to make sure you have the fabric positioned the way you want it.
7. Smooth out the bubbles in the fabric. Along the edges, smooth the fabric over the rim of the plate.
8. Once you have the fabric smoothed and you certain it is adhering to the rim, place the plate face down on a coffee can, or some other object with a large diameter, to dry. The Mod Podge will dry in a few hours, but if you can leave it overnight the excess fabric will be easier to trim.
9. Once the fabric is dry, trim the excess from the rim with the razor blade.
10. If you have gotten Mod Podge on the front of the plate you can scrape it off with your fingernail or rub it off with a dry, plastic dish scrubber.
11. The plate of course can't be submerged in water to wash it, but you can wipe off the face with a damp cloth.

Holiday Glow

Every room in my house has a theme for Holiday decor. My kitchen nook is Winter Wonderland. I love the glow of the lights against my dishware and wine glasses.

Americana Christmas

I love my Americana decorated Christmas tree and fireplace. I found the angel tree topper at the Ohio Statehouse Gift Shop in Columbus.

Pink Christmas Tree

I designed and decorated a pink Christmas tree today for a special young lady...who loves pink. She will come home to find this surprise in her bedroom. How much fun. Thanks to her mom Leah for lending a helping hand.

Fall Harvest Tree

I just love how my fall harvest tree turned out. I'll post a better picture soon.

Fabric & Scrapbook Paper Trees

Cool idea for tablescapes or mantle displays using fabric or scrapbook paper!

O Christmas Tree

I'll be organizing all of my decorations to begin trimming my Christmas trees this weekend. I'm on the search for a red tree such as this one. Love It!