Pine Cones and Print Orders

We thought we'd share some pictures of the Christmas decorations we put up in the last few weeks. These grey Michigan winters taught us a lesson last year, so this year we put a little more heart into keeping our place cozy, bright, and warm-feeling during these dark days before Christmas.

A little backstory for these images:
Leandra LOVES candles. One of the first things she does when we get back from wherever we've been is light candles. I'm partial to pumpkin-spice scented ones, but I think the short one is Sandalwood from the Root candle outlet in Medina, Ohio and I really like that one also. They're soy-based, so they burn clean and green and don't deteriorate indoor air quality as much as petroleum-based candles like the tall one (which was one of 300-some we bought from Michael's for our wedding) in back. We have a wedding in Columbus January 3rd, and we'll definitely be making a detour through Medina to stock up again.

The ornament vase is also a wedding remnant. It was our altarpiece until we decided this summer that it should be our gold-fish bowl. We got so far as buying gravel and a plant (that died) before it became our ornament-filled dining room table topper!

The pine-cone basket was made by the kids at the school Leandra taught at while she was volunteering in Uganda in 2005, and the candy-cane pot was wheel-thrown and glazed by yours truly!



Okay, one more explanation. Leandra's mom bought me the cowboy-singer Santa ornament a few years ago because I used to wear a cowboy hat most everywhere I went (I'll post some pictures sometime. It IS an awesome hat!), and I have a soft spot in my heart (which used to be more of an obsession--I owned a banjo, once.) for bluegrass and traditional country music, like this, this, and this. So, I like it. It's a favorite of the few ornaments we've accumulated.


Speaking of Christmas, we're able to fulfill any print orders received through this coming Monday, December 15th. We'll be out of town (and out of business!) for a few days on either end of Christmas, so for any print orders received after next Monday, we cannot guarantee their delivery before the new year. Feel free to send us an email if you have any questions!

We'll have Abbey and TJ's wedding posts coming up, as well as the engagement sessions of Jill & Jeff and Katie & Philip!