Mouse Village

the mouse village is up over my fireplace, every year a little different. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

Mouse Village

I didn’t intentionally start collecting mice. Over the years when I was traveling, I found myself bringing home a little mouse figurine I found at a thrift store or antique shop. It wasn’t until a few years into the commute that I realized I had a little mouse collection I could set up over my fireplace for a Christmas village.

According to home decor experts, villages and collections are back in vogue. Think lighted houses and snowmen in various poses.

As you know if you’ve read my other blog posts, I’m an advocate of less. Tiny trees, framed Christmas cards, Christmas ornaments as gifts - are all ways we can still decorate for the holidays by re-purposing with less consumption and use of space.

This little mouse village is a charming example of those principles. All of the pieces were picked up at thrift stores. The little mouse asleep in a bed was found tossed because one of the bed posts was broken. I was able to make a new one and paint it so that it matched the others.

The figurines are small enough that they can be reconfigured every year. For example, this is the first year I added the framed cat looking through a mouse hole at Santa mouse in the center. And it wasn’t until I took the photo that I realized the painting hanging over the fireplace looks like the framed cat!

These little pieces take very little space to store, and even less time setting up. I do have them on the fireplace mantle to keep inquisitive paws from playing with them since many are breakable ceramics.

This would also make a fun Christmas gift, starting someone such as newlyweds on a particular theme. Mice are just one of a number of easily available collectibles. Snowmen, Santas, reindeer are other possibilities. You can add one every year and chat about what you find as your treasure hunt in between holidays. Half the fun is in the collecting!

For more tips on gardening, beekeeping, cooking and easy home decor, subscribe to my weekly Garden Notes.

Charlotte

Framed Christmas Cards

Framed Christmas cards preserve memories and easily add a touch of holiday. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Framed Christmas Cards

One of the easiest ways to make holiday decor and repurpose memories is to frame Christmas cards. It is also a quick and easy way to add a little holiday vibe to any room without taking up too much space, time and money. And you’re repurposing as well!

When I used to travel for work, these little framed cards were life savers. I usually didn’t have a lot of time to decorate but loved having holiday reminders around me. These framed Christmas cards took 5 minutes to distribute and quickly brought Christmas into any room. They soon become a holiday tradition, especially the “where do I put them this year” part.

“Dogs and cats living together” is so cute, I framed it! (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Some of my favorite Christmas cards were original ones. The “Purrfect Christmas” card was signed by the artist so I found a modern frame to balance the vintage one in the background from my grandmother. Together they remind me of the cats that have been and the cats of today; think of it as a feline version of A Christmas Story.

Each Christmas card has red berries - Purrfect Christmas has a sprig of mistletoe, the vintage cats have holly so I added a little tree with red berries to pull the vignette together. This greets me every morning at the bottom of my stairs and easily sets the tone for the day.

Doesn’t that cat with mistletoe look happy?

This was a favorite Christmas card from several years ago now framed. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Over the years I have saved a little stack of favorite Christmas cards with my ornament collection in case I need to quickly add one to a room for holiday decor. I have two cards that are handmade and three-dimensional I will frame without the glass.

For the more challenging cards, hobby shops also have tiny easels you can use to quickly display the cards.

People don’t send Christmas cards as much now so I treasure the favorites I had framed like this cat watching Santa Mouse.

Santa mouse has been a favorite framed card for over three decades now. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

This charming framed Christmas card has spent many years with other cat-related Christmas cards and decor. This year, it’s getting a new spot among my little collection of deer figurines in my basement. It now sits on a table next to my sofa where I can easily see it before I settle down. Yes, if it makes me smile I tend to keep it.

This year the card has found a spot with my little deer collection. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)

Rethink Christmas cards as little works of art that can easily bring the spirit of Christmas into your house. It’s an easy way to preserve a memory and, protected in a frame, they will keep giving back year after year.

For more tips on gardening, beekeeping, cooking and easy home decor, subscribe to my weekly Garden Notes.

Charlotte

Cork Wreath

Peaceful Bend Windery turned corks into a charming holiday wreath. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Cork Wreath

Oh, heavens, I was about to make “wreaths’ plural and realized it could take a long time, or a lot of wine, to have enough corks to make this cork wreath. Luckily living in mid-Missouri where we have a number of excellent wineries, we have easy access to the corks. The wine, too.

The project would involve collecting a number of wine corks, which would mean visiting wineries and selecting wines one likes all four seasons. Then drinking it. To get the cork, of course. Or you could enlist friends to go with you so they would participate in the wine cork collecting. Unless they were also making their own wine cork wreaths.

I have a number of wine corks I have saved - somewhere, reminders of lovely meals with friends at wineries such as Peaceful Bend and Meramec Vineyards. I tend to use my corks as stoppers for my beekeeping smoker, which sometimes get lost in my garden.

Now I will have to decide which is more important, collecting corks for my wreath or putting out the fire in my smoker.

Decisions, decisions.

I was told the corks were hot glued onto a wreath frame. Since they are so lightweight, it is easy to do and to hang. In this example they used a wide ribbon tied to the back so that the wreath could be displayed under a wall light fixture.

The red bow was pre-made and came off a gift basket. Nice repurposing there!

A wide ribbon attached to the back makes it easier to hang. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I suspect I may end up making a teeny tiny one for the next year. The fun part will be in collecting the wine corks!

Charlotte

Frame Christmas Cards

Framed Christmas cards preserve memories and easily add a touch of holiday. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Frame Christmas Cards

One of the easiest ways to make holiday decor and repurpose memories is to frame Christmas cards. It is also a quick and easy way to add a little holiday vibe to any room without taking up too much space, time and money.

When I used to travel for work, these little framed cards were life savers. I usually didn’t have a lot of time to decorate but loved having some holiday reminders around me. These framed Christmas cards took 5 minutes to distribute and quickly brought Christmas into any room. They soon become a holiday tradition, especially the “where do I put them this year” part.

“Dogs and cats living together” is so cute, I framed it! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Some of my favorite Christmas cards were original ones. This “Purrfect Christmas” card was signed by the artist so I found a modern frame to balance the vintage one in the background from my grandmother.. Together they remind me of the cats that have been and the cats of today; think of it as a feline version of A Christmas Story.

Each Christmas card has red berries - Purrfect Christmas has a sprig of mistletoe, the vintage cats have holly so I added a little tree with red berries to pull the vignette together. This greets me every morning at the bottom of my stairs and easily sets the tone for the day.

Doesn’t that cat with mistletoe look happy?

This was a favorite Christmas card from several years ago now framed. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Over the years I have saved a little stack of favorite Christmas cards with my ornament collection in case I need to quickly add one to a room for holiday decor. I have two cards that are handmade and three-dimensional I will frame without the glass.

For the more challenging cards, hobby shops also have tiny easels you can use to quickly display the cards.

People don’t send Christmas cards as much now so I treasure the favorites I had framed like this cat watching Santa Mouse.

Santa mouse has been a favorite framed card for over three decades now. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

This charming framed Christmas card has spent many years with other cat-related Christmas cards and decor. This year, it’s getting a new spot among my little collection of deer figurines in my basement. It now sits on a table next to my sofa where I can easily see it before I settle down. Yes, if it makes me smile I tend to keep it.

This year the card has found a spot with my little deer collection. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Rethink Christmas cards as little works of art that can easily bring the spirit of Christmas into your house. It’s an easy way to preserve a memory and, In a frame, they will keep giving back year after year.

Charlotte