Here Comes Santa Claus

I am linking up to Susan at Thoughts from over the Rainbow for her Deck the Halls Tuesday blog party!! See the other displays HERE.

Hi Friends!! We are all so busy Christmasing our houses aren't we? I love how my house looks at Christmas, so warm and cosy and I have always had a special feeling for Santa Claus or St. Nickolas. I believe he represents a "spirit of giving" and the love of children. St. Nick was a real person who lived in Turkey and was a bishop in the Catholic church. He was orphaned at an early age and used his money to give to poor children and those in need.
As I said in my last post, I started making Santas many years ago and they have evolved through the years. This Santa is one of my latter ones, pardon the brightness, I used a flash for this picture a few years ago, and I cannot take another as he went to a home in another state. He was custom created for a special family to represent them and all that they hold dear. By the time I get one done, it is hard to let him go!!, but I love the process of making these kind old gentlemen come to life!!





This Santa went to an LSU fan among other personal references. All done in purple and gold.

This Santa lives with me!! I have 2 new bookcases in the hall to display all my Santas and have been having fun filling it up!! I think I'm going to have to pare down my collection though. I ran out of space for them all!!

Since I also do miniatures, I had to make a tiny display for all my mini Santas. There are about 200 or so, it's been a while since I have taken the time to count them all!! Many are handmade, some just repainted, and some are tiny Hallmark ornaments that were the perfect size.

The" gift box" is plexiglass on 2 sides and the lid and front can be removed. There is also a light inside ~ it's one of the favorite things I have made.

This is my new bookcase!! It's actually 2 (purchased at Walmart) cases that were the perfect size to fit in this niche we had in the hallway. We already had the beadboard cupboard beneath them, so we just painted everything white and put beadboard on the backs of the cases instead of using the cardboard backing that came with them. I love how it turned out! and and looking forward to seasonal displays all year as well as a great place for family pictures. I plan to store games and such in the base cabinet for the grandchildren to have easy access.

See the picture of the old gentleman with the pipe? I recently found this picture at the Goodwill Store!! I was so excited. Doesn't he look like Santa??

The only problem is one of lighting. The hallway has two fixtures and the bookcases are between them, so I think we will try to get some kind of a track fixture that doesn't look too contemporary so we can aim little spotlights on the bookcase.

To take these pictures, I put a table lamp on the opposite side of the hall on a table and it cast too many shadow, but you get the idea, not to mention that it snowed here all day and so there wasn't much natural light in the house. But it did put me in the Christmas spirit to finish up my decorating and do some baking which is a good thing!!!

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedules to visit!! I wish for each of you dear friends a wonderful CHRISTmas season!!

Blessings to each of you, Linda