Merry Measure and Yuletide Treasure (Copycat Challenge #3 and #4)

The Christmas song, "Deck the Halls" is the inspiration for this pair of challenges using the book Blanket Statement by Vicki Haninger (and my recycled green wool blanket). You know the part where the lyrics are:

Follow me in merry measure, Fa la la la la, la la la la.

While I tell of Yuletide treasure, Fa la la la la, la la la la.

The merry measure had to include a hidden measuring tape, and the Yuletide treasure had to involve currency of some type as my personal challenge.

Project Merry Measure was to be found on pages 38-39 of the book as Snow Cone Trees. The author intended the tree to be stuffed and displayed, no measuring tape inside. However, in my Mom's sewing box there was a sweet little measuring tape encased in a plastic disc. A red button on the underside of the disc allowed the tape to be retracted after it was pulled out to use. And, it was just the perfect size to slip into the base of the tree!

The tree was decorated with small seed beads and glittering crystal beads. I cut out a little hole in the bottom felt base of the tree, allowing the button retractor feature to work more readily.

About a day after the tree was completed, I added more ornament beads to further jazz up the little project.

In the background of the little Merry Measure tree you

can see some of the many cone trees I stumbled upon at the

Dollar Tree store near our City Nest. They had an amazing selection there...and I went a bit crazy with my purchases of them. But, hey...they were only $1.00 a piece!

Project Yuletide Treasure was found on pages 42-43 of the book. Vicki Haninger called this the Pine Tree Sachet and stuffed the little conifer with pine needles to make a scented project. I noticed the tree had an opening in the tree center perfect for adding a little "greenery" that someone might enjoy at the holidays --- I chose to put a five dollar bill with Lincoln's face inside because, after all, this is officially the Land of Lincoln Illinois.

I folded the bill into a triangular shape to fit inside the opening of the tree. This could make a nice gift for a babysitter or caregiver, a senior resident who likes a little bit of cash for purchases or snacks, a college student who needs "greenery" in their diet, or someone who is just hard to make purchases for.

Once again, thank you Vicki for this book inspiring creativity with your clever patterns and projects!