A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

During an early scene in my December 2018 Harlequin Heartwarming novel, FAMILY BY DESIGN, my hero and heroine discuss hobbies.  He’s never taken time for such things, while she enjoys cooking.

Me?  

I have more interests than I have hours to indulge.  Some of the major ones are rocks, genealogy, painting, photography, reading, sewing, beadwork, and, yes, collecting.

The background piece is a cross-section slice
of petrified wood, probably from the trunk
of a small tree.  My passion for rocks
is a challenge because they are weighty,
unlike my pins

At various periods in my life I’ve collected coins and stamps, tiny perfume bottles, cobalt glassware, paperweights, teapots, fairytale books, marbles, pins, and more.  When some of these started crowding me out of the house, I let a lot of them go and weeded the others down to more manageable proportions.  But pins don’t take much geography, so I feel free to pick up more when I find something I like. 

I suspect a few of my earrings
 may be repurposed
Christmas ornaments😃

As much as I enjoy photography, I discovered
 it wasn't easy getting pictures of jewelry.

Holiday pins (also holiday earrings and pendants) are a special part of my collection. 

Christmas jewelry is fun.  My pieces are all costume, most aren't even sterling silver.  I never buy anything valuable in terms of money; I don’t want to worry so much about keeping something safe that I can’t enjoy it.

I don't collect a single style of Christmas pin.  Rhinestones are nice because of the sparkle, but ones with a message are equally appreciated.  

Of course, humor is always a plus! 

I prefer the old St. Nick
style of Santa Claus, though
I'm not sure where one
this fits

I like bells, light globes, animals, Christmas trees...along with funky and traditional.

Ice dancing, anyone?

Another part of my Christmas collection are non-holiday earrings I’ve gotten at yard sales and benefit shops.  I hang them on a small wire tree around 20 inches tall.  (The tree was originally intended for Christmas cards, but I repurposed it.)  This project gives me an excuse to get earrings that I think are attractive or interesting, but don’t fit my personal style.  

It all started when I wanted to decorate a small tree with animal ornaments.  Ones that are small enough are hard to find, so I was hooked when I saw some large cat earrings (too large for me to wear, the right size for the tree).  And they come with their own "hanger."  I'd share a picture, but haven't located any worth showing.  Since I have a wild man feline, who's still getting over his adolescence and chewing on everything in sight, this particular holiday decoration is staying safely packed away in 2018.  I don't want any emergency trips to the vet on Christmas Eve.

Back to writing...

I wrote about FAMILY BY DESIGN on my 

Sit-Down-Saturday this month, but missed putting in a link to the reviews from Goodreads.

I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to write a review, so want to give a special thanks to the Goodreads readers. See:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/family-by-design

At the moment I'm working on edits for my April 2019 Harlequin Heartwarming release, FINALLY, A FAMILY.  This will be the fourth book in my Emerald City Stories series.  After the edits go in, I'll return to work on a proposal for a character from FINALLY, A FAMILY.  Laurel was suggested by my editor and she simply insisted on having her own story.

Merry Christmas, everyone.  Have a safe and wonderful New Year!

Callie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/callie.endicott.author/
Harlequin (Paperback): https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/family-by-design.html 
Harlequin (eBook): https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/family-by-design
Amazon (Kindle):https://smile.amazon.com/Family-Design-Emerald-City-Stories-ebook

Amazon (Paperback): https://smile.amazon.com/Family-Design-Emerald-City-Stories