I've got something in my pocket

The first Saturday of December is traditionally the big craft bazaar at our local community college. It's been held for 40-plus years, maybe even 50-plus years, and I've attended every year for the past 30.
Out of those 30 years, there was only one time I didn't attend with  my mother -- she wasn't feeling well. So, my younger sister, who had come into town, and I went without mom -- who had given her two adult daughters money to buy our own pre-Christmas gifts -- our annual Santa Claus.
Good times!

Going to today's bazaar was bittersweet.
It was wonderful to run into so many friends whom I haven't seen in a few months and receive their heart-felt hugs, condolences and wishes for a better year ahead. It was just hard to be there without my mother, but harder still when I walked into the college's gymnasium turned craft bazaar/social hall and became instantly overwhelmed with grief.
The funny thing is, though, my eyes immediately went to one crafter's booth who had made these delightful little Christmas trees using cupcake papers, and I was instantly transported back in time to when I was a Girl Scout Brownie, and my mother was our leader. We had made something very similar, but the cupcake papers had to be spray painted, because way back then, the papers only came in white and pastel colors.

I really give my mother credit. Our monthly dues were only 20-cents per child, and mom used that money to purchase the materials for whatever our project would be for that month. And, there were only 10 of us in the troop.
Like I've said, nearly everything I know, I learned from my mother. There is no doubt those projects from my years in Scouting laid the foundation for the adult I became.

Without even realizing, we learned the importance of recycling - using old copies of Readers Digest magazines to make angels; old newspapers to make our "sit-upons;" blown-out egg shells to make beautiful Easter ornaments; tiny scraps of fabric to make doll clothes; and so much more. As a seven- and eight-year old in Brownies (under the tutelage of my mother), we learned the basics of cooking, the need for good manners and etiquette, and most important - how to share and get along with others.

I have nothing but wonderfully fond memories of both my father and mother, my childhood as a whole. Today's little trip to the bazaar reminded me of that and took me to a warm and fuzzy place in my heart and in my head.

Since there's really no such thing as an original thought anymore, I wasn't surprised to see this project posted to Pinterest, but I'm still going to show you how to make the Cupcake Paper Christmas Trees, and along the way, I'll tell you the difference between the way we made them 50-years ago and how to make them today.

You will need 12"X12" white cardstock (back then we used a styrofoam cone), scotch tape (we used straight pins) and about 30 cupcake papers. Today you can buy them in every color of the rainbow and every fun pattern you can imagine, but 50-years ago they only came in white or pastel pink, yellow and green (hence the need to spray paint the finished product).

After you've gathered your supplies, you'll form the cardstock into the shape of a cone and tape it together so it will hold its shape. Back in the days of yore, we used a white styrofoam cone for our tree.

And then you'll cut through the cupcake papers and cut out the bottoms (as shown). All you're going to use is the cute little ruffles.

Then begin taping the cupcake papers to the cone starting at the largest end (which will be the bottom of your Christmas tree). In olden days, we used straight-pins and pinned the papers to the stryrofoam cone (apparently there was no concern about swallowing pins or sticking each other with them). Don't worry, the tape will not show.

Continue doing this until you get close to the top. Then, using one of the bottoms of the cupcake papers that you've cut off, cover the top of the cardstock cone and tape it down securely. Continue taping the paper ruffles to the cone, until you reach the top.

Basically, you've just made the cutest little Cupcake Paper Christmas Tree in all the land. Now imagine this same project 50 some years ago, using the pale yellow, green and pink papers. We spray painted them green and added some red and gold glitter to some of the rows of ruffles.
You can add some bling to your tree, too.

I bedazzled mine by adding some self-sticking rhinestones and a bow on top. Fun!

I nearly cancelled my plans to go to the annual bazaar today. Thank goodness I didn't, because I'm grateful for my trip down memory lane...a trip that took me to such a happy place.

I've got something in my pocket, it belongs across my face.
I keep it very close at hand, in a most convienient place.
I'm sure you couldn't guess it if you guessed a long, long while.
So I'll take it out and put it on, it's a great big GIRL SCOUT smile!