It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. - updated

Yeppers, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas, emphasis on the beginning part.

I still have a laundry list of things to do. It seems I'm forever in the midst of several projects, but I'm off to a good start. I'll have my little elves... um kids... making a few ornaments soon.

Here are a few pics.
Minimalism is what I lean toward but I like my Christmas tree loaded down. Right now it's a bit sparse but we'll be adding twig frames with silhouettes, nests and some other ornaments.

This year I wanted a natural look. (This picture got updated. See, the pampas fronds I added?)

We used raffia, seashells, pine cones, snowflakes, holly, salt dough gingerbread men, poinsettias, crochet stockings, and a mixture of a couple misc. ornaments.
(I added the pampas fronds and I love the feathery look they give it. It's also another natural beachy element.)

For the topper, I picked up a small oval wreath form and added an oval of white foam. On one side I added an "E" and on the other I added a cross.
Tutorial Here


Ahhh. The tree sitting by our electric fire is as good as a real fire to me. No cleaning, ashes, and kids getting messy. LOL.

On the mantle we have a shutter for displaying cards and pictures, the other frugal Friday gifts - one filled with candy canes and a starfish, my hurricane with shells and two evergreen branches... er... everplastic?, and my pheasant from Goodwill. Oh how I love Goodwill. Let me count the ways.

Since this picture, I've added homemade stockings for our three little ones. I also added homemade stocking hangers but I need to paint them...
The stocking are a rip off of some stockings I spotted around blogland and the stocking hangers are a rip off of the out of stock ones at Lands End. They hold weight exceptionally well and aren't deadly if pulled off by a toddler.
Go here if you want to see the stockings being made.
The hanger tutorial is coming tomorrow night.
Our kitchen table is pretty sparse. I have some candlesticks I could add but we do homeschool on here so I like to leave it pretty bare.
That's a new silver tone platter that I picked up for a buck. I liked it enough that glued it down. Now that's commitment! I won't glue things together unless I really like them that way. Even then I usually second guess it.
You may remember this cloche that I picked up at Goodwill. Okay, so it's most likely the dome of clock but I still think it was a great find. I may glue on a knob to the top for a handle. ;) It's sitting on the coffee table and my two year old won't leave it be. I plan on finding it a new base if it makes it.
Looking into our small galley kitchen you see this. I still need to frame the gray square on the wall. It's where we now intend to display the kids' homeschool stuff. Look past the counters, I loath them. I want new ones soOOoo bad.
Looking out of the kitchen...
(It's a bit sparse on the back side but I'll fix that soon enough. I also plan to seek out some very tiny starfish to add in here.)
Ah yes... and our frugal gift... wound up in my kitchen. LOL!
Finally, pics of the updated door bucket that also got pampas fronds.



I hope you enjoyed the tour.

Happy Holidays All!

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