pre-post-holiday newbies

For a few years, I’ve seen a trend of early holiday clearance sales. Ages ago, I used to stock up for next Christmas in January at seventy-five percent off. Now, it’s fifty percent in mid-December. I’m good with it. Tonight, getting hardware for the last round of bead garland, I might have acquired a few […]

the gbgc ’20: update

Round two is complete. (I think) I’ll make one more round…

the gbgc ’20, round 1.2

I am nearly out of segments comprised of smaller glass/crystal beads that are needed at the scallop peaks to let the strands meet up well at the hooks. I’ve nearly completed three tiers of double-stranded garland. At this point, the longterm goal is two more rounds of the same. I would ultimately like to see […]

the gbgc ’20, round 1

Since I’m not likely to run out for more eye pins on Black Friday, I’ve moved on to assembly. Knowing that future rounds of making new segments will involve different color sets, I’m leaving space between this round of garland, so the final results will have a consistent color variation throughout the tree. I decided […]

light the place up!

While I’ve had trees up inside for over a month, exterior decorations are different. Our family always lit the exterior of the house on Thanksgiving weekend, and I like keeping to that tradition. I admit I’ve never started on Thanksgiving Day. Until today. Two exciting thing this year: First, I found the large LED lightbulb […]

a beaded detour

I ran out of eye pins today, so I indulged in a distraction, making beaded icicles for the unicorn tree. Some of the beads from vintage garlands absolutely belong there. Reclaimed glass drops, from a lamp shade, finish off the ends of these vibrant icicles. I made my own hooks from aluminium armature wire. They […]

the great beaded garland caper of 2020

I am anticipating the need for a holiday season distraction to help keep me distracted as we get closer to a holiday open house that won’t be happening… So, I’m moving forward with a holiday project that has been on the back burner for years… I removed and destrung the glass bead garlands from the […]

therapy: day two

Holiday decorating soothes me. It is a happy place. I’d say more so than gardening, as it reflects all of those years as a floral designer. I had an epiphany yesterday. I have always enjoyed making. I have always enjoyed Christmas decorating. As a florist, I’d put in sixty hour weeks in the warehouse dressing […]

the dining room starter set

The mantle madness started with an inherited grouping from my husband’s Aunt Vertie. Livertie was an avid Christmas collector. She and I share that trait, though we never met. After she passed, her daughter (my husband’s cousin) Kimberly Sue gathered up Vertie’s Christmas figures and brought them to a family gathering. Knowing my obsession with […]

thrifty festivities

I must say: I’ve been having a great go at thifting blown glass ornaments this year. I’ve picked up some great random ornaments: a TV, popcorn, beer set; a pink dragon start the list. I use the blown glass ornaments to define break-away themes for trees through the house, whether by color or subject. Current […]