the big, big tree topper

The topper for The Big, Big Tree is my all time favorite holiday thing found on deep post-holiday clearance. I don’t remember exactly when I found it, but it was at least fifteen years or so. I found it at a K-mart, ninety percent off on the last tiny little table of Christmas decorations. I […]

my giving tree

The distraction of the Great Bead Garland Caper of 2020 helped. Having an on-going adventure of tedium kept my creative brain engaged and occupied, allowing me to disengage from the preoccupation of a holiday season with no guests. The third and final set of garland strands has a color set of pink, hot pink, red, […]

light it up: final chapter?

Today got into the upper sixties, so I picked up a couple more multi-outlet plugs to complete our outdoor display. I wasn’t happy with how the garden lighting looked separate from the house, I think, stemming from the natural cedar tone of the fence. I also split outlets to finally let me light the forsythia […]

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 2.2

Putting together the second of three sets of garland… The color set of this batch:

the gbgc ’20: round 2 underway

The color set for the second batch of beaded garlands:

nitpicky and curiosity

Today, while making room in the basement for garden furniture, I found the rest of my light stakes, so I tidied up the C-9 bulbs outlining the beds in front of the fence. I feel much better. *whew* Christmas is saved!!! Also, some funky stuff is going on between the new LED walkway lights and […]

the gbgc ’20, how to: final assembly

Assembling the garland sections uses exactly the same process I learned to make a wired necklace, or earrings. It’s important to note: the flat-nose need to be the type specifically made for jewelry, with a smooth pinching surface. Traditional needle-nose pliers with a serrated surface will chew up the surface of the wire pins. A […]

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 […]