light it up, part 2

“I’m quite aware of how ridiculous I am.” – Albert Goldman, The Birdcage There are three distinct whites in LED lighting: pure, warm, and cool. This is the first time I have ever used more than one in the same place. I wouldn’t call it intentional. The faceted C9 LEDs in any decent bulb count […]

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 gbgc ’20 how-to: beaded segment

The first stage of the Great Beaded Garland Caper is to make individual beaded segments. Hundreds and hundreds of beaded segments… Using the pre-cut, pre-formed eye pins speed up the process. I have made my own from spooled wire. Head pins need to be purchased and are for dangly bits; eye pins will connect to […]

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 […]

through the whole damned house…

I think the mantle display is as complete as it will be this year. I think… Last night, I completed the shelves for the “upstairs” vignettes. Installation proved difficult hooks and pegs allowed the shelves to lean and pull away from the wall. Cleats were the way to go. Fast forward through pre-drilling, and levelling, […]

meet the family:

Grandpa Joe (and little Cousin Emily Ann): Grandpa Joe (Ann Marie’s husband) enjoys reading stories to his grandchildren. The holidays with the gathered extended family gives Joe many occasions to revive his well-worn jokes (to the family’s dismay). Joe is fond of moustache wax, pocket watches, and his comfy purple house slippers. He adores his […]

eternal bliss

I don’t think I’ll ever tire from watching a tiny little starship circle our tree…

unicorns and glass walls

Be a unicorn: The teal tree that started the unicorn tree last year really needs to be the bedroom tree, so I was on the market for a new unicorn. I’ve always had pink in mind, but the one that set that tone disappeared from the market. Well, from the affordable market. The teal tree […]