Paper Trees

Every window in our new house has a white trim ledge, wide enough to display pictures, candles, knickknacks, and...

HOLIDAY DECORATIONS!!

I love decorating my abode for Christmas; my first year in my apartment I went out one random Friday night in December and bought a five foot artificial tree, bags of garland, fabric, ornaments, and other trimmings, and spent the next six hours turning the apartment into a winter wonderland. Each year my collection of decorations expanded, until I reached the point where I would have to start setting items on the toilet seat if I actually wanted to fit everything in my little apartment.

Therefore, I am thrilled and delighted to have access to countless window ledges, piano tops, bathroom counters, and fireplace mantels to showcase my constantly expanding holiday decorations! My collection was big for a two bedroom apartment, but it's barely acceptable for a house this size, so I have many projects in mind for this season. NavyGuy and I won't be here the entire month of December, which means I have to get crackin' a little earlier than normal. We might bust out the decor this Friday, post Turkey day, and spruce up the joint. (The only decorating task I despise is putting the lights on the tree so NavyGuy graciously volunteers to do this each year... right hun? :)

The first project I tackled was one I found on Splitcoast Stampers, an online forum for stamping and paper crafts. The inspiration is pictured and explained here, but I chose to alter the folded paper loops version slightly. Not having an empty terra cotta pot, I opted to simply bend the papers slightly so the tree could sit flat. The star on top is simply four cut-out stars pinned together; some other great options would be ribbon bows or a small shiny ornament. What's great about these is that a) they can be customized to compliment any color scheme, b) they can be customized to any size foam tree you can find, and c) they're super duper easy! Can you fold paper? Can you stick pins through paper? Then you can make this holiday tree!

Stay tuned for more holiday trimmings!