A Crafty Christmas

Well, I promised to write yesterday but never got around to it because we were so busy getting ready for guests! We had some dear friends over for a dinner and a Christmas movie. I love having people over, it's one of my favorite things to do.

I got home from work early last Friday and decided it was the perfect day for some Christmas Crafting. I am all for simple, easy, elegant decorations. I love how it looks when people really deck their houses with all sorts of decorations, but when it comes to my home I tend to go with more simple, understated ways of decorating. Maybe it's just because I am ridiculously lazy and cheap...

So, without further ado, here is the step-by-step of my simple little project. (Note: This project was inspired by my lovely sister, Elsie).

First, you must start off with one of these.


It's coffee, or go-juice. It's not really vital to have coffee while you craft, unless you are me. I find that it gives me energy, keeps me excited about what I'm doing, and helps me to get things done a lot faster. So it's a must for me.

Next, I gathered some supplies.


Some sticks that were stolen (with permission!) from my in-laws.



White spray paint.



And.... (drumroll please)... GLITTER! I feel like a small child whenever I say that word. It seriously sends happy shivers down my spine and makes me want to shriek like a little girl. Glitter just makes everything wonderful.

So, can you guess what happened with all these items? It's really not that hard. I probably don't even need to break it down into a step-by-step and insult the intelligence of my fellow bloggers, but it's way more fun this way.

First, I spray painted the sticks white. I must add, it was almost below zero that day and my finger kept freezing to the nozzle of the spray-paint can. Winter crafting in Minnesota can be brutal.



After the sticks had dried, I used some of the incredible Aleene's Tacky Glue and smeared it on the branches with my bare hands like a kindergartner. I did not eat any of it, though.



This part took a while, because the sticks had a lot of little branches and I tried to get the glue all over for the ultimate in glitterization. (New word! Write it down!).




Then, I dumped, sprinkled, patted the glitter on until the branches were simply crying out for mercy.

Now, the sparkly, snow-kissed branches are gracing the shelf above our kitchen sink. I think these are generic enough that they could be used well into the winter months, so I plan on keeping them there until I see the first signs of Spring.



I filled another vase with them and set it on my dresser as well.





I don't think I have posted any pictures of our bedroom yet...



The branches fit in perfectly with our icy blue, soft gray and brown colors.

I have been making a few Christmas gifts this year. I plan on posting about them soon, but here is a sneak preview of one...