Wednesday, December 12, 2012

DIY: Have Yourself a DIY Christmas

Oh, look, it's just how I paint: sitting at my easel lookin' all 1950's glam with my puppy assistant. Except instead of a gown, I'm usually painting in my sweatpants (yes, I own one pair) and in place of a cute pup, I have an obese kitty who walks through my paint. But one can dream.
 As Christmas approaches, I'm coming to terms with a few issues I have. Well, okay, I have many an issue but for now, let's just chat about the ones concerning the holidays. So far, I've come up with these:
  1. I have a penchant for phoney-baloney pre-lit dwarf-sized Christmas trees. And if they are tinsel tress in some tacky color like pink, green or gold, I love them all the more.
  2. I have to make the majority of my Christmas decor. I can't buy it because that somehow feels like cheating . So at Christmas my house looks like some 4-H fair craft display. And I kinda like it.
  3. Once I start decorating for Christmas, I Just. Can't. Stop.
I created these paintings last year. The larger green painting I based off of a vintage Christmas card. I had picked up this little wooden house shape years ago at the thrift store. After painting the green canvas, I painted this little house to go with it. This sits in the front room of our house on my decked out easel.

For that over-decorating reason, I don't have any brand spanking new DIY's this week. So I thought I'd share with you a peak around my pad at DIY's of Christmas past. I'll just be giving a brief description of each as I still have more decorating and cleaning to do before the hub's work party goes down here on Friday night. On top of that, I've got a Tacky Christmas Sweater to whip up and the awards for the Tacky Christmas Sweater Contest we're having at school tomorrow. Whew! It really is the most insanely busy (and wonderful!) time of the year.

Enjoy! And if you have any questions about these DIY's, please feel free to ask.
I scored my first pre-lit tree of the year on Black Friday. I planted it inside of a paper suitcase that my mother-in-law gave me for my birthday last year. I created the paper chains years ago and they make an appearance every year, much to hubs dismay. He's not a fan of el paper chain-o.
 I created these hot air balloons ornaments with light bulbs, vintage fabric, Modge Podge and a bottle cap.
Despite the fact that this pre-lit tree is only partially lit (which is exactly how I like to spend my holidays), I still adore it. It sits in my living room surrounded by a couple of Rudolph paintings I created two winters back.
My favorite Christmas special has always been Rudolph. I used my Golden Book from childhood as the inspiration for these canvas board paintings.
 Favorite scene from Rudolph where Rudolph befriends fellow-misfit wanna-be dentist elf Hermey:

Hermey: Hey, what do you say we both be independent together, huh?
Rudolph
: You wouldn't mind my - red nose?
Hermey
: Not if you don't mind me being a dentist.
Rudolph
: [shaking hands with Hermey] It's a deal.
I scored this pre-lit tree for cheap at Goodwill just this week. I added my paper doll collection as well as some vintage sewing notions.
This tree has everything I want for Christmas on it: gorgeous vintage dresses!
Last Christmas, I discovered pinterest and my life was never the same. I created that wreath with my collection of vintage glass ornaments. I began by yarn wrapping the wreath and then hot gluing the ornaments onto it. I then picked up tulle in the same colors and cut that into strips. I tied the strips of tulle onto a string of white Christmas lights.
Ya'll might remember my pink cuckoo clock tree from this post. My dream tree is a real vintage pink aluminum one. But for now, this one next to my mantle in the living room will have to do.
If only my Christmas shopping were so glamorous. I'm usually just clicking away on amazon in the wee hours of the morn. I painted this long painting right before painting the green one at the beginning of this post. These paintings remind me that I've not picked up a paint brush in some time. I need to do that. If I could step away from the sewing machine long enough.
Just a little close up.I have found that adding candy cane stripes to the edge does a great job of hiding smudges of paint and mistakes.
 Thanks for dropping by. I do hope your holidays are shaping up to be just plain fabulous!













8 comments:

  1. I LOVE your DIY Christmas decorations!!! :D Especially that paperdoll tree; so clever! If only I had room for another tree in this house, I'd swipe that idea from ya. ;) lol.

    I've been tinkering away on a couple Christmas DIYs here and there, though nothing as beautiful as the ones you've created. Mostly because the thrift stores have been spoiling me. lol. Though I'm quite smitten with some small cone trees I made with crepe paper garland... I need a whole forest of them! lol.

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  2. The paper doll tree! It's so wonderful, and the sewing treasures are the perfect touch. Splendiferous, as we used to say back in the day:)

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  3. I love your artwork! I wasn't feeling Christmas-y, but this has put me in the mood!

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  4. Wow! That's a rather big lot of Christmas decoration and Christmas trees. I must confess that there's only a luminated yellow "Herrnhuter Stern" hanging in front of my door and on the table there's an Advent wreath. In Germany it's not common to have a tree before 24th of December. I love, love, love the paper doll tree and would so much like to have one for my own. I bought a lot of paper dolls a year ago at a fleamarket. Maybe there's time to cut them out in the next days and put them on some fir branches. Good idea!!!

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  5. Anonymous12/16/2012

    How many Christmas trees do you have Cassie?! Very pretty. You out my decorating efforts to shame.

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    1. Er...only counting light-up trees, I have four...and two 2' non-lit trees as well. I told you, I have a problem! I can't wait for After-Christmas sales to pick up some more ;)

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  6. Anonymous12/16/2012

    put - not out! Gah typos!

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  7. I love the paper doll christmas tree. I may have to make one for myself.

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