Christmas Craftiness

I like DIY home improvement projects, but I don't really think of myself as particularly crafty. The idea of scrapbooking or making my own Christmas ornaments or anything small scale like that appeals to my DIY/artistic side, but when I get right down to it, it's not for me. I run out of patience and the craft never comes out looking like it should. It always ends up looking like a kindergartner with unmedicated ADD did it.

I bought Christmas stockings for myself and Jeff a few years ago with our initials on them, but when I went back to buy another one, they no longer had the same ones. I really wanted them all to be the same, and I like fairly plain stockings, no animals or angels or glitter. Of course I couldn't find anything like that. So I came across this picture on pinterest (which came from Cottage Instincts)(Gah, that mantel is gorgeous!) and I thought, duh, I could make my own personalized stockings with some cheap plain stockings and some wooden letters.

So I did.

Cheap plain stockings, which ended up not being that cheap,
because I really wanted white or beige and apparently that's unheard of!

Not-so-cheap plain stockings with wooden letter (both from JoAnn Fabrics) which I spray painted silver

I decided to just glue the letters on with hot glue because figuring out a way to attach them, as cute as it looks, might be above my level of craftiness, and I feared would end up looking, quite frankly, like shit.

Then Jeff thought they were TOO plain and suggested adding some snowflakes. (Look at him being more crafty than me!)

So I did.

And I'm really happy with how they turned out, even if from across the room the snowflakes look a bit like the Star of David. We're multicultural up in this house.

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

I just love Christmas-time. I believe the Christmas season starts at Thanksgiving, and by Black Friday I am itching to get out my Christmas decorations.

For now we just do a little fake tree. I grew up with real trees, Jeff with fakes. I think someday I will gun for the real thing again, but not before I get a better vacuum cleaner! Jeff is decidedly opposed, but he's not the one who cleans anyway, and I think it's a nice tradition to go pick out a tree every year, and you can't beat the smell.

The fireplace. That metal reindeer I got the day after Christmas from Pier 1 is probably one of my favorite Christmas decorations.

The top of a bookshelf.

The shelves between the kitchen and dining room

The top of the buffet in the dining room. These houses were my grandfather's. He was very into model trains, and since he passed away several years ago my grandmother has been sending the grandchildren houses every Christmas. My grandpa loved Christmas so much, I just love having this little piece of him on display.