Living Beauty Full in the Burbs
Living Beauty Full in the Burbs
Tips, tricks, ideas, and projects
My memories of Christmas span about 6 decades. Getting close to 7! whew! That’s a long time. I remember holidays when both my Grandparents were still alive. Halloween meant homemade popcorn balls, and I can still remember the smell of scorching sugar if one or the other forgot to man the stove. There was a lot of love in the house, the two of them dancing around the kitchen or my Grandmother bent double with laughter at something my Gramps said or did. Caramel apples were a special treat and watching my Grams at the stove, wearing one of her numerous aprons, stirring the caramel, laughing at something my Gramps said, still lingers today, many years after they passed. Thanksgiving and Christmas always came with my Grams bent over, pulling the pan that held the turkey out of the oven, steam rising like a cloud all around her head, the kitchen passing for a native american sweat lodge.
Christmas meant no school or homework, sledding, and snow forts (and the required snowball battles to protect our forts), singing and dancing, family dinners and gaily wrapped presents under a huge tree. It was cold snowy mornings with big breakfasts, it was homemade pies and brownies, hot chocolate and late night movies. There were trips to Ebys Pines where we all trooped to pick out just the right tree. My Grams like the shorter fat ones so there would be plenty of space for her ornaments. I remember paper chains, popcorn garland and homemade cookies, my Grandfather practically passing out from the effort to blow up the huge snowman to adorn the front yard, and all of us kids laughing at the faces he made.
I was just about 13 when my Grandfather died unexpectedly. It changed our lives as most deaths in a family do. Traditions fell by the wayside, too painful to continue and new ones slowly took their place. By that time, my Mom and Stepdad and my siblings were living “in town.” I stayed with my Grams and she and I continued to decorate every year. There were still family dinners with all the Aunts, Uncles and siblings and over time those new traditions became the norm. As the years went by, I married, had a son, divorced, and after her death, I continued the traditions my Grams and I had carved out over the years. Traditions and memories for my son to enjoy and pass on to his children.
I can’t remember a Christmas without a little plastic Santa, he was my favorite ornament as a girl and he is one of my favorites now. He’s hung on every tree, even on my ficus trees during the lean years. My Grandmother’s angel still adorns the top of my tree, just as it did hers. Or it did until I convinced her to get a new tree topper, a hideous plastic minaret that was filled in the middle with angel hair. Did I mention it was hideous? Sigh. As a teenager I thought it was beautiful. But what did I know? I’m the girl who talked my Grams into getting rid of her beautiful antiques so that we could go modern, as in Danish Modern. Oh, the heartburn I suffer over that! I clearly had no clue back then. My lack of family heirlooms is because of me. ME! arrgh. The pain.
My Grandmother, a wise woman, put some things away in her cedar chest for safekeeping from my modern loving eyeballs. I’m ever grateful to her. Because of her foresight I still have not only her angel, but also her little plastic snowman that still lights up, her bird ornaments and two angel ornaments I updated with new paint. If she could only know how much I treasure those timeworn pieces now…….and that I am the “Memory Keeper” in the family. I wear that title proudly. I guard those few things I have ferociously and will pass on my title to one of my grandchildren when the time comes.
No Christmas is complete without those ornaments and the few vintage holiday things I still have. The snowman, the angels, the little plastic santa. The trio of santa elves who now grace Mr B’s bathroom, where they hold special golf balls instead of christmas ornaments. The little elf who sits on a pillow, even the unopened package of ornament hooks, still wearing the 2/25¢ price, the box now an ornament in its own right. These things keep the memories of my parents and grandparents alive. The memory of my son is still fresh with special ornaments that he loved. No matter what style my home is, whether it’s “Modern Farmhouse” or “Danish Modern” those memories will always be front and center. Old things and old memories never go out of style.
If you are like me you hate the flimsy ornament hooks we’ve all used for years. I’ve collected ornaments for many years and I almost cry when one falls to the floor and shatters in a million pieces when the hook fails. Plus I’m not a big fan of sweeping up tiny shards of glass. I’m always afraid I’ll miss some and one of the dogs will end up with cut tootsies. So I was filled with joy (yes, I’m easily wowed) when I found a new style hook a couple years ago. They’re decorative and sturdy and hold ornaments securely. Bonus….They hold heavier ornaments without a problem. I like that they add some detail to the tree. They are longer than regular hooks however, so bear that in mind when placing ornies on your tree. Plan to go up one branch so the ornament actually ends up where you want it.
I also use twine to tie any especially fragile or vintage heirlooms on the tree. Green twine for natural trees and either silver or white twist ties or sheer white ribbon for flocked trees. Hide the ends within the tree’s branches. The new hooks have a spiral end, and once on the ornies won’t come off the hook, just make sure the hook end is securely on your branch. I found a different design last year and like these as well, especially for heavier ornaments. These are also longer, and have bulbous ends so that ornies won’t slip off. I found both brass and silver at Target. Both hook designs are also available on Amazon. (What isn’t available on Amazon?) So get the new hooks and feel secure in the knowledge your ornies are safe and your tree has some hook pizazz. And who doesn’t love pizazz?
I have brainstorms. In the middle of the night. Like my eyes pop open with “omg! I could totally______!!! Fill in that blank with an idea. This particular brainstorm involved greenery. And flocking. For a few years now I’ve wanted to add flocked greenery to my Christmas decor, like about a million other people. Flocking is back, in a big way. But I have boxes and boxes of greenery. Lovely fake, totally green, plastic greenery. Some of it has been with me since my wedding 21 years ago. Did I mention it’s fake and plastic? It doesn’t die. It does shed a bit however. I’m thinking 21 years for fake greenery is the equivalent of 100 in human years. And I’m betting if I live to be 100 I’ll be shedding a bit too. But on with my brainstorm. As you’ve figured out by now, I’m cheap, I’ve mentioned in a few times. Why should I spring for new, lovely flocked greens if I can upcycle some of my current pieces? Hence, the brainstorm. I’ve tried the canned spray snow. Ick. I’ve also tried paint, just dipping my brush in white paint, wiping most of it off and dabbing the greenery. Uh, nope. Didn’t like it. Soooo, the brainstorm. Drywall mud!!!! Tada!! That’s it! It comes in a spray! It’s white, it’s kinda thick and it clumps! Oh boy, couldn’t wait til morning to give it a try.
Morning comes and I’m in the garage, covering the floor with sheets and draping my old garland over my work table. I had a can of spray drywall mud for patching and matching the texture on our walls so this was gonna be a cheap and easy project. My absolute favorite kind. I practiced my spray technique on a piece of cardboard and was good to go. Just to be safe, I sprayed a small piece of greenery first. Just a dusting. It looked Great!!! So I proceeded as planned with the garland. It looked so good. Happy dance! I left it in the garage for a few hours to dry. And then the decorating began. Now this garland is very important to me. Each year I drape the living room sliding door and the dining room window with garland and hang stars and snowflakes from it. Dressing those windows for Christmas is my favorite thing to do and I look forward to it. It signals the start of the holiday season at my house. I wanted that garland lightly flocked so it would look better with the flocked tree I purchased last year.
Let me tell you, I draped and then began to cough and sneeze and my eyes were burning from all the drywall dust! The mud didn’t stick!!! WHAT??!! That stuff sticks to everything! Nope, apparently not fake christmas greenery. By the time I got the garland draped around the curtain rod most of the mud was on the floor. And in my hair. And nose. And on the sofa. And Oscar’s black coat was now gray. EPIC FAIL!! I spent a couple of hours sweeping, dusting (saying bad words, many bad words), and mopping and then very carefully hung my stars and called it a day. I’m leaving it as is until after the holidays. There are a few specks of drywall mud left on it for the holiday effect. uh huh.
I did, however, keep my practice piece. It’s draped around a frame on a table. It looks lovely. Mr. B is forbidden to touch it. Or to breathe on it. We tiptoe past it so as not to stir a breeze. I have yellow caution tape up to protect the area. Guests are allowed to admire it. From a distance. I am not cleaning any more drywall dust. But I have gently flocked greenery on that table.
Yesterday I bought new flocked garland. Sometimes new is just better. This is one of those times. It’s thick and new and beautiful and is gracing the the dining room window. Best part? It only sheds a little. Very little. The flakes are big, like giant snowflakes. I can live with that. I bought an extra bundle for the living room for next Christmas. I WILL have flocked greenery for Christmas 2017. The can of spray drywall patching mud? Is in the chemical recycling bin. Where it’s waiting to gather together with some of its closest friends on recycling day. I wish it well.
So sorry I’ve been MIA. Food poisoning. ’nuff said. But I’m back, so here’s the latest in the Christmas posts for this year. If you have ornies (that’s ornaments for the unenlightened) that have seen better days, here is an easy way to update them. This works on older glass (not plastic) ornaments, those made prior to 2005. (I just picked that date arbitrarily.) I’ll get to that point in a minute. But, yes, this is easy, peasy. Remove the tops and wash them with hot soapy water! Who knew?? Well, now YOU do. Hold your ornies by the stem UPSIDE DOWN under hottish water (as hot as you can stand). I usually squirt a bit of dishwashing soap on them (sometimes I don’t even do that). Rub gently and the old paint should slide right off. You may have to use your thumb nail on stubborn spots but really it’s that simple. If you find that the ornies are slipping from your fingers and smashing to smithereens in the sink, try wearing latex gloves. WARNING: Do not get water inside the ornament. It will remove the “silvering” from the inside and you’ll be left with dingy clear ornies, not exactly the “updated” look you’ll love. After washing just dry with a soft cloth and put the top back on. You’ll be left with silver ornies that have little speckles of the old paint or even better, with some areas of discoloration that lend that old mercury glass look. Of course the ones pictured here in the “after” shot don’t have those discolorations. sigh. But the next batch probably will. After this post is published.
If you don’t like the look of the hanger top, you can paint it by dabbing gray or brown craft paint on it to age it. I usually don’t bother with it, but some may find it more appealing to age the top as well. That’s it. Now back to that arbitrary date. I’ve found that ornaments made within the last 5 or 6 years may scratch a bit but the finish will.not.wash.off. For those, back when I needed silver ornaments and was really determined, I used acetone or once even paint stripper. But those products are stinky and the process is messy. So I don’t. Because really, I’m lazy and I don’t like stinky. Plus I don’t want to wear a mask and rubber gloves just to update an ornament. I send those to Goodwill cause you know, they don’t fit my “look” anymore and there are lots of people who don’t care about a few scratches. They use them in other ways, like those wreaths with a bazillian old ornies glued on. Just turn the scratchy part to the back. I now own boxes of updated “old” silver ornaments. I may never have to buy new ones again.
Third in the “Quick and Easy series. I love banners and garlands. But they can be a bit pricey and may not fit exactly the look I’m going for. I’m cheap frugal so I decided to make a couple with different themes this year. This “project” took literally less than 10 minutes and I used what I had on hand. I strung a few large jingle bells on a length of twine. You know I’m not into math and measuring so I just eyeballed the length and cut my twine longer in case my eyeballs were tired or looking at something off in the distance at just the moment I made the cut. (You know this can happen when I get distracted. Which is often). I tied a loop on one end and attached it to a tiny nail previously hammered into the top of my headboard. (You may want to use a small tack or Command Hooks if your headboard is new, or valuable, or vintage. Mine is none of these things.) Once I had the drape/swag that I liked I cut the twine a couple inches longer, made a loop and hung it on the nail at the other end of the head board. I hung a few of my vintage Christmas postcards with mini clothespins and it was done. Quick, easy, cheap , inexpensive. And cute, if I do say so myself.
You can also use vintage photos of previous family holidays and glue them to card stock. (Make copies, please don’t use your original photos for this), old Christmas cards, lightweight kids’ toys, doll clothes, tiny Christmas stockings. Anything lightweight that strikes your fancy. Switch it up by using ribbon or heavy duty string instead of twine. For heavier items, braid lengths of twine (or whatever you’re using) to provide a sturdy garland. I’ll be making another one using the bells and mittens for my laundry room. Fair warning, these can become a bit addicting and before you know it, you’ll have every window, chest, chair and shelf swagged and draped. I take no responsibility for your garland shenanigans.
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