Christmas Countdown 2 : Christmas Tree#24- Last Minute

Advent Blog Day 24 - Last Minute.
I have a friend who always says " If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done!" Today's post is for the 'last minuters' and the busy - some great ideas with spectacular results, all using materials you can find easily around the home and assemble quickly with minimum equipment....

Go for a quick walk and find some branches or collect some bits of wood from your garden or shed.... just a single branch with a few shop bought decorations or some acrylic paint can create some magical effects.

Branch with lights

Bits of wood decorated with paint

Wood, string and a few ornaments

Most people I know have balls of wool, yarn or string in a stash at home , just stack them up and there's a Christmas tree like no other in your neighbourhood. In fact, you only need one ball of string or yarn to make a small table top tree.

Woollen yarn - ready for knitting

Balls of wool

Tutorial - Table top tree with one ball of yarn

For paper lovers - forget using the paper doilies for Christmas fare and don't throw out those magazines and newspapers...

Paper doilies in a window

Magazine pages and newspapers

Or look amongst your office supplies for those sticky notes , or for a really personal Christmas tree , use some family photos with lights to impress your relatives.

Sticky notes ( post it notes)

Family photos

Party balloons could be the answer to your last minute festive tree or just suspend from the ceiling some of those baubles you have in your Christmas decorations box.

Balloons and more balloons

Suspended Christmas baubles

Chalkboard tree

One of my favourite last minute Christmas trees does involve a little bit of effort - this chalkboard tree could be decorated with stickers or handmade paper ornaments to make it truly festive and sparkly. This chalkboard 'diy" tree does mean, however, painting a wall with chalkboard (blackboard) paint first, unless of course you already have a wall like this .

I like this idea because not only can you create your own Christmas tree, but you can create a whole scene, regardless of the weather outside.

Chalkboard Christmas Scene

Oh and I wish I hadn't sent off my coffee mug stand to the charity shop last week....

Wooden coffee mug stand - I used to have one just like this!

I am a little sad writing this today, as tomorrow is the last of the Advent blog for another year.... there are so many more crazy, bizarre,unusual, beautiful and exotic Christmas trees to share but we have run out of days. Hope you have enjoyed this little exploration of Christmas tree ideas ... I have. Please join me for one last post tomorrow.

12 Days .... festive or not?

Days 5 & 7 - the Gold Rush Era Stamp Series It seems so long ago now since we were celebrating Christmas and New Year.... hope you enjoyed a great festive season. I took some time out, not doing much at all but I did set myself a little challenge of doing some tidying up which meant spending a little time each day using scraps of fabric and paper to create something a little playful or as the mood took, useful! Unlike the long projects I usually undertake, this was a 12 day project ( 12 days of Christmas ) - completely random, but finishing half done projects or recycling. For example the first photo shows some collages I did on days 5 and 7 to use a postage stamp release, the Gold Rush Era series, first issued in Australia 1981 ... yes I probably have had it in my stash since then! Completing some other little projects was very satisfying .... On Day 1, I assembled a folded paper folk cube from a kit my daughter gifted to me las...

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks .... The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or my husband or from off cuts gifted to us from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks. Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...

Too Precious to Waste

Stitched tea bags/ old doily "tea lights" - Wilma Simmons More than a year ago, a decision was made. The annual exhibition of NCEATA ( Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists) 2015-2016 will have the theme "Mottainai". Mottainai in Japanese refers to more than just physical waste (resources). It is even used to refer to thought patterns that give rise to wasteful action. Grammatically, it can be used in Japanese as an exclamation ("mottainai!") or as an adjective phrase ("it feels mottainai"). There is no plural form. The collection of mottainai things could be called mottainai koto ( もったいない事 ? ). As an exclamation ("mottainai!") it means roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste." [2] A simple English equivalent is the saying "waste not, want not." A more elaborate meaning conveys a sense of value and worthiness and may be translated as "do not destroy (or lay waste to) that ...

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Search This Blog