Christmas Tree Time

Well, no one could confuse us for Scrooges — Josh and I wasted no time at all decorating for Christmas. We put the event on our calendar. I almost made a countdown, but then thought better of it (and by “thought better of it,” I just mean that I realized it was in fact as crazy as it sounded… #orwasit).
And if we both didn’t have three Thanksgivings to go to as well as working in a restaurant on Black Friday (madness), we would have done it sooner. Alas, that was not possible, but that is what Sunday was for….and the Lord. Right.
Oh! And I forgot the most exciting news of all! We totally got a big kids’ Christmas tree!!!  Remember our sweet little tabletop tree from last year?

We’d also used that the other Christmases we’ve spent together as a married couple (apartment living), but this year we decided it was time to retire it and upgrade to a real tree. (And by “real,” I mean I’m allergic to the real kind, so we have to live with the fake ones. Josh knew this was a condition when marrying me, so he has long since forgiven me. I hope.)
This beaut is seven feet tall, but quite apartment friendly as it is skinny and easily stuffed into a corner.
Here she is, pre- lights and ornaments:

Aaaaand in her bedazzled, Yuletide state:

I’m not the biggest fan of red, so red and green became blue and green.  I especially love these peacock feather inspired ornaments:

Here’s some fun musical ornaments I’ve had for years:

These are some fluffy white heart ornaments I found at Ikea:

They originally had red and white gingham ribbon, and again, red NOT being my thing, I ripped out the original ribbon and sewed on a light green ribbon to tie in with the rest of the ornaments.  I also love how the white fluffiness carries the texture of the tree skirt throughout the tree.

…The tree skirt being this $9.99 white faux fur throw from Ikea:

We just used a chip clip and hid it in the back.  Sexy.

Oh, but the decor doesn’t stop on the tree.  Here’s our entertainment center:

And here’s our end table:

Our bookshelf (complete with one of my favorite ornaments, a redhead bride and brown haired groom — I got it as a gift right before Josh and I got married):

Don’t worry.  That canvas won’t stay blank forever.  I’ve got plans.

And here’s a little martini glass fun with some of my onion shaped ornaments:

 

Yay!  And it only took four hours and 700 lights.  (No, really.  We had to go out and buy more.)

 

Ok, your turn.  Share your Christmas decor pics, links, et al.  (Anyone else out there have an aversion to the traditional red and green Christmas decor?)

 

Deck the Walls with Swedish Housewares (fa la la la la la la la la)

Yeah, in my imagination, you all sang the title of this post, then inserted your own clever lyric changes continuing the Ikea theme that I’ve already established.  No?  OK, then.  But to the point:

I did it!  I made my own advent calendar!

I blogged about it this past Friday in this DIY advent calendar round-up, but I didn’t actually anticipate getting my serious pants on and following through.  Then I somehow ended up at Ikea on Sunday (I randomly had Sunday off), saw the accessories hanger in the home storage section, and remembered this clever advent calendar idea from one of my bloggity blog faves, Young House Love.

I’m not gonna lie… it’s not my most original moment… I just plain ol’ copied the Petersiks’ idea.  However, I did add my own twist so I thought it worthy of sharing with all you fine folk.

I bought the hanger from Ikea for a whopping $7.99 (thank you, Swedes, for your affordable home goods).  Here’s it hanging in the store, completely unaware of its yuletide future:

Lovely, yet… off white.  Not really working with the wall I had planned on attaching to.

I’ve got nothing against off white things, but not directly next to the white moulding on my walls and the pathetically sad off white radiator directly next to the hanger (not pictured).  In between these two things, it just looked dirty.

Solution: I dyed it!  Using acrylic pant, warm water, and a little whisking action, I immersed the hanger in a lime green dye solution for about two hours (one hour for each side).

Here’s the paint I used:

Here’s the dye “vat,” if you will (also know as an out-of-commission trash can):

As with any kind of dyeing done using this method, I knew the color change would be subtle.  The end result was a sort of light celery/celadon shade.  Virtually unnoticeable in pictures, but just enough green-ness in person to strike a difference between the sad, stained radiator and my lovely white moulding.

The plan was to put a different ornament and date tag in each hole (per the YHL idea) then hang a different ornament onto our Christmas tree for each day of the advent season.  However, as the season was winding down, I didn’t just want a plane tag in an otherwise empty hole against a gray wall (not exactly the most Christmas-licious color palate).  So… using a little leftover scrapbook paper, colored cardstock, and even a few pretty notecards that I’ve had for years, I made 25 colorful date tags.

Here’s my assortment of paper:

The pink, green, blue thing wasn’t on purpose; it was just a pattern that sort of emerged… and since I have plenty of pink, green, and blue ornaments, I committed to it.  I used another plain piece of cardstock to make a tag template, then traced around it for each of the 25 tags:

With more than a little tweaking and indecisiveness, I finally settled on a layout:

I attached some leftover adhesive circles — like you see people use for garage sales — and used a curlicue script to number each tag.  Then I hole-punched each one, attached an ornament, then hung the ornament and tag to the hanger with silver paper clips:

There was a lot of tweaking.  A lot of rearranging.  A lot standing with my hands on my hips, crossing my eyes (I do this last one when I’m trying to see the whole picture).

Finally I ended up with this:

It is far from perfect (like this poorly lit, slightly blurry picture), but I fancy it just fine.

Here’s a close-up (and a slightly less blurry picture, at that):

More!  More!

Josh’s comment was: “That’s a lot of pink.  But I still like it.”

(I’m both proud and relieved.)

And since it’s still November, I still have a few days to enjoy it in its complete state.

I’m totally patting myself on the back right now.

(And wishing for a better camera.)

Any one else out there venture into DIY land this weekend?  Advent calendars?  Tree decoratin’?  Dog portraiture?  Share, y’all!

See you tomorrow — hopefully with some Christmas decor pics.

Dork for New York: Dyker Heights Lights

Yes, the title is rhyme-tastic, but this is appropriate as I just recently returned from…

ANOTHER FREE HOLIDAY ACTIVITY!!! WOO!  (and you know I like free.)

Dyker Heights Lights: It sounds curiously like a prime time television drama, but I assure you, it’s not.  It’s actually a renowned holiday event in Dyker Heights, an affluent Brooklyn nabe, where the residents take their Christmas lights decorating VERY seriously.  In fact, they have developed such a reputation for their extravagance, that you can find NYC residents and tourists alike doing the slow drive by (or walk by) on every night during the holiday season.

I first heard of this ongoing event after Googling “free Christmas things to do in NYC,” where I found a link to an About.com article (this one).  Through this article, I learned that the participating homeowners in this neighborhood take their reputation so seriously that they often hire professional, um… Christmas-lights-decorating-folk in an attempt to outdo their neighbors.  And it shows.

Well, you know me… I see the words “free holiday activity” and I pounce.  Not to mention, the prospect of sharing all of this with you via blog post!  So, with Josh as the pilot, me as the navigator, and our friends Mark and Maria as enthusiastic company in the back seat, we set out on our journey.   As it turns out, Dyker Heights is only 4.5 miles from our home.  (This seems really close, but in NYC context, it’s not as everything is really close in miles, but mostly just accessible by mass transit or foot.)  We rarely drive in the city, but we decided to for this particular occasion and it took us ten minutes to get there.  It would have taken less time, but we weren’t the only ones driving to Dyker Heights to see the lights!

Of course, I got some pics, as did Maria on her iPhone.  Without further ado, here is Dyker Heights Lights in all of its sometimes-classy-sometimes-tacky glory:

This display was actually at one of the nearby apartment buildings that we passed on our way to the big show.  However, the majority of the light displays are found at single family residences.  But you know… Christmas lights decorating is contagious, so we found a lot of it going on in the fringes of the neighborhood.

The same row of apartment buildings, but this is a view down the street.  Just to show you how far the contagion has spread.

More contagion…

Aw…. how sweet.  But tame in comparison to its neighbors.  Perhaps this would be deemed the underachiever house.  You’ll see what I mean in a minute.

Another tame display.  But lovely all the same.

Pretty…  It’s hard to tell from this picture, but so many of these houses, i.e., those things under the high wattage of electricty, are pretty incredible.  Mansion is usually the best descriptor.  Driving in this neighborhood, I would swear I was anywhere but Brooklyn, NY, if not based on the sheer size of the real estate alone.

Another pretty one…

The big guns.  This was the house.  And as you can see, they did not limit their decor to just lights and wreaths with bows…. oh no.  Also, note the other people who stopped to take pictures — they do not live  in this neighborhood.  Like I said, it’s sort of an area attraction.

The house again.  There was a lot going on here, and my camera didn’t capture even half of it.

Maria got some things on her iPhone that I’m just now seeing for the first time.

The house again.  And there’s the star that the wise men followed on the left (just kidding).  I’m not really sure what a big balloon has to do with Christmas, but I’m no over-achieving Dyker Heights homeowner, so what do I know?

They’ve got Santa, they’ve got balloons, they’ve got Jesus, they’ve got gingerbread houses, they’ve got carolers…. They’ve got ALL of their bases covered.

At The House they were asking for donations to help serve children with special needs.  I only know this because I just read that sign.  I’m not exactly sure how that worked as we never got out of the car, but I guess it’s good that a noble cause is being served through all of this house’s tackiness decorations.  :)

Moving on from the house, we have attained a sense of calm once again.  In most any other neighborhood in the country, this would be “that pretty house with the lights.”  However, here in Dyker Heights, it’s almost yawn-worthy by comparison.

Take away the scary Santa, and I’m all about it.  Oh, and in case you’re all “What? He’s not that scary!”  here’s a close-up:

See what I mean?  No thanks.

Whoa…

Less tacky, more lovely.  Not the norm here, but I like it!

Hark!  The herald angels sing.

No really, they are (in this picture).  Very elegant!  Especially the English Tudor house behind the decoartions.

“Less is more” means nothing to these people.

(And hey, history buffs, I bet you didn’t know that there were Victorian carolers at the birth of Jesus?!)

Very nice.

Yep, more is more.  And I like it.

Hope you enjoyed that mini tour of Dyker Heights Lights!  For every picture here, there are probably five houses that we didn’t take pictures of, so yeah… pretty crazy.  Crazy awesome that is.

And how many dollars did said awesome adventure cost?  Zero!

Here’s a handy dandy map outlining the Dyker Heights neighborhood to give you an idea of where to find the best displays:

(click on image for a link to this location in Google maps):

However, like I said, the Christmas spirit — along with the need to express it in electrical and blow-up-snowman form — is contagious, so you will see light displays on the outskirts of this nabe as well as within it.

So, if you plan on visiting NYC any time between the day after Thanksgiving and New Year’s, I highly recommend this hour-ish long excursion.  It’s easy to find by car:   11th Avenue to 13th Avenue and 83rd to 86th Street, in Southwest-ish Brooklyn.  You can take transit to get there, but considering that the closest subway station is a mile away (and I’m sure that’s on purpose), I recommend going by car.  But don’t go too  late in the evening, as some homeowners turn their displays off as early as 9:00!

(Because nothing is too much when it comes to decorating a Dyker Heights home for the holidays, but they draw the line at staying up late…)

Other thangs you might like:

Dork for New York: Holiday Windows

Twelve Weeks of Christmas (ongoing series)

Free Donuts

Things that (P)inspire Me: (More) Christmas Decor

As we close the week, I also put an end to the madness that has been this Pinterest love fest (but not forever!  Just like… for a few days).  In case you haven’t been following me this week, here’s brief re-cap:

First of all, I love Pinterest.

Secondly, I decorated my apartment the day after Thanksgiving.  I say “I,” but I really mean “we.”  And not the royal “we.” I mean my super cute and SUPER enthusiastic husband helped me:

He's. So. Excited.

To check out the whole thing, go here.

On Tuesday, I waxed poetic (or pathetic… hm…..) about my Pinterest finds in the DIY Christmas Ornaments and Tree Toppers category.

On Wednesday, I talked about DIY Christmas Garlands.

On Thursday, I showed you my DIY Christmas Wreath pins… but mostly, the paper cone kind.  Yeah, I got kind of distracted…

And today’s Friday!  That means everything-else-day!  It will all make sense soon….

Most importantly, these pins are DIY, cost-effective, and SUPER festive!

But… not too festive.  For example:

Source: http://www.thisnext.com/tag/christmas-tinsel/

Yes, that’s an example of too festive (and in case you were wondering, that atrocity is for sale!  Ay yi yi . . .)

So, here are my most recent pins:  DIY, cost-effective, and festive-but-not-too-festive-like-a-Christmas-tree-costume-that-offends-my-eyes.  K?

(Here’s my attempt at good blogger karma:  For the source of the images and ideas, click on the image)

A little more ambitious than most of these ideas, but lovely nonetheless. And if you get your Christmas ornaments at the dollar store instead of more expensive, glass ones, this could also be super cheap!

A fun take on a Christmas tree.

This individual used photos in the shape of a heart, but I think this would be a a great way of displaying your Christmas cards (in the shape of a Christmas tree!)

Lovely! Pearl beads in water with floating candles above (these are sold on Amazon, usually about $6 for 30-ish pearl beads)

A tree made out of an old book with a cookie cutter as the tree topper. I feel fairly certain this will be an upcoming crafty excursion for myself. Might be great with an old magazine(s).

Unique way to display Christmas cards. Looks like 4 sticks (dowels?) of varying lengths attached to a ribbon, with clips on either side.

I sometimes think shadow boxes can make everything better.

Spray paint some sticks, put them in a bowl or vase, ta da!

Perhaps I saved the best for last. This is an advent calendar with different surprises for each day leading up to the 25th. It's made out of matchboxes wrapped in paper and placed on a tree. Love!

How do you not love the sight of Christmas ornaments in a bowl? Yeah, that's my picture. I pinned myself. What?!

Here I go again...

I'm always a fan of the seemingly-arbitrary-but-NO-I-really-meant-to-do-that thing. Here's one example.

Hope you enjoyed those!  Have a lovely weekend, and if you start decorating this weekend (it’s December now, so you don’t have to be as embarrassed about it anymore) PLEASE snap some pictures and share with me!  E-mail: thegingerpennypincher@gmail.com

Grab a button if you were featured on this week’s round-up!

Image URL:  http://thegingerpennypincher.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/feature-on-the-gpp-button.jpg

Link URL:  http://thegingerpennypincher.wordpress.com

You might also like…

Things That (P)inspire Me

Twelve Weeks of Christmas (on going series)

DIY Holiday Ornaments and Tree Toppers

DIY Garlands

DIY Wreaths

Another ridiculous Christmas tree costume

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Things that (P)inspire Me: DIY Christmas Garlands

***Find my previous posts regarding “Things that (P)inspire Me” here.

As previously mentioned, I’m pretty darn serious about my Christmas decoratin,’ and I definitely toe the line between tacky and tres chic.  After decorating the tree, I don’t stop… I keep going.  Next stop:  Garland Land!

I mean, seriously, doesn’t every door and window frame just scream for a garland at this time of year?

Well, along with my own Dollar Store, blinged-out garland…

… I’ve pinned a few more that I find particularly inspirational.  And, in the GPP tradition, these are all DIY (and cost-effective, too!).

(As always, you can click on the image for the link to the original source!)

Origami boxes on a string -- would be great with holiday themed paper or colors. Even better on a string of lights (stick a bulb in the hole at the top of these boxes). And in case you think you're orgami-cally challenged like me, just try to make these. It's so easy, it only took me about two minutes to make one.

Old book pages, painted with water colors and cut into leaf shapes. This same method could be revamped in many ways, and would also be nice as an ornament on an evergreen garland.

Cork garland. Yeah, this would take A LOT of corks, but I think it's look nice with some space in between each cork, too (knots).

Short pieces of ribbon tied onto a string of lights.

Dixie cups, wrapped in pretty paper, with holes in the bottom. Looove.....

Pieces of Paper glued together with a piece of yarn strung through. These look very time consuming, but hey, if you're watching a Christmas movie or something, why not? I also think these would be nice with just one disk of paper instead of the three dimensional look.

Sheet music chain. This is actually being sold on Etsy, but this is all too easy to make: Just take sheet music and photo copy it (a few times) on off-white paper, cut into strips (hello paper cutter) and make the chain (and I know you know how to do that).

This bunting was made from washi tape and string. Easy!

Obviously, this ones please me to no end, especially considering that these could be spray painted easily.

This is obviously not a Christmas garland, but this would be easy to adjust and festive-ify.

I have zero sewing skills, but I'm guessing this look could be achieved by sewing through the center of circles (or other shapes) of felt.

Hope these inspired you!  

Do you have any DIY garland ideas of your own?  Feel free to share in comment form below!

 Grab a button if you were featured on this week’s round-up!

Image URL:  http://thegingerpennypincher.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/feature-on-the-gpp-button.jpg

Link URL:  http://thegingerpennypincher.wordpress.com

Other stuff you might like…

Things that (P)inspire Me

Twelve Weeks of Christmas (ongoing series)

Thrifty Tree Decoratin’

DIY Christmas Onrnaments and Tree Toppers

Things that (P)inspire Me: DIY Christmas Ornaments and Tree Toppers

Hey, remember that week where I posted almost every day about my recent Pinterest finds?!  No?  Oh… well, that’s because that’s happening now!  

(To check out my previous posts of “Things that (P)inspire Me,” go here.)

As I did an inventory of my vast ornament collection last Friday, I was surprised to discover that none of my ornaments were handmade (or at least, handmade by me).  Of course, all of my ornaments are a product of penny pinching (or gift-receiving), so that’s nothing to balk at, but still… there remains a DIY-sized hole in my heart that must. be. filled.  So, I turned to my tried, true, and trusted friend, the Pinterest bookmarklet (nope, not a typo).

(In case you’re confused check out www.pinterest.com.)

 

Below are some of my most recent finds (also thanks to Google image search).  Hope you are as inspired as I now am!

 

(Click on the pictures for the links to the original sources.)

 

 

 

 Thumbtacks and a styrofoam ball!

Scrabble pieces glued together

 

Small dollar store frames with pretty paper

 

An oldie, but a goodie.  These would be especially nice with metallic or patterned paper.

 

Felt ornament — read the instructions, it’s actually easier than it looks!

 

I guess these are a little more obvious than most, but aren’t they pretty?  And with the length of these pipe cleaners, they can be a statement ornament (like… a “statement ring”) :)

This particular pin is from Young House Love and was a product of the Pinterest Challenge that they recently co-hosted.  38 DIY ornaments for a total of $27.  Not too bad!

 

An old key, spray painted (also part of the “Challenge” from above).  Vamping on this same idea, many household items, however seemingly mundane, would make great ornaments!  Silverware, earrings, those are just the first two that come to mind…

Tree topper, made from pipe cleaners and a styrofoam ball.  But you know me, I would have used a different color.

 

I love ANY home decor idea involving recycled sheet music (and I have plenty of it).  So fun as a tree topper!  (More on sheet music/Christmas decor on Wednesday!)

 

Hope you enjoyed those!(Subscribe, silly!  What are you waiting for?)