Christmas decorating - grace grits and gardening

December, carry me home.

December 1, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Yesterday was November. The warm, humid weather and gusty winds announced sure signs of change. I thought about dragging my Christmas decorations from the garage but didn’t. I’ve spent so much time packing and unpacking boxes, the whole idea of digging through more stuff is about as appealing as the leftover brussel sprouts morphing into a science experiment in the back of my fridge.

I have a hard time finding the Christmas spirit on a balmy November day.

So, I found other things to do. Like removing fall from the house. That counts.

I tossed well-seasoned pumpkins into the garbage. I removed my orange toile table runner and replaced it with one more reflective of the holidays. I did manage one smidgen of decorating only because I stumbled upon a length of garland while putting away my tissue paper turkey.

See?

And I relocated my silver pear candle (which is on display somewhere in my house year-round) front and center atop a stack of old books. Somehow it now looks more Christmas-y.

That’s it.

So far that’s all I’ve managed.

I like the simplicity.

Today is December. I woke to a glittery coating of ice on rooftops. Spitting snow greeted my morning walk with the dogs. Today feels like a Christmas decorating day, good and right and full of possibilities. Carry me home, December.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]Today feels like a #Christmas #decorating day. [/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:

December – Norah Jones

“How did it get so late so soon?”
― Dr. Seuss

Vintage Book Christmas Tree Craft Project

December 13, 2013 By Talya Tate Boerner

I made Christmas trees using pages from a vintage children’s book.

(Consider this a great way to recycle damaged books that would otherwise end up in a crowded landfill. The old Dick and Jane book I used had torn and missing pages and was of no value to a reader.)

For my example, I made tree ornaments and paper bunting, but these trees can be used in a variety of creative ways such as holiday cards, bookmarks or as scrapbook embellishments.

To begin, start with a half circle. (Any size will work, but the size will determine your tree.)

To make my half circle, I placed the center of a bowl on the middle edge of a page and outlined around the top of the bowl. If you aren’t a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of crafter (like I am), you can use a template. But, it doesn’t have to be perfect…

Vintage Book Christmas Tree Craft Project

After you cut out your half circle, fold the right side over almost to the center of the page, placing the edge a tiny bit above the paper.

Fold the corner back. This point will be the top of your tree.

Flip over the paper.

Fold the top right side down (almost to the edge but not quite) to make a triangle.

Flip it back over again and voila! A Christmas tree.

cute already!

Seriously, you can make dozens in no time…

Now for the best part!

Decorate your trees with supplies on hand—buttons, rick rack, glitter, ribbon, stamps, jingle bells, etc.

Hot glue tree trunks to the bottom using card stock or scrapbook paper.

For Christmas ornaments, hole punch the top and string a loop of ribbon to make a tree hanger.

vintage red buttons

vintage green rick rack and a jingle bell

I made bunting by stringing four trees together, stamping the word “Snow” and adding red glitter to the boughs.

red glitter, contrasting tree trunks, “Snow” bunting…

This project works well with scrapbook paper or sheet music as well. Just remember, both sides of the page show, so use paper with complementary front and back colors.

Whatdya think?

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

How to Make a Paperback Book Angel

November 30, 2013 By Talya Tate Boerner

If you can fold a piece of paper, you can make this paperback book angel.

Book angels, typically made from hymnals, have been around a long time. Since I didn’t have a hymnal, I used a paperback book.

Although I’m not one to destroy books, this Glimmer Train book was the easy choice for me since I received it in the mail as a consolation prize for not winning one of their short story contests. Yep, I just ripped the cover right off and turned it into something more positive (after I read it of course).

Fold page to center. (Initially I folded two pages at a time (as shown in the picture above), but it became quickly apparent this would not work. I started over folding one page at a time.)

Fold the same page to center again.

After the second fold, there will be a triangular piece hanging below the edge of the book. Fold this section under so that the edge is even.

Repeat with 25-30 pages. (The book I used had approximately 150 pages. You will need to adjust the number of pages folded for the base depending upon the length of the book. I recommend folding approximately 2/3 of the book for the base.)

Do the same thing with 25-30 pages on the other side of the spine. This will keep the angel balanced.

The angel will now stand. (If you continue folding the remaining pages, you will have a Christmas tree…)

Once you fold a group of pages on each side of the spine, flip the book upside down and continue folding pages the same way to make wings. Again, fold the same number of pages on each side of the spine.

When there are only about 20 pages remaining, flip the book once more and fold the remainder of the pages to make the back of the angel base. (This part will not be visible from the front when the angel is completed but will help with stability.)