It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. As tradition goes, I started to decorate the day of Thanksgiving (well, some years as soon as the last Thanksgiving dish is finished…that was always Mom’s rule – smart woman). This year I was in a heavy food coma following a delicious meal and couldn’t get off the couch on Thursday. So, we started Friday.
Usually it takes us me two days to decorate every nook and cranny inside and out. Every room has a different color scheme and flair. It’s sassy. This year there is just not enough steam in the tank to do it all this weekend or myself. So we started this weekend and I delegated some to Husband. I have to give him credit, he has done a pretty awesome job (mostly on lights duty, though this lights project is all my own).
We live on a corner and the back of our house is very visible. I have wanted to decorate the back porch for a few years. We used to have a cherry tree we would decorate in the back, but we cut that down a few years ago (so take THAT George Washington). I’ve been on the lookout for something that is tree shaped and lighted, but not a fake tree.
Lowe’s had this which I love, but I am anti-colored lights. So that wasn’t happening. (I do compromise at Halloween and put out purple, green, and orange lights so Husband can get his fix).
So I finally gave up trying to purchase one and turned to making one myself…..and for $10 I have constructed my own white light holiday flair from the most unexpected items starting with – a tomato cage. Mason went to pick this baby up for me (which he readily volunteered to do to avoid going to Joann’s on Black Friday). The lady at Southern States was very hesitant to sell it to him and tried to explain that it isn’t tomato growing season. Poor Mason.
So if you turn the cage over, do you know what shape it is? The key is to tape the free prongs together at the top to make a point. Then cover with lights….300 lights.
I got some silver balls and a bow to go on top, but they were rough. It make it look like the “tree” was trying to hard. Instead what I have now looks very CB2/West Elm. Modern. And lit up, oh lit up, it’s awesome and just the right flair for the back deck.
I have to admit, even I was skeptical…Mason was really skeptical…and had he told my older brother what I was planning, I would have been openly mocked at the Thanksgiving table. Sometimes I even surprise myself.
What kind of unexpected materials have you used to make awesomely fabulous Christmas decor?