12.12.2010

12 Days of Christmas Decorating: Day One

Did you know that finding a bird's nest in your Christmas tree
will bring you good luck and prosperity in the new year?
Or, as in the case of my friend -- not once but twice --
it means you will be expecting a baby soon.


Finding that lovely specimen in ours has led us
to having a nature-inspired Adirondack tree this year, 
with many of the decorations going outside 
for the birds when we are done with them.


Supplies are ready, and since we will be busy for some time,
I will be sharing the 12 Days of Christmas Decorating
right here on the Red Hen Studio blog.


First up, stringing popcorn and cranberries.
Orville Redenbacher's microwave stuff won't work,
unless you want it all a bit greasy.
Instead I bought a big bag of plain popping corn
that we nuked in a  brown paper bag,
about a quarter or a half cup at a time.


Using long sharp needles and heavy thread,
we started stringing lengths of about 3 feet long.
The boys had a sense of accomplishment
and the thread didn't get all tangled on them
than if I had given them longer pieces.


Once the lengths were done, I tied each one to the last
and added them around the tree.
This might be the easiest of my decorating ideas
but it certainly is time consuming.
Each boy did a few sections, but I finished up
most of them while watching television.


The preschooler had an easier time stringing Cheerios
with a blunt-ended tapestry needle.
He proclaimed he was making bracelets and necklaces,
but with shorter lengths strung on pipe cleaners
the results would be cute little wreaths.


Here is phase one of our tree, with a small amount of white lights
and wide red velvet ribbon strung around it.
Oh, and the candy canes since the boys couldn't let those wait.


And here is the nest back in its place among the boughs.
Can't wait to share more with you over the next 12 days.
Check back tomorrow!

3 comments:

Katie said...

Hey Julie,

Katie from the Cheerios Facebook team here. We love your post so much that we would like to share it with our fans on Facebook! Do we have your permission to provide a link back to your page? Either way, great post!

Julie said...

Yes, Katie you have my permission. Thanks so much!

Katie said...

Thanks Julie! I just posted it, you can view it on our Cheerios Facebook page.