So I barely made it to my “no Christmas decorations until December 5th” plan, as per my quasi-rant about the earliness of the Holiday season. In fact, I think I just made it into December.

But, now that December is here, I am going to tell you all about the decorations for this year. I’ve gotten my craft on (who am I?) and made some pretty cool stuff. Mostly inspired by my new best friend- Pinterest.

Check it out:

Button Tree

So, you all know I have an obsession with buttons, right? Okay, maybe you don’t all know that. But I do. I really really do. I saw this in Pinterest and just had to do it. It is a foam cone from a craft store, sewing pins and buttons. Oh the fun searching through both my and my Mother in Laws button collection to try and find the redish and greenish ones!

Yarn Ball Garland

Also something I saw on Pinterest- yarn balls. I thought they would look nice in a garland. Easy to make. Mod podge (though you can also just use a homemade paper mache mix), yarn and ballons. Wrap the yarn around ballons, brush with your ‘glue’ mixture (this gets very very messy!) and then let it dry. Then stick your finger inbetween the yarn to poke at the balloon until it separates from the yarn and then cut the balloon and let the air out. Pull the deflated balloon out and Voila! You have a yarn ball.

Real Live Tree in a Pot

You know the on going debate between a ‘real tree’ and a ‘fake tree’? Being in an condo, a real cut down tree was not an option. (The building regulations and all). And while I can appreciate the re-usability factor of a fake tree- I so miss the real tree smell. It’s just not the same to me. This year, we discovered a brilliant middle ground that is especially compatible with our lack of space.  What you see is a live potted tree. It cost less then $20, it won’t die or drop leaves (unless, of course, my brown thumb ruins it in less then a month), and when Christmas is over I can just put it out on the patio and it will keep growing. Eventually it will need a bigger pot, but other then that- its the ideal middle ground to me.

Hand Collected Pinecones

I love natural decorations at Christmas. Pinecones in particular. But here is what I don’t understand- why would anyone buy pinecones when they are just sitting there in the park, ready to collect? I mean, I guess I get it if you live in the desert or something. But other then that- collecting them is so much fun and a great excuse for a walk. We collected these in one short 20 minute walk.

Added bonus? These pinecones smell like pinecones, not dollar store perfume.

Still up on our holiday decorating plan? A decorated gingerbread train (Audrey picked the train instead of the house). I got the complete kit for $10 at Superstore and I can’t wait for the fun of decorating it with Audrey. I put up a picture when its done.

What are you doing to make your home full of holiday cheer?