Thankful Tree

I've mentioned that my cousin is responsible for my new addiction. That new addiction being Pinterest. It is a great community of creative people that post their ideas to this web site and you can post your own, or re-pin their ideas.*

The above definition nails it. Even #3. But, I consider it more productive than facebook and I've actually made use of some of the ideas. It's where I got the ideas and knowledge to refinish my kitchen table. I made my NOEL piece. There are other ideas I can't wait to get started on. I could even get my kids involved with some of them.

There was one idea that I thought would be neat to try for the month of November. With Thanksgiving coming round the bend I thought my family could put what we are thankful for each day of the month of November. I saw where someone had posted a picture of some tree limbs in a vase and had some different colored circles tied with string hanging from it. They called it a Thankful Tree.

Who couldn't do this, right? I thought it would be a great way to remind myself and the kids that we have A LOT to be thankful for. Even in times when we don't appreciate it. I went out to my monster of a crepe myrtle in the backyard and clipped a few limbs. I printed up a template that had different leaf shapes. I grabbed a bunch of my scrapbook paper that hasn't and probably wouldn't be used anytime soon and started cutting leaf shapes.

I started it the first of November and we write on a different leaf each day.**

I even started one in our 5th grade Sunday school class. ***For the Sunday school kids we give them a leaf each Sunday and they are to write down something they're thankful for. This picture is from before I hung up the leaves. Another teacher took pictures of the kids and she wants to hang those from the tree as well.

When I was working on building the tree at church someone showed me all of the diecuts they have. They have a great leaf shape that was perfect.  I had to go back a second day to work on the tree at church and I took more of my scrapbook paper and made more leaves for my home tree. That was so much easier than using scissors!

I'm going to hate to have to take that tree down!

This is how the Thankful Tree is going at my home:

The leaves just cover the little excuse of a limb. Maybe next year I will just make circles for us to write our notes on.

This is definitely something I would like to make a family tradition!


*I've noticed that the most creative people I'm following are LDS. Is creativity a requirement of their faith? It must be a spiritual gift for them.
**The kids have been much more faithful in this than I have because some days I have been in an emotional pit. We took our house off of the market and it just sort of feels like a dream is dying. 
***Yep. Hubby and I are teaching in a 5th grade class. Pray for those children!! =)

DIY NOEL

I have Pottery Barn taste without the PB budget! Pottery Barn rocks the cozy, classy, comfortable style that I love. From furniture to chandeliers and wall art to the needless knick knacks.* The holiday season is definitely no different. There's been one item that they've featured in holiday catalogs the past couple of years. 

NOEL. Something fun for the fireplace mantle for the Christmas season. Made of iron with a hand pounded bronze finish. With a PB price tag to boot!**

I'm all for a hand pounded bronze finished piece of metal like the next lady, but seriously? Let me have a hammer, soda cans and some paint and I got this one.

When it comes to some things decor around our house, if I want it bad enough I have to use my play money. It usually has to be something totally wonderful for me to spend it on stuff other than what it's really meant for.***

I started googling images of the wall art. I came across some crafting blogs that have their own versions of the NOEL piece. One was so close to the PB version that I had to read up on it.

I went to my favorite craft store and found wooden letters. The size of the letters isn't quite as big as the PB version, but it's close enough.

So. Let me think about this for just a moment. The PB version is $149. I went to my favorite craft store and spent about $8. Then I went to the local hardware store to get paint. That was around $10 because I couldn't choose between two different colors, so of course I bought both!

Once I chose the color I wanted to go with I spray painted both sides.**** Then I used craft sticks (popsicle sticks) to hold the entire piece together on the back side.

 I let the glue set overnight. And voila!

 I used a metallic spray paint for a look similar to the PB version. It's sort of hard to tell in this picture.

Now I can chalk up under my DIY belt:
-2011 girls Halloween costumes. They wanted to be the Statue of Liberty. I  made the torches out of yellow, orange and red tissue paper and craft foam. I also made their crowns.
-refinished our kitchen table
-NOEL wall art

There's a certain amount of pride that goes along with completing projects. And for just about the same results as spending too much money at the store of my inspirations. I won't hold it against the store! How could I?



*makes you think of the song that includes knick knack paddywhack doesn't it?
**$149
***haircuts, pedicures, clothes etc can add up
****Yes. Both sides. Because I know people who would turn it over and look. Then they would say, "You didn't paint the back side?" Isn't a properly finished piece of art better, anyway?