Oh Tannenbaum!

This is my first year ever of getting to have multiple Christmas trees! I'm so excited to have space for holiday decor now, and more importantly, space to store holiday decor! I've put out what I had and picked up a couple more things. We're still on a serious budget due to moving, but fortunately I am pretty cheap. :)

This is the tree in the foyer:

We bought this three foot tree a few years back for $15 and used it once. I didn't want to get rid of it because I knew that one day I'd be able to use it, and that day is here! I hung all of my little Hello Kitty ornaments on it, along with small pink ball ornaments that I had from when I worked at the hotel. I draped it in the felt circle garland and bought a glitter star for the top. The "skirt" is a Christmas napkin from World Market that I got at Goodwill for fifty cents. Once I can get into my craft room I want to make a little bunting for that mirror.

Next up - the main event! This is what it looked like after we put it up:

Umm, yeah. We've had it for six or seven years, so it was bound to happen sooner or later. My husband messed with it and he got most of them to come back on eventually, but there are still some big sections where the lights are out. We just shoved that side back toward the corner. Of course, as soon as we were done, Bubba crawled under the tree and immediately got himself stuck behind it. He totally freaked out and almost knocked the whole dang thing over. That ended the debate over whether or not we'd put out out ornaments this year! Unfortunately there is no way that I'm making gingerbread cookies for it like last year, so we were thinking that maybe it would just have to be plain.

Well, if you know me, you already knew there's no way that was going to happen. I bought two $5 boxes of unbreakable ornaments at the Walmarts, a glittered Merry Christmas sign also at the Walmarts, ten glittered reindeer for two bucks at Goodwill, and two bunches of faux poinsettias for a dollar each at Michael's from which I cut the blooms. It's kind of generic, but it's pretty, it all coordinates, and if the boy does get into it, I don't have to worry he's going to slice himself open on a shard of glass or lose a favorite memory.

For the "mantel" I doubled up a faux garland that I've had forever to make it look more full. I put some clear lights on it. In the back are two tall EO Brody milk glass vases in which I arranged some twigs I already had. I bought the red berry things today for $2 to add a little bit of color on that wall. In front of the garland are SEVEN milk glass dessert compotes that were a gift from my friend Suzy. She finds some of the best pieces and I'm so lucky that she is generous enough to share them with me. I put a large ball ornament in each one.

To the right of the tv is a vintage tinsel tree that I scored at Goodwill for five bucks! It may have been a little more than I wanted to pay, but I really loved this little tree. It's not a bright silver, but a bit tarnishy. The base is made to look like a mossy tree trunk.

Here's a picture of it in the daylight along with the napkin that I used for a skirt on the Hello Kitty tree. That day I also got a new waffle-weave kitchen towel (I collect those with holiday themes to use year round) for fifty cents, a cool old Father Christmas figurine for $2, a mini 9" tree for a buck, another milk glass urn similar to the one in the upper right hand corner of this photo for $3, and ten of these super cute glitter reindeer for two dollars.

Here's a closeup of one on the tree. I just love them!

I also came across some wooden train tracks with some signs and a few cars that I will give to the boy. I hadn't even thought about looking there for them, but you can bet I'll be looking through the bags of toys on the wall from now on!

I have a pink aluminum tree that goes in my craft room, but as I have yet to unpack everything, that one is not up for showing. Bummer. Instead I leave you with this:

Et tu, K'y Cat?