Creating A Life Studio: White Christmas

Monday, December 17, 2012

The Tiny Tree Vignette

To say this Christmas is....slim, financially speaking, would be an understatement.

HOWEVER...

One thing I appreciate about not having much money this year (did I really say that?) is that it forces me to be extra creative with what we already have. After all, I have plenty of "stuff" to be creative with, right?

Yesterday, I was talking with my daughter about what, if anything, I had purchased specifically for Christmas decor this year, and all we could come up with was the ornaments the three kids chose, and this:

Isn't it cute?! It didn't start out looking like this, though.

My oldest daughter called me from Hobby Lobby last weekend (an hour away from our house) and said they had 12" trees for $1.50, and did I want one?
I told her to go ahead and get one for me. I was totally thinking I would give it to the younger kids for their dollhouse "forest".

I wish I had taken a photo of what it looked like before, but I think everyone has seen these, right? The little bendy wire branches and a plastic base?

Perfect for a little dollhouse pine tree!

But then something happened.

I had the tiny tree in my hand, and I happened to walk past a can of spray snow on the kitchen counter. I found 2 cans in my "stuff" that I had bought several years ago.
Well, I had to see if it still worked, didn't I?

Well there was this tiny tree all frosty-snowy-cute, and I knew the kids weren't getting it for the dollhouse. I feel so selfish!

The next thing you know I had my vintage looking glittered bird in the tree. The bird is sort of heavy and kept tipping the tree, so I needed a sturdy container to hold it up and just like that, it was in a cute clay pot.

I tucked in some of those pearly things on wired sticks, ripped up some cotton scraps to make tiny hand stamped peace, hope and joy banners, added my tiny bird flag to the top and I knew I had my inspiration piece for the wintery decor on top of the piano.

As I have ~~complained about incessantly~~ mentioned before, we don't have a fireplace in this home. I showed you how I put together a faux mantel for my little electric fireplace in the master bedroom.

Downstairs, I'm doing what many of you who don't have fireplaces do. I'm using the top of the piano as substitute mantel.

I strung my handmade "Let Heaven & Nature Sing" banner across the front of the piano and hung my twig wreath, with the vintage sheet music leaves, in front of a large antique mirror surrounded by a large white frame.