Several of you have emailed wondering when am I going to start showing off my Christmas decor??
Here is the truth. I just can’t seem to get the decorating together. I have a gold leaf pumpkin in my entryway that is starting to mold on top. Yet I will make it last one.more.day.
I WANT to start Christmas decorating… but I’m not ready to hide my fall decor and replace it yet.
I went to Nell Hills (a Kansas City legend) to get inspired a few weeks ago. They had STICKS everywhere!!!! I have sticks already outside (pic above). I *heart* sticks. I *heart* stick decorating.
Here are a few photos of stick decorating ideas I took in the store on my cell phone. I had my real camera with me, but I didn’t want to look like “the-cheap-girl-who-is-not-really-going-to-buy-anything-but-just-wants-inspiration” person.
You can see a jillion of their photos if you become a Nell Hills fan on Facebook.
So I get all “stick inspired” and go directly to my friend Shauna’s house. I did not pass go. I did not collect $100. I did, however, convince her to promptly load up our toddlers and go collect sticks with me. Thank God for impulsive, supportive, crazy friends.
Several “ditch dives” and slummin’ for sticks later…. we had plenty.
Shauna whipped up this little arrangement on top of my desk for me…..
I bought the gold balls at a garage sale this summer. I knew I would find something to do with them!
I want to get a close up of the triple strand of crystals. They were $3.50 EACH at Nell Hills…. what a steal!!!
Then…. because I have a forest of sticks on the side of my house… I decide to make my oldest, dearest girlfriend a “stick centerpiece” for the baby shower I was hosting for her last weekend.
Can I just say that trying to spray paint sticks is an interesting fiasco?
But it did turn out cute!!!
Lucky for me, she took the ornaments off it and let me keep the rest! Yahoo! It’s now in my master bedroom….looking kinda Christmas-y?!? In a pink/baby girl/not at all sort of way….
I am right this very second thinking of how I need to be cleaning toilets before company comes tomorrow. Yet instead, I just borrowed a white urn from a neighbor and am contemplating ways I can make a “Christmas tree” out of sticks and lights for my master bedroom.
I think I need some eggnog.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Many blessings,
jennifer
For more DIY Christmas Ideas — try painting your own stencil barnwood like this JOY sign I have on my front porch. I also love this DIY Christmas Chalkboard sign – it’s a fun decoration and makes a great gift!.
That was one of our funnest adventures yet!!! LOL!!! We didn’t get arrested or ran over! We did feed our kids 5lbs of candy to keep them entertained:) I need to do a stick creation. Just think of what we could do if we only had more time and some spare cash???? Happy Thanksgiving…what a blessing you are to me!! love you
P.S…I think those expensive 7 jeans make my butt look big!!! 🙂
how awesome! We had a big storm over a month ago and I collected several sticks and twigs for future design use. I have yet to figure out what to do with them or how to store them (yikes!!)—but it will be so fun when I figure it out! 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration!
Hehehe! Have a good one!
Do you call it pressure or nagging? I have been accused of both my entire life!
I am sooooo JEALOUS!!! I want to go stick gathering with you guys on a moment’s notice!
And I love what ole Shauna whipped up! I need me some sticks and a Shauna!
And the baby shower tree is cute cute cute!
So I see you wrapping the sticks with white lights and dripping mirrors and crystals etc. off of them. And glitter. You will need glitter. Oh, wait! No lites…just cover the sticks in spray adhesive and glitter/or that German glitter!
Can’t wait to see your Christmasgiving tree!
I couldn’t help but smile at the photo of your sticker gatherer…we had our very own – my grandson always had something linear in his hand…wooden spoon, crayon, stick, whatever! SO CUTE!
Happy Thanksgiving!
I have been loving the use of sticks in decorations this year too, but my youngest two are allergic to trees, so I’m nervous to bring real ones in and don’t want to pay for fake ones. I am going to try spraying them with something to perhaps seal off the allergens?!???
Thanks for stopping by my blog! And that is one cute stick wrangler.
Lisa
LOVE those sticks! Are those from olive trees? When we were moving from our old neighborhood, we took a huge cutting from a neighbor that was growing a property line of olive trees. I still have those twigs stuffed in a raised urn in the great room.
Last week, during turkeyfest, I caught some old shows of The Housewifes of New Jersey… !!!!! gads…. never saw those shows before, but somehow I sat for several hours watching this marathon. Anyway, the one ‘housewife’ was a designer/wedding planner type ,and they showed her setting up a table for a ‘star’ client and it revolved around big twig/branch displays, with stuff hanging from them…
Nice work, as usual Jen!
You are so funny! Love the first photo of all the sticks hanging out the back of the truck! You girls must have had some folks wondering what the heck you were up to! hugs from Conroe, TX!
LOL! looks like fun 😉
LOVE the sticks! Lots of inspiration!