Tuesday, 27 December 2011

a green christmas fling

Happy Holidays everyone!

Okay, I'm a little late, but I'm still celebrating, and I hope you are, too.  I LOVE the holiday season, but of course it's also a time for extreme over-consumption and is the one time of year this recovered shopaholic still has urges to shop-till-I-drop.  I try hard to buy ethical, local, environmental and service-based presents for my loved ones, and this year I decided to get a bit crafty with my home decorations, too.

My initial inspiration was this gorgeous tree I spotted at Anthropologie in the US made of old sheet music (I sneakily took a pic on my iPhone in the store - along with a dozen other equally beautiful items!).


It cost $60 and I thought, "surely I can make this at home for a fraction of the price!"

Once safely back in Oz I went to the Salvos and picked up an old art book for $2 and then to the newsagent for pinking scissors for $6, and dug around my apartment for a base and a rod.

A reused round takeaway container is my base and the  cardboard sleeve on the
hanger is my rod.  I didn't end up using the glitter paint you see above.

I cut a round hole into the lid of the takeaway container just large enough to snugly hold the cardboard tube, and set to work cutting out pages of the book.


A week into the process I began to understand why the Anthropologie tree cost $60.  By the time I cut the paper from the book into varying size squares, put a hole through the middle and then went around the edges with the pinking scissors, I spent around 12 hours working on this project.  I also gave myself a blister from the scissors!
 
The project midway through completion - I used Christmas movies and music
to keep me inspired during the long process.
All grumbling aside, I really am thrilled with my completed book-tree.  I know I'll keep it for many Christmases to come, and it was fun to be able to figure out how to make it on my own with just a few supplies.

What do you think?



My next DIY project was much easier to complete.  I saw a cute wreath made of old newspaper on Eco Empire and knew I had to make one to add to my crafty Christmas. The instructions on the website were so clear and easy to follow, and I only spent a couple hours creating the entire piece.  

I used pages from old Peppermint and Frankie magazines that I'm no longer referencing - the pages are nice and sturdy, and I love the colour that comes through on the scrolls.  I embellished the design a little by using my pinking scissors to cut small strips of paper to completely cover the staples around the inner edge of the wreath, and the 'happy' in the centre of the wreath was a gift from the designers I work with during my day job - they handcrafted it out of wire.


And Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a few too many sweet treats!  Below is a picture of the baked goods we brought to Christmas dinner - homemade date pinwheels, fruit mince pies (the first time I tried these, I was thrilled with how they turned out!) and sandies.  

A sweet ending to my DIY Christmas.
I wish you all a wonderful festive season and look forward to sharing more green flings with you in the New Year!

xoxo Lisa

2 comments:

  1. It's easier to green your home than you may initially think - good luck and have fun!

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