I have another Christmas craft that I did for SERO DALLAS. That’s right. No bones. No dinero. No trading of services. Just a little inspiration-turned-craftiness. And of course, a very tight wallet.
And here are the inspiring photos…curtesy of The Barn of Pottery.
I wanted a woven twig barn star. But I didn’t want to pay for them.
So I stole.
I did.
I stole.
From our bedroom.
See those twigs in the corner?
Yep.
I stole some for my craft.
I also snagged some twine from the craft closet and a pair of garden clippers.
And I cut the twigs all to the same length.
With the help of sweet tea, of course.
Because sweet tea helps everything.
And I want my baby to have an acquired taste for it.
After I cut 15 twigs of the same length, I laid out my yonder star.
Then I just tied the joints together with twine. Twine joints.
I wonder if posting those two words together will bring in some google hits.
If you are one of those twine-joint-smokin-hitters, just remember, Jesus was born for you too. And nobody is too cool for crafts.
I decided I would like this yonder star on our mantle so I first cleared off our candles and mirror to start with a clean slate. Then up went our star and some other neutral but outdoorsy-meets-classic items to balance it all out.
Remember this birthday present tree? Yup, I finally got to use it for the holidays. And the best part? I remember how much I loved myself when I bought it for my birthday. Man, I am too generous.
And the candle holders got moved from our bookshelves to a place of honor…which I love. Mostly because they deserve to be honored…afterall, I did buy them at Goodwill…aka my second home.
And on the other side, I worked in some DIY art (if you can call it art.) and a little vase of faux white poinsettas. I also slipped in my birdhouse that I scored for $5 a while back. It kinda looks manger-y, right? A very tiny mini-baby Jesus could have been born in there. if it had some walls. and some animals. and some hay. and a very tiny mini-Mary and Joseph. and some swaddling cloth. and if it was in Bethlehem. It could totally happen.
And what happened to our round mirror?
Well, to be honest I didn’t know where to put it.
So I placed it down on the coffee table.
Then I saw it.
AND LOVED IT.
What a happy accident! It actually looks quite at home on our octogon table. And it adds a little beef to the thing, doesn’t it? Sometimes beef is right up there with pork. Not bacon, mind you. But pork sausage and things of that nature.
Anyhoo…I love the mirror on the coffee table. Not only does it reflect even more twinkle lights from our tree, but it also acts as a charger to my mercury glass bowl.
So there you have it folks – one christmas mantle ready for the holidays. Do you like my Yonder Star (my boyfriend likes to call it the Star of David – don’t worry, I correct him everytime) or is more satanic looking to you than Christmasy? And while you are at it – what’s on your mantle? Did you do anything crafty – please do share (and link too). I know that I can’t be the only one who finds that a room isn’t complete until every imaginable surface has festive decor on it!
I DO like your yonder star…and I love the simplicity here! I, for one, like the ‘less is more’ mindset. simple
HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU COME UP WITH THIS STUFF!!??!?!?!??
🙂
I really like the mantle. It is simple and classy. You did a great job on the star – way to save some money.
I LOVE this! What a great idea! I always have a hard time with the mantle. I made a ribbon wreath, and layered it on top of an old white antique window this year. http://blog.billigmeier.org/2009/12/ribbon-wreath.html
Well, I am off to go scour for twigs to make me a star!
Kicking butt and taking names again, Katie!! That star and entire mantel is right up my alley. Love the little wood tree, maybe you should get me one next year for my birthday;) I love how you are using a palette for the holidays that goes with what you already have. And rustic meets elegance is totally my style. Here’s a link to some of my stuff, including mantel:
http://pewterandsage.blogspot.com/2009/12/holiday-home-tour-part-ii.html
I’m a Young House Love follower and just started reading your blog a few weeks ago. Thanks for making me laugh out loud every morning. “just remember, Jesus was born for you too”…so good.
I love it!!! I seriously may have to steal this idea… like today…
I used sticks on my (Faux) Mantel..(Mantle..) too 🙂 Mines not as simple as yours. It’s pretty fat and fabulous actually. But, I do like some meat on them bones you know. Too bad I don’t have a cracklin’ fireplace to go with it.
http://lovinmylovebugs.blogspot.com/2009/12/how-to-decorate-faux-mantel.html
LOVE IT! And you are right, sweet tea does help everything… and get that baby started now!
Psst… Jeremy… Star of David… Six points. 😉
LOVE the Yonder Star Katie. But what did you use in the bedroom to replace the twigs?
You are so clever! Love the yonder star, to bad our mantle had a tv center stage.
It does look a little Blair-witchy sitting up there on your fireplace… but I love it!!! Great job!!
It looks so great!!! You are the coolest person I don’t officially know. I can’t wait to have a synched house — I am a college student and a part time waitress..therefore most of the things in my house are donated….but, darn it, I tried! Here’s the link, anyway: http://laurenbussell.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-christmas-decorations.html
Well ErinEvelyn –
I only had to use a few of the twigs – so there were more than enough left over to stay in our bedroom. Those bundles are quite big at Ikea (that’s where I bought the sticks)…so I definitely got to keep it as a decor piece and use a few for this craft. Love it when a purchase can pull double-duty!
XO – kb
p.s. yes, I am giggling over the ‘duty’ reference 🙂
You are right–sweet tea helps everything!
Love it! I love when you can use what you already have 🙂 You’re so creative…I was going to tell you about the flip-flop thing, you could always do what the locals do here in HI and wear socks with your flip-flops on your poor preggo feet, it’s totally in style here, maybe you could start a new trend in your town 😉 Fuzzy warm socks & flip-flops on the mainland. Haha!
I love that you accidentally put the mirror on the coffee table and loved it! That’s awesome. I’ve been keeping up with your blog regularly for the past few months, so I thought I’d leave a comment and link to our fireplace (and some other Christmas decorations). Merry Christmas! http://thisisthefabulouslife.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-tour-2009.html
I have candleholders just like yours that I also bought at Good Will, but mine are black! Did you paint yours? If not, do you have any suggestions for what kind of paint to use?
We do some greenery, spare baubles and ornaments in gold and then our stocking holders on the mantle.
Im making one of these THIS year for hubbys grandma. She actually wants a HUGE one(made out of boards) and lit up to display on the mountain where they live so people will see it as they drive around at Christmas-time. But this is more my scale:) Im going to attempt to adorn it with lights too…if it doesnt look too cheap. Wish me luck!:)