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Blue Christmas

CHRISTMAS

My mother changes her tree every year to a new theme.

EVERY. YEAR.

One year she had this carousel set that she strung up in the tree and when you turned it on, the tree looked like a theme park…with moving parts and horses going crazy not below the tree – inside the tree.  It was fantastic.  She taught me everything I know about curling ribbon, the joys of too many twinkle lights and creating a finished looking holiday extravangza….so it comes as no surprise that I didn’t really want repeat last year’s look of silver & gold & red….

or 2009’s monochromatic christmas…

Or 2008’s red & silver look…

or our very first Christmas that was sortof just a hodge podge of whatever we could find and stick in our free tree.

Needless to say (but I will say it anyway because I think it’s funny)…this ornament doesn’t fall far from the tree 🙂   I wanted to switch things up.

But I found that the biggest problem with deciding the theme for our family tree was that I wanted to see our little tree from the living room and the kitchen (that way I could enjoy it while putting away the dishes, feeding Will, and bask in it’s warm glow – probably get a little bit of a tan while I’m at it – while watching New Girl)…our living room is blue & white with toothpaste colored walls.

So what’s a girl to do?!

Well, I figured that if you can’t beat em – join em.  So we brought in the green chairs (don’t worry that’s not where they ended up – it was just so we had space to untangled yards of twinkle lights and we switched the couch over to the side (which was against Jer’s ideal tv-watching setup.) and moved the big chair from the corner to the center (compromise so that Jer could still sit DIRECTLY in front of the boob tube while football’s on).

After we brought in the green chairs – it came to me.  We were definitely going to have a blue (and green) christmas!  So I pulled out some fabrics I had that would go with our living room furniture, pillows and rug…

and the embroidery hoops returned (my mother is shaking her head right now at the sight of this photo)…

And I also picked up some ribbon at a discount fabric store and some yarn (with coupons) at Hobby Lobby….

And I got to work.  I was like a tiny holiday elf on ritalin.  Seriously.  except I was huge.  and probably could have eaten a tiny elf for lunch after my frenzy of Christmas ornament crafting.  and let’s just be honest…tiny elves can’t eat other tiny elves.  it’s not possible.  not in one sitting anyway.

and this is how I blog.

So out came the balloons and I tried my hand at creating those yarn balls that you see all over the internet and kind of want to make but then realize that it’s probably a messy waste of time.  yeah.  those.

I didn’t take any photos of the process because I was up to my elbows in Elmers.

We had them hanging all over the kitchen to dry…frankly they kinda blend into the mess, so they didn’t bother me.

Oh and because we made four – I tried four different methods….the best one was this – take the yarn and dunk the entire length that you will use for a ball (roughly five to eight yards) in a bowl with diluted Elmer’s glue.  Get it nice and soaked.  Then wipe some glue on the balloon so that you can have the yarn stick a little better.  Tie one end to the balloon knot and then wrap all over in every direction.  Leave a tail and hang to dry.

Here’s the real kick in the panties – after the yarn has dried (it will be crispy) – it will stick to the balloon.  If you pop the balloon without separating it from the yarn, it might warp your creation…so I used a candy making stick (like the kind you use for cake pops!) to push the balloon down while it’s still inflated to separate it from the yarn.  THEN you pop…and remove all of the balloon 🙂

First thing I did was make our tree topper (we didn’t have one because in the last house we used a disco ball that we suspended from the ceiling which is not possible with this two story room!) – but more on that later – and then I wrapped ribbon all around it, pop some fabric in my embroidery hoops and got to tree ornamenting (totally a word).

The best part?  Everything is totally child-friendly.  Even the blue balls (heehee) were the shatterproof kind that I got for half off at Hobby Lobby.  Will helped decorate.  Also known as throwing the balls.  Check that off our Christmas Photo List!

Oh and I did make one felt ornament for the main man…one day this bad boy will go into Will’s personal ornaments box…ya know for when he has his own tree..

So that is our handmade ornaments – using embroidery hoops, balloons & yarn, and felt.  What did you do for ornaments this year?  Any crafting elves out there?  Any blue christmas’ out there?

p.s.  Sorry I missed yesterday – one of our friends lost his dad and we had a full travel day for the funeral – so I will try to get both yesterday’s post & today’s post out today 🙂  oh and it’s gonna have a full frontal of our christmas tree – so stay tuned!

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  2. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!! The blue and green look amazing together! can you show us a picture of the tree from a more distant view point?
    Thanks and Merry Christmas!
    BTW, your blog is my fav!

  3. I LOVE your tree. Blue and green together is one of my most favourite combos lately. So creative with the hoops and I have been wanting to make those yarn balls too but haven’t had the time or energy. Glad to hear the tips though as I think I will tackle those sometime in the future! Can’t wait to see the whole tree pic!

  5. So sorry about your friends dad….totally sucks 🙁
    I love your theme this year…….maybe because it reminds me of mine!! I totally bought the same glitter snowflake ornaments at walmart this year too!!
    We’ve had a blue and silver theme in the past and last year I bought a whole bunch of bright green stuff on clearence hence our theme this year blue, green, and bronze!!
    http://perfectlyforeternity.blogspot.com/
    We just bought our first house in Oct. so the Christmas budget this year is a wee bit smaller therefore working with what you have is key!! I love the ornaments using yarn……super super cute!!! I’m with little debbie…….I think every Christmas should have a different theme!!

  6. you’re so clever! I’d love to see a full picture of this year’s tree 🙂 Every year, I put a 6 foot tree in our girls’ room and one in the boys’ room. Gonna remember the inspiration here for the boys’ room next year.

  7. Yup – like I said in the post – today’s later post will have a full frontal view…just stay tuned for more Bower Christmas tree 🙂
    xo – kb

  8. Love the tree! Teal blue and green are my favorite colors. I have to admit, you almost lost me at making the yarn balls. Like you, I look at them and think “messy waste of time” but they turned out great! You’ve re-inspired me. (That’s a word, right?) 🙂

    Heidi

  11. Do we not get a full shot of the Christmas tree? or is that coming in another post? Love it by the way!!

  14. Wow! These ornaments are gorgeous!

    I stumbled upon your blog just a few weeks ago (via YHL) and so far I’ve read 85 pages. Couldn’t stop, it’s just so lovely and funny to read. Love everything you did so far in that huge castle of yours (I’m European, where only the rich or poor aristos live in houses that big. Ha ha.. ). I guess, my favorite part ist that dining area with the chairs in the kitchen.

  17. BEYOND OBSESSED WITH THOSE YARN BALL THINGS! And no, I’m not yelling at you…that is just how much I love them! Your theme is so pretty…love it! 🙂

  18. Sooo pretty, I love it! Did that take forever to do?? I imagine myself trying something like that and it takes me the entire weekend.

  19. L.O.V.E! New Girl!!!!! Did you see this past week? I need to find a Candy Cane Lane where I live and go visit to completely get in the Christmas Spirit!

  20. The tree looks beautiful! Are you going to tell us how you made your tree-topper? We don’t have one, and I’d love to see what you came up with! In the past we’ve used an alligator golf club cover thingy…my mom was completely mortified that there was a gator where there should be an angel, and it also really freaked out the dog (I guess from his angle it looked like it was leering down at him from the top of the tree haha) so I think this year we should change it up.

  23. Katie-

    I’m so sorry to hear of your loss.

    The tree looks great and I *LOVE* the embroidery hoops – they look great! I totally couldn’t picture it when you pulled out the Hoop Robot picture again, but you had a great vision and they look awesome. You’ve got me hooked, I will stalk the blog all afternoon until you post the “full frontal” of tehe tree. Can’t wai tto see it.

    And I have no idea why I notice details like this, but the picture if you removing the yarn from the balloon: I noticed that your thumb has nail polish on it, but your finger doesn’t. I love that the super cool, super talented chic on the internet with a gorgeouos eye for decorating and photography does normal silly things like that too… !

  24. I’m sorry to hear about your friend’s dad 🙁
    I love your tree! So much fun! You are so creative with the colors!! I also love that you have a box set aside for Will. My husband hardly has any from his childhood (sad, right?!), but my parents did a box for me and my sister. So, my tree has almost all homemade or gifted ornaments-it’s a fun mix. My granny (who just passed away this year 🙁 ) made us each a gorgeous cross-stitched ornament each year, so I love putting those up. Some day I might do a theme (or maybe do other trees with a theme), but it’s likely I will keep my main tree with these ornaments (so many great memories!) Also, I still use the old-fashioned tinsel icicles. Love them and their blingy-ness. (I know, I know, I’m only 25 and NO ONE does this any more except my parents…watching old-timey Christmas movies makes me feel better about this decision. Lol!)

  27. Katie, I have to tell you. Yesterday we had a little holiday community band concert, and everyone was supposed to bring a plate of treats to share. I tried making chocolate cookies with candy cane kisses on top, because that sounded festive. While they tasted delicious, the cookies were too big and the kisses were too melty (even though I popped them in the fridge first). My husband pointed out that they totally looked like boobs! So the new tradition, boob cookies? Er…anyways, if anyone, I thought you might appreciate this.

  29. Omg those yarn balls scare me to death! I tried it once and gave up after doing one. It was so messy and I was completely tangled in the yarn and glue. Yours turned out great! Did you cut the length of yarn and then just soak what you needed for one yarn ball? As you can tell, I’m determined to conquer my nemesis one day! hahah

  30. Wow Katie I love the yarn balls and the embroidery hoops they are incredible!!!…You’re so creative I’m jealous…Thanks for sharing

  31. Sorry about your friends’ dad. :/
    On a lighter note, I love your color theme and can’t wait to see the full-frontal.
    Our tree is pitiful. Not quite Charlie Brown but close. It’s definitely a (sparse) hodge podge of tacky color ornaments. And we don’t even live in a trailer (no offense to anyone that does)!
    🙂

  36. “tiny elves can’t eat other tiny elves. it’s not possible. not in one sitting anyway.”….You-crack-me-up-every time…I’m sitting @ work cracking up HARD…lol….so funny! LOVE the color combination!! Can’t wait to see the full frontal Christmas tree 🙂

    Sorry to hear about your Friends Dad 🙁

  40. I love it. Home made and thrifty done beautifully. You know cause sometimes it can not look so hot..but your tree is awesome 🙂

  42. love, love, love! i am always amazed at how great your diy’ing turns out. whenever i attempt something, it always looks diy’d – yours look so perty! maybe it’s all in my head… probably. 🙂 thanks for sharing – the yarn tip will come in handy if i can just get over my diy complex!

  43. Sorry for you and your friend’s loss:( I’m excited for the full frontal though! Then again, what girl wouldn’t be!?! 🙂

  46. Fun color! I’m sure the whole tree is beautiful. This year I made the glass ornament wrapped in twine that you showed us (last year?) So fun- they look great on our natural/ beachy themed tree.

  47. You are so creative! I love the idea of making ornaments out of some material and those crazy embroidery hoops! Love it – can’t wait to see the full frontal 🙂

  48. LOVE it. When I grow up, I want to be Katie Bower. Our tree is still rocking the 2007 hodgepodge (aka “thanks for the ornaments, mom”) style. Help! So sorry about your friend’s dad – that’s great that ya’ll could be there for the family. Don’t stress about bloggin’ – friends are more important!

  50. Those embroidery hoops look great on the tree – I never would have thought of that. And you have me wanting to try the yarn ornaments, they look so unique. I can’t wait to see the whole tree!

    Also, I linked up with your last Pinterest Challenge and it was awesome, so I just wanted to say thank you 🙂

    Happy Holidays!

  51. Katie, I was thinking about all those hoops the other day and thought of a Christmas decorating project you could do with them. You could wrap them with either yarn or fabric (whatever color you like though I’m thinking a green) and then suspend them in a tiered fashion with largest on the bottom and smallest on the top. Use something like fishing line and make sure there is space between each hoop. With it tiered like this it would look like a Christmas tree. You can even hang ornaments at different heights from each hoop. It might look really cute hanging in Will’s room and it would be like his only little tree that would be out of reach of little hands. Hope that description makes sense. I’ve never tried making it myself so it may look weird but in my head it is totally cute.

  52. Love it – so fun and festive! I love how you used the hoops. I was wondering what you’d end up using all those for.

    Also, New Girl is amazing! She is so awkwardly adorable.

  54. Jenni—I’m only 27 and I use tin icicles on my tree, so you’re not alone! We can’t use tinsel because we have a bunch of cats and two dogs who could eat it, but if they’re dumb enough to eat tin icicles—well, I guess they deserve what’s coming to ’em! 😉

    Ann

  55. “The turkey’s name is Hank…Hanks Giving.” HA! Your tree looks great, but I LOVE New Girl. The Thanksgiving episode was probably the funniest 30 minutes I’ve ever seen on TV.

  58. Love love love your tree! The fabric in the hoops is such a great idea, and easy to change for next year. I’m too lazy to change themes every year, but love gathering ideas for someday when I will switch up our decor.

  59. Beautiful! Since your in the Holiday spirit…There is a website Reindeercam.com that shows the Reindeer and Santa comes twice a day to feed them over a live cam. It’s pretty cute, your little one might enjoy it!

  60. I loved that you mentioned Jeremy thought about the view of the TV while moving furniture for the placement of the tree. We had that same conversation in our house. 🙂 It’s so funny the different mind set men and women are in during “tree time”.

    I like the blue and green. The ornaments turned out great!

  61. Can’t wait to see the room/tree in full. Perfect color scheme and textiles for a rowdy little boy. 🙂

  62. Love those ornaments and that color scheme! You’re so creative!

    Oh, and I totally think of you every time I watch New Girl. …not in a creepy way. It’s just nice to know that someone out there is as dorky as I am! 😉

  65. haha…yeah – I’m that girl in the store ‘testing’ nail polishes that are on sale…when they are purple and for my niece…and only fifty cents…like I might not buy them if I don’t try them…riiiiight.
    xo – kb

  68. Just started following your blog…love it! I was wondering how you get such great indoor photos? What lens do you use and what setting do you take them in?

    Thank you!

  69. I shoot in manual when indoors and I used my 24-70mm for these…but you can achieve the same effects with a variety of lenses – just as long as your exposure is right!
    xo – kb

  70. Your tree look so good, love the color combo. And genius (as usual) the way you used those embroidery hoopsj, would have never thought they would look good on a tree, but you totally rocked it out. Can’t wait to see the full frontal (why does that make me giggle?). 🙂

  71. The embroidery hoop ornaments are amazing! That’s my favorite idea that I’ve seen this Christmas.

  72. I have a quest for you……..and you have a whole year to make it happen……..from one Fangirl to another……..I challenge you to a Star Wars tree for next year. What do you say?

  73. Katie,
    I love your tree topper. It’s whimsical, festive and fits right in with the look you were going for.
    I’m a traditionalist with Christmas, reds, greens and the star on the tree, but I LOVE seeing what other people do for THEIR homes. And isn’t that what decorating is? Your taste in your home.
    I say if you don’t like it, too bad, stay home and be a grinch.
    Jennifer D.

    p.s. you might want to try the story of giving up the binkies for all the other little babies who really need them. Hope it works out for you!

  74. Can you tell us how you get such great shots of your Christmas tree? I have a hard time telling how much light I should have while still being able to see that the tree is twinkly…and yours are all perfect!

  76. Your tree is beautiful! Makes me sad that I didn’t have the energy to do one this year.

    What do you do with the decorations from each year?

  77. Thanks so much for the response!!! I shoot mainly with a 50mm 1.4. What setting should the metering be on…evaluative, partial, spot or center?

    On a side note, your little guy is at such a fun age…should make for a fun Christmas. I have a little guy that is 16 months and is so much fun!

  78. Spot would work – because you are gonna meter off the tree – so your probably gonna have no problem making sure you tree is lit up 🙂
    xo kb

  79. Well, most of the decorations were just ribbon and silver ornaments. I do have a few red ones. And some nostalgic memory ones. All of them are up and being used – just stay tuned to see what I did with em all 🙂
    xo – kb

  80. Like I said in the post, I shot it in manual mode – metering off the tree during daylight hours and making sure my aperture was 3.5 or higher and my exposure was a little high 🙂 Good luck and happy shooting!
    xo – kb

  82. I love love love LOVE your tree! I have always wanted to do a color scheme but I have wayyy too many other ornaments and am Hallmark obsessed sooo I don’t think I could dare not use those ornaments. Unless I did two trees, 🙂

  83. Love this color combination. Since I just found out I’m pregnant my first thought was it’s a perfect palette for the nursery – and hubby agreed! Thank you!

  85. I do that all the time, too! My mom (a painter) taught me that the lighting in stores is never right and then the polish will look totally different in natural light; so I paint a nail and then I can go outside to see what color it really is. Sometimes I go back in and buy the polish, sometimes I just have one thumb painted until I eventually remember the nail polish remover. Kinda like taking a paint swatch home to see what color it looks like in your own house, right? Not weird at all….

  86. Katie, you genius! I freakin’ love your tree. I couldn’t figure out what you were going to do with the hoops (it’s 8am in New Zealand right now…) and then BAM, BRILLIANCE.

    I love how you use ribbon for your trees, it looks so pretty twisting through them. 🙂

    Merry Christmas! x

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