Deck the halls with faux garlands

Fa la la la la, la la la la.


I have been a busy bunny, between birthdays and making our own two-person mini-feast for Thanksgiving (above) and getting ready for Christmas! Christmas is one of those holidays I love and hate...I love the cheer and fun, I hate that it's the anniversary of a friend's death, which is a wound on my heart that's still quite open. The past few Christmases I have been relatively miserable, but this year I'm making the attempt to push past and enjoy myself and celebrate life (even a life lost) rather than death. So I'm going all-out with holiday cheer and decor...and trying to keep to a budget.


I bought some garlands and a wreath last night at AC Moore, I've already decorated my front door with them. I bought plain ones and decorated them myself with picks, which brought my total cost to $30 for 3 garlands and a wreath...pretty good considering that one pre-decorated (and unlit) wreath is around $30. I kept it simple and I like it! The picture was before I made a few minor tweaks, but it's still purty. And don't you just love my kitchen canisters?


I also got these really cute miniature lit trees from Bed Bath & Beyond (for $7!!) that are a set of three two-foot trees. They are adorable and line my front path. I may need to get more...and a shorter extension cord...

On today's agenda? Decorating the big tree in my front yard with HUGE Christmas ornaments ($5 each at Target!) the size of a soccer ball. I'm also garland-ing the mailbox and hopefully stringing some lights around the front bushes and trees...I may need the hubby's help with that, so that may not get done til the weekend.


I also just got in all my components for two bracelets I am making for my sister's Mother-in-Law and Step-Mother-in-Law (SMIL?), both are going to be three-stranded deals but they'll also be very different. Check back for progress on them =)