Pinterest-a-thon: christmas projects on the cheap

Banister Oh La La!
When Debbie first announced our Christmas Pinterest challenge, I was totally stoked! I asked myself what projects could be done on the cheap! So, if you like DIY's that don't cost a lot, read up! My first project was inspired by this pin from Better Homes and Gardens.

Materials:

1. a banister (sorry Debbie, that probably hurts)!
2. free tree trimmings
3. ribbon
4. small balls (hey, i know what you're thinking, keep it clean)!
5. fishing line
6. glue gun
7. scissors or tree trimmer

I drove to a local tree farm and picked up free douglas fir trimmings (they even held my baby while I went dumpster diving)! I then walked to my neighbors, batted my eyes and acquired free holly from his tree and bare branches from our yard.

I cleared off my dining room table (I highly recommend you don't do this. A garage or backyard would be far more appropriate). First, I layered and trimmed the branches, then the tree trimmings, and lastly the holly. Then, I tied everything together with a ribbon.

I decided to hot glue the glass balls together, just because I feel really powerful with that gun in my hand. And because I'm kind of lazy, I glued the glass balls onto the ribbon, which turned out to be one of the smartest ideas I've ever come up with (copyright).

With the fishing line, I evenly spaced out the works of art and attached them to the banister in two places. Voila! Although time consuming, this was a super fun and cheap project that I will definitely repeat next year!

Christmas Card Tree
Let me be the first to admit that I apparently don't have as many friends as the tree on Pinterest! Seriously, this was so easy an 8-year-old could have done it (no offense to 8-year-olds). This idea was inspired by the pin from Martha Stewart.

Materials:

1. branches
2. friends (for your christmas cards)
3. hole punch
4. ribbon
5. vase
6. ornaments
7. tree trimmer for branches

Once again, I ventured into my yard with my husband's tree trimmer and rain boots (I can imagine my neighbors standing at their windows cracking up at me in such a scene) and got myself some branches! Then, I filled my glass vase with sand to keep the branches in place. I added the branches, did a little trimming, and tied the red ornaments to the branches. I hole-punched my favorite Christmas cards (please don't hate me if you mailed me a card and it's not up there), tied a ribbon through the hole, and hung them on the tree.

Personally, I like the tree from Pinterest better, but everyone who has seen my tree thinks I'm brilliant (we don't have very smart friends). Give it a try and see what kind of Christmas card tree the unique branches in your yard create!

Merry Christmas!  - Kimie

Check out Kimie on Pinterest and find your next inspiration. Don't forget to link up your Pinterest inspiration this week during our Pinterest-a-thon linky party. Click here to join in the fun!