garden disco

The garden disco ornament will make a great holiday gift for the gardeners and porch sitters in your life. It would also look lovely hanging indoors until spring. My inspiration was my neighbor's homemade disco garden ornament that entranced my mother last summer.

I have seen other versions of this decoration where the mirrors form a near-perfect spiral. The ornaments I made are asymmetrical and a bit chunky.

I have come to love projects that can be completed in one afternoon, and I made for of these in just a few hours.

I have not provided quantities in my instructions, because you can decide the number of strings as well as the size and proportions that you would like to make your ornament.

Supplies
Monofilament fishing line
Jute, string, or ribbon (if your hanger does not already have a string)
Hot glue gun
Hot glue sticks*
Hanger of some kind, vintage bed spring, ornament, etc.
Beads
Mirrors, round, square, or oval; 1", 2", or 3"

Possible hangers




















Beads and mirrors














Steps
1. Plug in your glue gun.

2. Cut as many long pieces of monofilament as you intend to use.

3. String beads onto the monofilament, leaving some line empty to make room for the mirrors.

4. Decide where you would like to add a mirror between your beads and separate the beads. Lay one mirror face down on the table under the filament line, and have your second mirror ready.

5. Add a drop of hot glue to the mirror on the table and place the second mirror on the hot glue.















6. Once you have added all of the beads and mirrors that you want, tie knots at each end of the line. I tied these through the final beads. The top of the line will be attached to your ornament.  At the bottom of the line I made a long tale below the knot and secured it with more mirrors.

7. Attached the lines to your ornament. You might find it helpful to balance the ornament by hanging the ornament to attach the lines.

8. The final step is to attach something to the top of the ornament for hanging it.

Let the disco begin!

*I can not promise that hot glue will hold up through hot weather, rain, ice, or snow.

stocking advent calendar

Last year I had a hard time finding the right advent calendar, so I made a clothesline of stockings. There are many variations on this, I have seen paper bags, paper cones, and small boxes. I selected socks including adult sized, holiday-themed and ones that will fit my son throughout the new year.

Supplies
24 socks
24 treats, toys, candy, coins
24 numbered labels (optional)
removable adhesive utility hooks
decorative wire or ribbon
clothes pins
decorations (optional)

The rest is simple, hang the wire, fill the socks, and enjoy the countdown.

greeting card ornaments

I remember making these great paper balls in the fourth grade. I was excited to see the instructions in an issue of Martha Stewart Living. You can use any kind of card stock including wedding or shower invitations, birthday cards, or post cards.

These paper balls look nice on a Christmas tree or collected in a bowl or glass jar. You can make extras for your friends and family to help them remember your special occasion or to mark their own.

Enjoy!