The little birds...

If you watch little birds you will see they are busy and happy! Using whatever they can find they create the most gorgeous little nest.
I would be the little bird with some glittery thread in her nest!
We can be like this. Happily working away with the things that are available to us to create a beautiful and happy home.
All the while with a little song in our heart.

Banner by Free Pretty Things for You.

Saturday 18 October 2014

Christmas decorations you can gather (for free)

Last time I went to the farm I mentioned I gathered pinecones and gum nuts with the plan of using them in Christmas decorations. (I also gathered some deer antlers but I will do something with them later.)

There are all kinds of things that are just beautiful that we can collect to use instead of buying bows and trims, baubles and sprays. Many of these are really expensive.

Actually, if you go to a newsagents and buy wrapping paper, gift bags, decorative elements, gift boxes, you could spend a fortune and still have no gifts to give! I'm going to cover most of these in coming posts as they can all be made really beautifully and really inexpensively.

Many natural elements look lovely in their natural state. ie gum nuts on brown paper with string looks really earthy and good.

But I am a glitter kind of girl there's no denying...

I used spray paint which was $3 a can in my local cheap shop. I bought one silver and one gold. This will do some baskets that need a spray for my gift baskets and a few other things. I always have glitter so I didn't need to buy that.

The colour schemes are endless. I can imagine doing pink and pink glitter! You could do silver and blue or red and gold, deep green, white on white...


I simply gave my collection a light spray and sprinkled glitter onto the still wet paint. You could dip them into glue then glitter, or use spray glue and then glitter. There are no rules. I just played and had fun. By working over a tray you can save glitter and re use it as lots escapes...


I used these gum nuts and pinecones as this is what I had. See what you have in your area that you might be able to collect and all year round keep your eyes out for things that you could use. Dried leaves, shells, antlers, feathers, interesting seed pods...


I have a giant basket of these now. My plan is to use them as decor at Christmas piled on cake stands, in the fireplace and on parcels. Also I think I will make a wreath and a hanging garland. Doing this I have lots of possibilities. But just piled into a sparkly container that would make a table centre piece. Or one each on a side plate around the table to hold the serviette in place... or along a mantlepiece. So many pretty possibilities!

I have gone ahead and wrapped a couple of presents I had ready to demonstrate how they look on parcels. I bought some beautiful wrapping paper for 50c a big roll in the January sales. Now adding these...


They sparkle so much! 


I can't wait to keep wrapping! Glittering parcels under the tree!

Apart from saving so much money getting things started now helps get you in the frame of mind for Christmas. After all this glittering and parcel wrapping I was feeling pretty enthusiastic!

Thank you for the lovely letters about my e book. If it saves one person a lot of money this Christmas then I am happy!

Have a wonderful week.xxx







8 comments:

  1. Lots of good ideas there. Thanks Annabel. The decorations look so pretty.

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    1. Thanks Nanna Chel, I had a lot of fun working on these! Have a wonderful week.xxx

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  2. ADORBS as The Baby would say!!!

    Hugs and happy weekend,
    Kelley~

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  3. Just gorgeous Annabel! I will be using your ideas. I have my collection of gumnuts gathered. My other neighbor has one on his nature strip I just realised! I will ask him if I can collect those ones that fall as well. I'm sure he won't mind. ;)

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    1. Thats awesome Kaye I hope your neighbour says yes! Honestly with enough you can make a wreath maybe or just generous amounts for centre pieces etc. I hope you'll show me how they turn out! xxx

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  4. Brilliant idea, I was saving a pile of pinecones the cockies had pulled off the tree I knew they would come in handy someday. They will look good on my Christmas table when the family are here.

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  5. Thank you for commenting, I hope your Christmas table looks great. I have a three tier cake stand, Im thinking of using this to pile up pinecones as a centre piece. I might post pics of the next step and what else I make from them. Some of mine were too nibbled by cockies and these will be fire starters next winter!

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