Materials
Balsa Wood Sheets
Acrylic Paint
Paint Sponges
Cutting Mat
Exacto Knife
Grapevine Wreath
Pine Cuttings
Baby's Breath Bunch
Chiffon Ribbon
This year, I had my heart set on a minimal Christmas decoration that conveys the spirit of the holiday without overwhelming the rest of the house. And, frankly, I wanted to do it on a minimal budget as well! As usual, that meant DIY. Two of my favorite projects this year were my Balsa wood Christmas trees for my entry and the minimalist wreath for my shelves. I got the instructions for both projects from fellow bloggers (you can find the instructions on the left).
Balsa Wood Christmas Trees
This project was a ton of fun with a very minimal investment. I got my Balsa wood from Michael's. They sell it in sheets and each sheet cost me $2.99. For these trees, I used two. I used tape (regular tape, not even masking tape since I had some at home), to tape off the different patterns. I used some acrylic paint I had from way back in the day and voila! Total cost: $5.98
Christmas Wreath
I got the idea for this project from the cupcakes & cashmere blog. I used a grapevine wreath from Michael's that I purchased for $4.99. Emily had used Baby's Breath and I thought that was such a great choice (purchased at my local Whole Foods, $4.99)! While there, I also purchased some Christmas tree cuttings (also $4.99). Those cuttings had three different types of texture in them so the contrast gave the wreath even more interest. Adding a punch of red with some red chiffon ribbon I had from last year and tadaah. Total cost: $14.97
A few months back, a co-worker of mine convinced me to join my company's Spartan Race team. He didn't talk it up much: he mentioned it's a long-ish run with a few fun obstacles. You know, no big deal. Something someone who runs as much as me should complete more than easily (read, you don't really need to train for it). Ha ha ha.