Holiday house tour – a giant fancy Christmas.
Index of all holiday decorating posts.
Last year was my first real blog Christmas. And I went AT IT.
By mid-December, I was lying on the floor, buried under an avalanche of my own making… Crushed by garland and glitter and wired, battery powered fairy lights and DIY giant snowflakes and a truck-load of disco balls and a trash-picked sled and yards-and-yards-and-YARDS-of-fabric-I-had-mistakenly-thought-that-Paul-could-help-me-sew-into-bows.
There is no end to my creativity when the other option is doing actual work.
In the name of winning Christmas, I destroyed every single square inch of living space with chaos and mess and storage boxes and new ideas for the most Christmasy Christmas ever… Focusing on details that no one else would see or care about, but I was unable to detach from.
If something will take me 57 times longer, but be 1% nicer, I am all for it.
Besides, why do something quickly that you can actually finish, if you have the option of getting involved in a project that will spiral out of control?
Bonus points if you make fourteen trips to the craft store, buy a whole bunch of crap, and then not even use any of it.
Paul began referring to me as Kim Jong-Il, and made my mother an armband to signify her as the “People’s worker.”
And after weeks of living in a glitter tornado, even the elves were tired. They whispered— maybe you should stop now? Maybe you’ve done enough? Maybe you don’t need to order another POUND of glitter.
I stopped sewing 48 feet of fabric long enough to ask myself — wait, why am I doing this?
And self said— what else are you going to write about? It is unlikely to be the Peloponnesian war.
Keep sewing.
The Glitter Troll marched around shouting orders and intimidating the elves– quizzing them: True or false, glitter makes everything better?
Bzzzzt. Time is up. TRUE.
She aggressively insisted that I should make a giant DIY snowflake template… trace it multiple times… cut out a ridiculous number… force Paul into cardboard-cutting servitude… cover them with glitter…figure out how to upload a template in case anyone else on the internet is compelled to do this sort of time-wasting activity.
Then she said– while you’re at it, why don’t you make another trip to the craft store?
Anyway. All of this is to say that I never did a full holiday house tour last year— where I put all of the photos in one place.
I did individual posts about the different projects. But in the last moments of the marathon holiday, I ran out of care…
I could see the finish line, but finishing anything just goes against my principles.
My brothers were home, and I had no energy for anything other than regressing, hanging out at my parents, and watching Elf.
A better blogger would have had this up and done already and on to THIS years decorations… but in all things, I am slow.
And late.
And rattling in at the last moment disrupting everyone and demanding to be given consideration despite having missed the deadline.
December 3, 2014 @ 11:22 am
That is a very Jumanji Christmas.
Audrey II is lurking somewhere in that Little Shop of Disco Balls demanding to be fed, Seymour.
That greenery is totally going to come alive at night and eat your leg, just like in The Ruins.
Also, spiders.
I’m so sorry.
December 3, 2014 @ 11:22 am
“…but I ran out of care.” You are my anal-retentive soul sister. Love it, love you!
December 3, 2014 @ 11:29 am
Love the fresh look of your home decorations. The disco balls are the highlight!!! Question…do you use fresh garland or is that really real looking garland?! Merry Christmas!
December 3, 2014 @ 11:43 am
I can’t help but love you and your posts…although I think you are my husband’s worst nightmare LOL. Maybe someday if we ever *finish* our reno I will have walls to actually decorate. I LOVE your porch with the disco balls! I am filing that one away. What a sparkly festive, great idea.
December 3, 2014 @ 12:05 pm
Lovely. I used to make a huge mess for years, now I just try to bring out a few things at a time. I totally identify with moving the mess from one place to another, lol! And your front porch is magical!
December 3, 2014 @ 12:12 pm
Oh my gosh. I read your disco ball porch post with my daughters(ages 17 and 14) a couple of weeks ago, and they were all like “NO MOM!!!!! NO DISCO BALLS ON OUR PORCH!) I don’t know who raised those girls, because I ADORE THE EFFECT.
Also, your greenery is AH-MAZE!(In my best Barbie voice.)
And I am dying of a chest cold right now, but cannot wait to laugh my way through your bow tutorial…when I can laugh without risking my breathing forever. Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday-getting-ready season!
🙂
~april
December 3, 2014 @ 2:30 pm
I just laughed out loud at your Barbie reference! Ha ha, my daughter and I quote that series all the time.
December 4, 2014 @ 6:51 pm
So funny! My daughter, grown, with grown daughters of her own, recently told me that glitter was craft herpes! Clearly she was switched at birth!
December 3, 2014 @ 12:15 pm
How awesomely, gorgeously, glittery beautiful. I loved seeing this last year, loved reading about it this year and would love to look at it all again next year!
Don’t ever stop with the giant shiny things, please!
I have a question, though…did you skip it all this year, after such an undertaking last year?
The holidays are my busiest time of year, (Hairstylist) so all I ever get done anymore is a wreath on the front door. I love seeing others beautiful decorations, and I had forgotten about your glittery wondrousness! Thank you.
December 3, 2014 @ 12:23 pm
I love the disco balls!!!! What size are they? Hopped on over to The Christmas Tree Shop web site….waaahhhh they don’t have any. Love ur blog…..ur posts always make me smile…….
December 3, 2014 @ 12:43 pm
I too looked for the mirror balls, but found them on this web site:
http://www.save-on-crafts.com/search.html?keywords=mirror+balls
They may find their way into my home soon…..
December 3, 2014 @ 7:48 pm
They are pretty large- 7″. I got them in the actual store (otherwise shipping might have been prohibitive).
They were only $3.99. (which is obviously $4, but feels better to say $3.99… so much bargain-y-er.)
December 3, 2014 @ 7:54 pm
LOL…thanks. I try that bargin-y-er (love the word, it’s now a part of my vocab) logic on my hubby……hasnt worked yet…..but I will never give up!
December 3, 2014 @ 12:33 pm
I love & look forward to each blog that you have – I get so excited when I read them. You remind me of me once upon a time. I’ve slowed down some now & if I could only get the stuff done that needs to be done, maybe, just maybe I can get back in the groove of things decorating for the Holidays.
Thanks for your pick me ups!!!
December 3, 2014 @ 12:38 pm
Love and adore it all. I remember all of this from last year except I don’t remember the porch and all its shininess, just love it! Thanks for the show.
December 3, 2014 @ 12:39 pm
Hey, I know how to make you feel better about your Christmas decorating…confess that I still have Halloween decorations out!
Yup. I’ll be ready for Christmas in February. See you then!
December 3, 2014 @ 12:48 pm
This is freaking fabulous. Loving the Glitter Troll. I hope she’s back and even better this year!
December 3, 2014 @ 1:23 pm
Fabulous! Disco balls are a great addition. Keep up the great work! We love your blogs and pics of the DIY projects. Deco in the house is amazing.
December 3, 2014 @ 1:26 pm
Best Quote Ever: Besides, why do something quickly that you can actually finish, if you have the option of getting involved in a project that will spiral out of control? – Victoria Elizabeth Barnes
This describes so many of my little projects. Something as simple as cleaning a single junk drawer leads to a month long closet/drawer/pantry purge of every closet/drawer/pantry in the house. Truth be told, I like that gene (that we apparently share). I believe it’s attached to the gene that gives me flair, but I would like to turn it down a little every now and then.
December 3, 2014 @ 2:47 pm
any idea when you will be revealing this year’s Christmas tour?
December 3, 2014 @ 5:02 pm
I’m guessing December 2015 …
December 3, 2014 @ 3:46 pm
So pretty…and you posted it in December, so that counts as this year’s holiday decorating!
December 3, 2014 @ 5:05 pm
This was gorgeous last year and this year! In homage to your skill and ideas, last year I put disco ball ornaments in my Amazon Wish List and they are still there, gathering dust. The Amazon wish list is like other things in my life. Like buying patterns for items and clothes when they have the up to 10 Butterick patterns for $1 each. That way, they are all mine to make, someday, when I get time or feel like it. Then, 10 years later, when I can’t remember why I wanted to make stuffed bunnies dressed in Victorian clothes, I give the unopened patterns to a non-profit thrift store.
You are a riot!
December 3, 2014 @ 5:14 pm
You know, New Hampshire (where I live) is reeeeeeaaaaaalllly beautiful this time of year…Wouldn’t you like to visit?
December 3, 2014 @ 5:15 pm
And while you’re at it: help me with my decorating? ( it got chopped off the initial comment)
Just thought I’d take a stab at it LOL… Can’t wait to see what you have planned for this year..
December 3, 2014 @ 5:35 pm
Wow! Everything is so beautiful!