'Tis the season already...

Hi Y'all,

Well, Christmas is just around the corner - same procedure as every year, James. And every year we are in total surprise about it. But as I had a week off, I spend that time for d&d - diying and decorating. Obviously I would't pop in the next Depot or IKEA store, because first that would be boring and second it would be impossible, because these shops don't exist here. There is an importer for the Swedish stuff, but I checked prices, not worth it, not at all.

What I did buy this year was coloured string lights for the balcony railing, because the old one died last year, and an artificial Christmas tree, because the little one I used the last two years belonged to the rental we staid. So I grazed Facebook marketplace and got some good deals - like very much. Sure, the tree could be a bit more full, but I fluffed it ferociously and adorned it with every bauble I had, and it looks very okay. And regarding the string light: If Ryanair starts landing on our street, well that's on me, then :-)

So I enjoyed decorating and creating stuff very much last week. As always, it was trial and error, and I started with an error... I thought of using expired wound dressings - ruffle them and glue them around a cardboard cone so it looks like a Christmas tree. Looked like crap, so opened the wound and removed the dressings. Then I cut a nice ribbon into pieces of 10 cm each and folded them like the AIDS or breast cancer awareness bows. Then I glued them to the cone, attached a star on top and used an empty bottle of Iron supplements as a stand - done!

The dressings carried some cushioning pads to protect any wounds. I collected these paddings and removed the outer layer, because it was made from a shiny, non-sticky material for obvious reasons. But underneath it was like cotton wool, soft and fluffy. I cut them into hearts and embroidered them with ornaments and connected them with a blanket stitch - ornament no. 1 näht = Anhänger Nummer eins.

Ornaments no. 2, 3 and 4 I cut from cardboard cereal boxes and embellished them either with embroidery or crochet. 

Ornament no. 5 was also done from a cereal box, but I cut circles, folded them in half and glued them together to form a ball. At the bottom I added little bells or hearts left over from the famous golden Lindt Easter bunnies. 

Last but not least I took curtain rings and some makramee cord which I knotted around the rings so they look like little wreaths. All these ornaments I put on my curtain rod at the kitchen sink, so I can enjoy them while doing the dishes (well, the hubs, actually). Because the window leads to a light shaft without any nice view.) 

This is the view after my holiday treatment: 

Afterwards I took an old paperback and transformed it into these plissee ornaments: 

And of course, Heinrich shall get into the mood as well, therefore his feeding station got a deco upgrade: 

Our current flat has rustic oak cabinets which needed some light decoration as a contrast to the dark wood. And so I produced another round of cardboard cones and covered them in these cotton de-makeup pads. Then I improvised an advent centerpiece with wine corks, candles and mini baubles because I wasn't in the mood for my black basket that I normally use. Weil ich ja in der jetzigen Wohnung so eine rustikale Eiche-Wohnwand mit zwei Vitrinen zu bestücken habe, wollte ich noch was Helles, das sich gut abhebt. Und so habe ich nochmal ne Runde Kegel aus Pappe gebastelt und sie mit diesen runden Abschmink-Wattepads beklebt. Und schließlich hab ich noch schnell einen Adventskranz improvisiert aus Kerzen, Korken und ein paar roten Minikugeln - dieses Jahr war mir irgendwie nicht nach dem schwarzen Drahtkorb, den ich sonst immer verwende.

And this is how it came together - it reminds me of some cabin in the Alps, a vibe I really like! So let's heat up the mulled wine! ...and yes, I know that I definitely have to refill our wine shelf...

Oh, by the way, this blog turned five years old a few days ago - happy birthday to blog! And now I just shower you with some deco pictures to get you in the mood. And two notes: The couch got a well-fitting red cover sewn by me (because the store-bought one did not fit at all), and the cookie jar will definitely contain some real cookies not these cough drops :-)

With that being said - enjoy the festive season to the fullest!