(Another) Bookish Christmas Tree for 2014

Hello, friends!!! Between the busyness of this season and the wonder of celebrating Christ’s birth this Christmas, my posts will continue to be sporadic. With that said, I want to share my recent bookish project: a book Christmas tree!!! It makes my bookshelves all festive.

You might remember the little stack of green books from last year I set up as a small book Christmas tree. This year, I decided to make one slightly bigger. Who knows, next year I might go all out and stack a life-sized one on the floor! (Lookout, world! This could prove challenging if any munchkin family members visit for the holidays…..we’ll see)

This was super easy to make. All you need is a small space to stack, a variety of sizes of books (They don’t even have to be green!), and a small-ish string of lights! I used a small table as a base, but I’ve seen some on Pinterest using cake stands. Just begin by arranging larger, sturdy books at the bottom (started with 4 hardbacks), then add slightly smaller groups of 3-4 as it grows.

Have you ever made a tree using books? Or any other book “sculptures”? Please share your craftiness in the comments! I’ve love to know!

Wednesday Wonderings, edition 2

It’s another “Wednesday Wonderings” question!

With Thanksgiving this week and Christmas literally around the corner, it’s a time to be thankful and ponder the joys of the season. I think part of the fun and “wonder” of the holidays is all of the decorations! So, I’m wondering if any of you have fully decorated for Christmas yet. For myself, I’ve been enjoying Hallmark Christmas movies all month, but I haven’t put out the glitter yet.

THE question: Do you put up your Christmas tree/decorations before Thanksgiving? 

my tree, taken a few years ago

I typically put mine up the weekend after Thanksgiving, and it comes down some time after New Year’s. I like to celebrate the last part of “fall” with pumpkins and turkey on Thanksgiving, then break out the Christmas stuff afterwards. I know there are some people who can’t wait that long, who have their tree out from November through January. And some people wait until Christmas Eve to decorate a tree (I could never do that! I love seeing it all month long.) I guess I’m somewhere in the middle 🙂

What are your thoughts? Do you have your tree up? Or do you think before Thanksgiving is waaaay too early? (Are you one of those people who waits until Christmas Eve???)

Fun Find Friday: Book Christmas Tree

For today’s Fun Find Friday, I’m featuring my book Christmas tree. For the “find” portion- I found the two itty bitty green books on top at my local used book store. The tiniest one is an old Italian-English dictionary!

Have you ever made a tree entirely out of books? Please share!

December Photo-a-Day Challenge 21 & 22

21. “Peace” Sunset Pine, a photo by courtneyec90 on Flickr.

22. “Tradition” Cranberry Crisp Candy, a photo by courtneyec90 on Flickr.

December Photo Challenge, Days 21 and 22, “Peace” and “Tradition”.

I think this photo of a pine at sunset is very peaceful. It is a great example of natural beauty in Arkansas!

This Cranberry Crisp Candy is a tradition at my house. We make it every year around Christmas. It combines great sweet and savory ingredients for a perfect combination of flavors – with a slight crunch from Rice Krispies!

Here’s the recipe:

1 package vanilla-flavored almond bark (or white chocolate almond bark)

2 cups Rice Krispies cereal

3/4 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)

3/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

Combine dried cranberries and almonds, set aside. Melt almond bark in a microwave-safe bowl, stir in Rice Krispies and half of the cranberry-almond mixture. Spread on to parchment-lined baking sheet (candy should be about 1/3 inch thick). Sprinkle remaining cranberry-almond mixture on top and press in slightly with your fingertips. Let cool and set up completely. Break into small pieces. Enjoy with a cup of tea of coffee!

December Photo-a-Day Challenge 20. Tree Topper

20. “Tree Topper” Snowflake Ribbon, a photo by courtneyec90 on Flickr.

December Photo Challenge, Day 20. This is my tree topper, a shimmery snowflake ribbon, taken with the high contrast mono picture effect.

December Photo-a-Day Challenge 16 & 17

16. “Present” B&W, a photo by courtneyec90 on Flickr.

17. “Outside Christmas Lights” Dusky Spruce, a photo by courtneyec90 on Flickr.

December Photo Challenge days 16 and 17.

For day 16, I chose this B&W photo of a present with a lovely silvery bow.

For 17, I took this photo of a spruce tree in my yard at dusk. I love the slight bokeh effect of the lights combined with the colorful horizon.

December Photo-a-Day Challenge 13.

13. “Christmas Tree”, a photo by courtneyec90 on Flickr.

 

December Photo Challenge, Day 13 “Christmas Tree”. I wanted to share these two views of my Christmas tree. The first shows my slender tree decked out in chocolate, gold, and amber colored ornaments and ribbon. The second picture is a fun photo I took today with a slower shutter speed while zooming my lens. I think it has an impressionist look to it. Have you ever taken any photos with a similar technique?

(P.S. I’m switching the order of my daily photos a little)

December Photo-a-Day Challenge 12. “A Beautiful Sight”

12. “A Beautiful Sight”, a photo by courtneyec90 on Flickr.

December Photo Challenge, Day 12. “A beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight, walking in a winter wonderland.” While it is most definitely winter, there is no snow in sight here in NW Arkansas. So, I found this tree instead. It is overgrown with some type of fungus, backlit by the setting sun on brown oak leaves. I really like the texture in this photo, and the color palette.

December Photo-a-Day Challenge 3. Red

3. “Red” Glassy Red Tree, a photo by courtneyec90 on Flickr.

For today’s theme, “Red”, I chose this picture of a glass Christmas tree with a red berry topiary in the background. I just love red glassware – I found this piece while shopping at a Ross store last Christmas season.

Do you have a favorite glass Christmas decoration?