it’s not heavy, it’s our tree skirt

Catching up on the holiday decor, I present to you the completed tree skirt: Seventy-three silk neckties, a couple hundred Swarovski crystal rhinestones, various glass beads, and tassels. It speaks in whispers of so many ancient things: lace collars, Renaissance finery, luscious hand-sewn heirloom… Rich golds frame muted holiday hues and anchor the massive heap […]

so it begins

You may not think so, but it is time… This year brought a brand new tree for the front room, replacing the retired best-thrift-deal-ever tree. It is my first pre-holiday, full-price tree. Ever. And it is rather stunning, at least the bits of it that can been seen. I succeeded in full saturation of content. […]

skirting the issue

Last year, I retired the big tree I used for the glass menagerie I put up in the front room. I acquired a new tree last week, the first big fancy tree I’ve bought new at full price, I think, in forever. After the big bead garland caper of 2020, this big over-the-top tree needs […]

the big, big tree topper

The topper for The Big, Big Tree is my all time favorite holiday thing found on deep post-holiday clearance. I don’t remember exactly when I found it, but it was at least fifteen years or so. I found it at a K-mart, ninety percent off on the last tiny little table of Christmas decorations. I […]

my giving tree

The distraction of the Great Bead Garland Caper of 2020 helped. Having an on-going adventure of tedium kept my creative brain engaged and occupied, allowing me to disengage from the preoccupation of a holiday season with no guests. The third and final set of garland strands has a color set of pink, hot pink, red, […]

pre-post-holiday newbies

For a few years, I’ve seen a trend of early holiday clearance sales. Ages ago, I used to stock up for next Christmas in January at seventy-five percent off. Now, it’s fifty percent in mid-December. I’m good with it. Tonight, getting hardware for the last round of bead garland, I might have acquired a few […]

the gbgc ’20: update

Round two is complete. (I think) I’ll make one more round…

the gbgc ’20: round 2 underway

The color set for the second batch of beaded garlands:

the gbgc ’20, how to: final assembly

Assembling the garland sections uses exactly the same process I learned to make a wired necklace, or earrings. It’s important to note: the flat-nose need to be the type specifically made for jewelry, with a smooth pinching surface. Traditional needle-nose pliers with a serrated surface will chew up the surface of the wire pins. A […]

the gbgc ’20, round 1.2

I am nearly out of segments comprised of smaller glass/crystal beads that are needed at the scallop peaks to let the strands meet up well at the hooks. I’ve nearly completed three tiers of double-stranded garland. At this point, the longterm goal is two more rounds of the same. I would ultimately like to see […]