In the Christmas Spirit

...or, why I should not quit my day job to be a wreath maker.

As I mentioned I hoped to do in my last post, I spent my Sunday afternoon making an ornament wreath. You may have predicted it would end up being more complicated than stringing ornaments on a coat hanger and, well, you were right. 

My journey started at the Ballard Fred Meyer, where I purchased a set of red and a set of silver ornaments. First of all, I learned something that was not in my wreath tutorial: cheap ornaments made with a crapload of cheap glitter = mayhem. My living room now looks like an 8-year-old's dream birthday party. Even the dog is covered with glitter due to a stray flung ornament. She thought she was just going to stand by her dish and wait for dinner, and instead BAM! - pelted with a 3" globe of sparkle. 

Aside from the glitter, which I will be sweeping up until the day I die, the ornaments also tended to...fall apart when I tried to bend the wreath into a circle (which really ended up being a trapezoid, or oval at best). In all fairness, the tutorial did warn me that I would regret it if I didn't hot glue the ornament tops on but, being the craft master that I am, I blew that advice off (I also have no hot glue gun, which was definitely a factor).

Once all the ornaments were strung, the challenge became how to bend the coat hanger back together and into a circle. Every time I tried to twist the metal, PING! an ornament hit the floor. Adam suggested the ultimate go-to "Dale Fix" (a term coined by my father due to the numerous projects growing up which needed on-the-fly adjustments) and slapped a zip tie on there. Once I strung a ribbon bow on top, you can barely see the zip tie (another fun tidbit I learned - I am terrible at bows. The worst.).

At any rate, it's hanging in my living room because I'll be damned if I'm going to spend an afternoon fiddling with glitter and wire and whathaveyou to not have something to show for it:

Note the top where the coat hanger end could potentially harm you. Don't worry, though, it's zip-tied

Two examples of my (lack of) bow skills

Also on the subject of getting in the holiday spirit, Adam and I hung our Christmas lights this afternoon. I thought they were quite cute, but both Adam and Tommy's responses were more along the lines of "wow, that's ghetto." We have limited space to hang Christmas lights, what with our roof being four stories high and frightening, so I thought we made the best of it. Plus, you may not guess, but it is three whole strings:

You say ghetto? I say pretty

Note Adam's detail work on the pillar

 All in all, things are pretty Christmas-y here at the Jackson's. I still haven't listened to nearly enough Christmas music, and I am itching to watch Elf and the Grinch (the original, mind you), but all in due time.

Our mantle...Adam still needs a stocking

The tree. So far Greta hasn't peed under it this year

Other highlights from our Sunday include:

• Walking around Ballard, including a trip from Golden Gardens up the stairs to 85th. Quote from Adam: "You asked me if I wanted to go for a walk, not if I wanted TO DIE."
• Nursed our walk wounds by testing out the new Red Mill Totem House across from the Locks. Delicious fish and chips, I would definitely recommend them.
• We got the world's slowest meat slicer at the deli again. This isn't really a highlight, but my OCD requires that I list three items.

-Katie