Holiday Pin It/Do It: Pins 6-8

Three more easy pins bring my total to eight for this challenge.  Pin #6 was a memory from childhood, reignited by this pin:  

 Pinned from Cocoa Daisy

My sisters and I used to make these from Reader's' Digest magazines and then spray paint them green or gold.  I hadn't thought about them for years, until I saw this version.  I couldn't find a Reader's Digest on the magazine stand at the grocery store, so I dove into the box of books I bought at an estate sale.  Step one was to remove the cover and spine without breaking the glue or stitching holding the pages together.  The first book turned out to have HUGE staples reinforcing the glue and keeping it from forming the necessary circle - so try, try again.  

My version

You can find the folding instructions at the link under the original pin. Since the tree was made from a book, rather than a magazine, I didn't want to cover the pages, so I sprayed it with Krylon Glitter Blast to give it a bit of sparkle and some stiffness.  I chose to limit the embellishments to just the star on top to match the larger ornaments I've been making.  Never again!  Made from 1/8" x 2" strips of paper, it was a nightmare of sticky fingers and crossed eyes.  Although it's not perfect, a little more glitter paint covered the flaws.  It's attached to the tree with a toothpick and craft glue.

Pinned from Flickr

Number 7 was more an inspiration than an exact copy of a Christmas decoration for the front porch.  Last summer I found an old crate in the shed and painted it up to match the patriotic theme on my front porch.  It held pots of geraniums during warm weather, but was just sitting empty, so I adapted this idea, using the crate in place of the wagon.

My version

Dave cut the branches from trees near the house.  The sled belonged to his mom. The star and greenery on the sled came preassembled ($12) so I can't take credit for that - Dave just wired it to the sled.  Throw in a few empty boxes wrapped in coordinating paper and some artificial apples and berries I found at a second-hand store ($2), and you have an inexpensive Red, White and Blue Christmas.

Pin #8 is embarrassingly simple.  Scraps of felt, a few dabs of glue, four snips of the scissors . . . add a candy cane and you have . . . a Christmas mouse????  I have no clue what mice have to do with Christmas or what to do with the finished canes - but they're a Martha Stewart project - so they're adorable!

Martha's mice                       My version

When I signed up for Trish's Holiday Pin It/Do It Challenge, I chose the "pin obsessed" level, which was to complete 8 or more pins before December 31.  I've made it by Dec. 3rd!  But that won't stop me.  I have five recipes to try while the kids are home, a Christmas quilt that is cut out but probably won't be complete by the end of the year, and my most anticipated pin - RACK (Random Acts of Christmas Kindness).  Pin on, elves!