the etc. part of my last post

the tree, etc.

It's up, it's up! The Christmas tree is up! First we had to get one. Enter walmart, and we opted fake, an investment, but, don't fret - my mom got us a woodsy-piney candle to make up for it.

(also, please excuse the photos, I'm borrowing my mom's Canon Rebel, and I have absolutely NO idea how to use it)

I was feeling very traditionally classic with a hint of country this year. I just wanted to see some good ol' red and green, plaid and burlap. The burlap may be the only touch of country, but I just really wanted to use it as the skirt.

and a bow! I didn't want to commit to anything too serious for the tree topper, I couldn't make the decision, a star? an angel? a snowflake? too many choices, so I bought a roll of this flannel-y ribbon and topped it off with a big ol bow. It turned out great in my eyes!

I made most of the ornaments this year. It's a good starter kit, if I say so myself. I took this idea and made some bright green and lime colored ornaments.

I was on the line between making my own gold glitter ornaments and just buying ones on the shelf, then with everything at Hobby Lobby 50% off - it was totally not worth the time it'd take to craft my own. Sometimes, ya gotta go with your head.

Since Blake and I got married the weekend before Christmas last year, we got our fair share of Christmas ornaments as gifts and as I took them all out this weekend, I couldn't have been more happy about it. Here's one - bride and groom.

I glittered up some Dollar Store toys with some Mod Podge. I got a little lazy trying to attach a hanger, so this year they just sit on the branches. Maybe next year I'll make them official hanging ornaments.

I also bought felt to make the banner/garland. 4 for $1.00. I cut isosceles triangles and then hot glued them to a string of thick twine alternating white and red flags. It feels perfectly classic and home-y to me, I love turning the tree on every evening after work!

Here is my little helper elf, Dakota.

and, the big picture.

pallet art: christmas edition

Pinterest (ehhh.. Pinterest.. I'm beginning to shudder every time I hear the word) is ruining lives. Or maybe just mine. I'm beginning to have a love/hate relationship with this website. Can't live with it, can't craft without it. I still peruse the pages late at night when I should be sleeping, finding the cutest craft ideas with tutorial after tutorial flowing at my finger tips, and I hate myself for it. Instead of being imaginative, I just click "re-pin" and watch my creativity slip from my soul...

I'm being extremely dramatic. I'll stop.

I just loved this pallet art that has been dominating the blog world. Even though you see it everywhere, for some reason, I find it so homey and heart warming each time. I made my own, and for free!

Scrap wood from Blake's little shop outside + white and brown paint + bark and twigs from the yard + nails and hot glue = one homey and heartwarming piece of Christmas home decor. Or in my case, front porch decor.

some of the last words from "O Holy Night," I love seeing those words. It's such a powerful song, and singing those hymns on Sunday night church service is definitely in the top 2 or 3 of what I love most about the season.

We're doing an in-depth study of the Advent with our church, and it is so joyous to remember why we have "the holidays." We are, day in and day out, lovingly and patiently waiting for our King to come and restore us and bring us home.

our christmas wreath!

Wow. November has been a terrible blogging month.

With that, Thanksgiving was spent in Dallas this year and we had my parents up. No, no way did I cook Thanksgiving dinner, but thanks to the free turkey I received last week, we had our own, smaller, second thanksgiving after the real one. I am thankful for leftovers. My mom and I ventured out on Black Friday, we wild. My mom had seen the target commercials way too many times I think, because any time a sales person told us something favorable, she'd scream, "it's herrrreeeeeee." We spent the rest of Black Friday decorating the house with Christmas JOY!

Here is my first installment of "The Johnson's Second Christmas, but Really Kinda Like the First Christmas, Since the Real First One was in the Midst of Becoming Husband and Wife and Traveling to the Beaches of Mexico for a Dream of a Honeymoon"

I made a Christmas wreath.

Very simple and easy to make. All from Hobby Lobby: Styrofoam circle, Navy and Cream yarn, and two bundles of red berries. Yarn wrapped tightly around styrofoam in an alternating pattern, then hot glued berries to the front. Done and done. Merry Christmas and here's to early decorating and getting to enjoy every last minute of the season!