Holiday Project Number 2 ---- Spindle Tree -- Oh So Cute!!!

I picked up these adorable wheels with the greatest turq patina, then later found these spindles in yet another place. I have been saving them for this project for quite sometime now.

I got the inspiration for this project from Ki's blog over at Junk Camp about a year ago right before the holidays. She had posted a tree that a friend of hers had made, I loved it and have been thinking about it ever since........

This is what I started with, I "married" these wheels to the spindles to create one piece....

Made some curly, twisty wire branches with a small loop on the end, drilled some tiny holes for the wire to fit in.......

Placed some of those favorite old mercury ornaments to the ends of the branches.....

And soon my vision was coming to life.....

Little by little I was getting more and more excited......

Don't forget the star for the top, the last finishing touch....

And tahdah!!! Here it is.... the spindle tree I have been dreaming about for a year!

Until next time.... Cammie(:

It's a Snow Storm~~~ So Project Time ~~~ Spring Tree~~

I'm sure you have all heard that we in Nebraska are in a major snow storm, so we are snowed in for Day Number 1 for the year 2010. I have done baking for the fam, so for you I am posting this project, a Christmas tree made out of springs.

Here is the finished product, this was before the snow started....

These are the springs in the back of my truck....

Step one: You will need a bed spring with an hour glass shaped spring, cut the curly wire between the rows of springs.

You will end up with rows of springs like this....

Step 2: You will need to count out 11 springs from the end, then"Unscrew" the curly wire between spring 11 and 12.

Step 3: Count out 7 springs, "Unscrew" the curly wire between spring 7 and 8...

Step 4: Count out 3 springs, "Unscrew" the curly wire between spring 3 and 4....

These are the pieces you have removed from the row of springs. Keep these, you will use them later to reassemble the ring of springs....

Step 5: Take the row of 11 springs and shape it into a circle, use one of curly wires to reattach the two ends of the springs so it becomes a circle.

This is how your circle should look when it is reattached....

Step 6: Repeat Step 5 with the row of 7 springs, and reattach the ends of the row of springs...

Step 7: Place the ring of 7 springs on top of the ring of 11 springs, make sure it is centered. Cut a piece of wire about 6" long and wire the two pieces together in 3-4 different places.

This is how it should look now.....

Step 8: You will need the row of 3 springs, you will have to remove one from the row and reattach with the extra curly pieces. You will then place the third spring in between the two springs and reattach.

The set of three springs should look like this....

For the top of your tree you will need a tapered spring instead of a hour glass spring, to make your tree look more like it has a point.

Step 9: Wire the row of three springs on top of the row of 7 springs, making sure it is centered. Repeat with the single spring as the top of the tree.

Now decorate, I used old mercury glass ornaments but there are many possibilities of how to decorate your tree.

The end result is a spring tree with many possibilities of decorating.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

Cammie(:

Bachman's Holiday Ideas House ~~~~~One Word Sums It Up~~~~SPECTACULAR

Today we made the trip to Minneapolis to see the Bachman's Holiday Ideas House. The weather was perfect to really get me into the holiday spirit of things, COLD and snowing, with little snowflakes that stuck to everything they landed on.

I included several photos of the projects in the house that really said "Festive Christmas", many of these items are available in the Bachman's store right next door to the Ideas House.

This mantle box was made of an old chippy shutter and filled with beautiful poinsettias and birch sticks...

Half of a screen door that had a mirror that replaced the screen.....

This use to be an old tabletop game board, maybe the soccer version, now it becomes a great place to store and use rolls of ribbon......

Plinths with a metal bracket that holds an insulator and filled with greens and berries...

Cleaver use of an old canteen....

Old single light fixture globes made into luminaries.....

One of my favorites, old mercury glass ornaments, can never have too many of those for the tree...

These are old cast iron tree stands with antlers and greens, a grouping that was in the hallway on the way up the stairs.....

The tiniest poinsettias I have ever seen, they fit into old diner dish cups, very sweet.....

The downstairs bathroom had this wonderful old gate as a back drop for the ice skates.....

The wall above the stove in the kitchen was transformed into a cathedral type setting with old stained glass windows that had been lit from behind......

The centerpiece for the dining table was made of an old floor lamp.....

The porch was very inviting to all who entered.....

Skis and poles made into a coat rack as you enter.......

There's more than one use for a snow toboggan, they make great tables too.....

Insulators lined the window sill with tiny lights underneath each one......

Tea balls gone ornaments.......

A view of the porch as you enter the house, very cozy and inviting. The staff at Bachman's has out done themselves again, but I would expect nothing less. The house will remain open thru December 12 if you would like to get out to see it, it will be worth the trip, this morning there were people lined up to get in at 9:00 a.m.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays~~

Cammie(:

100th Post Giveaway Over at Shabby Vintage Junk!

Tamara over at Shabby Vintage Junk is having a giveaway for her 100th post. Check it out and enter to see if you can win something from Down Under...

These wonderful mercury glass icicles are one of the several items she is giving away.

Good Luck!

Cammie(:

It's Here...

Old man winter has arrived at our house...

Which happens to be 4 weeks later than last year, so I feel lucky already!

We have a thin blanket of snow covering everything, the air is crisp and cold, and your cheeks turn red after spending a few moments in the outdoor air.....

I think I will get my hot chocolate, a warm fuzzy blanket, and a good movie..... oh, I forgot, that will have to be later, santa's elves need some help getting ready for the holiday. Hope all of you have elves to help you too!

Cammie(:

Check Out These Finds....

Been out looking for great things again and this is some of the things I found lately....

Love this fabric, love the contrast of the the black, pink and white, and there are yards of it....

My husband actually found these at a auction he was recently at......

They are old tailor's sample books, from 1910 - 1929, love the covers and size! They are about 30" x 18".

All the samples are gone but they are absolutely filled with old paper pictures from magazines and etc from the same time period.

Got an great ideas for a use for this old sign used to display the schedules of service for the church? It too is pretty big, measuring 5 ft x 3 ft.

Happy hunting to all of you, what have you found this week?

Cammie(: