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Victorian Tinsel Birds for Under a Buck

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For a long time there, I didn’t keep a Christmas tree. Don’t ask why, it’s a long story. Sufficient to say I got my Christmas itch scratched through, um, other modes of holiday hoopla. But all that changed two years ago when I broke down and bought a $20 tree at Target to start housing my birds.

Yes, birds.

I collect bird ornaments. They used to sit on some branches in a bucket all winter, but now they sit in a proper tree and it makes me giddy every time I see it. No, it’s not a huge tree–no bigger than a fourth grader. And since I tend to hoard, I made myself a promise; I would only collect birds that were handmade, vintage, or truly special–like a memento from a vacation or a from close friend. That way I could keep a leash on the rate of collection and only after a lifetime would I eventually fill the tiny tree with exclusively one-of-a-kind ornaments. Good plan, right?

Wrong.

I thought it would take me a lifetime to fill that tree, but this is only my third holiday and it’s so jam packed I had to get an annex tree for the living room (more on that one to follow).

This year I decided that the tree needed more sparkle and a little bit of Victorian flair. I ordered some German die cut birds from 32 Degress North (they have some seriously cute stuff y’all), and mounted them on cupcake liners with some touches of feathers and tinsel.


Besides the birds and the paper gift tags used as the base, I didn’t have to buy a thing.

Not sure if that speaks to the ease of this project, or the severity of my craft supply obsession, but you get the idea.

I realize not everyone keeps polka dotted guinea fowl feathers in their pantry.

 Yeah, their are some other kinds of birds too. Here are some of my recent aquisions…

You know what they say in Portlandia –everything looks good when you put a bird on it. 

Grandma Lucile’s Tissue Box Fashion Show

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Y’all have to see this. 
It is so cool. So grandma. So seventies.
I adore love want NEED it.
Never thought I would be publicly professing my adoration for a yarn laced tissue box cozy, but sometimes I surprise myself. And lets be honest: this thing is amazing. 
I think we need to give it a name. Or a federal holiday. Suggestions?

This wondrous creature belongs to my friend Bird, who inherited it from her Grandma Lucile. I never met her in person but I can gather from the remnants of her craft stash alone, when it came to making nifty stuff, Grandma Lucile knew how to Throw Down. 

Someday I’ll have to show you her beer can alligator with genuine pearl teeth. It’s superb.

 So I was over at Bird’s house last Sunday when she pulled this out of a bag. I initially thought it was a cute and sentimental reminder of someone she loved very much, but then she yanked on the Velcro and was all “Look! You can mix and match!” and then I was all “MOVE OVER. IT’S MINE.”
That was a greedy moment on my part, but you can’t use terms like mix and match around me. It’s the hot button on my inner hoarding tendencies. 
Despite my insistence, the tissue box cozy will be staying with Bird. To squelch my need for acquisition, she was kind enough to humor me with a fashion show. A grand time was had by all.
*Someone* is going to be spending some quality time in the yarn isle this weekend.