Before I share our Winter Wonderland and my craft idea with you, I should tell you that I received product from Oriental Trading to facilitate this post. As always, all opinions, ideas, and photos are entirely my own.
Obviously it’s not snowing inside because we do have a roof over our heads and I’m almost 100% certain it won’t even snow outside again this year. Galveston rarely gets snow and the last snow fall here was in 2004. Nope. Not a white Christmas for us…or so you would think!
But I’d like to welcome y’all to our Winter Wonderland. It’s not completely done yet, so hang tight for updates as we finish up, but we’re off to a great start with the help of Oriental Trading and the babies are thrilled. My babies want a white Christmas, and they deserve that, but Mommy needs to live in a warm climate so this is our compromise and it’s really fun every year.
The minute anyone enters the foyer, they are greeted with lights, snowflakes, lots of blue obviously, and loads of fun and festivity. I’m particularly fond of the blue lights hanging over our archway. And I love the snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, and the snowflakes on the window. Oh who am I kidding? I just love this theme!
As you know, I’m redecorating the house in blues and greens and everything beachy. The only way to tie in this Winter Wonderland was to keep with the theme colors which was easy with Oriental Trading’s HUGE line of holiday decorations.
This window treatment is Bubby’s favorite. I hung it in the dining room, right next to his count down til Christmas sign, so he can enjoy it during all of his meals. He likes the way it sparkles. Of course he does…he’s my kid after all.
We still have a few more snowflakes to hang and a couple of other decorating items on the list, but our house is literally a Winter Wonderland and our guests this weekend loved it too. It’s not just for the kids!
My tree fits my blue and green theme but I wanted to put some beachy items on there too. I ordered some clear glass bulbs from Oriental Trading and they inspired me. You see, every little shop around the island adorns those glass fish net floats and I love the way they look. I set out to make some of my own for our tree.
Glass Fishnet Bulb Christmas Tree Ornaments
What You’ll Need:
Glass Clear Ornaments
Regular School Glue
Food Coloring
Twine
Funnel
Cupcake Pan
Tinfoil
Patience and an Old Toss of the OCD Tendencies
Start by mixing regular school glue with water (equal parts) and mix in your food coloring of choice. Typically glass fish net floats are blue or green so this worked perfectly for me. Mix the 3 components until you have your color of choice.
Funnel some of the mixture into the glass bulb and swish around until it is fully covered inside.
Place a piece of tinfoil in each of the “cake” slots you’ll be using and place your bulbs in there face down. Bake on 200 degrees for about an hour.
When they come out dry, they may not be perfect (oh be still my poor OCD heart) but that’s OK. If you’ve ever seen blown glass, you know that no two pieces are alike and their imperfections are what make them unique and beautiful. Oddly enough, I like the more splattered looking one better. Put the stems back in the bulbs so you have a way to hang them for the next steps.
Tie one piece of twine around the neck of the bulb. Then cut 6 equal length pieces of twine (I didn’t measure them but make sure they are long enough to be doubled and hang well below the bulb – I’d say about 20 inches). Thread each piece through the anchor twine and knot them at the base. I just used a simple knot, I think it’s called an overhand bow knot (but don’t hold me to that).
Start knotting your fishnet. And here’s where those OCD tendencies need to be really tossed. They don’t have to be perfectly equidistant. The knots don’t have to be exactly the same. Have you ever seen a real fishnet? Yea, not perfect. Take one piece from one of your double strands, and knot it with one piece from the next double strand as shown above. Keep doing that until you get to the bottom.
Don’t flip out when the “net” starts crawling up the bulb and looks like it won’t fit because that’s all resolved at the end. Simply gather all of the pieces at the bottom, pull them tightly, and tie them off. And yes, I do need a manicure and my fingers are completely blue in this photo. Don’t judge.
Like I said, it may not be perfect but it fits perfectly with other items in my decor that use fishnet so I’m pretty pleased with the results. We’re enjoying our Winter Wonderland this year more than ever and I can’t wait to get it all finished before the Big Guy gets here on Christmas Eve. I want him to feel at home too.
For more decorating and craft ideas, be sure to visit Oriental Trading’s Christmas Store, and follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. They don’t only help with your holiday decorating and crafting either. Let them help you throw an amazing holiday party (at half the cost of your local party store) too!
