They are swell to make. And even more so to look at! I have just decided that mobiles should become a seasonal decoration in my home. Does anyone else think it is just absolutely depressing to take down Christmas decorations? The house always looks so bare. This year, I decided to keep up some wintery decorations, and even make a few just for fun! This mobile I made was for the latest prompt at The Art is Found. Patty asked me to do a craft tutorial for her blog, so, I’ll share with you an easy little tutorial on how to make your own snowflake mobile in a frame.

All you need to complete this project is an empty frame, some colorful magazine clippings (which I always have on hand, stored in a manilla envelope), twine (or ribbon, string, or fishing wire), tape (any kind will do!), and scissors.

I picked out some of the most graphic and colorful pieces from my magazine clippings stash, and cut them into circular shapes. If I didn’t like the back of a page, I glued it together with a page I did like. Then, I simply folded the circular cut-out a few times so that I could cut designs into it, just like when I was a kid and made paper snowflakes at school.

I cut each snowflake into different sizes and patterns, to add some variety. I gotta admit, it’s kind of thrilling unfolding the paper to see what shape you will find! :)

After making several paper snowflakes (the number depending on the size of the snowflakes and your frame) I tied them onto strings of twine, sometimes two snowflakes to a string.

Next, I flipped over my frame and began to decide where to put each string of snowflakes, and how long each one should hang. There’s definitely no science to this, just pick something and go with it! Then I taped the strings to the top of the back of the frame, so that when winter is over, I can use the frame for something else.

I love the simplicity of this project, how easy it is to use scraps that you can find around the house, and the limitless possibilities. I placed my frame by a window, because I like the way the light filters through the snowflakes. To bad the breeze is so cold this time of year, or it might be nice to see them flutter around! :)

I’m pretty traditional when it comes to Christmas colors. Red and Green. And lately, lots of white. I’m loving everyone else’s colorful Christmas decor… but the reds and greens are just too cozy for the freezing holiday weather.

So. There’s the tree. And since we have no mantle yet, I was stumped about what to do for our stockings. Well, I was stumped for about a minute. Then I came up with the solution. And when I have time to MAKE the solution this weekend, you’ll be the first to know! :)

but no fire inside of it. All is well, though. We’ve got our candles to keep us warm. :)

This is my first Christmas crafty project I’m sharing here. More to come! I just started photographing the decorating progress. This particular project is one of my favorites, though. I got some dried out birch logs (with burl and all!) that came from fallen trees. Then I sliced them using a table saw (I know most people don’t have these, but you could probably use a hack saw, or borrow someone’s!) and then had a couple of muscular men hold them tight while I drilled into them using a special circle bit bought to use on a drill press (which is basically a ginormous power drill). The custom circle cutter drill bit was a splurge, but my pop bought it, claiming that he would surely use it again. :) I love him for that. (and for lots of other things, of course!) So, after I had sliced up birch loges with cylindrical holes in them, I procured some polyurethane spray (good ol dad!) which I used on the logs, bought some votive candles to fit in the holders I had (I bought the circle bit to match the size of my candle holders) and voila! A candlescape for my large coffee table! (after I let the polyurethane fumes dry out for a week or so!) It’s perfectly cozy, and everyone who comes over just loves them. But honestly, I could care less if they love them (so I tell myself!), I just think they’re the greatest and… well, “I’m in love, I’m in love, and I don’t care who knows it!”