God Jul! (Hoarder Style)

In the mail today, our friends at Deco Clico have kindly proposed a nice line of pricey items to perfect your Scandinavian Christmas decorations, so naturally I thought of SiS, with her artistic talents and a plethora of raw items to DIY and save a few bucks.

She's got the wreaths down pat, so let's look at some other projects.

First, on the left we have the classic Swedish candle holder. It just so happens that an empty bottle of Aqvavit, trimmed down with a glass cutter, should fit perfectly into an 12 oz tuna can. Spray it with one of those half-empty cans of grey primer Krylon spray paint (on the shelf in the garage), and you're golden.
You may have to soak the nozzle overnight in kerosene, since it hasn't been used since 1972.



Next up, on the right, we have a cute little tree top star ornament on a spring base. Child's play.
Take a couple of wire hangers from the hall closet and bend them into star shapes. Wrap another hanger tightly around the neck of the Aqvavit bottle you just cut off in the previous project and connect them all together with a blob of hot-melt glue (or failing that, duct tape). Wind some fishing line around the stars and you're done!








Nothing says Jul quite like a bunch of childishly simple, unfinished wooden tree ornaments, so put those scraps of 2*4 in the work shed to good use, but watch your fingers on the table saw!

The next ornament can be hung from the tree or outside, as wind chimes. Here, it is in the shape of an acorn, but an old salt shaker and key chain will get the job done.









The next needs no instruction, just a ball of twine and a string of Christmas lights. You have twine, I'm sure. Use your skills from project 2 to form the wire shapes and wrap, girl, wrap. To add a special cozy atmosphere to your holidays, you can also suspend them above the bed!

And to crown your julbord, we have here a unique centerpiece made from 8 standard white storm candles (you'll find those in the bottom drawer, on the left, or failing that, perhaps under the sink, in the kitchen). First melt two or three of them onto the table. Spray it first with Pam (in the right hand cupboard above the stove) to make it easy to remove. Then, while the wax is still soft, push the remaining candles into the mass of wax at varying heights. You'll save a cool 160 € (or roughly $200) on this one piece alone. I kid you not.