Christmas Fun - Clay Flower Pot Christmas Tree

Christmas Fun - Clay Flower Pot Christmas Tree

I found this idea on Pintrest (Clay Pot Christmas Tree) and I couldn't resist trying this with Liam this year.

Not only is it super cute and easy but it is cheap! 

All you need is 3 different sized flower pots, green acrylic paint, two or three other colours of acrylic paint, a foam paint brush, a pencil crayon, a little bit of felt (scraps will work), glue, a star, a wooden skewer and acrylic sealer.  I got everything I needed at the dollar store except for the acrylic sealer, I had to go to Walmart for that.

Here's how to do it . . . with picture!

Assemble materials.

Paint flower pots with foam paint brush.

Dabbing the brush gives a textured look and better coverage of paint.

Use the flat end of a pencil crayon to put "decorations" on your tree.  If your child is older, they can use a paint brush and paint more elaborate designs.  

Once the paint is all dry, glue some felt pieces around the inside of each pot.  This is so that the pots one stick together when stacked.  

Cover all three pots with acrylic sealer and stack.  Attach a star to a wooden skewer and place through the bottom center holes of the flower pots.

And there is it, a Clay Flower Pot Christmas Tree!

I think that one made out of the really big clay pots would make a cool outdoor Christmas Decoration!  I will put that on next year`s to do list!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

We jumped into the Christmas season with a bang last weekend.

First night we attended a community Christmas event called Christmas in the Gower.  It is a great night for socializing, enjoying homemade cookies, music and of course, Santa!  I've been attending this even for years as the North Gower Brownies, Girl Guides and Pathfinders always sing a couple of songs to entertain the crowd.  But what I now realize is that this is the perfect place to visit Santa.  He arrives on a fire truck, you don't have to go to an insanely busy mall and standing in line for hours.  Liam told Santa that he wants a train set and tools for Christmas and we even got a couple of nice pictures!

Saturday night we all sat down together on the couch to write Liam's letter to Santa.  Although he doesn't quite get the concept of writing to Santa, he did enjoy talking about what he wants for Christmas (a train set, tools and a big Bumblebee Transformer).  Daddy and I did most of the composing of the letter, but adding stickers was exciting for Liam!

Sunday was Henry's work's Christmas Party for the kids.  It was held at a bowling alley.  Liam's new favourite thing to do - bowling!  He didn't care if he hit any pins as long as he could keep rolling balls down the alley!  We had to fight to get a turn!

After bowling was lunch and a visit from . . . you guessed it, the big guy himself, Santa Claus, and he had gifts!  Apparently bowling makes little boys VERY hungry because our Christmas obsessed Liam had little to no interest in Mr. Claus or the other kids with their wrapping paper and gifts . . . lunch was much more important at that moment!  When his name was called, he was shocked to get a present!  He got right to work on the wrapping paper and was thrilled to find the big Bumblebee Transformer that he wanted.  (We had to provide the gift.)

Sunday evening, we gave into Liam's pleas for a Christmas tree!  (He'd only been asking for three weeks!)  He could hardly contain his excitement as we assembled the tree and put on the lights!

Then, I couldn't put hooks on the ornaments fast enough for him!  The tree has never been decorated so quickly, but it has also rarely been this fun.  When he couldn't get a hook on a branch, he hung it on another decoration.  When we suggested that certain decorations should go up higher he showed us where to put it.  Now, every morning when we get up and every day when we get home he turns on "his tree" for us all to enjoy.

I love that we are starting to build these family traditions together.  I love that at almost 3 years old, Liam actually gets it this year.  He is so excited for Christmas and it won't get here fast enough for him.  

My Christmas Tree Tells A Story . . . Does Yours?

There are a lot of ways to decorate a Christmas tree -  you can choose a theme or colour scheme, you can be organized and symmetrical or completely random.

Themes and colour schemes used to mean searching store after store to find enough matching decorations to fill a tree but now, you can just go into a store and pick of a tub of decorations in one of the years hottest Christmas colours!

If I were decorating a tree for an office or some other public place, I would probably be all over the organized, symmetrical, colour scheme trends.  But for us, at home, that's not what I'm looking for.

To many people, I am sure our tree looks mismatched and disorganized, but I think it is great with a lot of ornaments that actually mean something to us.

There are ornaments from a gift exchange that I did with my closest friend in 7th grade.

There are ornaments that my Grandma crocheted years ago, that until recently hung on her tree every year.

There ornaments that have been given to me by daycare kids over the years.

There is a bride and groom ornament that my mother in law gave us the year we got married.

There's Liam's First Christmas ornament and a ball with his name on it.

There are ornament's that Henry's had for years and years.

There's the first ornament that Liam ever made, at daycare last year.

There's a collection of Canada Post decorations that my mother in law (who works for Canada Post) has given us over the years.

There are ornaments that I made years ago.

There are lots of snowmen and snowflakes and other things that are there just because we like them.

And on top of the tree is an angel, made by my mother out of the same fabric that she used to make my wedding dress.

Sure, there are lots of generic balls and bells scattered around through out the branches.

But it is the other ornaments that tell the Christmas stories of our family.  And that will continue to tell our stories in the years to come.

(I've heard a rumour that an Elmo ornament will soon be joining our collection for our Elmo loving little man!)