A Green Christmas

This will be my first Christmas that will definitely not be white.  It will also be my first Christmas in my own, adult place.  So the tree has been on my mind for quite sometime.  My mother's Christmas decorations have always been amazing, rustic, antique, and personal.  I wanted that touch of old home in my new home, but I've been nervous that finding those perfect ornaments for my first tree would be impossible.

Thanks to a basic search in Pinterest I found exactly what I was looking for....Twine.  I ventured to Michaels, found the twine and some other items to keep the tree from looking drab.  Don't forget the hot glue gun.

That's my Little Bear making an appearance. <3

I started with basic ornaments, twine and a hint of the red ribbon glued around the styrofoam balls, in a couple different sizes.

I found some nice chocolate burlap and antique-looking buttons that I think will add just the right pop.  So far the button ornaments are my favorite, but they take the longest.

How great is the one covered in buttons?  It was definitely the hardest so far because of all the twine in the negative space.  These ornaments (and some help from boyfriend) led to even more designs.

The next day I was sharing my new project with my mom, and she mentioned garland.  Her suggestion was dried cranberries, but my instinct said buttons!  My first attempt at a garland was great...until it wasn't.  Picturing this....

...on a tree already covered in burlap and twine is appearing boring in my head. So I think I'm going to do garland that is completely buttons.

I need to make a few more ornaments and work on the new garland so this project is to be continued...