Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!

A while back (that's country talk for last month) there was a wind storm that knocked all kinds of fun things out of the trees. One of those things was this large birch branch that was just too cool for me to throw on the burn pile. Instead I kept it and decided to make a "tree" out of it.

The limb is hefty, but top-heavy so I used a very tall vase I had and filled it mostly with pea gravel courtesy of my neighbor George. The stem of the branch is too crooked and nobby to fit perfectly into the vase opening, so the pea gravel gives the bottom some interest and gives it some weight so the whole thing doesn't fall over on me or the cat (who was fascinated by my working on it, let me tell you).

Once secured I knew I couldn't adorn it with anything heavy or I'd just add to its top-heavy nature. My solution was lightweight sparkly materials that would turn it into something fun and evocative of the winter season.

In the craft room are little storage bins full of plastic faceted beads. Using clear fishing line I made a loop with the bead on and tied a simple knot. I did have to use my needlenose pliers at times as the line I had was really stiff.

My other idea was inspired by my friend's mom, Judy. She has "Victorian tinsel" that are little strips of twisted metal that are a wonderful, re-usable tinsel that you don't have to untangle or worry about pets or small children inhaling it. I didn't want heavy metal, but I wanted the look, so I cut strips of aluminum foil and curled them around a pencil. Once curled I gently stretched them out and folded one end over the branch I wanted it on.

My Charlie Brown "tree" really sparkles in the light like a natural tree with icicles. And since I used found materials or things I already had around the house, it didn't cost me a thing.

Note: If you decide to make your own aluminum foil tinsel, please know that your scissors will not appreciate the bad treatment, so don't use your nice sewing scissors or anything like that.