alternative wooden christmas tree

i really love my alternative wooden christmas tree.

about six or seven years ago, i saw this kind of christmas tree in a catalogue and immediatley fell in love...it was soo expensive that i did not consider to order one, but to ask my dad to make a similar one for me.

that was ages before i started blogging, so i did neither think of taking any pictures, nor writting a tutorial...nevertheless...there are a few people out there who did and you are more than welcome to see how they created their beautiful christmas trees.

http://www.wunderweib.de/wohnen/diy-idee-weihnachtsbaum-selbermachen-a168262.html

http://www.christmaholic.nl/2013/11/16/houten-kerstboom-maken-zo-maak-je-een-draaiende-boom/

i wood stain painted my christmas tree to match my interior and as i am still into anything black, i decorated it with small black christmas balls and black tea lights ... good that some shops were selling black christmas decor stuff this year.

i did not want to overload the wooden tree and opted to either add a christmas or a candle on each "twig"

here a closer look at my christmas tree

- apart from the christmas balls and tea lights, i bought this beautiful black star and two really plain and rustic stars, which i also wood stain painted

the bunch of real twigs are actually still the ones, i used as the advent wreath with spoons, which i made two years ago

thank you very much for your visit ... merry christmas ... and very best regards ... silke

milestone birthday celebration

no...it is not my own 50th birthday...not yet.

we were celebrating the 50th birthday of my big brother...it does mean my birthday is very close and basically waiting for me around the corner.

in preparation of an adequate birthday present, i came across so many great ideas...i guess too many...and i would like to share a few with you.

one of my favourite is a real simple thing, which made me laugh the minute i saw it.
i am not really sure if anybody else shares my opinion, but i think this idea is amazing and for sure, this will be part of each every 50th birthday present i am going to give.

the too many candles cake.

http://silkerudat.blogspot.de/2015/12/too-many-candles-cake.html

...too funny.






the aged to perfection 'birthday card' is another eyecatcher and placed in a picture frame a perfect place fo any coupon or money present.

http://silkerudat.blogspot.de/2015/12/framed-birthday-card.html




"50 rocks" this is such an amazing idea and puts a smile on my face, hopefully not only on my face.

http://silkerudat.blogspot.de/2015/12/rocks-centerpiece.html



numbers in any kind should be essential for a milestone celebration and could be made in any kind of material and in any style.

http://silkerudat.blogspot.de/2015/12/stripped-concrete-numbers-with-sequins.html




...and of course a guestbook, which is such a beautiful memory for the jubilarian.

http://silkerudat.blogspot.de/2015/12/framed-plywood-guestbook.html


if you are looking for some milestone birthday celebration ideas, i hope you could find some inspiration...thank you very much for your visit...best regards...silke

 

framed plywood guestbook

guestbooks are essential for each party...they are just a beautiful memory of a beautiful event.

...they are so easy to make yourself and can be personalized to suit the events and the hosts.

this time i chose to make one out of plywood and key rings...yeah...another hardware store project.

...the inserts of guest books can be designed by yourself or ordered online, depending on your time frame and your creativity.

this is what you need

- two pieces plywood

- drill

- two key rings

- guestbook inserts

- hole puncher

- black paint

- brush

- white frame

- super glue

- white pencil or pen

this is what you have to do

- get the plywood, the black paint and the brush ready

- paint all sides of each plywood piece

- let dry

- get your hole puncher and the guestbook inserts ready

- punch the inserts of the guestbook

-the holes should be placed in the centre of the left rim

- place one of the insert onto each sheet of plywood

- mark the position of the holes

- drill the holes into the plywood pieces

- it should look like this

- get your key rings ready

- open the key rings

- stick the key rings through the holes of the plywood piece, which you chose as your back cover

- add the guestbook inserts

- insert the plywood piece, which you chose as your book cover

- close the key rings

- get your frame and the super glue ready

- adhere the frame onto the centre of the guestbook cover

- and here we go

- your guestbook is ready

- optionally you can letter your guestbook 

inspiration for other guestbook ideas can be found right here:

http://silkerudat.blogspot.de/2014/01/amazing-address-bookhardware-store.html

http://silkerudat.blogspot.de/2014/07/notebooks-made-from-vinyl-flooring.html

http://silkerudat.blogspot.de/2013/08/literally-beautiful-memories.html

http://silkerudat.blogspot.de/2013/04/lacy-clipboard.html

thank you very much for stopping by...best regards...silke

stripped concrete numbers with sequins

of course numbers are a must for any milestone birthday celebration.

the possibilities are endless...cardboard, metal, wood, concrete, wire, yarn, and so on.

...i decided to go for my favourite concrete alternative, which is called moulding compound, it turns out smooth, even and pure white...if you are planning to go for a black and white design, i does save you a bit of painting.

the colour gold is another must for any 50th anniversary...for weddings and for birthdays...and sprinkling a few golden sequins onto the black and white striped numbers seemed to be a great idea.

this is what you need

- moulding compound

- silicone number moulds 

- rubber bowl

- water

- swizzles stick

- tape

- scissors

- black paint

 - brush

- golden sequins

- glue

this is what you have to do

- pour moulding powder an water into the rubber bowl and stir thoroughly, according to the instructions on the package

- pour the liquid into the silicone moulds and let dry

- carefully remove the numbers by flipping the silicone moulds

- aren't they beautiful

- get your tape and scissors ready

- cover the numbers with stripes of the tape to mark the section, you want to paint

- cut the strips, using your scissors

- it might look like this 

- and this

- get your paint and brush ready

- start painting the letter, leaving out the tape covered parts

- carefully remove the tape strips

- also paint the all sides of the numbers

- get your glue and your sequins ready

- add the sequins to your striped numbers

- and that's it

i hope you enjoyed the tutorial...you are more than welcome to take a look at the entire milestone decoration...thank you very much for stopping by...best regards...silke