our 'CHOSEN' Christmas tree

Christmas Day is over...

and i hope you're kicking back in your pj's,
enjoying this delightful limbo between Christmas and New Year's Day.

(after all, who really knows what day it is?)

 as i indulge in as much laziness as i can muster,

i thought i'd share this year's Christmas tree decor - 

some elements i've had for years, others i made just for this theme.

it's.... different. not what most people would do.

(anyone out there surprised by this?!!)

the theme and elements fit into our tropically decorated home

and also speaks to our 'reason for the season'...

continue reading for more details...

our FAVORITE show to watch is 'The CHOSEN',

a crowd-funded multi-season streaming show about Jesus

and how He impacted the lives of the people around him

(the twelve Disciples, His community, His family,

religious leaders, the Roman Empire, basically ALL of history).

i love the writing, acting, character arcs, sets and scenery

and just can't help but tell everyone about it!

this is The CHOSEN logo - 

the thirteen fish swimming in a direction opposite

from the surrounding gray fish signify Jesus and the 12 disciples.

the gray fish are everyone who hasn't encountered Him. Yet. 

ah, but when they DO... things change.

it's free to view, and available on many platforms...

visit www.thechosen.tv for info!

because deb is in her 'green era',

i took some liberties with the logo color palette for our themed tree...

i made my own tree topper and ornaments

in tan, copper, and vibrant green hues, instead of teal green.

there's the overview. now for the details:

the first ornaments i made were the fish...

i knew that i wanted to use a cotton fishnet as a 'garland'

and fill it with the fish of varied colors.

i cut 13 fish out of white posterboard and painted them a vibrant green.

i also cut varied sizes of fish out of copper paper and woodgrain paper.

once the fishnet was on the tree,

i inserted each fish by hand into the woven net...

not easy, but i love the way it turned out!

the tree topper was made from a clear plastic plate

with painted fish around the outer rim

and stained wood letters from the craft store.

i glued a wood dowel to the backside and stuck it into the tree.

lights in front of and behind it make it glow at night!

these white ornaments have the same fish painted on them

as the tree topper. they aren't detailed or perfect, and that's ok!

i had two unused small wood box frames in my stash,

so i created two ornaments from them

using two more painted paper fish and a brown paint pen.

the phrases here are the words of Jesus,

spoken many times in the show.

i picked up some raw wood cutouts in ornament shapes

and used my alcohol paint pens to decorate them...

these two configurations of fish appear in the show,

and also on merchandise (sorry, Dallas - GIFTS!!! iykyk)

that the show sells to help fund seasons.

then i created a wild 'tree' using a tomato cage,

a patio umbrella pole & stand, and raffia hula skirts!

this is by no means a 'tutorial'!

but here's how i made it:

* put the bare umbrella pole into the umbrella stand and tighten it.

* hang the tomato cage from the top of the pole,

using zip ties to secure it.

* wrap the tomato cage in mini lights (i used 'icicle' lights)

* then cover the lights by wrapping raffia hula skirts (dollar tree)

around the tomato cage.

* wrap the bottom of the umbrella pole with woodgrain wrapping paper.

* cover the umbrella stand with linen cloth and a fishnet.

then i wrapped the cotton fishnet around the raffia tree,

securing it with wood clothespins (you can't see them!)

then adding the paper fish. 

i put the topper on after the fishnet but before the fish - 

and i'm glad i did! they were hard to secure.

then i added everything else and.......

here's my wild raffia tree decorated with... fish. yeah.

and i love it!!! it's different, i know -

one of my favorite lines from The CHOSEN is

'Get used to different'. and that works for me!

i have always made my own decor elements,

then mixed them in with what i already have to create new themes.

this is one of the simplest ones i've ever done,

and yet it is one of my favorites. i think there's a message there!

to me, the message of The CHOSEN is simple, too...

Jesus is the reason for the season. EVERY season.

i hope you have a chance to check out the show!

shared online:

funky junk interiors | new upcycle ideas #759 

thank you for including my tree in your feature, Donna!

my wee abode | tuesday turn about link party

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