Little Forest

I don't have many knick-knacks--I hate clutter, and I dislike dusting and try to avoid it (yet I'm a clean-freak. I know, the irony). I prefer things to be both beautiful and functional. But sometimes I like to make pretty, whimsical things whose only purpose is to make me happy, like this garland of bright tiny trees. 
I love trees, and tree motifs.

 I'd seen some tree garlands on Pinterest, and wanted to make my own. They're just little triangles of  scraps, a bit of stuffing, and some twill tape (or ribbon) for the trunks, then hand-sewn onto hemp twine. To keep the ends of the twine from fraying, I sandwiched each end between tiny squares of fabric with a little fusible interfacing to help it stick together, and machine-stitched around the edges.

They hang across the doorway to the attic room, and make me smile every time I see them. The little trees are so pretty and cheerful when they're lit up by the afternoon light coming down from the top of the stairs.

Here's the tree garland I made for Christmas. They're their brightest in the winter morning light.

If you'd like to make your own, Svetlana has a nice tutorial here.

Go make something that makes you smile!