Paper tree for space solution

 

December!!!!  I am having a hard time recalling my life from September to now.  So many things happened to my family this year.  In the mean time, my boy is constantly growing healthily.   We are growing out of this tiny Japanese apartment.  I didn't want to give up a tree, but where can I put it in this mess? So I decided to be creative this year and use paper trick. That way, we can have a big tree in the house.  One great thing is that it would be a great art project to work on for my son.   I put up a foundation today, and I am planning on adding our handmade paper ornaments this week. 

Pipe Cleaner Crafts: Christmas Ornaments 2013

I remember that I had so much fun making Christmas ornaments out of pipe cleaners.  That was three years ago when I was pregnant and had plenty of free time.  I posted the results on my previous blog, Gazillion Crayons.

I thought it would be fun to make some ornaments with my baby this year.  It turned out that my son was not really ready for it yet, but I had great time wandering into the world of imagination.  Something about the process of bending and twisting the pipe cleaners....it is addictive and therapeutic. 

These are the ones I made in 2010,

 

 

 I took pictures of my new work with some old ones.

 

 

 

I made so many of these. Now the question is where to put them? :-)

DIY dot dot dot window shade

Hot hot summer is creeping in soon here in Japan.  My apartment is always bright and nice, but the heat from the windows will be unbearable soon.  I hadn't been able to spend any time for this problem since I moved in here, and finally I got an idea for this one particular window that gets deadly afternoon sun in summer. 

I used some cheap insulation sheets, cut holes in them, and attached to the window with tape. Doesn't it give you some beach feel or what?? :-) haha. It looks funny a bit from outside, but it does    block sun light quite well.