Ribbons - check! Snowflakes - check!

This is a long one folks! Get a snack before you sit down to read, it could take awhile.

I'm finished! I can't believe it but I am finished. And I am so pleased with the results. The snowflakes have been done for ages, but I didn't want to post pics of them and no ribbons, effectively killing any motivation I might have to finish. So the point is, you get the pics from start to finish on both projects even if I posted them once before. (Now do you see why I told you get a snack?)

Snowflakes

I don't recall where I even got the idea for this, probably swiped it from someone else's creative brain, but they have been so fun. When Esther counted last there were a zillion, but I estimate somewhere in the neighborhood of 300-350. I've said it before, but I love how they dance around with the air currents. It's almost magical.

They started out something like this.

Every night after dinner, we would pull the scissors out and cut away. When the Elders were over, we took advantage of the extra pairs of hands too. Its one of my favorite holiday memories now.

Finally, we attached them to fishing line and then to the ceiling.  I am almost ready to take them down but I have to come up with a replacement idea first. 

The architecture of this place really lends itself to my creative whims. 
I love the flakes against the persimmon hue of the curtains. The contrast is so pretty.

Ribbons

I had so much fun seeing this project come together. It was interesting to see people's reactions to it at different stages.  For awhile I thought I had overshot on the amount of ribbon, but I almost wish I had used more.

So cutting to length 1000 yards of ribbon was my starting point.

Then I had to transport the ribbon from one room to the next, which doesn't seem like a big deal, but I had to keep it from tangling and dragging. 

After attaching it to copper electricians' wire, up it went. It was heavier than I anticipated which made hanging it tricky, but Jon made it possible with a little of his magic. 

I really liked it at this point, but I could see the kids using it to play Tarzan or circus or something crazy. Plus it did nothing to light the room when enclosed. And yes - that is a Christmas tree in the background. :)

So this next part was the most time consuming - hands down. It involved me on a ladder with a staple gun in hand, balancing myself while trying to find the right length or swag for each piece. Furniture had to be moved to accommodate the ladder and I really had to get over my fear of heights.  This post might have been done months ago but for this step. The fact that I am a bit of a perfectionist didn't help either.

Finally it is finished. I think it is so striking. The pictures don't do it justice. The colors are so vibrant and the ribbon has a nice sheen to it. It's fabulous! I think I will keep it up forever!