Phase 2 of The House Behind The Trees ~ The downstairs #TeelsBuildaHouse

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So we are starting the downstairs ... I HATE to say basement because we had a basement in our old home, where you opened a door and went down stairs separated from anything else. It was a finished basement complete with a bedroom, craft room, family/game room and we spent a lot of time there ~ our oldest son moved down there in jr high and stayed through high school ... until we finished the master suite in the attic then he moved back up to the bedroom floor with his brother and sister.  So here our downstairs is open to the rest of the house, you can see through to the outside from the top of the stairs going down because we have a wall of windows down there as well.  We really didn't plan to have a kiddo down there but since we are having to do a switch-a-roo with rooms (I'll explain later) he is moving home soon and will be downstairs. Anyhoo, our downstairs will house our main family room, our middle sons room, a full bath and kitchenette.  I thought it would be fun ...
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DIY Christmas Decorations

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Festive centerpiece
Branch out from conventional tablescapes by using an extra-long tree limb as a platform for displaying ornaments. Simply knot lengths of twine around the branch and hang it from a row of five or six ceiling hooks.(Silver and green ornaments, from $23.75 for 12; codyfosterandco.com for stores. Cultural Intrigue ornament in bronze, from $4; lunabazaar.com. Chairs, $275 each; conranusa.com. Martha Stewart collection glasses, $36 for four; macys.com)

Birdcages
These simple gift tags, which cost less than a dollar each, take center stage when hung in vintage cages. The paper doves also look lovely dangling from chandeliers or even doorknobs. (Tags, $9.95 for 12; paper-source.com. Birdcages, from $10 each; ebay.com)

Bird-themed tree
The shining star of this avian-themed tree? An egg-filled nest perched at the top.


Frame ornaments
Scraps of wrapping paper look pretty as a picture when tucked inside nickel frames. ($6.09 for four frames; amazon.com)

Card tree
Save your mantel from a paper blizzard with this "tree." To craft it, you'll need two wood dowels. Cut them into five segments, starting with eight inches wide and enlarging each piece by two inches. Fold two yards of ribbon in half, then place the shortest dowel about six inches from the fold, spacing the rest about five inches apart from one another. Hot-glue so the dowels are sandwiched between the two ribbon tails. Attach your favorite greetings to the dowels with small binder clips and hang.

Advent calendar
Make your season both merry and bright with these clever handmade ornaments, centerpieces, and other craft ideas. Use ordinary grocery-store matchboxes to count down the days till Christmas. Just hot-glue the tops of empty boxes to one another to form rows (start with nine boxes for the base, and decrease by two until you have a single box). Cut wrapping paper to cover each section; secure with hot glue. Next, hot-glue the rows in a pyramid shape as shown. Use number stamps (available at craft stores) to mark the boxes 1 through 25, then fill with candy and trinkets.

Ornamental decorating
Reserve a special spot for treasured ornaments by showcasing them inside a shadow box: Line the frame backing with bright wrapping paper, then affix your decorations with double-sided adhesive pads. (Shadow box, $23.52; frames4everyone.com)


Pinecones
Spray-painted white, pinecones really pop against evergreen boughs.

Photo wreath
To make your own photo arrangement, hot-glue a selection of black-and-white snapshots (use copies if you're worried about ruining the originals) to a wire wreath form. ($1.55 for 10" diameter; mainewreathco.com)

Red-and-white bows
Grosgrain ribbons become eye-catching bows.

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