Out of control crafty Christmas

I am officially out of control on the Christmas crafts this year.  This probably has something to do with my excitement to decorate combined with my lack of access to my decorations which happen to be in my storage room.  So, I set out on an epic journey to the local craft stores in search of cheap craft supplies to make Christmas decorations.  I officially scored (though admittedly some weren't so cheap), and now that the crafting marathon hubbub is starting to subside, I can share with you some of the fun things I made. 

Crochet stuff
I found a few cute patterns and decided to finally "hook" them up.  The first was a snowflake table runner which I downsized to a large doily:


Next, I worked on a poinsettia which I hoped would be a set of ornaments but was too floppy.  After finally weaving in all the ends I just put it in the middle of the doily for lack of a better place to put it, and it seems to have found a happy home:


I also found a neat Christmas tree garland pattern on Ravelry but didn't have access to the magazine.  I was too excited to wait so I just used the idea as an inspiration to invent my own version.  Here are my pre-garlanded trees:


I attempted to felt them but only made them fuzzier, then I attached them together with a chain.  I mounted the garland on the mantle where they were a bit lonely for a while until I discovered a neat knitter/crocheter wreath idea with fake yarn balls on the Jo-Ann website.  I used that idea to make yarn ball ornaments with the leftover garland yarn and some bells and voila - a more social garland:


Other stuff
Using that same yarn ball idea with an unsavory yarn that I didn't quite enjoy crocheting with, I made another ornament but this time for the real tree:


I found a fancy flower arrangement idea, but simplified to this quick, easy, cheap version:  just a glass vase with pinecones and one clump of fake poinsettias.  I added the elephant ornament photo not because I made it but because I thought it was so cute (thanks, World Market!):
 

This was another great idea from the Jo-Ann website - a cinnamon stick votive holder.  I didn't have enough sticks to cover the back of the glass, but I prefer it that way since more light can escape.  I use the LED tea lights so that I won't have anxiety attacks about potential fire hazards.


Finally, a good old grapevine wreath is quick and easy (especially when all the ingredients are on sale).  I need to re-do the ribbon since it looks a bit jacked up:


At last, a complete Christmas-y mantle with the mysterious head of Palenque watching over all (see Why I like being a slow Ironman).  He actually was quite handy when I needed something to hammer in the pins holding up the garland.

Why I like being a slow Ironman

Please excuse my absence from posting - I went on a Thanksgiving trip to Cozumel with my boyfriend for his Ironman race on Sunday.  We had a great time - I ran around a tent helping the women transition from swim to bike (and gathering all specimens of triathlon substances in existence on my hands, clothes, and person in the process) while the boyfriend managed to collect a nifty first place in his age group with a time of 9 hours 25 minutes.  Let me remind you - my first Ironman took me 16 hours 35 minutes.  And, I don't really expect to ever get much faster than maybe 15 hours (why I torture myself for these long periods of time may be the subject of a future post, but not now so just accept that it's actually fun).

This brings me to the subject of my post - why slower Ironman triathletes actually have it better. 

• Reason #1:  People at the back of the pack are more fun.  We chat, we joke, we support each other throughout the event.
• Reason #2:  Running at night is much cooler than running in the day.
• Reason #3:  Runner's trots?  What's that?
• Reason #4:  Your family and friends get to suffer almost just as much as you as they spectate for 16+ hours.
• Reason #5:  You can eat a sandwich in transition, and it won't really affect your competitive standing.
• Reason #6:  You will never be forced to accept a large, unwieldy, heavy, scary age group prize which may result in excess/heavy baggage airline fees (yes, the scale reads 9.4 pounds):

Ironman Cozumel Age Group Winner:  Prize-Winner or Burden-Getter?
 

Ironman Cozumel Age Group Trophy:  Or as I like to call it, The Scary Head on the Mantle who mysteriously watches me watching TV


See my Palenque label for more adventures from the mysterious head on the mantle.