As soon as I bought tickets, I started plotting how I could fill his apartment with holiday-ness using only what I could pack in my small suitcase. Turned out the simplest ideas have the biggest impact! This next part is going to sound like a DIY tutorial; please bear with my boasting ^^.
I noticed a couple fashion magazines in the break room at work that had been sitting there for months. I pulled out all the brightly colored pages, imagining that I'd ball them up or origami them into ornaments. What I ended up doing was cutting them into three-ish inch circles and sewing them into garlands!!! I love them, and I plan on using them ALL THE TIME when I get them home. I will have the coolest looking parties. See?!
The other main thing I did was make a portable Christmas tree. I got the idea from IKEA. Apparently back in 2012 or something they printed a fabric with a full size photograph of a fir tree, but they haven't done it since. I checked Ebay and found a flourishing but expensive market--someone in Canada seems to have bought a whole bolt and has been making bank on these trees ever since! I didn't want to spend 60$ on a fabric tree (of course, as all seasoned crafters might guess, the final iteration of my project probably cost me not much less), so I decided to Make One Myself. First I checked out buying a digital photograph of a tree and having Spoonflower print it out for me on the fabric of my choice. That started looking pricey and also very, I don't know, theoretical. I like doing things myself. I can make sure it gets done that way. And done in time to pack in my suitcase. Until this point I had been actively telling myself that I wouldn't paint it because it would just end up looking dumb, but in the end I painted it. And I don't think it looks dumb!
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| stage 1: neon green spray paint as base! |
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| stage 2: paint dark green with dry brush for fur effect |
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| stage 3: pump-spray-bottle of emerald green for depth |
And this is the tree in situ:
I pinned it to Joel's curtains! And it turned out just right that his mom sent him the most perfect gold glittery star!! Not to mention bells and mini candy canes, which I just safety pinned to the tree. Oh and of course Joel's elephant stocking. ^^
Tah dah! Add an evergreen smelly candle and the illusion is complete!
Basically, I arrived on Wednesday night and spent Thursday morning transforming Joel's apartment while he was at work. His shipment of all of his worldly belongings had come in the day before, so I gleefully unpacked brandy-new kitchen stuff, hauled all the other boxes into one of the spare bedrooms, rearranged his furniture, and hung lights and strew candy everywhere! Christmas Eve in China was lovely cozy :) We drank fancy spicy drink from IKEA and opened presents and watched Scrooge and went to bed early IN PREPARATION FOR: Christmas day in Hong Kong!!!
(To be continued)
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