Friday, December 5, 2008

Why yes, there are times when I can be creative...

So those of you who know my mother know she is the queen of interior design/decoration/all things creative. She's so talented, we affectionately refer to her as "Martha Stewart without the conviction." Though I'm biased, I think she's more talented than Ms. Stewart.

Anyway, those of you who know me know that I didn't really receive this gift... I'm far too anal and OCD to let things flow that way my mom does. But I'd like to think I have a decent eye for design and whatnot, though sometimes the implementation is not exactly what I envision.

So I will now unveil my Christmas tree, that I so lovingly decorated the other night with my sweet mother's assistance. Without her, this tree would not have been possible, and would have taken me five hours to do. So thanks, mom. I like this tradition we've got going on here.

Yup, this bow is all me. My mama taught me well.

A close-up of the middle.

The full effect crammed in our tiny apt.

I also had the opportunity to help decorate a tree for the Festival of Trees this year with some of my co-workers. Last year, the company decided to donate a tree for the Christmas 2008 season, and we did fundraisers throughout the year to raise money to purchase and decorate said tree. We were going to dedicate it to one of our heroes. When Steve passed away in August, we thought it would be a wonderful tribute to him and his great family to decorate a tree in his honor. The theme is "Heaven and Nature Sing"; go check it out at the festival. It's on row G.

It was a labor of love and appreciation for all of us, and I think the end result turned out nicely.

You better believe I did this bow too.

An example of the amazing decorating skills that my co-workers possess.

The tree team. (Minus Jami, who is taking the pic. And yes, I am well aware that I never post flattering pictures of myself on here, but I'm just not photogenic. So deal with it. He hee.)

9 comments:

kenna said...

Beautiful. Yours BLOWS mine out of the water.

Stacey said...

Your tree is beautiful! Good work. Good works also, you know, for donating that tree! What a nice thing to do.

Jimmy and Lindsey said...

Your tree looks awesome! I love the teal!

Chelsey said...

Great job on your tree, Lauren. Can you teach me how to make those bows? I am seriously impressed. Our tree is only 3 feet tall and I don't even think I'll get around to putting it up this year. Whenever I'm sad about not having a tree, I'll come visit your blog.

I'm also touched that you made a tree in honor of Bishop Brown. It turned out really nice. This is the first year I haven't been to Festival of Trees in about 7 years. I couldn't afford to take Truman out in that big of a crowd when he's just barely 3 weeks old.

Oh, and by the way...we'd love to have you visit us when you can so you can meet Truman. Andrew has to go to Russia again for work and so I'll be staying with my parents from the 13th to the 19th...feel free to stop by!

Abby said...

Dude. Your tree is gorgeous. I love the colors you chose.

Also, I get a little puddly when I hear about the Festival of Trees. My mom worked for Primary Children's for years and because of that, was involved with the festival every year. I was able to participate as I got older and I helped paint kid's faces or whatever was needed. I have such special memories from the festival. Anyway, I digress...what I mean to say is, the tree you did for the festival is gorgeous, and I think it's a great tribute to your friend.

I also wish you were in my ward so you could teach bow making at Enrichment night. ;)

The Jessups said...

Great tree!! Our tree is up, but only has lights on it thus far. Having a 17 month old and a Christmas tree is far more complicated than I ever imagined.

Beth said...

Lauren, I love your tree. It sounds looks like all the hard work paid off, it is so pretty.

Kimba said...

Gorgeous tree, and the bow! Looks professionally done, very fabulous. :)

I love the Festival of Trees, I painted faces with Abby and we performed a few times, and I just loved going and looking at them all. One of these years (when I finally get home...) I'm going to donate one. It looks like you guys had fun, and your tree is awesome!

Whitney said...

i am in shock and ahh of your tree! good work you.
yours is the bestest ;)