diy birch stick star

Last week, we decided to deck the halls around here, even though we kept it simple this year. And it felt nice.

With two pups, three kiddos, homeschool + running a business from home {that is still on the market-wheeeeee!} and a partridge in a pear tree… it’s just what the doctor ordered.

For all things keeping our sanity, it’s the first year we’ve felt pretty calm about the holidays.

And while I didn’t tackle too many fresh holidaisical projects this year, as usually I’m all, make all the things! {much to Jamin’s relief as he was refinishing the garage – that’s another fun catastrophic story that would only happen to us – stay tuned for next week}… we did try this one: A simple birch stick star.

It’s so easy, you may suffer some second hand embarrassment for us that I even share it here today. But I was walking through the aisles of Target, when I spied this simple birch stick bundle {a-la-Threshold} and immediately scooped it up. Don’t get me wrong… usually I would venture into the woods and cut my own branches, because I’m awesome wilderness woman like that. And by awesome wilderness woman, I mean send Jamin into the woods because that’s how we roll and ticks are scary. But a. birch isn’t very plentiful in our area, and b. sometimes time is worth my money because these perfectly straight branches were just waiting for me in the aisles of Target.

Sometimes ya just can’t go wrong with Target.

I’m not going to lie… when I made this, I felt a bit Little House on the Prarie. Like next, Pa may come ’round the corner with a pig bladder that we could blow up for the kids to play with, and at night we may gather round the fire and tell stories while a bobcat stalked us and I sewed handmade clothes for everyone. And I’m glad I live in 2015 because pig bladders. And indoor plumbing. And Target with Starbucks. So much respect for pioneer people and days of yore. But today, I thought I’d share a few simple tips to show you how.

What you’ll need: • Branches of choice {as straight as possible- all the same length – ours were 4 feet long} • Twine + scissors • Hot glue

I cleared our kitchen table, and I laid the branches out in the star shape, just to make sure the idea would work and they fit properly, since they overlap one another to make the shape.

And positioned one branch over another on each end.

I secured them with a little hot glue and…

Wrapped twine in both directions all around each end. And secured the branches with a little more hot glue before I finished the last bit/cutting the twine.

Tada!

And that night, they chewed on pig tails by the fire and admired Ma’s handiwork. Even though they all wondered where she got the twine/space age hot glue gun.