ok, I messed up. I tend to scan quickly when I am excited about a project. So you said vertical blinds and the ones I saved were the regular vinyl blinds. I got out 4 slats and washed them (in shed) and got busy with the directions in hand. First one I bent in half broke. So the next one I did not crease but just fold...got to the points and they broke. No telling how old they were when I did a curb find but I guess they were not a good choice, lol. So I took some fun foam I have and using all white, got confused. So I found a tan sheet and did get a flat star done. So I will try with paper and practice because I am gona find some verticals and make some. Maybe I can find some that are on sale racks also. Maybe some where the hangers are damaged cause I will not need them. I do believe the regular vinyl blinds would work if newer and could find some of these on sale rack. Oh, it is the top and bottom of the regular vinyl blinds that I am gona use for hanging flags or banners outside this summer.

On our Christmas posts someone had great jeweled cone trees. 1 pastel other 1 Victorian looking. Can't remember what it was under but they were all pinned on so could be reused. With damaged jewelry you could take a "jewel" off of 1 item & put on another to fill in hole & then spray the whole thing, no one would know! Yes, I agree that all the jewelry needs sorting,clear plastic shoe boxes or even regular shoeobxes marked on end or ziploc bags & put it all in large box, mark top of bag with items inside- so they are "filed" in the box. Whole earrings with stones or rhinestones all in a box that way you see if you have enough of something to work out your design. It's been about a year so hope you have made something up. If not organize it so it isn't so out of control. I've gotten small stashes & even that is a mess if not sorted out. Hope yoou post pics soon. Jan

Seasons Greetings everyone and Hello Patti! I just love your Christmas present. So pretty! I love, love, love beads! I know the tree you mentioned. It was gorgeous with all the different glass shapes and colors. I believe the lady made it with ceiling grid suspension wires. Like the kind you use to hang the metal framework that holds the ceiling tiles in place for a dropped or suspended ceiling. I remember because I looked at the hardware stores for them. They come in packages of like 50, in pre-cut lengths. IÂm gonna say 4ft.or 6ft. lengths of 12 or 16 gauge wires but IÂm not sure. I donÂt recall what she used for the base or Âtrunk or how she had the wires affixed to it. Seems like it looked like a thin, hollow piece of fence railing, like the kind used in the top rail of a chain link fence? Or it might have been a cylinder type curtain rod/pole. LOL! My memoryÂs only so-so these days. I need Spring and sunshine!

I'll have to consider this--I do end up w/ all kinds of boxes out at once. But it's all the living-room box, too.Mostly it's just that tree stuff is in 3 boxes. I'll have to think about this--how to get the lights in w/ the ornaments. Fewer ornaments, probably. I do take my stuff out at Christmas with an eye toward putting it away. I weed out stuff (and again when I do put it away), but I also think about whether I want to put it away in a certain order or grouping, and what I'll need to do it.