BE MADE: Tomato Cage Christmas Tree Card Holder

I've been blogging now for nearly 4 years, and I still feel like an amateur at times. I didn't start this blog in the hopes of being big like Martha, but I did want it to look nice and be a good read for those that read it. But as I have grown as a blogger, I cringe looking back at some of my early posts, and even some from only a year ago. Amazing how I've grown in just that time period.

In looking back, I realize I did a great disservice to my readers last Christmas. I was a crafting maniac last year for Christmas, really to the point that I burned myself out I think. There were just so many awesome things I had to make for my decor! You know what I mean?? Thank you, Pinterest!!

But because I did so many crafts, I didn't want to post a bazillion posts about each one, so I wrote 3. And each post contained like 3 or 4 different projects. Talk about an overload for whoever dared to read it!! What on earth was I thinking?? Sorry, guys!

Not to toot my own horn (to quote the Gevalia guy), but I think I had some really cute stuff. I'm not really doing any Christmas crafts this year -- I only have a couple in mind -- so I thought I would reintroduce some of the "better" projects from last year, each in their own post, their own spotlight.

First one up: my Tomato-Cage Christmas Tree Christmas Card Holder

I love Christmas cards. I love designing them, I love receiving them, and I love displaying them. They are like miniature pieces of art. I always wanted a card holder, and had always in the past just hung them on ribbon, which works well, but I wanted something different.

My inspiration came randomly one day when we were working outside and I spied some unused tomato cages that had been stored away. They had been stacked upside down, and gave the slightest impression of cones...or Christmas trees!

I grabbed one and saw I needed to shape it a bit -- make it more Christmas-tree-y -- so I cut the rings then re-secured them a bit smaller with heavy gauge wire to make it a little more tapered -- a little more cone shaped. The cutting part takes a bit of muscle, so I had the hubs help me out with his wire cutters.

Then I made my pointed top by also securing it with wire.

It was a used cage, so it was a little dingy and rusty. I wiped it down, then spray painted it silver.

While the paint was still wet, I dabbed it with a paper towel to distress it just a little.

You can't really tell in pictures, but after the silver was dry, I went over the cage with green glitter paint to give it just a hint of green. I didn't paint the cage green because I wasn't looking for the literal tree look, but I thought a touch of green would be nice.

It also makes it sparkle a little more. Pretty pretty.

And, because a tree needs ornaments, I found these cute red sparkly bows and added them to my tree at the intersections.