the third day of christmas: (i know, whatever happened to the first two?) how to make a designer wigwam for only twenty bucks.

this started out as one of those really great ideas. fabulous even. it was gonna be one of those "i'm dreaming of a white christmas" moments. complete with angel. cos mousey has been asking to put up the christmas tree for DAYS, and i had a great idea that i'd bribe them with a Great Big Bedroom Tidy and then we'd do the christmas tree thang. but today i met my friend becks at one o'clock for coffee, and before the coffee we had a quick breeze through the local christmas shop, and we saw some amazing designer cone-shaped willow trees wrapped in red organza for about two hundred bucks. we both got an immediate rush of blood to the head and thought: we can make our own for a tenth of that price!!!

so we grabbed some bamboo stakes

and five metres of satin fabric

and headed home in a frenzy.

uh, grabbed the brown wool (couldn't find any string)
and started wrapping and hot gluing
and fairy-lighting...

and oh dear, ended up with a
wonky freaking WIGWAM.

at which the kids scrunched up their noses
and suggested decorating The Proper Tree.
which they're now doing.
and the bamboos have been banished
to the garden where they belong.