A Kitten's First Christmas

My first thought about Christmas with a five month old kitten (and living on the third and fourth floors of a walk-up row house), was to go easy and kitten-proof. I took a Friday evening , some internet inspiration and a bunch of fabric, both scrap and yardage and came up with this:

The bird shapes are leftover from bird ornaments I made years ago and the long shapes are leftovers from cutting the birds out of fat quarters. The circles are just that. The tree is lime gree Kona cotton that I bought with a quilt in mind (one that hasn't materialized) and the trunk is a fat quarter of Kons folded up to suit the tree. It's all just stuck onto the quilt batting that I use as a design wall/display space (since I haven't sewn a stitch since I got to DC). Harvest enjoyed helping me put the tree togther, but when I posted the picture to FB, I was gently chastised for not giving him the full Christmas tree experience.

I thought about that for a while, and the likihood that I will ever adopt another kitten...and changed my mind. (Also, they were inexpensive on the Army base I was visiting.)

I put it up and put lights on in the day I brought the tree home (Balsa, very light and easy to haul up the stairs...and the young man at the lot got a big tip for vectoring me this way after hearing that I had four flights of stairs!) I had a paper to write the next day, so didn't do anything else, which was just as well since it took the boy some time to figure out just what I'd brought home.

Over the course of Thursday and Friday, I've slowly added decorations to the tree. I started with some pretty red vintage-y baubles I'd bought years ago, clear plastic balls that I stuffed with gree tissue paper and gold plastic balls, all of which I bought on sale at Michael's Wednesday night. Then I found a template for paper flower balls and started making them. I started with card stock, which made nice, sturdy balls. Then I realized that plain old printer paper balls would fit over the colored lights and make for pretty decorations, so I made a bunch of them. Rather more than actually appear in this picture...

Thankfully, they're pretty easy to make and put back together after the little guy has plucked them off the tree and had his way with them. By now (Sunday afternoon), the lower branches of the tree are bare of ornaments and he's taken to jumping up and trying the get the higher hanging ornaments. (Don't worry about the base - it's made for a bigger tree and is very stable.) This pic is pretty blurry, but he's only five months old. Most of my "playing with ornaments" pictures look like this...

I did get him in a pause yesterday...

The red ornaments are glass, but are very heavy duty - solid rather than hollow. I will leave you with one of my favorite pictures from the other day...Harvest trying to make a choice.

I have to say, I'm thrilled with my decision to give my boy a tree for Christmas!

Comments

[Iris]

What - you don't have a picture yet of eyes peering at you from half-way up and on the inside of the tree? This is especially striking when you've just come home, you're approaching from the hallway where the light is on, toward the tree where the room lights are still off...

[Jennifer]

I love your fabric tree. Pets are so challenging with a Christmas tree. Fortunately, they're worth it! Looks like he's enjoying himself!