The First Day of Catmas

'Tis the season, my Besties, and be of good cheer...

The First Day of Catmas is finally here!!!

 We herald our projects not with poinsettia flowers,

But with unhappy cats sporting murderous glowers!

 The jingling of bells! The gnashing of teeth!

The whole spectacle is beyond all belief!

 Join us each day for crafts inexpensive and great

And cats mad enough to exsanguinate!

 Can't afford gifts for everyone you'd like to bestow one upon?

Hogwash.

Balderdash.

Poppycock.

Fiddlesticks.

Hokum.

Applesauce.

Claptrap.

See? That was all G-rated.

Anyway, we can put together a pile of little trinkets in minutes that are festive and fun,

not to mention unisex, and you can make two more cheaply

than you can purchase a stamp to send a card!

You've got that kind of cash in the dryer lint trap!

You will need to gather:

1. One package of snowflake bells from the Dollar Tree. These are sold 9 for $1. My choices were in  matte and shiny silver, but they also have gold if you prefer.

2. One spool of thin satin ribbon from Walmart, 10 yards for $0.47. I chose black.

3. One large sparkling plastic bead from The Dollar Tree, 50 to a package. We went with blues.

 I'm not a fan of the gaudy-gold-bell-on-a-red-satin-string-thing.

I always thought they were more flash, less festive.

Our version has sparkle, with a more grown up appeal.

First, cut a 36 inch length of the ribbon and simply slide it through the top of the bell.

Even it up and put the ribbon ends together.

 Push both ends through the plastic bead and slide it

down toward the bell.

 *Waves!*

Tie a knot in the ribbon just above the bead to keep everything in place.

 Knot the ends and pull it very tight.

 Trim the excess off so it's nice and neat.

Done!

This actually looks good with an outfit.

 The blue and silver make it suitable for other holidays as well,

such as Chanukah or Yule.

And the snowflake is just so much prettier than a plain bell

 What REALLY elevates this?

Bell 11 cents

Ribbon 4.7 cents

Bead 2 cents

That's right!

Gaudy-Gold-Bell-on-a-Red-Satin-String-Thing: $1

LIR-Silver-Bell-on-a-Ribbon-Thing: 18 Cents

For that price, you can festoon everyone you know!

Tomorrow, we'll do a little accessorizing.

Warn your friends.