Loryn: I’ve collected wooden ornaments from the 70s and 80s for several years now, and I’ve wanted a fun way to display them. Our Two-Hour Christmas Decoration Challenge seemed like a good time to think something up.

Here, you can see how big the tree is (my ceilings are nearly 10′!). When we were kids, our grandpa would take us to pick out a live tree at his uncle’s Christmas tree farm. We would pick out a tree that seemed little out in the field, only to find out that it was 8′ tall once we got it into the house. Evidently, I still have that same problem, as I didn’t realize how big this would be until I got it on the wall!

I used green clothesline wire that I found at the hardware store during our $5 Challenge. My initial idea was to make the tree as one piece. At 10:30, with one quarter of my time already gone, I realized it just wasn’t going to work. The wire was much harder to bend than I expected, and it was a weird, wobbly mess. Time for plan B! I decided that individual rows would be easier to work, and it meant that I could add rows as my collection grew.

Here you can see the loops I made at the end of each row to hold the screws that hold the tree onto the wall. I first planned to make the ornament “hooks” go the other way, and to use hooks to hold each ornament in its spot. In the middle of the project, I realized that by turning them over I could eliminate hooks.

The ornaments are really lightweight, so I didn’t worry about getting the screws into studs. There will be a lot of screw holes in the walls to patch. This room will be painted after Christmas, so I’ll be patching anyway. If you’re not up for patching, this would make a fun, single strand garland, or even an advent calendar, with a new ornament added each day!

— Loryn