What I learned at the Mini

Yesterday, I went to the Christmas decorators workshop called Florida Mini. So, before I forget, I want to document a few ideas, tips, and tricks that I picked up at the workshop.

• Village: A village mountain ca be constructed from spray painted aluminum foil.
• LOR software tip: in Edit -> Preferences, I can delete that annoying yellow pop up.
• LOR software tip: I can select a portion of a song by highlighting a portion of the yellow timescale.
• Show Idea: I can have one of the voiceovers tell guests that an "all on" photo oppty is forthcoming.
• LOR software tip: I should consider putting the north poles and roof stripes in separate tracks so the channels are more manageable to navigate.
• LOR software tip: use spacebar to stop the song from playing
• Visitors: Still don't have a great method for accirately capturing the number of visitors.
• Villages: Some people prefer the Foam Factory hot knife to the little red one I have.
• LED Lights: almost all LED lights are half wave which always have a flicker.
• LED Lights: when a half strand goes out, cut it in the middle (where there's only 1 wires) and connect it to another half strand. Remember to have a rectifier on both half strands.
• LED Lights: Some people dip the entire strand of lights into Corrosion X overnight in a 5 gallon bucket. They take the strand out, let the extra drain back into the bucket, and let them dry. This is supposed to increase the number of usable years substantially.

Questions I still have:
Why are LEd strands commonly 60 count?

Amazing Inspiration For Copeland Christmas

I have been scouring the internet for tips on polystyrene carving. I happened upon Kevin Fonner's website about the nursery he made for his son. It's phenomenal

Here's a photo from his website. Visit it. He not only incorporated starry LEDs but also polystyrene and Disney. This project is truly amazing and I find it sooo inspiring.

Over the past few years, I have learned how to successfully carve and paint polystyrene for our village scenes and the Antarctica scene. I've wanted to make a large tree for the garage scene, and I've been impatiently waiting for the LED or fiber optic lighting to become less laborious. I so appreciate the effort, planning, and time this nursery required. It's been a while since I've been this impressed with handmade elements. Kudos!

Computer Work for 2010 Copeland Christmas

I spent some time earlier this week cleaning up the computer files that control the lights here at Copeland Christmas.

Basically, I learned how to change the timing grid in the Light-O-Rama software. Now, our sequence files are all nice and consistent at a tenth of a second. This means that the lights will blink 10 times per second. This is also why it takes soooo long to program each song.

For each song that plays on our radio each night, there are several computer files that execute.

- music file (.wav or .mp3)
- schedule file (tells the computer to play the show between 6 and 10pm)
- show file (tells the computer which files to play)
- sequence file (tells the electric boxes which lights to blink)
- animation file (.jpg that shows a rendering of the display)

I still have certain parts that blink much faster than 10 times per second, but in general I like using the 10th of a second rule.

Resurrecting an Idea from Years Ago

A few years ago we took photos inside the Christmas store at one of the Disney parks in Orlando. That was the first year we did a gingerbread scene at the house. Anyway, I was just looking back through the photos and discovered a ginat gingerbread man that I believe I can carve out of styrofoam for next year's display.

From Copeland Christmas Blog

I don't know where the scene would go, but the little Annalee gingerbread guys could hang from lights like they did in the 07 display shown here.

The gingerbread is hanging from a blue icicle light in this photo...it's just hard to see. Maybe I could do a giant candy themed tree and have the gingerbread village under it and the large styrofoam pieces on the wall. Or...I can make oversized candy pieces for the tree!!!...this sounds good. Large swirl candies wrapped in cellofane...large gingerbread cookies carved from styro...gum drops dusted in pastel glitter and strung over LED lights...strands of popcorn. I just have to find a source for good thick styrofoam.

WPTV News Broadcast from Copeland Christmas

We had a few special visitors last night. A great local news crew found Copeland Christmas a few years ago by doing an internet search and they were here taping within a few days. Here's the link to lastnight's broadcast. It was a very fun night!

A quick side note...I'd like to thank many of my friends and family that has helped get the house camera-ready over the last few weeks.

• Thanks to John for allowing, orchestrating, and executing this huge project
• Thanks to the Roberts for support, hand-on-help, cool Christmas stuff
• Thanks to the Copeland's for support, hands-on-help, cool Christmas stuff, and great ideas
• Thanks to neighbors for hands-on-help, patience, and merry cheer (see below)

Check out this turkey that was brought over lastnight by an awesome neighbor.

I want to thank the following kids for helping with so much of the decorations:

Amanda Stevens Matthew Roberts
Mackenzie Stevens Allie Ridgely
Andrew Ridgely Danielle Dodge

The 09 Display is Beginning to Take Shape

Over the last couple days, we have been unloading the storage units and filling up the porch and garage. John’s plan is to build all the infrastructure for the garage display. My plan has been to get all the themed trees done. The staging area is the porch and I think many of the trees will stay on the porch as part of the display.

 

John has a great idea about how to decorate the porch this year. He wants to put a bunch of trains on the porch and open up the area to be part of the main display. Last year, he decorated the porch, but it was also a storage area and was just kind of cluttered. So, we didn’t love for people to be walking around out there.

Here’s the gator tree. It just might stay here on the porch ledge this year.

 

The Antarctica scene has received two rather large snowmen and a bright aqua tree. Joey said they have no trees in Antarctica…good thing we are doing a Make Believe Antarctica display! And I still see remnants of Halloween off to the left. John had a good idea of keeping the Halloween tree out and decorating it with all the Nightmare Before Christmas characters. What a fantastic idea…now I just need to watch that movie and find a slew of character ornaments.

Here’s the biggest pain I’ve been dealing with…I can’t get these remote controls to program correctly. You’re supposed to plug in the received to an outlet, and push a corresponding button on the remote to activate the system. It worked fine last year. I’ve googled it and found other people who are having the same problem. Today, this bag is headed to Jonathan’s…if anyone can figure them out, it’s him.

New Orleans Christmas Store

We went to New Orleans last weekend for the LSU game (we won)! Anyway, there is a cute Christmas store near in the French Quarter and I couldn't resist snapping some photos.



Love this idea for the tropical scene. I was going to do it last year, but I never did. Maybe I will do it in 2009.

2009 Ideas

I have a few more ideas I need to get documented...I will lose them if I don't put them in writing.
I got this penguin thing last year on clearance. It will go nicely on the Antarctica scene...which I decided will go in the dining room. I have an Antarctica DVD which might get played under the table. I will wrap the two framed prints with a wintery, icy paper. I will put the white feather tree and the two silver trees in this scene. I will try to put the two giant snowmen on either side of the table. They might not fit in the room though.


Next....
I have an idea for the center of the garage...
It will have a giant wooden sleigh that is filled with presents. The right side of the garage will be Santa's workshop again but will have a sign this year so there's no mistaking what it is. The two 4-ft Annalee elves will be filling the sleigh. Some of the elves will be attached to a dowl and will look like they are standing on top of each other (being all goofy) helping to laod packged. There will be one extra goofy elf that is doing a flip in the air (from fishing line).

Next...
We have the following scenes that I still need to wrap my head around...

• gingerbread scene
• snowman scene gator and owl tree
• circus scene
• 'Twas the night scene
• peackock tree
• USA tree
• Wizard of Oz scene
• ladybug scene
• gold angel scene
• red cardi nal scene
• carollers scene
• snowboarding village scene (w/ fog machine)
• pink disney tree
• water scene in the village
• ...more to come....

Did Some Experiements Today

The igloo (spray foam in a bowl) is coming along.

The foam has continued expanding over the past 5 hours. I put this hammer on the bowl to weigh it down. You can see all the foam oozing out the right side of the bowl.

I used sandpaper and yellow duct tape to make road ways.

I used BBQ skewers and wood glue to make a fence around a village house platform. For the cost ($0), I think this is a cute addition.

The telephone poles need some tweaking. I would like to figure out an easy and cheap design to have them stand up. I could pole them into the styrofoam base, but I don't always use a base. I thought about using washers, bar coasters, and posicle sticks...if you have any ideas, lemme know! The chopsticks are a must...good price (got a collection from grocery store sushi lunches) and right size.

Gotta Get Some Ideas Documented

I've spent some time today thinking about the 09 display. I have some ideas that aren't fully developed, but I KNOW that if I don't jot them down....I'll lose them forever.

Use chopsticks to make telephone poles to run throughout the village scene.
Use sandpaper and yellow duct tape to make streets.
Use gravel and glue to make fences and paths.
Use spray foam and an old bowl to make an igloo.
Use those LED icicle lights to make diff. levels of snow villages.

More to come...

Progress on Antarctica Scene

John wasn't happy about me using the electric knife (wedding gift). I didn't birn it out though. It took me forever to do this carving with the electric knife. I got smart and went to the craft store to get the hot wire knife and it works awesome! It's like an ice pick that heats up to 400 degrees...literally.



So, Mt. Erebus is coming along. I used all the scrap pieces of polystyrene foam to make little mountain ledges for the village scenes. I carved little stone and gravel stairs into the sides...I'm LOVING this hot wire knife!

So, in other news, I was web surfing and ran across some themed cakes that were thousands of dollars. They were beautiful! One was Fraggle Rock and the other was Where the Wild Things Are. I think I'll make a small themed tree of WTWTA. Don't know what to do about Fraggle Rock yet.

copyright 2009 danielle copeland..........my idea!

2009 Christmas Ideas

I have a few ideas I'm kicking around for the 2009 display.

I will be graduating from FAU this winter. I might be neat to have an owl tree to go along with our gator tree. I could felt up some ornaments and use the logos on other ornaments. Perhaps there's a tree skirt in the making. I think the white tree would look the best.


Here's my other idea. I'd like to use these images as inspiration for an Antartica scene. I think it needs to me more than just a tree.

More 2009 Ideas

I'm about 80% done packing up the inside of the house. Today is Sunday and tomorrow ushers in another semester of Marketing coursework.

Before I lose these ideas for the 2009 display, I figured I'd jot them down. The other day, I did part 1 of this list.

Jim said he'd allow the first child at his display each night to choose which train accessories were placed one of his 2 dozen train sets. What a great idea! Perhaps we could announce that each night or on a certain night of the week, the first child at the house could have a special job or get to do something special. The giant light switch idea from last year would be perfect.

One of the top 5 questions from this past year was "how many people come here?" We know that on some nights this year, we had a couple hundred people. One family who was featured on this year's HGTV Christmas show counted their guests by knowing how many candy canes were passed out each night. Pretty good idea. We did have a guest book, but so many people don't sign it...so, the candy cane idea is not a sure fire counting method. More brainstorming to do.

Edit: Added more below

Want to add a scene which requires a velvelt rope (inspiration: Ace of Cakes 21 b-day episode)
Want to add the Halloween fog machine, a waterfall, bubble machine, snow machine, a light that morphs from color to color

A Christmas Dog and Ideas for 2009

Here's our cute neighbor dog, Bell. She had fun posing as a reindeer in front of the garage display this year.

I've been getting really excited about a few scenes for next year's display. I really loved this year's snowman and cardinal display.

• 101 Dalmations scene ...a trees or a train
• Light bulb farm scene
• Disney scene...have a bunch of stuff already, but want to glitter and glue together 3 balls to make a mickey shaped ornaments. Maybe Fantasia hat at top with brooms all over.
• South Pole scene...in honor of my brother who is in Antartica
• Muppets scene...
• Model train set(s) mounted to ceiling or wall
• Add a gardening scene...maybe around train with bonzai or other
• Silver and white feather Christmas tree
• Snow village scene (ski lift, snowboarders, ice skaters)
• Water scene in village scene (maybe with sm. scale waterfall)
• Pulled back curtain made of light strands

Today, I set up the little outdoor bar scene. I used our cork collection, ice bucket, empty bottle, toy train, and Santa.

It turned out pretty cute. The santa is holding onto the bottle and has a cork stuffed in his stocking.


This cork collection has been a real team effort. We have to thank two of our neighbors for donating to our collection over the past year. Once we collect enough corks, we're planning on making a cork wreath to hang in the living room. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Tenney for the cork wreath idea.

Christmas at Disney

We went to a Gator game in Gainesville recently. We decided to stay in Orlando and hit a couple attractions with my Mom/Dad and little brother. Here, we are at Lego Land in Downtown Disney where I found a santa made from legos.

We also got a good idea about a toy box for next year made from wood. John said he could easily build one of these boxes. I am wondering how simple it would be to make it with hinges so that it can be folded up and stored...kinda like those folding tv tables.

Other than this, the ideas from Disney were just not flowing this year. All they had was stuffed animals and ornaments. I take that back...they did have a cool train set.

More Ideas for the Interior Display

So, this past summer, I took a road trip through the Blue Ridge Mountains. I stopped at a little Christmas store and saw so many of the most wonderful partial themed trees. I'm doing about a dozen partial themed trees this year because I was so inspired by them.

Here are a few photos from this weekend. I went to the Christmas Store in Universal Studios Island of Adventure and saw some of their themed partial trees.

I don't ahve a blue tree and I don't like Bart Simpson, but this tree was stunning.


So, here's my list of themed trees for the 2008 display. I've already got all the trees and ornaments from years' passed.

1. Ladybug tree
2. Wizard of Oz tree
3. Gingerbread tree (maybe)
4. FL Gator tree (new to 2007 display. see below.)
5. Old fashioned aluminum tree (2x)
6. USA tree (new to the 2006 dispaly. see below.)
7. Jewel-tone tree (new to the 2007 display)
8. Disney tree (maybe)
9. Dr. Seuss
10. Kids book tree (don't know if I have enough stuff to do this one)
11. Tropical tree (flamingos, sand, shells, etc.)
    
    

    above: 2007 Copeland Christmas Display

    
    

    From 2007 11 Christmas Set up

    
    
    above: 2007 Copeland Christmas Display
    

Lots of New Ideas for 2008 Display

My calculus and management final exams are tomorrow.

I'm dying to get back to my Planet Christmas Forums, connect with fellow enthusiast freinds, and finish some projects.

I just got an idea that I CANNOT let go. I come up with so many (good) ideas, don't write them down, and lose them forever. Not this one. I'd like to hide a series of mini scenes in the garage display. They might be behing plexi glass or behind tissue paper. I'll put a few leds in each mini scene, then rig up the lights to a few remote controls.

Another idea...I'd like to build a scene that resembles the entrance to our development. We have a tall stucco fence covered in creeping fig (Florida version of ivy), a row of 7 large palm trees, a few stop signs, and two magnolia trees. Then, I'd like to build a replica of our house that will match the tropical village (my 2008 pet project). Our house will be easy to build because it's a basic, boxy Florida home. It's recognizable because of the off color scheme (purple/gray).

I'd like to get sand, great stuff exapndable foam, and that faux sandy-textured spray paint for the tropical village. I'd really like to have a water feature, but I'm scared to have water in the garage. I'm sure we can figure out some other laternative to real water.

Received a couple new Annalees from John recently. Had a few good finds at the local Goodwill last Saturday. More to come after final exams!!!

How to Set up a Christmas Village

So, this is my fist blog post with my new laptop. A lot of Christmas-related stuff has gone on around the house in the last week. I'm bummed I haven't been able to post about it.

So, the village under the TV is complete. Here's a photo after the first day. The village was about a third done after the first day.

I had no idea where to start, so I decided to begin by bringing all the village pieces inside and stacking them against the wall. Then, I put all the accessories (trees, figures, snow, etc.) in another pile. I decided to begin with a new piece that John and I bought on Dec 26th last year. I chose this piece because it's pretty tall and I thought it would make a great anchor piece. It's the one in the back right. A pillowcase-covered empty village box was used underneath to give it height.

A huge cardboard box was placed on top of the table, then the blue icicles were taped to the cardboard. Then, a snow blanket was layered on top, then a sheet of styrofoam, then another sbnow blanket was placed on top of the styrofoam. The styrofoam is from Home Depot and is meant to be used as insulation.