BELFAST — Working mom Mandie Goody Sawyer had three reasons why a traditional Christmas tree wasn’t going to work for her family this year. First, they had gotten a puppy this fall and didn’t want him toppling the tree. “I could just see that being a disaster,” she said.

Second, as the part-time executive director for Habitat for Humanity of Waldo County, she needed to be thrifty on Christmas decorations this year; and third, she wanted to do something DIY, festive and creative that the whole family could participate in.

“Our house is really small,” she said. “And also, Christmas trees are around $40. Working part time right now, that’s a lot.”

She was browsing Pinterest, an online platform for various projects and interests, when Mannequins as Xmas Decorations caught her eye. She said. “I thought it was a great idea and it just so happens I had some mannequins in the basement.”

Sawyer had bought a child mannequin and an adult mannequin from a Belfast bridal shop for The Cinderella Project of Maine, a yearly giveaway of prom dresses to area teenagers that she’s organized for the last nine years.

“I’ve used them for all kinds of things over the years, but this past year, the adult mannequin’s base got broken, so it was just sitting unused in my basement,” she said. “I decided to see if the pole would fit in our Christmas tree base, and it actually fit perfectly.”

Sawyer went shopping for the materials to make the mannequin tree. “I got chicken wire for $5 at EBS,” she said. “I got the garland at Ocean State Job Lot for $8. Then, I went to The Dollar Store and got a bunch of poinsettias and ornaments, which I made into a necklace. That was only another $4. So, altogether this project cost me $17.”

There was only one problem. Her 7-year-old daughter, Aubrey, was not pleased at all with this idea. “At first, she was so mad. She said, ‘Mom, this is just so weird. I don’t like this.’ When she asked if she could put traditional ornaments on the lady tree, I told her we weren’t doing it that way this year. She was like, ‘This is terrible. This whole thing is ruined.” ”

While Aubrey was still trying to wrap her head around why her mother was trying to “ruin” Christmas, Sawyer began to get to work, making a “dress” for both mannequins. She already had wire cutters at home, although her husband, Ben, had to do the cutting, because she’s left handed and she couldn’t get them to work for her. She wrapped the chicken wire around the hip of each mannequin and attached it loosely with zip ties. Then, she layered in white Christmas lights, garland and poinsettias.

She allowed Aubrey and her older sister, Brynne, to decorate the child mannequin any way they wanted, but soon, they began to take a cue from their mother’s DIY sense. They re-purposed things they already had in the house, such scarves for the bodice and ribbons. But yes, some ornaments had to go on the child’s tree.

Sawyer said she was surprised at how many comments and compliments she’s gotten about it after posting the finished project on Facebook.

“I think it ended up being pretty inspiring for the kids,” she said. “I don't think Christmas has to be expensive and I don't think DIY has to be cheap looking. Doing this project has shown both myself and the girls that we can have nice decorations without breaking the bank.”

As for their puppy? He has sniffed around the mannequins a little bit, but there’s a good chance they will remain upright and festive for Christmas Day.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com