our 'CHOSEN' Christmas tree

Christmas Day is over...

and i hope you're kicking back in your pj's,
enjoying this delightful limbo between Christmas and New Year's Day.

(after all, who really knows what day it is?)

 as i indulge in as much laziness as i can muster,

i thought i'd share this year's Christmas tree decor - 

some elements i've had for years, others i made just for this theme.

it's.... different. not what most people would do.

(anyone out there surprised by this?!!)

the theme and elements fit into our tropically decorated home

and also speaks to our 'reason for the season'...

continue reading for more details...

holiday 2024: a modern nativity

i have vivid childhood memories of helping my Mom decorate for the holidays,

including hanging ropes of tinsel garland in the front windows

then adding single glass ornaments that caused the garland

to dip into points like a jester's festooned collar.

simple, easy, inexpensive elements transformed our little home

into a winter wonderland.

and at the center of it all was the creche, or nativity scene...

yes, this one. like so many other families,

THIS was the nativity scene i grew up with.

it always sat on top of the 'hi fi' stereo console,

with an arrangement of greens and candles

with a few tree ornaments added to make it 'sparkle'.

after i married and had my own home, 

my Mom gave me the nativity set.

my four children grew up with it in our home,

and then our first grandson played with it in our home:

he's two here, and i will never forget hearing his sweet little voice

whispering 'sheepses' and 'baby cheesus' as he played with it.

(he just turned eighteen and he graduates next May...

how quickly the time has flown)

each year, i create a 'new' nativity scene for my decor theme.

i've linked a few of those below this post, 

including the way i used my OLD nativity figures in 2020.

this year, i recreated the simple modern figures

that i first used in 2022...

and to make them fit my theme this year,

i just added in some green props.

continue reading for two different looks...

holiday 2024: mini Christmas tree farm!

a contributing factor to this year's theme,

O CHRISTMAS TREE 

was finding three gorgeous flocked trees at Target.

then i found two white ceramic trees for a buck each at a thrift shop.

all i had to do was add in a few trees i already had -

and give a few of them a makeover -

as well as make a few new trees,

and my mantel turned into a mini Christmas tree farm! 

continue reading for a few really fast tree tutorials...

holiday 2024: funky fabric Christmas tree!

while most of my holiday decorating this year
involves re-using a lot of elements i already have
along with a few new things i am making,
there ARE new store-bought things in the mix...

and one of them inspired a whimsical tree:

i picked up a few small flocked trees at Target for $3 each.
as they sat in my studio waiting for me to use them, 
i looked at that bright chartreuse green tree - and had a brainstorm.

i have a fuzzy chartreuse green microfiber blanket.
i have a few wire tomato cages. i put those two together.
and the result is a very... SEUSSICAL... tree.
which perfectly fits my 2024 theme,
O Christmas Tree 

continue reading and see what craziness i pulled off!

holiday 2024: diy upcycled painted ornaments

wreath number two for this year is a fun one...
i rounded up some old ornaments that i don't ever use, 
and gave them a whole new look with paint.

the pattern that i painted on these ornaments
was inspired by the posterboard i've been using as a 'drop cloth':
it's just splotches and swaths of paint left from many painting sessions -
which looks a lot like a current 'graffiti' paint trend
that is an easy pattern to replicate.

since my theme this holiday season is
O Christmas Tree
using ornaments in varied ways works perfectly!

follow along and let me show you how easy this is...

terra cotta Christmas: a simply natural table

i'm gonna' be honest, i got stuck on this one.
just how do you incorporate terra cotta pots into a tablescape?

keep it simple.

as always, i used what i had on hand,
combined some varied colors and textures and elements,
and didn't try to do anything that YOU can't do in your home, too.

continue reading for a few easy ideas...

terra cotta Christmas: 2 nativity scenes

when i was thinking about ideas for a terra cotta pot nativity,

i looked online - and every rendition i saw was 'cute'. and painted.

not what i wanted, which is good -

it means what i've created is different than what other people have done!

(always my goal)

i wanted the same kind of simple, modern/contemporary style i've done before

that would coordinate with the other terra cotta decor elements i've made this year.

then i grabbed a traditional nativity scene

and shzooshed it up a bit with paint ;) 

continue reading to see how easy it is to transform something
into something ELSE ...

terra cotta Christmas: faux painted tree ornaments

while i'm having fun finding all kinds of ways
to use terra cotta flower pots in my theme this holiday season,
i needed to expand the scope... enter my favorite tool: PAINT!

i rounded up some unused ornaments from my stash
and transformed them using my faux terra cotta paint technique.
it's easy, cheap, and a great way to revive unused items!

continue reading for the details and some of my top tree decorating tips...

terra cotta Christmas: clay pot wreaths

we've all seen beautiful wreaths made from terra cotta pots,

filled with herbs or succulents or flowers - in springtime.
i wanted to create a wreath made of pots
that fit this year's terra cotta Christmas theme...
simple, subtle, natural. and 'wintery' in feel.

the result is two wreaths that include terra cotta pots - 

one is a wreath of greens embellished with 'bells' made from pots,

the other a wreath made entirely of pots.

(and when i did a Google search, i didn't see any that looked like mine!)

they represent two different styles that can be made in varied sizes

for a variety of uses in your holiday decor!

continue reading to see tutorials for two variations of holiday wreaths...

terra cotta Christmas: clay pot trees

it's tiiiiiime! (channeling Mariah Carey there...)

there's no waiting any longer to start sharing holiday decor content!

my muses love to yank my chain....

i HAD a plan for holiday content this year on the blog. yes i did.

and then... 

surfing through IG one night when i couldn't sleep,

a photo shared by one of my former employers and clients
came across my screen - and wouldn't you know it,

that one photo inspired a whole NEW idea and theme.  

this is the photo posted by Molbak's Garden Center near Seattle

to promote one of the themes of their holiday products this year.
(i used to be on the visual merchandising design team there,
and love keeping up with what they are doing now - it's amazing!)

those are turned wood trees on the mantel.

but that's not how i interpreted it... 

instead, i saw a forest of terra cotta trees made from pots!

that one photo inspired me to create decor
that was subdued, simple, natural, and elegant -

along the lines of something from Pottery Barn, Terrain, West Elm.

in the process, i've come up with different ways to use terra cotta pots
to embody a new theme for the holidays this year...

(and there's not a BIT of yellow in it! ;) ) 

...continue reading to see three styles of terra cotta trees!

'Christmas in July': SanTIKI mug

the summer heat must be getting to me,

because i'm jumping on the 'Christmas in July' theme. 

👀 WHAT???!!!! 

truth is i've been dealing with some.... stuff... and my creativity is ebbing.

i've run out of time and frankly the energy to complete the diy projects i started.

but as i was perusing photos of past projects,

i found one that i created + photographed back in late fall 2019, but never shared it.

since it just happens to fit the 'Christmas in July' theme that we're seeing everywhere,

i've decided that NOW is the time!

(granted, it's got a summer vibe,

 but it's made out of something decidedly Christmassy... so it works!)

 

...continue reading to see how Santa became a tiki!

NEW! sweet sweater 'gingerbread' cakes!

deb used to bake. uh huh. but now if deb bakes, deb eats.
getting older with a slowing metabolism sucks!
so now my approach to 'holiday treats' takes a different form...

i just make sweet things out of other things... like SWEATERS!

for the finishing touch on my Gingerbread Holiday theme this year,
i've created two all-new Sweet SweaterTM originals to inspire you:

an oh-so-trendy 'tall cake' and a lil' mini 'cake buddy'
all trimmed out with gingerbread houses, men, candy canes, snowflakes,
and some 'frosting' that couldn't be easier!

continue reading to see how these sweet treats came together - 
without a calorie in sight ;) 

a sweet 'gingerbread' creche & nativity

for me, Christmas is not just about decorating or food or gifts...

it's about the birth of Jesus.

so each year, i either bring out my childhood nativity set

or create a new rendition of a creche scene that coordinates with my theme.

this year, i reworked the simple nativity scene that i created last year,

and added a new element that reflects my 'gingerbread' theme.

while the nativity figures would certainly work without the creche,

i like the way it focuses attention onto the holy family.

continue reading for the details of how i made it...

gingerbread theme Christmas tree

i have always enjoyed using what i have and mixing it up differently

to create new themes & looks each holiday season.

and while i don't have nearly as many bins of ornaments & elements as i once did

(over fifty JUST for Christmas! now it's about 10)

i still pull from my stash each year and then make / makeover some elements.

continuing the 'Gingerbread Holiday' theme this year,

 the tree in my studio is decorated with elements and materials on hand

to tell the story of a snowy gingerbread village.

keep reading to see how it all came together

and a few of my tree decorating tips...

diy gingerbread men + village wreath

true to form, i've re-used one project in the creation of another!
you'll recognize these ceramic village houses and trees from my last post,
where i shared my 'gingerbread' makeover - with paint!
i love seeing how many ways i can use something,
and how i can expand a seasonal theme to encompass many different projects.

continue reading to learn some secrets about this one!

it takes a (gingerbread) village

how many of you have dreamed of making REAL gingerbread houses...

and then tried it? UGH! it's an exercise in futility, in my opinion!

(i'm a pretty good baker...
it's just getting them to stay together and upright that stumps me!)

i've found a totally 'deb' solution to that dilemma: 
just PAINT some ceramic houses to LOOK like gingerbread!

i took some little ceramic houses that i've had for a few years now

and gave them a simple makeover with brown and white paint

and now i have a darling 'gingerbread' village on my mantel

that matches the big 'gingerbread' dollhouse shared in my last post.

continue reading for details (and a peek BACK at how i used them before!)

a 'gingerbread holiday' dollhouse

because i squeezed in my last Thanksgiving post on Friday of last week,
it's finally time to share holiday decor!

 this first project was inspired by some halloween decor that i saw online

and you probably saw it, too...

dollhouses painted as decrepit old haunted houses.

i saw so many amazingly creative 'takes' on that idea on social media,

and decided then to create a gingerbread dollhouse for Christmas.

and that idea launched an entire theme:

welcome to my 'Gingerbread Holiday'!

once again, i'm making use of elements i have on hand already

along with a few CHEAP additions from thrift & discount stores
to create a whole new holiday decor theme to enjoy.

continue reading to see the before shot and all the details...

NEW! Sweet Sweater Candles

Merry Christmas Eve!
today i'm sharing a craft project that came to mind LAST year -
i just didn't make them until this year!

this decor element is a fun way to use scraps of sweaters - and even some TRASH! -
but is also meaningful to me.

for me, Christmas is about Jesus' birth,
and celebrating the light that He brought into a world mired in darkness.

i love adding extra twinkle lights to my home in the dark days of winter,
lighting candles, and having a fire in the fireplace (it's faux, but that's ok!).
adding extra warm light sources feels cozy, and also enhances my mood.

continue reading to see just how easy making these faux candles is...

sweater-wrapped gifts

when i choose a theme, my mind runs rampant with ideas

to incorporate that theme in every possible part of my decor.

case in point: the presents shown above.

it's not enough for me to deck the halls and mantels and doors and tree

in my preferred colors and materials...

i have to make the gift wrap match, too! LOL

this year i found three different ways to incorporate sweaters into my gift wrapping,

to coordinate with my Sweet Sweater Season theme...

continue reading for more inspo & info!

a sneaky stocking makeover

when i can find a short-cut, i take it. no shame in that.
so when i saw some knit stockings at Target for a mere $3 each, i grabbed one!

by adding a one-step simple embellishment (NO SEW!),

i was able to change the look of the stocking so it fit my decor theme this year.

so if you see something out there that just isn't quite what you need,
get it anyway - and then MAKE it what you need!

continue reading for my EASY makeover!