NEW! Sweet Sweater Apples!

one thing always leads to another 'round here....

after i turned some old green sweet sweater succulents

into green sweet sweater pumpkins (see my last post)

i had some different sweater succulents left over.

i've not only turned them into something different,

but have come up with yet another sweater creation"
Sweet Sweater Apples!

continue reading for details and a quick tutorial...

sweet sparkling new year!

we arrive at the end of the year, and the start of a new one...

we've made it, and that's cause to celebrate!

whether you gather with family, friends, neighbors, or a special person tomorrow night,
or spend a blissfully cozy evening alone in a bubble bath or watching The Ball drop,

i have a few last-minute ideas to share for making your New Year's Eve sparkle!

speaking of lifting spirits, continue reading for more...

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!

Sweet Sweater Ornaments - real & faux!

handpainted ornaments are trending this year,

so i wanted to somehow incorporate that into my sweet sweater season theme...

by using a soft yellow cable knit sweater as my inspiration,

i was able to replicate the tones and pattern onto plain white ornaments

and create decor that is unique to my own style.

along with those, i wrapped a few ornaments with sweater fabrics,

finding a way to put actual sweater pieces into the mix...
for Sweet Sweater Ornies!

continue reading for the easy how-to's!

sweater-wrapped vases

on a cold rainy fall day waaaaaay back in 2007,

i visited designer Danny Seo's blog...

and when i saw a photograph of something Danny had created, i was smitten.

the guy took old sweater sleeves and put them on clear glass vases!

i jumped up and grabbed an ivory cashmere sweater of mine

that had recently become to small for me to wear.

(i did not become too big to wear the sweater - that's my story and i'm stickin' to it!)

i cut the sleeves off of the sweater, popped them into some clear vases

then added candles and bare branches to them...

the result was a cozy grouping that warmed up my dining table.

(when i added some small pumpkins to the grouping and looked at them side by side,

 i thought up the very first Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins!)

i've made a few different versions of sweater-wrapped vases over the years,

and this year i had fun combining a few ideas.

continue reading to see how vases and ornaments and sweaters are a perfect match...

a forest of Sweet Sweater Trees

grab a cuppa' something, friends, because this post is LONG!
i'm sharing three different types of sweater trees with you today...

each one easy as pie to make from simple everyday materials.
(hmmmmnnn... pie's not a bad idea, come to think of it...)

you'll see previous versions of the items i used
along with their fresh new look for this year's cozy theme.

got your tea? coffee? cocoa? wine? LOL...
continue reading to see all the details of this project!

Scarf Christmas Card Holder - 3 ways!

confession: i'm really awful at sending out Christmas cards. sigh.

in 'the old days', our annual family card was a huge production:
from selecting matching outfits (and then wrangling everyone INTO them),
arranging and decorating the perfect 'set', posing four rambunctious kids
(did i say four? let's be honest... the husband was as uncooperative as the kids),
snapping the photos, and then taking the film to be developed
and praying that at least ONE shot would work.

there usually was at least one.
except the year that my pre-teen son crossed his eyes in EVERY SINGLE PHOTO.
i chose one anyway and had it made into cards - with 'Bah Humbug' as the sentiment.
and now that my kids are grown and have their own families, they don't do photo cards...
apparently they are smarter than i was!

anyway, i still love GETTING cards. and finding fun ways to display them...
this year i've come up with three ways to do that using scarves.

continue reading to see my easy solutions!
(to displaying cards - not creating the photos for them. you're on your own, friends.)

Sweet Sweater Santa hat tutorial

along with our homes, i think WE deserve some 'decorative' touches for the holiday season!

my original Sweet Sweater Santa hats have been my go-to December accessory for a decade now,

and wherever i wear them they garner smiles.

so i thought i'd share my SUPER easy method for making them!

continue reading for my easy NO SEW tutorial - 

PLUS some ideas for using them in other ways!

Sweet Sweater Nativity

i've made a lot of things this year,
and this project ended up being my very favorite one.

i've selected it as my very first 'official' holiday decor post
because for me, this is the 'reason for the season' -
observing and celebrating the birth of Jesus.
it is at the foundation of my faith, and fills my soul with joy.

this project began with the beautiful blown glass art of artist Helle Mardahl...
i was so inspired by the luminous colors and soft forms of her art in photos on Instagram
and they immediately made me think of human forms.
i turned a few small ceramic vessels and some tiny tree ornaments
into a charmingly sweet and simple nativity scene that reflects her art.

after i added sweater scraps to the mix, i HAD to call this a 'Sweet Sweater Nativity'!

continue reading for the very easy details...

it's a 'Sweet Sweater Season' holiday!

well, here we are, friends.... the holiday season is upon us!

i've been giving this year's theme a great deal of thought over the past months,

and have come up with something that isn't what you might expect to see.

i've decided to COMBINE holiday decor with winter decor!

combining two seasons into one ('holinter'??!)

means simplifying and focusing on creating decor that isn't specifically 'holiday'...

the goal is to S T R E T C H the decor impact from December all the way into February
so that i don't have to spend two weeks at the start of a new year
dealing with taking down the holiday stuff and putting out all-new winter stuff.

i really don't need more stuff.
i want less not more work after the holiday season!
i want more time for fun days on my brand new calendar,
and more time for reading and long winters' naps by the fire. or pool. whatever!
and this season, i'm making it happen.

are you in?! 

...continue reading for some sweet sneak peeks!