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Showing posts with label ornaments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ornaments. Show all posts

12.15.2023

terra cotta Christmas: a simply natural table

terra cotta Christmas 2023,Christmas,Christmas Decor Themes,thrifted,ornaments,Christmas Decor,holiday,up-cycling,re-purposed,Christmas tree,tablescapes,holiday,entertaining,terra cotta pots,natural elements,Pottery Barn,West Elm,Terrain,Christmas table decor
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...

12.08.2023

terra cotta Christmas: 2 nativity scenes

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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 ...

12.01.2023

terra cotta Christmas: faux painted tree ornaments

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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...

12.13.2022

gingerbread theme Christmas tree

holiday,Christmas,Christmas Decor,Christmas Decor Themes,Christmas tree,ornaments,DIY,diy decorating,home decor,paper,paper crafts,crafting,gingerbread village,gingerbread ornaments,gingerbread houses,gingerbread tree decor
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...

12.13.2021

sweater-wrapped + painted ornaments

Christmas tree,Christmas Decor,Christmas,Christmas Decor Themes,holiday,winter,painting,ornaments,sweaters,Sweet Sweater Originals,thrifted,colorful home,DIY,diy decorating,handpainted ornaments,diy painted ornaments,painted tree ornaments,diy holiday decor,diy Christmas decor, sweater ornaments.
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.

continue reading for the easy how-to's!

12.10.2021

sweater-wrapped vases

Christmas,Christmas Decor,Christmas Decor Themes,holiday,winter,DIY,diy decorating,sweaters,thrifted,re-purposed,up-cycling,colorful home,ornaments,sweater vases,holiday home decor.
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...

11.22.2021

Sweet Sweater Nativity

Christmas,Christmas Decor,Christmas Decor Themes,holiday,What Matters,sweaters,Sweet Sweater Originals,DIY,diy decorating,re-purposed,dollar store crafts,ornaments,nativity,nativity scenes,diy creche,diy nativity,Dollar Tree crafts,Jesus Is the Reason for the Season.
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...

12.18.2020

colorful holiday tablescapes

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Christmas is a time of year when adults actually get to behave like kids.
it's completely socially acceptable to love cute decor and cute wrapping paper
and watch all kinds of cute, animated movies and tv specials.

let's just take that idea and use it to fuel our imaginations
when it comes to creating a merry and bright tablescape!
it doesn't take much work - and the results are like Candyland...

continue reading to see two versions of a colorful tablescape,
along with a few 'table tips'...

12.11.2020

Target fringe tree makeover

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i don't let what's available at stores limit my decorating plans.
i just take what they provide and then add to it or rework it to make it fit MY style!

this little tree is a perfect example of that...
lots of people have the original version of this in their Christmas decor this year,
but none of theirs look like this!
some white paint and a few scraps of paint chips gave it a total makeover.

continue reading to see the before and after!

12.04.2020

merry mantel paint chip decor

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'merry', indeed!
in the first of three different mantel decor projects i'm sharing with you this week,
the element of paint chips in this years' holiday decor is at the fore...
both the framed art and the paper chains make use of a rainbow of colorful paint chips
(sourced from my local Sherwin Willimans dealer),
in simple art projects that both adults and kids will love.

continue reading for details! 

11.27.2020

re-purposed 'ornament' doorhanger

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another of my previous diy decor projects got a quick makeover with paint,
turning it into a cute door hanger that resembles an ornament for the holidays!

i love re-using what i already have on hand,
giving it a fresh look for each season when i can.
it saves money, and storage space, and time spent shopping -
honestly, i'd rather be painting and crafting!!!

continue reading for an easy how-to...

11.20.2020

rainbow colorized wreath

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switching up my holiday decor themes each year is a lot of fun,
and it doesn't cost a lot to make a change...

this white wreath was just $6 at a local thrift shop four years ago,
and i've reworked it with colorful ornaments to match my colorful tree.

most of those ornaments i already had,
a few i grabbed at thrift shops and Dollar Tree to fill out my color palette.
( all told, i spent less than ten dollars on this)
attaching them to the wreath was a quick undertaking,
and the impact is uplifting - indoors or out!

continue reading for a few wreath decorating tips...

11.18.2020

diy paint chip ornaments

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nestled in with the brightly colored ornaments in my rainbow garlanded tree
are these ornaments that i made using paint chips.

a note about using paint chips, if i may....
i sauntered in to my local paint store and asked for old paint chips - 
and they handed me an armload of fan decks! FREE!
(i nearly skipped out the door...)
i highly recommend making this effort to procure paint chips responsibly.
i emphatically discourage raiding paint chip displays in home improvement stores.
just to be clear.

making these ornaments is pretty simple - it's a scissors & paste kinda' craft project!

continue reading for the easy tutorial for all three styles of ornaments... 

11.16.2020

rainbow colorized Christmas tree

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i really think Joanna and Cleo of The Home Edit would LOVE this Christmas tree!
a brilliant white tree with bright color ornaments, arranged in rainbow ROYGBIVP order 
("it's a SYSTEM!" - if you know, you know)
a place for everything and everything in its place, right?!

okay, so, yesssss, i've been watching The Home Edit on Netflix. a LOT.
and yessssss, it has indeed had an influence on my Christmas decor this year.
i was also inspired by an Insta photo of a huge garland made of balloons...
that spurred the idea to create a 'garland' of colorful ornaments
that were arranged in color order.

continue reading to hear more about where those ornaments CAME from
and see how easy this approach to tree decorating is!

11.09.2020

merry and bright

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anyone else agree with me that we really need a MERRY Christmas?!

2020 has been hard. we all know that.
as the holiday season approaches, we all seem to be
looking forward to decorating our homes and trees and front doors
to welcome the joy of the season - even if we can't welcome guests.

while the holidays might look different than usual this year,
we can all certainly make the best of them - and of us.
let's look to our childhood memories to fuel our imaginations,
and create a mood that brings a smile to the faces of those we love.

let's make it merry and bright!

continue reading to see what inspired me...

2.03.2020

heart of glass

 if you're as old as me, you might know that this blog post's title is actually a song title.
(by the band Blondie, waaaaaaay back in the late 70's)
in the song, a heart of glass gets broken.
around here, there are some glass hearts that have been in our stash SINCE the late 70's -
and the fact that they haven't broken yet is kinda' amazing, if you ask me!

by incorporating those small-ish glass hearts into our existing winter decor,
they instantly bring a Valentine's Day vibe for the month of February.

continue reading to see how...

12.23.2019

happy hula days!

tiki bar, tikis, tiki culture, tiki hut, tropical decor, happy HULAdays, home decor, diy decor, holiday home decor, holiday
 nope, this is NOT your ordinary Christmas tree...
THIS, my friends, is what our tree looks like THIS year: it's a TIKI TREE!

our 'Happy HULAdays' celebration theme has been a very BIG secret,
because my daughter and her hubby were coming to visit this past weekend.
and this whoooooole thing was a surprise for them!
now that they've seen it all, i can finally share what creative mayhem i've been up to!
(and OH my goodness, what FUN things i've made... there are SEVERAL posts coming this week)

so grab a nice mai tai or other rum drink, and click through to see the TIKI tree details...

12.18.2019

rustic holiday tablescape

designed to coordinate with the contemporary rustic style of our 'tree' theme,
as seen in the faux wood junk trees in the background,
this tablescape is a study in simplicity...
wood tones & textures, clear glass, and mixed hues stand out amongst minimal foliage/greenery.

the bonus? this style is REALLY easy and fast to create!

'continue reading' to see the details up close...

12.16.2019

ornaments... not just for trees

so usually, the BIG DEAL in a post on holiday decor is the Christmas tree.
sorry to disappoint, friends, but THIS is the tree that we ended up with.
my severe back pain limited my mobility and strength to the point where i knew
that i couldn't wrestle our normal 9' tree into the house and set it up. no way.

instead, i grabbed my little 4' white pre-lit tree that usually goes in my office/studio,
and a bar-height round table served to elevate it up to a decent height in the living room.
a vintage chenille bedspread served as a combination tablecloth/tree skirt,
and a slight few ornaments filled in the branches. and that was fine.
(it can't always be a big reveal, especially when one's health is at stake!)

but what was i supposed to do with ALL of the other ornaments
that normally fill our regular 9' tree?!

'continue reading' to see how i used some of them...

11.28.2019

deb's top tree lighting tip

When it comes to lighting the Christmas tree at home, I'm a purist...
I like white lights: Mini, C7, C9, bubble, whatever kind I use, they are white.
Maybe you like multicolor - or ONE color!

Whatever your preference is,
 
I have a tip for you when it comes to lighting the tree
(and how many of you are tackling THAT job this weekend?!)
that is guaranteed to up the sparkle factor!

continue reading to see what my ONE STEP TRICK is!