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11.15.2013

Let It Sweet Sweater Snow, Man!

All this week, I've been creating a snowstorm of sweaters and fluff and glitter
making lots and lots and lots of my Brand New 'Sweet Sweater Snowmen' originals!

Here are a few of the very special little guys (and girls) that sprang from my imagination:
 sweet little 'snowcake' ornaments!
some very cheerful and LARGE Sweet Sweater Snowmen sculptures!
.... and then, there are the ones that I predict will be the biggest hit of all:
 these adorable Snowbabies! [pacifier included!]

I also have four kinds of Snowmen & Women,
cute little 'Cup O' Snow' people - made in white milk glass punch cups
and little JUNK Snowmen, made in tiny tin canisters... 
another copyright protected original creation from Debi Ward Kennedy | homewardFOUND decor

11.14.2013

Upcycled glass lamp globe Snowmen!

OhMyGoodness could you just DIE????!!!
I LOVE these little guys! 

I was working this week on my NEW Sweet Sweater Snowmen,
and in the process, I unearthed two vintage glass lamp globes in a closet.

Now, y'all KNOW that I have a 'thing' for using these in my decor...
for my Original glass lamp globe Pumpkins
and my winter glass lamp globe Snowballs

Right now, I have cute containers for the snowmen sitting everywhere
and so my mind made the connection in an instant:
glass lamp globe snowmen!

I sat the globes on two of the containers
and they could not fit more perfectly!
After a bit of embellishment with vintage buttons
and some leftover bits of sweaters, they turned out like this:
 
 I used the lid from the container as a hat - to me, it looks rather like a beret.
That and the jaunty scarf just make me want to give this lil' guy a French name...
How about 'Noel' ?

And his friend? Maybe she looks a leetle like a French clown, or Pierrot,
and clowns make us laugh, and that's happy and joyful - 
so let's call her 'Joy'. As in, 'Joyeux'.

Joyeux et Noel. Yep, that works!

Love, Love, LOVE them - and I already have ideas for more!

If you'd like to make your own versions of my new original design,

remember that regular smooth glass globes are available at hardware stores.

UPDATE:
Take a peek at how I FOOFED one of these up for VALENTINE'S Day!
I present 'Valentina' the glass globe snowman,
Cup O' LOVE snowmen, and SWEETheart Snowmen!

shared online:

OPC / TBH | The Humble Brag #45

Our Daily Bread | Bloggers Share


11.12.2013

Use Tomato Cages as Trees!

I know, I know, it's not even Thanksgiving yet...
but everyone is looking for Holiday Decorating ideas,
so I need to start popping them in here from time to time!

Years ago, in the course of my retail visual merchandising career,
 I created a Christmas Ornament Display Tree using a wire tomato cage.
It was a last-minute solution on a budget - and it worked.

Many years after that, I was asked by a well-known winery to create something
simple . easy. contemporary . and CHEAP
for their Holiday retail displays in their wine shop.
And I created the wire trees all over again:
In these photos, you can see that there are several ways to make these trees. 
Variety is good - especially when all of the trees can be seen at once, as in this winery.

The first thing you'll notice
is that the tomato cages are used 'upside down' from how they normally appear
when they are holding your tomato plants upright in the garden!
The pointed tops of these trees are the long legs / upright rods of the contraption,
held together with a zip-tie.
The GOLD TREES are very simple to make:
gold metallic tinsel garland is wrapped around all of the wire surfaces (rods & rings) of each cage.
I used very tiny clear zip-ties to secure the tinsel in several places as I wrapped.

The WHITE TREES are made in two ways:
One is simply wrapped, just like the gold trees.

The other was made by wrapping the white iridescent tinsel  
all the way around the outside of the cage, encasing all of the rods.

Before I started wrapping, I cut the top two rings off - leaving only the lowest ring at the base.
Then I zip-tied the top of the upright rods together,
to create the cone shape.

These are very angular and modern in shape, because of the three upright rods/legs.
Combining two modified cages after removing the rings,
and stacking them so that the rods are placed between each other
will result in a more rounded cone shape to wrap it with tinsel.

The RED & WHITE STRIPED TREES
are made exactly like the white cone tree above.

The FAUX PINE TREE
is made using a garland of greenery, instead of the tinsel like the others:

Start with a thick faux pine garland.
Wrap the lowest ring with the garland, attaching it with wire or zip-ties as you go.
Cut the garland once it has wrapped the base ring.
Move on to the next highest ring on the frame, and repeat.
Move to the top ring on the frame, and repeat.

Use a zip-tie to pull the ends of the upright wire rods together at the very tip of the wire cage.
Take a small section of the garland and wrap it around the zip-tie,
and twist the ends of the greenery together to secure it to the top of the tree.

OPTION:
You can use three faux pine wreaths - one large and two medium sized -
in place of the garland. Then just use an 8" piece of garland for the top of the tree.
Saves a LOT of time!

When done, you can hang lightweight ornaments from the greenery.

If you plan to have lights on your trees, put the light strands on FIRST - before the garlands.
They will hide the wires! 
These work perfectly to display outdoors, as well as indoors.


There are generally two sizes of wire tomato cages available at garden centers,
so you can get some variety in your displays.

shared online:


OPC/TBH . The Humble Brag


11.09.2013

Gilt Complex?

Metallics are a hot trend this Holiday season,
showing up in magazines, television decorating specials, and ads. 
 From copper and bronze to silver and crystal (which is sort of a metallic finish), they're everywhere

But the big deal this year is Gold!
It's the colour du jour in fashion and decor, adding warmth as well as sparkle to the season.
Over the years, I've included gold in the products I have made and sold, 
so I've pulled some images of those to inspire you as you decorate for Thanksgiving
and the coming winter Holidays.

It's simple to add a golden touch to your decor:
* try using metal photo frames and candlesticks [found at the thrift shop] on your mantel,  
as ornaments on the tree, and place setting markers at the table.
* adding a quick spray of glistening paint on a small piece of accent furniture or lamp
can give new life to an old, dated item
[check out some pics of stylish gold accessories from Michael at Inspired by Charm!]
* include your grandmother's costume jewelry on your tree and wreaths, 
as an embellishment on napkin rings and candles (rings slip right over tapers!)
* place a large gold crown on top of topiaries, or your Christmas tree, instead of a star!
 
* use a gold crown-like light fixture as a cloche or dome, over a nest
As I shared in my last post, it's entirely possible to transition between your Fall and Holiday decor
by choosing elements that work with your decor to 'bridge' the seasons.
The hand painted ornaments with autumn leaves on them shown in these images 
are a perfect example...
tucked into tiny nests made from day lily foliage, they add a natural touch
to Thanksgiving AND Christmas!

You can extend the gilt-y pleasures into your gift packaging, as well...
here, a handmade crown with vintage embellishment is tucked into a vintage gold embossed cookie tin,
also embellished with even more vintage trims!
[I think they call that 'Gilding the Lily' ...]

This weekend I am at the Remnants of the Past Antique Show
in San Luis Obispo, California,
helping my friend Adrienne with her booth design, setup, and displays...
I was a vendor at this show for several years, though, [with Retreat, our former business]
and one year, my booth featured a LOT of GOLD!

My booth was photographed by Jenny Malott, official Remnants photographer,
and later, some of her images were published in a story about the show:
Many thanks to photographer Jenny Malot for the gorgeous images
published in Where Women Create Magazine, Spring, 2012.
As you can see, it's not always a BAD thing to have a Gilt Complex!


11.05.2013

$5 Fall Wreath Makeover

You know I love 'making do' with what's already on hand... 
here's another 'Fast, Cheap & Easy' TM project that does exactly that!
Follow along and I'll show you how to take an old wreath from flab to FAB
[and remember, these tips would work for ANY season]
 my mom had this fall wreath stored in the garage. she's used it for years, and it's okay.
she bought it on clearance at Target
[yeah, the nut doesn't fall far from the frugal tree around here!!!]
but i knew i could make it better, and look exactly like the ones we saw over at a swanky store. 
she was eyeballing those wreaths over there and i could tell that she wanted one...

so i simply MADE one for her instead, by making over the wreath she already had.

continue reading to see how EASY it is to freshen up an old wreath!