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12.29.2019

rustic junky new year wreath

rusty, metal, junk, junking, diy decor, home decor, thrifted, repurposed, upcycled, salvaged, junk wreath, 2020, new year decor
i love creating a fresh look on our front porch for each season. 
okay, it's not a porch. more like a 'vestibule' - long, narrow, and dark. 
(totally impossible to photograph well, especially with dark terra cotta colored stucco walls. but i try!)

that's why it's important to me to come up with a display here that will welcome guests.
i always bring in light colors, textures, and seasonal elements.
i have a plan for this area and am searching for a large lighter element to add this spring...

for winter this year, i chose rusty metal as the starting point.
some whitewashed wood elements, rope & twine, and rustic wood crates
(ALL things that i have used here before!) combined in a 'winter' scene.

continue reading to see more of our front porch decor...

12.26.2019

tiki style tablescape

tiki bar, tikis, tiki culture, tiki hut, tropical decor, happy HULAdays, home decor, diy decor, holiday home decor, holiday
our Hawaiian holiday style continues onto the dining table...
using what we had on hand already, along with a few simple and inexpensive additions,
i was able to create a table that reflected the island style of our 'Happy HULAdays' Christmas decor theme!

as always, i try to keep the decor simple and easily removed, so we can play games or craft here.
'continue reading' to see the details...

12.25.2019

totally tiki-tastic holiday!

tiki bar, tikis, tiki culture, tiki hut, tropical decor, happy HULAdays, home decor, diy decor, holiday home decor, holiday, nativity
our Happy HULAdays theme begins at the front door, 
with a totally terrific tiki welcome...
i made these guys by simply painting faces on planks of pine wood from our garage.
if you look closely, you can see that i used the grain of the wood as part of each face design.

the 'Happy HULA days' sign is a piece of plywood washed with brown paint, then hand-lettered.
the HULA letters were painted onto a few of my giant letter tiles, and glued onto the plywood.
tiki bar, tikis, tiki culture, tiki hut, tropical decor, happy HULAdays, home decor, diy decor, holiday home decor, holiday, nativity
you might recognize a few of those tiki faces... 
on the left: Olaf from Frozen (complete with twig arms and hair), a stylized Small World clock face, and a completely doe-like face that just came outta' my paintbrush that way!
on the right: a sun-like face inspired by Small World, a tiki face discovered online, 
Santiki - also discovered online - and finally, Baymax from Big Hero 6. that's for my Dad <3

the 'enter with the spirit of Aloha' sign is one my Mom bought in Hawaii and has had for years
(it was in the tropical backyard weekend makeover i did for my Mom)

... and the fun is just beginning!
continue reading to see MORE of the tikis that i gathered and created for our decor this year!

12.24.2019

nativitiki - times two!

tiki bar, tikis, tiki culture, tiki hut, tropical decor, happy HULAdays, home decor, diy decor, holiday home decor, holiday, nativity
my thinking is: if you're going to do a Christmas theme, do it all the way.
the TIKI tree in my last post was just the beginning of our 'happy HULA days' theme...
i also created TWO incredibly cute nativity scenes with a tiki vibe.
(oh, and that name? well, as i was painting them, 
i thought to myself 'a tiki nativity. wait! nativi-tiki!' ... and it stuck!) 

i laugh out loud every time i look at this nativiTIKI in our living room! it's so happy!
grab a handful of macadamia nuts and continue reading to see all the tropical details...

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...

12.20.2019

diy wire lampshade frame Christmas tree

junk, junking, junk tree, thrifted, upcycled, repurposed, wire lampshades, makeover, diy, Christmas tree
i created this tree last year, from lampshades and wire lampshade frames & a wire waste basket.
that was after i had stepped away from blogging, so i never shared it here... 
with a 'tree' theme running through all of my December posts, 
i thought it was fitting to include it now!

'continue reading' for the 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...