Dollar Store Gift Box Decor And Deco Mesh Garland

I added a little bit of Christmas to my kitchen using red velvet gift boxes from the dollar store. I made some bows using a festive ribbon (also from the dollar store).  I hot glued the bows to the top of the boxes. 

Then, I found a pair of candlesticks that I already had and put them on them to give them some height and interest.  I put these at one end of my counter. These would also look great on a table or mantel.

I needed something festive for the rest of the counter but I was already using all of my other decorations in other places.  To fill in the space on the rest of the counter, I took a cheap lighted garland from Dollar General (I’ve had it a couple of years) and added deco mesh and ribbon.  It was the perfect solution to add a lot of color and holiday fun to the room.

  {I apologize for the poor photos but I took these at night and had the overhead pendant lights on which created a bit of a glare.} 

 I secured the deco mesh and ribbon to the garland with sparkly pipe cleaners (glitter sticks).

I also hot glued a couple of leftover green ornaments to it and added a bow at the end. 

 I love the fun, whimsical look it adds to my kitchen. 

I also have a little figurine with snowmen to countdown the days until Christmas. 

 

 Don’t you just love decorating for Christmas?

I will be sharing at some of my favorite blogs:
Between Naps On The Porch
Making The World Cuter
Craft-O-Maniac
Coastal Charm
Home Stories A to Z
The Rustic Pig
The Dedicated House
Someday Crafts

Easy Christmas Centerpiece Idea

Here is an easy & inexpensive centerpiece idea.

 I took a brass plated charger from the thrift store and placed a dollar store evergreen wreath over it.  I added some festive ribbon to the wreath by making loops and securing the ribbon with the branches of the wreath.

Then, I took some shatterproof ornaments and removed the top where you hang it and just attach it to the branches.  I got that tip from Savvy Seasons.  I alternated green and gold ornaments around the wreath.  These were just leftover ornaments that I won't be using on our Christmas tree. 

In the center I placed a golden reindeer I bought for 50% off at Rite Aid.  I accidently dropped him as soon as I walked out of the store with him and broke his back leg but luckily, he can still stand. I am so clumsy sometimes!  I added the bling around his neck from a piece of an old homemade ornament.  It is a piece of green tinsel with snowflakes with red stones in the middle.  It fit him perfectly.

You could easily recreate a similar centerpiece in your own color scheme and holiday style.  Just place a dollar store wreath on a tray, plate, mirror, or other object and place any other Christmassy item in the center such as an angel figurine or a candle.  Then embellish with leftover ribbon, ornaments or however you like.  

 

 I think when it comes to Christmas, more is, well, more. 

Linking Up:
Tatertots & Jello
Be Different Act Normal
Young & Crafty
My Romantic Home
Flamingo Toes
I Heart Naptime
Craft-O-Maniac
Between Naps On The Porch
Making The World Cuter
Coastal Charm
Home Stories A to Z

White Doves And Feathers Christmas Tree

I wanted to show you the Christmas tree I have in my office/craft room that I actually got from the recycling center.  It is a slim 7 foot tree and it had lights already on it (not the prelit kind) but some of them are not working.  Someone must have gotten an upgrade but this one is perfect as a second tree for me. 

 I put it up recently (ok, ok... honestly, I put it up a week before Thanksgiving!) and decided to decorate it all in white after making my faux snowballs vignette which is in this same room.  I used some large snowflake ornaments (from Dollar Tree) I had from last year along with some smaller ones I have had for years.  Then, I added white and silver glass ball ornaments and a few other white angel ornaments I had in my stash.  I also placed a few white spray painted pine cones in the branches.

Then, I decided to get some little white doves to look like they were flying all around the tree.  I ordered them from Create For Less.  To go with the dove theme, I ordered some white ostrich feathers from ebay and placed them inside the branches to give it a soft, snowy look. 

I didn’t have a white tree topper so I left it plain at the top but I did add a few branches near the top that I found in my backyard and just spray painted white.

 I love the white decorations and the doves.  It just brings a sense of peacefulness to the room. It’s not too bad for a tree that was destined to be trashed. If I end up doing anything else to it, I would just add more lights and feathers.  I may add a little banner to the top that says “Peace On Earth”.  That would be cute.  However, this is not my main tree so most of my time/energy will be going into the live tree we will be getting in our living room. 
I have already decorated the room and gotten everything together in there.  All I am waiting on is the tree and we are supposed to go get it this weekend.  It will be bright and colorful but you’ll just have to wait to see it. 

I see someone admiring it from the door!

Linking Up:
Savvy Southern Style
Trendy Treehouse
Home Stories A to Z
Homework
Tea Rose Home
The Thrifty Home
A Glimpse Inside
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Beyond The Picket Fence
My Romantic Home
Little Becky Homecky
Be Different Act Normal
Young & Crafty
I Heart Naptime
Craft-O-Maniac
Making The World Cuter
Coastal Charm

DIY Faux Snowballs, Book Page Christmas Trees, & A Vignette

 After a miserable week of having the flu, I am finally feeling well enough to to create some decor.  The first thing to show you is how to make these snowballs.

I made these using the styrofoam balls I used for my Spooky Eyes at Halloween.  I had two different sizes- large and small. 

First, I painted over the sharpie marker I used to make the eyes.  Then, I covered them in glue.  I used regular old school glue.  Then, I rolled them around in this stuff called frosty snow AKA buffalo snow. It is simply tiny bits of cellophane. 

I let them dry for a bit then filled this container with them and lots of the leftover snow.  These would look good in a bucket, as vase filler or attaching a string to use as ornaments. 

The next thing was that I made two book page Christmas trees.  I used foam cones and cut old dictionary pages into pieces and glued all over the cones. 

Seriously simple but I love the way they look.

I sat them on old, chippy white candlesticks along with this little birdie. 

I snipped a few branches from an evergreen tree in my backyard.  I love decorating with natural items as much as possible.

For a backdrop, I used this white frame.  This white frame somehow finds its way into almost all of my decor! 

I hung a little acrylic bird decoration that I decoupaged with bookpages on a piece of baker’s twine. 

I love the neutral colors of this vignette and will probably keep most of my holiday decor simple this year.

I may add a little miniature bunting or some words like “joy” or “believe” to this vignette but as my printer has been moved from my home to our shop right now that will have to wait. 

After not being able to do much of anything for so long, it is so nice to get a chance to be creative!

Linking Up:
CRAFT
Making The World Cuter
The Girl Creative
Craft-O-Maniac
Between Naps On The Porch
A Stroll Through Life
Today's Creative Blog
Home Stories A to Z
Kammy's Korner
Coastal Charm
The Rustic Pig
Flamingo Toes
It's Overflowing
I Heart Naptime

Georgia Cotton Whispy Wreath

One of the prettiest things about living here in rural Georgia is the cotton fields.  As pretty as they are, we drive by them every day and , after a while, take the beauty of them for granted.  We forget that there are many people who have never even seen a cotton field or given a thought that the material their t-shirt is made from came from a plant.  We forget how blessed we are to see such a sight. 

Lately, I’ve been admiring cotton and had been thinking of using some of the cotton bolls in my decor because of it’s simple beauty but I thought that people would think I was crazy!  However, I’ve seen it show up on a few other blogs so I figured what the heck!  I’ll make a wreath and if other people think I’m crazy, well, so be it.

I had a twiggy, whispy fall wreath that I disassembled and hot glued branches of the cotton plant around it. 

 I love how some of the cotton bolls are in full bloom while others have not yet. 

 

I love the natural feel of it.  It almost looks like a starburst over my loveseat.

I love how it represents our Southern heritage.   So much of our history is centered on this little plant.  The cotton itself is so soft but if you were to separate the cotton from the boll, you would find out how sharp the bur is.  This is what makes picking cotton by hand such hard work.  

 I have seen other cotton boll wreaths but they only used the cotton and not the entire branch. 

What do you have that is natural to your area that you have been overlooking as a way to decorate?

Linking Up:
Making The World Cuter
Craft-O-Maniac
Between Naps On The Porch
Skip to My Lou
The Girl Creative
Today's Creative Blog
Coastal Charm
Tip Junkie
Homework
Savvy Southern Style
Someday Crafts
Trendy Treehouse
The NY Melrose Family
Chicken Chick
My Romantic Home
Shabby Creek Cottage
House Of Hepworths
Tidy Mom
504 Main
Blissful & Domestic 
Little Becky Homecky
Craft Junkie Too
Too Much Time
Tatertots & Jello
Home Stories A to Z
Kammy's Korner