Post Christmas Re-Decorating

I love filling my home with Christmas cheer, and as much as I love putting things out, I just hate to take it all down. The house seems so bare and empty afterwards, but it is obviously a necessary evil, as it makes me equally annoyed to leave my decorations up for weeks after the holiday. I've tried to find a way to keep some of the beauty and decorations in a way that is respectable well into January and February. Here are some of the rules that I try to follow.

1.) Condense the Christmas

What to Remove: First things first, no matter how adorable that little sign, wreath or banner is, if it says "Merry Christmas," then it needs to make its way back into storage. Along those same lines, anything that is obviously attached to Christmas and not just winter, such as Santa, reindeer, little wrapped gift boxes, etc, needs to go. It's up to you what to do with your nativity sets, but I usually put away all but one and reduce it to just Mary, Joseph and Jesus.

How to Replace It: Use a wintery sign (available here) or wintery props instead.

2.) Remove the Red

What to Remove: Nothing says Christmas like red and green, right? And nothing screams "I am still celebrating Christmas around here!" like red poinsettias, stockings, ribbons and bows. If left alone, red still says Christmas, where green left alone looks lovely and wintery. So if you're debating about an item, and it is red, I would say remove it and replace it with a more seasonally subtle counterpart.

How to Replace It: Once you've removed the bright red bows, replace them with white or maroon berry clusters. Red poinsettias can be replaced with white or gold poinsettias, and opt for a winter wreath instead of a Christmas wreath. (wreath available here)

3.) Ornaments are Out

What to Remove: Much like red, Christmas ornaments are one of the easiest ways to spread the Christmas cheer around your home. We all obviously love this idea: we've been stringing them from our ceilings and window ledges, making them into ornament wreaths, filling bowls and apothecary jars with them, and, oh yeah, putting them on our Christmas tree. But now that the holiday is over, ornaments need to make their way back the the boxes.

How to Replace it: Fill your bowls and jars with pinecones and tree trimmings. String a neutral banner across your fireplace. Leave the white lights on your tree alone, or wrap the tree in a garland of gold ribbons or thin strips of white or oatmeal colored cloth. Substitute your ornament wreath for a pinecone wreath (tutorial for above found at V and Co).

4.) White is Right

What to Remove: If you were decorating for Christmas with a particular color scheme in mind, even if it may not scream Christmas to others (such as blue and silver, or green and gold), you will still associate these pairings with the Christmas season.

How to Replace it: Opt for creamy tones and whites instead. Make a fun white vignette, hang some white frames (available here), and pull out your white candles. White has both a clean feeling and a welcomed calming presence after the craziness of the holidays, so feel free to spread it around.

5.) Rearrange the Regulars

What to Remove: Red or very Christmas-y stockings over the fireplace need to go, but if they are more neutral they can stick around a bit longer. If you had little evergreen trees on the mantle put them somewhere less prominent, like on a side table or ledge.

How to Replace it: If your stockings were the creamy colored version, (such as these from Winternook), consider keeping them out a bit longer and moving them to a less conventional spot than the fireplace, such as along the stairs, or as a part of a wintery vignette. If you had snowmen out for Christmas, keep a few of your favorites but switch them to a different spot.

What are some of your best tips for re-decorating post Christmas? We'd love to hear them!

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Mini Fabric Christmas Trees

I am crazy excited about Christmas this year. I always am but each year it seems to get more fun and exciting with the kids! Anyway, I had to use my amateur sewing skills to make something. Last year it was pillows and this year Christmas trees.

I started off with my green fabric scraps. I just cut out various tree shapes. For most of the fabrics, I cut out three different sizes of trees.

For my first set, I used some red ribbon to "trim" the tree. I cut it in three pieces and set it up where I wanted it on the little tree.

Then I put the two pieces of fabric right sides together and pinned the ribbon in place.

I took it to the machine and sewed the pieces together leaving an opening in the bottom middle for turning and to leave a space for the tree trunk.

I used some old wooden spools that my Mom had given me. I just used the plain ones without writing on them. You can buy those plain wooden ones at Hobby Lobby actually.

Next I turned the tree right side out and then used my craft glue to attach the trunk. I lined the opening with glue and also put it around the top of the trunk.

Then I popped the trunk in place and held it together for a minute to make sure it was secure.

So this is what they looked like at the bottom...

And this is what they looked like standing up...

I ended up loving them so much that I made a few more sets. I have someone in mind for each of them.

And then Avery and Mia needed some for their pink Christmas room. Avery chose from the fabric scraps leftover from their bedroom makeover and wanted pink ribbon of course. She wanted each side to be a different color so she could switch them up. She is her Momma's daughter for sure!

Then I decided to make a single one just for us. I put a little pennant banner garland on it using the scraps from the one I made for our real tree. I love it.

The possibilites for these trees are endless! If I had brown paint on hand, I would have painted some of the trunks dark brown. I had a hundred ideas in my head but after the 6th set, I was ready to be done with the tree making. Maybe next year.

I'll be back next week to share some of my favorite parts of our "Christmas house".

I'll be linking the mini trees to these parties. Can't wait to see all the other homemade Christmas ideas out there!

Happy Tuesday!

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Twine Christmas Cone Trees

Last Christmas I was going crazy over those cool cone-shaped trees that they sell a variety of at Target, but couldn’t bring myself to spend $40 for one. So I decided not to, I'd just make them! I went a little Christmas Cone Crazy making a bunch of different varieties, as you'll soon come to see.

I started off with the materials shown below. I initially mixed glue with water and used this to harden the twine, but it wasn’t quite strong enough to keep the shape that I was looking for.

So I got some of this stuff to use instead, (I know, I know), and it works MUCH better.

I wrapped the cones in parchment paper and secured it with pins, and then wrapped the soaked twine around the cone in a crisscrossing pattern, wringing it out a little at a time as I went. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you want to make sure that your cone is structurally sound, you'll need to do lots of crisscrossing. This ensures that each piece of twine has another piece to help support it.

You'll also want to make sure that your bottom strands are straight all the way around the base, or your Christmas trees may end up with a little gangsta' lean going on.

Once I was finished with the twine, I put green raffia in the stiffener and wrapped it around the cones as well, just for a little color and a different texture.

Once all was dry (I usually left it overnight), I used a knife to separate the parchment paper from the cone, peeled the paper away from the twine and here is the end result!

The best part about making trees this way is that you can make several trees using only one foam cone as the mold. I wanted to try out a few different things, so this let me experiment on the trees without “using up” one of the foam cones, since they are kind of expensive. I have a plain pair, and this pair that has just a few tiny berries hot glued on in various spots.

Another set I spray painted white, sprayed with glitter, and then hot glued on these larger berries.

This one I actually used the little cone for (I had two, so I was willing to lose one of them). I spray painted the cone and the twine separately, hot glued the twine onto the cone, and capped it with (of course) little berries.

I even made one for some Valentines Day decor.

What do you think? Not to shabby, right? I love these. I made tons of them all December long and then gave almost all of them away as gifts. Which means I get to try out some new options this year. :)

If you love these but don't feel like the hassle, I also have short and tall versions available in my etsy shop here.

As always, I'll be linking to these lovely parties. Have a great week!!

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Preserved Leaf Garland

I love projects like this. Fairly easy, but with a fun and beautiful result!

First, grab your little sweetie and go collect some leaves. Encourage him to grab a variety of colors, and be sure to do a lot of stomping through the very dry ones!

From here, the directions are simple. So simple, that I'm going to let the pictures speak for themselves.

Fun, right? I love the addition of the fall colors around my home and the crisp leaf silhouettes. It also drags out the season of the leaves changing, which always seems to end far too soon for me. I've had these leaves hanging in my home for a few weeks now and they have barely lost any of their color. I imagine it will all be gone by mid-November, but I'll be ready for Christmas decorations by then, so all is well.

I'll be linking to these fun parties! Are you up for some leaf garland for your home? Please share your results in our Flickr group!

Have a great week!!

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Long Necklace Holder

I had a cute necklace holder a few years ago that broke, and a new one has been on my shopping list ever since. I have looked at several in different stores but never found one that I like or that would accommodate my looong necklaces. Those are the ones that have been tangled up in my drawer and really need to be managed in the first place, so that’s the priority. Last week, Chris ended up detangling a knot of necklaces while I finished getting ready to leave the house, and I decided that I would just take matters into my own hands and make one for myself.

I made it a priority to get to the thrift store on the day that the artwork was 50% off, and walked home with this cool frame for about $5. I removed the glass, picture and matting and pulled out some old foam board that I had never used. I cut the foam board, wrapped it in some heavy burlap, and hot glued the edges around the back.

I picked up some padded hooks from Walmart for about $1. They started off white, which was just a little too stark for the frame, so I spray painted them beige and then rubbed on a little wood stain. This was a better color but left them tacky and messy, so I put a coat of matte Mod Podge and they sealed up nicely.

I wanted the hooks to be exactly 2 inches apart, so I got out the measuring tape and marked the back of the foam board in pen before I twisted the hooks through. I put 2 smaller hooks at the end of the row for shorter necklaces, and 2 at the bottom for bracelets.

I love it! Of all of the things that I have made, this was certainly the easiest. A perfect combination of cheap, fast, functional and pretty. A+. I'll be linking it to these great parties.

Also, thanks to everyone who gave me such great feedback a few weeks ago about my Barn Wood and Stencil Art!! You guys are too sweet! I just found out today that it made it into the Top 12 over at the The DIY Club, and I'm so excited about it!

If you have the chance, head on over to The DIY Club and check out some really cool projects. And if you feel like voting, check out #32, the Barn Wood Stenciled Art. Just a suggestion. :)

Have a great week and I'll see you next Monday!!

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