Holiday decorating Archives - Page 5 of 21

Decorating, Holiday decorating, Home Tour

Holiday Home Tour 2017

Happy Holidays! I can’t believe the holidays are here once again. This will be my seventh holiday home tour shared with you. I honestly can not believe I’ve been running this little old blog of mine since 2010. (These are my holiday home tours from 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.) You may have noticed there was a gap, because in 2012 I was up to my ear-plugged ears building our kitchen back after a water leak. But, enough about moldy messes and termite damage, won’t you come in for the annual holiday home tour.

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

In the past I’ve dressed up my faux wreaths (with less than $20 in supplies) for the front doors, but this year a pair of live pine wreaths whispered my name at Lowe’s. Obviously, I caved.

I’m participating in a group tour with several other fabulous home bloggers.

You’ll definitely want to see inside each of their homes:

Just a Girl
Home Stories A to Z
Honey We’re Home
Tatertots and Jello
Hi Sugarplum
A Thoughtful Place
Not Just a Housewife
Centsational Style
The Inspired Room
320 Sycamore
Thrifty Decor Chic

Be sure to go see Sawdust Girl’s holiday home tour tomorrow!

Because I consider you a friend, why don’t you come in through the mudroom entrance. That’s the door we use, only solicitors come to the front door.

Feel free to take your coat off and stay for a while.

I’m brewing some fresh coffee and would love to offer you my own version of a mocha latte. Or you can make your own specialty coffee at the coffee bar I set up.

The table is set for the holidays. This year I chose to decorate with blue Spode plates and pretty blue-green eucalyptus leaves.

In the corner I set up a vintage Flexible Flyer sled under the winter words chalkboard art. If you like my sign, I have a free printable you can download for yourself here.

Now that you have a hot drink in hand, let’s head into the living room.

This year I decorated using rustic accents and neutrals. The camellias and rose hips are picked fresh from the yard. Nothing beats free greenery!

I did purchase some pine bough rope, a package of paperwhites, and eucalyptus leaves on the cheap for the rest of my natural decorations.

The wreath over the mantel is a combination of two wreaths and some eucalyptus leaves tucked into it. I love the natural feel of this casual green wreath.

I’ve been anxiously awaiting the paperwhites to bloom. It should be any day now.

Let’s head into the heart of the home, our kitchen.

This room was a labor of love for certain. It took me 13 months to build the kitchen back after a water leak and subsequent mold left us with an empty room down to the studs.

But, the upside of all the damage was I was able to make design changes to the room. One of those changes involved building a built-in window seat bench with storage inside. This freed up room in the kitchen as we can push the table up against the window seat.

I don’t usually add much to the kitchen except some simple touches like a beaded garland on the chandelier. I admit, I like it so much I’ve left it on the light well into late January sometimes. Can you blame me?

Adding the wreaths to the window this year seemed like a fun way to reuse these little faux boxwood wreaths.

And of course, one wreath on the custom range hood I built.

I always enjoy adding some winter decor to the built in desk and wall-mounted hutch in the corner of our kitchen.

Blue Mason jars with epson salt and a votive candles bring a little snow vibe into the house.

The front foyer is where we keep my boys’ advent calendars. I was thinking there will come a day when they are off to college and it won’t seem right not having the advent calendars here. The thought makes me a bit melancholy, especially since our oldest will be a freshman in high school next year. That leaves me with four more years having both boys under my roof. *sniff, sniff*

I hope you are having a wonderful Holiday season and are able to avoid all the rushing around. Thank you so much for visiting my home today.

December 20, 2017/13 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Decorating, Holiday decorating

DIY Stocking Holders from Scrap Wood

Decorate your mantel for Christmas with these DIY stocking holders made of scrap wood!

Hi there, Pretty Handy Girl readers! I’m Vineta from The Handyman’s Daughter, back with another tutorial for you! I have a mountain of wood scraps in my workshop, and the hardest pieces to use up are those pesky 2 x 4 end cuts. Lucky for you, I figured out an adorable way to use them! Feast your eyes on those gorgeous gift-wrapped stocking holders for your mantel!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Scrap 2 x 4
Router or chisel
Mantel hooks
Wrapping paper and bows
Hot glue gun

Instructions:

Gather up your scrap 2 x 4 pieces, especially those really ugly ones! Mine had paint splatters, stain samples and random pocket holes. Cut all to the same size.

Center the mantel hooks and mark the width on the bottom of the scrap wood.

Cut a channel deep enough for the mantel hook to sit in. (I used a router for this, but you could chip it out with a chisel, use a Dremel, or use a table saw.

Cut a piece of wrapping paper big enough to cover the entire wood block. Fold the bottom edge then line up the cut channel end with the edge of the fold.

Wrap the wrapping paper around the sides of the block and tape it in the back.

Fold the top of the wrapping paper like a present, with the tape on the back side.

Add a festive bow to the front. Cut a notch in the wrapping paper at the front and back of the cut groove and fold it inward.

Apply hot glue to the groove and attach the mantel hook. (I cut my grooves a little too deep, so I filled in the extra space with more hot glue until the metal was flush with the surface of the wood.)

These hooks stretch over the mantel and clamp around the edge securely with its grippy surface. Now you don’t have to worry about little ones or pets pulling heavy stockings down on their heads! Santa can load up them with goodies and they won’t budge!

I love how all these stocking holders look lined up on the mantel. It was totally worth suffering through our fireplace remodel last year for this!

These stockings are all ready for Santa!

Want more ideas for hanging your stocking? I’ve rounded up 14 more stocking holders to buy or DIY, even if you don’t have a fireplace!

Have a wonderful holiday, and I’ll be back with another tutorial in the New Year!

~ view more of Vineta’s projects ~

December 6, 2017/1 Comment/by Vineta Jackson

arts and craft, Decorating, Holiday decorating, Home Decor, wreath

Make an Elegant Holiday Wreath for Less than $20

Have you ever been in a home decor store and fell head over heels in love with a wreath only to gag at the $50 or more price tag? Put your wallet away, because today I want to show you how you can turn an inexpensive wreath into an Elegant Holiday Wreath for Less than $20! Who knows, you might already have one of these cheap wreaths and some of the supplies in storage — making your cost almost FREE!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Instructions:

Remove anything you don’t want to keep from your store bought wreath. Fluff out the wreath by bending the branches to make it look larger and more full.

Grab your tree picks and decide where you want to place them on the wreath. Use strong wire cutters to cut off some of the length from the stems.

Curve the main branch of the tree pick so it mimics the curve of the wreath. Push the end of the stem under some of the wreath branches then back up so there is tension to hold the pick in place. Wrap some wreath branches around the entire pick to hold it firmly and disguise the stem. (If you are using heavier tree picks, you can secure them using floral wire.)

Repeat the process for the other tree picks. Leave a blank space at the top for the ribbon.

Time to add some color! Make a u-shape with some floral wire and push it through the top of an ornament. Place the ornament on the wreath. Wrap the floral wire around the wreath, twist the wire to secure from the backside of the wreath.

Evenly space the remaining ornaments, then attach with florist wire.

To complete the wreath, take a length of ribbon and loop it around the top of the wreath. You can tie a bow if that is your preference, but I prefer the simple look this year.

And there you have it! An elegant holiday wreath for less than $20 made in just a few minutes.

Here’s the video tutorial showing you how incredibly easy this Elegant Holiday Wreath was to make:

Display your new beautiful wreath on your front door for the entire holiday season!

The great thing about this wreath is you can customize it to any design style or color scheme. Plus, you can change it up each year!

Pin this image and remember: Never spend more than $20 on an Elegant Wreath again!

13 Creative Ways to Repurpose Old Shutters

Do you have a collection of old shutters filling up your storage space? Or do you want some ideas using old shutters in case you come across a set? If so, this post is for you! I’ve put together 13 creative ideas on how you can repurpose old shutters and turn them into something amazing.

Creative Ways to Repurpose Old Shutters:

Give an old dresser a gorgeous makeover using old shutters like Savvy Apron!

Keep your pets out of trouble by building a doggie gate from old plantation shutters like 11 Magnolia Lane.

Make a holiday card display with some old, tall shutters this December.

Use old shutters as a backdrop for your mantel to add a gorgeous farmhouse feel.

Stay organized with a Shutter To-Do Board like Hunt and Host made.

Use an old shutter to display your family photos or postcards!

Gain some privacy in your backyard by building a fence out of old shutters like DIY Bungalow did!

Use old shutters to dress up a plain dormer window on the inside of your home.

Shoppe No. 5 shows us how to make some amazing word art using old shutters.

Get some inspiration for using shutters to brighten up a dark fireplace at Shabby FuFu Blog.

Use old louvered bi-fold doors like Design Dreams by Anne to hide the clutter and make the space more beautiful.

Shutters can go indoors too, adding texture and contrast to a room like Chatfield Court.

Keep your jewelry in sight and mess-free, with this beautiful old shutter jewelry organizer by Design Dreams by Anne.

If you liked this collection of ideas, pin this image to share it with others!

If you liked this post, you must see these upcycled ideas:

12 Great Upcycled Ideas for Holiday Decor

November 10, 2017/6 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, Holiday decorating, Home Decor, Hot Glue

Easy Glittered Pinecone Door Hanger

how to make a glittered pine cone door hanger

Easy Glittered Pinecone Door Hanger

Hello, Pretty Handy Girl readers! Can you believe we are already one week into November! It is almost time to break out the Christmas decor, so I’m sharing a fun and easy craft to kick off your holiday decorating!

My favorite thing about Christmas is that I can decorate with lots of sparkle! I had a simple DIY wreath on my door last year but this year I wanted to do something a little different. I created this colorful glittered pine cone door hanger which has a tiny surprise hidden inside!

Ready to make your own Easy Glittered Pinecone Door Hanger? Let’s get sparkly.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

If you’re like me, you may have all the materials on hand – like the pine cones collected over various hikes, mason jar lids leftover from my desk organizer project and I always have glitter in my craft arsenal. Basically, this project could be free to make!

Instructions:

Before you start, be sure to clean your pine cones to get rid of all the bugs that might be lingering in them. I followed this tutorial.

Step 1 – Start by glittering the pine cones. The easiest way is to paint a bit of mod podge on the edges and sprinkle glitter over it. I have a short video showing how easy it is to do this!

Step 2 – Attach the glittered pine cones around the mason jar lid using hot glue.

Step 3 – Before adding the last pine cone, attach a bell to the mason jar lid using floral wire. Simply thread the floral wire through the bell and wrap it around the rim of the lid.