Birch Branch Wreath...mini tutorial.

So, I decided that I really needed a new Christmas wreath for my front door.  I wanted something that would still look festive and fitting for the holiday, but unique at the same time. 

Then the other day when I was at JoAnn's I came across some birch branches.

I love birch...the smooth, round shape of the branches and the white, papery bark.  Ugh, it's just beautiful to me.

The branches at Joanne's were originally $14.99 for one, 48 inch branch but were marked fifty percent off...making them $7.50 each.

This seems to be a pretty good deal from the research I've done.  I also found some birch branches on Amazon.  The price was about $40 for four, 48 inch branches...making them $10 a piece which isn't too bad.

I set out cutting down my brach into 1/4 inch discs...not fun when the miter saw is in the garage and the temperature outside is 15 degrees.  After several cycles of cutting and running inside to thaw out I had cut down my entire branch into an armload of wooden discs.

Then, using piece of cardboard from an old box, I cut out a ring to use as my wreath base.  If you don't have a piece of cardboard lying around you could use foam core board or anything sturdy enough to support the weight of the wreath.

I made the cardboard ring three inches wide and it measured approximately 15 inches in diameter.  You can adjust those measurements to you liking if you want your wreath bigger, smaller, wider, thinner...

Then I used my trusty old glue gun to attach all of the discs to the cardboard ring.

I started by attaching a row of discs down the center of the cardboard ring, then added a row on either side of it.  It's okay if the discs hang over the cardboard because you won't see it anyway.

Then I just continued layering my wood discs.  I added two more rows on top of the bottom three to cover the gaps, then finished with one more row on top.

 

The finishing touch was this aztec print bow at the bottom of the wreath.

And here's how it looks on my turquoise door...that I'm still debating on painting, but can't decide what color.

I love the earthiness of this wreath.  It would look great in a farmhouse style home, but would also look great in a modern styled home.  It's super versatile.  I also love that you could leave it up on your front year round if you wanted too.  And the thing I love best of all, that it only cost me about $10 to make it.

Birch branch...$7.50 {Joanne Fabric and Craft}

Black and White Aztec Print Ribbon...$4 {Joanne Fabric and Craft}

Glue...{free- already on hand}

Cardboard Ring...{free-from an old box in the garage}

Four words peeps...Merry Christmas to Me!

{3} Chic DIY ornaments out of embroidery hoops!

Well, I'm back from vacation and Christmas is, like, two weeks away.  I feel a little frantic.  Taking off the first week of December {and last week of November} has a way of doing that I suppose.

I'm sure you already have your Christmas tree up and decorated, but if you're like me you still continue to add to it up until the "big day".

So, If you are looking for some inexpensive ways to spice up your Christmas tree {or just have a few odd holes that just need filling}, these DIY ornaments will do just the trick.

This isn't the first time I've utilized embroidery hoops.  I used them to make some decorative sphere's  awhile back...

and 

also this really cool yarn wrapped wall art  for above my bed.

I love working with embroidery hoops for {two} reasons.  One, they are wood, need I say more?  And two, they are really inexpensive {and easy} to work with.  

For this project I used the smallest hoops I could find...I think they were 2 and 3 inch hoops.

I simply took them apart {each hoop comes with two hoops...an outer one with a metal clamp used for tightening and then an inner one} and then just messed around with them until I came up with something I thought looked decent.

The first ornament I call simply...sphere.

The second I call...spooning circles.

And the third ornament I call...the one with a yarn star {because as we all know, anything wrapped in yarn is totes cool!}

I spent about $1.50 and 5 minutes on each ornament.  Ahh, I love things that cheap, quick...and totally rad!!!  Don't you?

"Nostalgic" Christmas pillow!

I've noticed a "nostalgic" theme in some of the holiday decor I've come across this season.

 {wood base snow globe, Target.com}

 {embroidered pillow, potterybarn.com}

 {embroidered pillow, potterybarn.com}

 {glass ornament, potterybarn.com}

{embroidered pillow, potterybarn.com}

{felted animals and pillow, target.com}

{yule mugs, crateandbarrel.com}

It reminds me of A Christmas Story meets Norman Rockwell.  And frankly, anything that reminds me of Scut Farkus or a frozen flag pole is welcome in my home.

So, imagine my delight when I came across a cute little hand towel with this "nostalgic" image printed on the front.

I found it at TJ Maxx for $2.99.

And of course, you know what I had to make out of it...

The most awesome Christmas pillow ever.  Bam!

I threw on some red pom pom's.

And made a coordinating red and green plaid pillow out of two, cloth napkins {because you know how much I love plaid}.

And we were set...it was a set...of pillows.

And you can find yourself the lucky owner of this fabulous set of pillows should you enter my giveaway and win.  Don't forget the free Kensie product {of your choosing} that you will win as well.  My giveaway ends tonight so hurry up and enter.

I know I said I would announce the winner on Wednesday, but I've decided to announce it Tuesday...tomorrow, instead.  So, stay tuned.

Holiday GiVeaWaY! And quick/cheap holiday project!

Sheesh!  I have so much to tell you.  But first, I must apologize for my unexcused absence.  I'm sorry for just bailing like that.  Have you ever just felt like you need to check out for a few days and regroup so you don't end up on the evening news, driving your white mini van on the freesay with a flock of policeman behind you.  That's how I felt last week.  "Nuff said, right?  

I have losts to share.

First, for those of you who care, I just saw that Ikea has their $3 floor mats back in stock...the kind I used to make my flippin' awesome floor poufs.  Just in case you were losing sleep over it.  You're welcome!

Secondly, Thanksgiving is, like, next week and I am freaking out because I haven't even thought about Christmas shopping yet.

Thirdly, to ring in the impending holiday's I decided to have another giveaway, cause that's what the holiday's are all about, right?  Giving!  But also eating.  The holiday's are also about eating.

Anyway, I talked about the clothing brand, Kensie, a few months back when I had my first giveaway.  But in case you didn't catch it, they are a globally recognized brand and their clothing and accessories have been featured in several publications, as well as on one of my favorite guilty pleasure show's...Pretty Little Liars.

Their products are fresh and fun and I sincerely love the brand.  I recently acquired a very chic, animal print sweater/sweatshirt...not quite a sweater, but not quite a sweatshirt either...a happy hybrid of both.  

It is super comfy and stylish and it makes me feel like Sassy Sasserman when I wear it.

So, when I was contacted by Kensie to have another giveaway I jumped at the chance.

The giveaway is for one item {of your choosing} and I've decided to also throw in a little somethin' somethin' extra to help boost your holiday spirit... but you'll have to wait a few days longer to see what it is.  Don't worry you won't be disappointed.

Don't miss out on looking like a million bucks just in time for the holiday's.  Enter my giveaway...you know you wanna!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

And finally, a fast and cheap project to get you and your home in the holiday spirit.

I present...{not your average} deer bust accent pillow.

I love the way these pillows turned out.  Aside from them being uber cheap {$3 total} to make, they are also fun, festive and fashionable.  In fact, they could easily become a permanent part of your home's decor even after the holiday's are over.

I plan on putting mine in my kiddos' bedroom after the New Year.

But until then, they will hang out in the living room where the fam can enjoy their glittery/colorful-ness all through the holidays.

All you need to make the pillows are:

*an assortment of craft paint
*gold glitter glue
*a paint brush or Q-tips
*a premade, $3 pillow cover from Ikea {or you can make your own}
*a deer bust stensil {I made my own, but here's a link to one that is free off the internet}

Simply place your stensil on your pillow cover {or you could also transfer the image to the pillow cover using a water soluable pen or the freezer paper technique} and start "dotting" the paint inside the stensil until no more fabric is visible.  I started with the darker colors first...gray, black, dark blue etc. then filled in with lighter colors...lavendar, red, pink, turquoise etc.  You can follow my technique, or develop your own.  There's no right or wrong way to do it.  Just be sure that you spread all of the colors out evenly so there isn't a concentration of one color in any given spot.  Also, take care when "dotting" along the stensil line that no paint bleeds underneath.

In stead of dotting the antlers with paint, I opted to use gold, glitter glue instead just to glam it up a bit and add some variety.

And of course, I had to try them out on every chair and bed in the house just to be sure they were keepers...

For $3, I think they definitely are!

That's a wrap!

So since I totally stood everyone up on Wednesday and Friday because I was neck deep in room mom Halloween party projects and trick or treating...and then out of town for a girls weekend, I decided to give you a three-fer today.  No, it isn't Christmas, even though it probably feels that way.  I'm a giver, what can I say?

Any who.  My decorating tip for Wednesday which is now technically for Friday is this...wrap some yarn around it.  Bam!    

Kay, I know what you are all thinking...that I've been spending a little too much time with first graders.  And you would be correct, but just hear me out on this.

I'll admit, I was wasn't always a fan of the "yarn wrapped" fad, but I soon came to realize the logic and practicality behind it.  Yarn is a great tool for adding color, visual interest, a modern touch to anything that may otherwise be bland, boring and ordinary.  But what I love even more is that yarn is completely reversible and non-permanent, so if you tire of the look in a week, month or year you aren't out anything but a little yarn and a few minutes of your time.

Trust me...yarn, it's a good thing!

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I know most of you probably have Halloween decorations still up...I do.   But my mind is already focused on Christmas.  I was super happy when I stumbled upon these fabulous little finds at TJ Maxx.  And for $7.99 they were the perfect price and the perfect project to help jump start my holiday decorating.

These grapevine deer are a blank canvas just waiting to be personalized and customized to my liking.  And when I saw them I knew...yarn!

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I was inspired by this little yarn wrapped dear I came across on Pinterest last week.

{source}

So, today I spent the morning catching up on some television and wrapping some deer antlers.

I love the little bit of color, quirk and personality these deer have now.  And as I mentioned before, if I get sick of looking at yarn wrapped deer antlers I can quickly and easily remove the yarn and have a clean slate to work with. 

 Trust me, it's the little things like wrapping crap with yarn, that will help set your home apart  from everyone else's.  And who wants to have the exact same stuff as all the other mom's at book club?

And if you aren't quite sold on the idea yet, here are some other awesome things that have wrapped in yarn.  It seems as though pretty much anything is fair game...watch out kiddos!

{Antlers}

{source}

{lamp shades}

{source}

{styrofoam balls}

{source}

{sticks}

 {source}

{ladders}

 {source}

{chairs}

 {source}

If you've got a few things lying around your house that are a little on the dull and boring side, try wrapping them in yarn to give them a little color and pizazz.