12 Days of Decor & Traditions: Day 10

This year when I was looking through my holiday decorations I came across a bin of pinecones and pinecone picks.  Tucked into the bin was a grapevine wreath.  I got an idea and went to work creating a pinecone wreath that I sprayed a metallic champagne color (one of my current favorites) and dusted with a bit of glitter.  The result…a perfect wreath to hang over my mirror!

Here are the supplies I used:

1 Grapevine Wreath
Several Pinecone & Pinecone w/Berries Picks
Wire
Krylon Brushed Metallic Spray Paint (Champagne Nouveau)
A Sprinkling of Gold Glitter
Red Ribbon

How To:

I attached the pinecone picks using the wire by winding the wire tightly around the wreath and adding in the picks.  I wanted mine tightly clustered together but you could also space them out a bit.

Once all the pinecones are attached, spray the wreath with your chosen color of spray paint.  This took a bit of time as I sprayed the front then flipped it over and sprayed the back and then went over it again to make sure all the areas were covered.  When I was satisfied with my paint job I coated the top one last time with a thin coat of paint and sprinkled a bit of gold glitter over the wreath.  To hang the wreath I used a red ribbon.

More easy decor ideas and simple traditions tomorrow!

12 Days of Decor & Tradition: Day 9

I love Christmas wrapping paper, but one of my favorite ways to wrap Christmas gifts (any gifts for that matter) is with kraft wrap.  We use this a lot at Jen’s Blossoms for wrapping bouquets and other items.  You can purchase it at craft and paper stores.  I know that my local paper store (Paper Zone) sells it by the yard as butcher paper.  So, I wrap the gift with kraft wrap and then add lush ribbon and customized ornaments to take it up a notch and create a beautifully wrapped gift.  Here are the steps I use:

First I wrap the box and choose my ribbon.  For this gift I am using a wired iridescent ribbon with a velvet pattern on it.  I wrap the ribbon around the box front to back.  This photo shows the back of the box.  I crossed the ribbon and pulled it tight.

For the next step I flip the box over and cross the ribbon ends under the ribbon already there.

Once crossed under I tie the ribbons together tightly and work on my bow.

When my bow is made I like to cut the ends of the ribbons in a fishtail.  To do this I fold the ribbon and diagonally cut from the edges upwards.

To finish off my package I added a customized ornament that serves as the gift tag as well as a keepsake for the recipient.

Three more days of easy decor ideas and simple traditions to go!  More tomorrow!

12 Days of Decor & Tradition: Day 8

For a lot of people baking is a holiday tradition.  Family recipes are used, favorite treats are made and yummy gifts are given to friends and co-workers.  Baking is HUGE for my family.  Just today my sister-in-law texted me a photo of the cookies she had made today with a caption stating,
“let the craziness begin!”  The baking can get a little crazy between her house and mine but I love it.

I am always on the quest for a great cut-out cookie recipe.  My friend baked cookies as favors for her July 2009 wedding and they were amazing.  I asked her for the recipe and just made a batch last week.  They mixed up easily, rolled out perfectly and taste so good.  This recipe will be a staple in my cookbook for many years to come.  Here it is:

I will be using this recipe with a group of girls from the local high school in just a few days, we are having a cookie party.  At Jen’s Blossoms we believe it is important to give back to and to be involved with the local community.  I personally am involved in an organization called Young Life and for one of our December get togethers my junior girls and I are going to make and decorate cookies that they can give to others and take home to their families.  I am super excited for it!

More easy decor ideas and simple traditions tomorrow!

12 Days of Decor & Traditions: Day 7

I don’t quite remember what year it was but I know that one year my brother brought home a log centerpiece for my mom that he had made.  It is a rather simple design.  The log is approximately 10 inches and he cut it flat on the bottom.  There are two holes drilled into the top that fit taper candles and a series of small holes drilled around the log to fit small branches.

Every year he tells my mom that she can get rid of it or not put it out on display but it always finds its way out.  We usually don’t light it until our Christmas Eve dinner.  I guess this simple log centerpiece has become its own tradition.

I love that you can see the wax from the candles used in the past.  More easy decor ideas & simple traditions tomorrow!

12 Days of Decor & Traditions: Day 6

I have a simple recipe for a yummy candy.  It is called “Chocolate Swirl Almond Toffee” and I make it every Christmas!  I have to admit that I have a weakness for toffee, especially almond toffee with chocolate. 

Toffee:
1 cup butter or margarine
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped almonds

Topping:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup vanilla milk chips

Line a cookie sheet with foil; butter foil.  In heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine butter, corn syrup, water and sugar.  Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture boils, stirring constantly.  Using candy thermometer, continue cooking to 290 degrees fahrenheit.  (soft-crack stage), stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Quickly stir in almonds.  Pour mixture into buttered, foil-lined pan.  (I use a spatula sprayed with non-stick cooking spray to smooth out the toffee)

Sprinkle chocolate and vanilla milk chips over hot toffee; let stand for 1-2 minutes to soften.  With knife, swirl softened chips over toffee.  Refrigerate until chocolate is set.  Break into pieces.  (nutritional information available upon request)

The above photos show the toffee poured onto the butter foil-lined pan with the chips sprinkled on (left) and then swirled (right).

After the toffee is broken into pieces I will usually package some in small cello bags tied with a ribbon to give to friends and family.

More easy decor ideas and simple traditions tomorrow!

12 Days of Decor & Tradition: Day 5

Ever since I can remember my mom has been purchasing Christmas books.    These special books make an appearance only once a year for approximately a month and then are packed away until the next year.  Over the years my brother and I had our favorites but I have to say that I have one “old” favorite and one “new” favorite.

The photo below shows a few of our collected books.  The book on the top of the stack is my “old” favorite.  “Claude the Dog: A Christmas Story”.

In this simple story Claude receives a few presents from his owners/family.  After receiving the gifts, Claudes friend Bummer comes over.  Bummer doesn’t have a family or a home.  Claude ends up giving his presents to Bummer.  When Bummer is concerned that Claude doesn’t have any presents remaining Claude simply states that his best present is his home & family.

The message is simple and I adore this book.  I thought it was no longer available but it can be purchased on Amazon!

My “new” favorite is called “Snowmen At Night”.  It is a fun story about the adventures of what snowmen do at night…snowball fights, sledding, and much more.  This book can be found on Amazon or at a local bookstore!

More easy decor ideas & simple traditions tomorrow!

12 Days of Decor & Traditions: Day 4

In the spring and summer the flower pots on my front porch are bursting with color.  The fall brings a more subdued palette and then winter hits….  I could go out and purchase a few winter flowers but instead I like to take some clippings from my Christmas tree to arrange in the pots along with some other items.  Here is a photo of my front entry:

How to:

I removed my fall plants from the flower pots but left the dirt in the pot.  In the large terra cotta pot I inserted the cuttings from my tree straight into the dirt.  I added some red dogwood branches and ilex berries as well, simply inserting them into the dirt.

For the smaller pot I purchased seeded eucalyptus that had been sprayed silver and used the same method of inserting the stems into the dirt. 

Additional items I have used in the past:  branches from my yard that have blown down in the storm, cedar clippings from my trees, painted branches, ornaments, glittered pinecones and ribbon.

More easy decor ideas and simple traditions tomorrow!

12 Days of Decor & Tradition: Day 3

 

 

Sending Christmas cards is an age old tradition.  I try to make my own cards or at least add embellishment to store bought cards (rhinestones, glitter, ribbon…).  

I thought it may be fun for my sweet nieces to make cards for family members and friends…they do love crafting!  I had them over to the house one afternoon/evening (their parents were out shopping) and I set up a table of my holiday paper scraps, stickers, labels, adhesive rhinestones and anything else I could find.  I gave them some cardstock folders (available at your local paper supply store) and filled some votive holders with craft glue.  They were ready to go and had a blast creating custom cards that were sure to be cherished by family and friends for years to come.

Here is my “Christmas Card Bar”.  It wasn’t extremely neat and tidy as I know they love to dig a bit to discover new treasures!

More easy decor ideas & simple traditions tomorrow!

 

12 Days of Decor & Tradition: Day 2

 

 

I love sparkles!  Especially around the holidays.  One of the things I always do this time of year is glitter pinecones.  I use them in my floral arrangements, on wreaths & garlands and simply to decorate my home.  They are so simple I did them last year with my nieces (at the time they were 3 & 5).

My Supplies:

Design Master Glue for Glitter, any type of glitter (I like the Martha Stewart fine glitter), pinecones and a paper bag.

How To:

Over newspaper spray the pinecones with the Glue for Glitter, drop the pinecones into the paper bag and sprinkle glitter over the pinecones.  Then close the bag and shake it.  This coats the sticky pinecones with the glitter.  That’s all…so simple!

In the photo below I placed some faux snow in the bottom of a cylinder vase and topped it with a few glittered pinecones.  I love them next to this small tree.  The lights make them sparkle.

More easy decor ideas & simple traditions tomorrow!

12 Days of Decor & Traditions

Last week I was tweaking a few final holiday decor items and adding a few more items to my calendar & to do list and thought that it would be fun to share some of my easy decorating ideas and simple traditions.  So in keeping with the ever popular “12 days of Christmas” here is day 1!

I am always looking for new ways to display the Christmas cards I receive.  Last year I thought…why not attach a ribbon swag to the empty wall and hang my cards from it!  It was so easy and perfect for the space that I did it again this year.  Here is what mine looks like (as the swag fills in with cards I will decide whether to add an additional swag or just attach the cards to the wall)

How To:  Cut a length of ribbon (I chose green satin) to fit your wall.  I attached it with clear push pins.  Then I tied the red satin ribbon to the push pin and finished with a bow.  Last year I simply stapled the cards to the ribbon but this year I used “Clipiola” paper clips from Cavallini & Co. (I love Cavallini).

The supplies I used (above) and a close up of attaching the cards to the ribbon (below).

More easy decor ideas and simple traditions tomorrow!