Holiday Decorating

 

Holiday Decorating

Here are some fun and easy decorating ideas for your home.  Each one doesn’t require a lot of supplies and you may have some of them on hand.  Each of these are a great way to re-use or re-purpose some items in your home and make them look new again. 

 Decoration Safety

Tree Lights

Only use indoor lights indoors (and outdoor lights only outdoors). Look for the UL label. Check lights for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. Replace or repair any damaged light sets.

 Use no more than three light sets on any one extension cord. Extension cords should be placed against the wall to avoid tripping hazards, but do not run cords under rugs.

Turn off all lights on trees and decorations when you go to bed or leave the house.

 Tree Ornaments

·         Always use the proper step stool or ladder to reach high places.

·         Read labels before you use materials that come in jars, cans and spray cans.

·         Never place lit candles on a tree or near any flammable materials.

·         Avoid placing breakable tree ornaments or ones with small, detachable parts on lower branches where small children or pets can reach them.

·         Do not hang popcorn chains and candy canes on the tree when small children are present. They may think that other tree ornaments are also edible.

 Holiday Decorating for Penny Pinchers

Christmas time is one of the most favorite seasons to decorate for! Here are some great ideas for the holidays, all of them easy on the pocketbook, and some of them are free!

·         For a beautiful outdoor wreath(or indoor) without spending a fortune on craft supplies, try to remember you need not cover the wreath with decoration to make it special. Try just a few craft store "picks" in one corner, with a big bow. Or get some wire star garland and wrap it loosely around the wreath. Hot glue some found pinecones to a corner, or try some old wooden ornaments. You also don't necessarily need to buy an expensive evergreen wreath to decorate, and inexpensive grapevine or straw wreath can be dressed up as well.

·         Spray paint clay pots and saucers a metallic gold for sparkling coasters and utensil or candle holders for the season.

·         If you have extra lights after stringing the tree, wind some through your potted plants for a special way to bring the sparkle throughout the room.

·         For a simple but beautiful centerpiece, set three or five candles of different heights in the middle of the table on a tray, then surround the bases of the candles with seasonal items.  Cuttings from your Christmas tree, or from evergreen trimmings in your yard are a great first layer. Then how about shiny apples, glass ornaments turned hanger side down, found pinecones, nuts, wire star garland, leftover ribbon...

·         Buy those bags of cranberries when they go on sale for $1, and fill bowls that hold pillar candles, or fill a simple glass of water with them to just a few inches below the top, and put a floating candle in. Nuts can work the same way, but they tend to be more expensive.

·         Hollow out the center of an apple as a candleholder, and tuck a few tiny greens in between the candle and the apple. Just be sure the flame never comes near the twigs. A little lemon juice sprinkled on the cut part of the apple will help keep it from browning as much.

·         Have a lot of scrap Christmas fabric from years past? Use it to make a simple square patchwork quilt as a throw for the couch, and add a lot of holiday spirit to the room! (Hint: use old blankets as batting- if you don't have any, check your thrift stores. Just be sure to wash in hot water, and dry at least 20 minutes in your dryer. White flat twin sheets on sale make great backing fabric.)

·         Cut two of a simple holiday shape from felt, then sew or fuse them together, decorate with permanent markers or fabric paint (if you wish), and hang all over the house! Some very simple shapes could include stars, packages(glue or paint on some ribbon), mittens, snowmen, boots, Christmas trees, stockings, candy canes, gingerbread men (trace them from your cookie cutters) and the list goes on! If you have a rustic theme this year, it's not necessary to embellish them at all!

·         Place a few inexpensive glass balls in a bowl and embellish with a few sprigs of greenery or some leftover ribbon. If you don't have an extra bowl (it is the holidays, after all!) try decoupaging a box with leftover Christmas wrap, or cover with a little fabric and glue.

·         Take down your pictures and wrap them like a gift, then hang them back on the wall for great holiday cheer! You don't have to do this all around the house, how about just in the entry, or maybe the dining room?

·         Place votive or pillar candles on a small mirror used as a tray. Tie sprigs of greens or cinnamon sticks on the candles with ribbon or raffia. Be sure the flame is far enough away from the embellishments!

·         Make paper trees out of a square of pretty paper, preferably use a paper that is a little stiff. Simply roll the paper into a cone, and glue the edge with a hot glue gun. Perhaps some gold glitter or squiggles of paint to dress them up, and they will be beautiful on your mantel or as a centerpiece with greens. Try experimenting with different colors and textures...this would be a great place to use leftover cardstock or handmade paper! You could also do this with a piece of stiffened fabric.

·         Tie greens or ornaments to the chandelier with a little Christmas ribbon, just make sure they don't hang low enough for any candles on the table to catch them on fire.

 

Above all, be creative, and have a wonderful holiday with those you care about!

Decorative Pillows

Supplies:

2 Woven Tea Towels                                                   

Embroidery Floss

Hoop                                                                            

Sewing Machine

Sewing Equipment (scissors, thread, etc.)                 

Marking Pen

Directions:

Purchase 2 woven Tea Towels.  For this project you will need a towel with a white center for embroidery.  Using an iron, press out the wrinkles of each towel.  Using a fabric marking pen, transfer a design onto the towel in the center. 

Begin using a running stitch or other embroidery stitch for the lettering.  To stitch out the embroidery design, it you be a good idea to use a coordinating thread.  Use 3 strands of floss sot that the stitching will stand out on the towel. 

Once the embroidery is complete, pen the edges of your towel together, rights sides facing, and stitch.  Make sure to leave a small opening for the stuffing.  After sewing, stuff the pillow with stuffing, making sure to push the stuffing into the corners.  Stitch up the opening by hand.

See the Pillow Tutorial at https://thediymommy.com/diy-fall-pillow-from-dollar-tree-towels/

 

Sewing Machine Ornaments

Supplies:

Solid color fabric                                             

Coordinating Thread

Decorative thread and needle                        

Scrap Batting

Large Cookie Cutters                                       

Straight Pins or Spray Basting

Directions:

Layer fabric and batting together, as you would a quilt—fabric wrong side up, batting, fabric right side up.  Use spray basting or pens to hold the quilt sandwich together.  Using large cookie cutters, trace the design onto the fabric. Cut out each shape.  

Set up your machine with coordinating thread on the top and bottom.  Select some decorative stitches from your machine and begin stitching across the shape.  Stitch and many rows across your ornament as you would like.  You can change out the stitch each time you make a new row, or use the same stitch. 

Once finished with the stitching, thread some decorative cording or thread through a large needle at the top of the ornament.  Tie a knot in the top of the ornament to finish. 

Decorative Plates

Supplies:

Glass or Plastic Plate                                                  

Craft Paint

Stencils                                                                       

Paint Brushes

Stickers, Floral Picks, Ribbon for Embellishment

Directions:

Choose a stencil that will cover the plate you will be painting.  The design on the plate should match the stencil wording you will use.  These plates are not to be used for food.  The painting techniques and stickers put onto the plates will not hold up to hand washing. 

Make sure the plate is clean and free of residue from price tags or oily fingers.  Adhere the stencil onto the plate using double stick tape or a temporary spray on adhesive. Read the craft paint instructions to make sure you are using the correct paint with the correct surface. 

Lightly dab on the paint, painting from the edges of the stencil towards the center.  Make sure you don’t have globs of paint on your brush, as it will seep under the stencil.  If the paint does “leak” under stencil, use a cotton swab, lightly moistened to remove the wet paint. 

Once the painting is done, remove the stencil and make any touch ups to the paint you wish.

Add stickers around the edges, a bow made of ribbon or hot glue some floral picks onto the edges of the plates

Felt Poinsettia Christmas Ornament

Supplies:

Felt:  White, Red, Green                

Embroidery Floss—Red

Gold Beads                                  

Ribbon

Glue Gun                                        

Loose Batting

Directions:

Using patterns attached, cut felt hearts and poinsettia petals.  Blanket stitch both hearts together using three strands of floss, with a loop of ribbon at the top.  Leave a big enough gap to stuff the heart with batting before stitching completely shut.  Using the glue gun, glue green petal to the heart.  On top of the green petal, glue the red felt in petal order—Petal #1, Petal #2, and Petal #3.  Glue gold beads in the center of the top petal. 

Storing Ornaments and Decorations

Each year many of us receive ornaments or make new ornaments for our trees.  Keeping them safe until the next year can be a challenge.  Here are some creative ways to safely store the ornaments in your collections for years to come.

Cardboard Tubes.  Fragile ornaments can be wrapped in tissue paper or bubble wrap and stored inside cardboard tubes. Acid-free tissue paper is best for valuable or vintage ornaments. Never place bubble wrap directly against an ornament.   Wrap it in paper first, then add a layer of bubble wrap.  Place the tubes in an old garment bag and hang them in the closet, from a pegboard, or on a clothesline strung between two basement or attic poles.

Divided Boxes.  Heavy divided boxes that once held wine or liquor are perfect for protecting ornaments and are often sturdier than their commercial counterparts.  Wrap the ornaments in tissue paper and let the box dividers keep them from knocking against each other.   If the box sections are large and the ornaments are small, pad the area with shredded paper for protection.

You can stack several ornaments in each slot; use tissue paper to wrap the ornaments and shredded paper or bubble wrap to separate them so you don't risk losing ornaments in the packing material.  Make a list on the outside of the box to help you find the ornaments you want when it's time to decorate.

Storing Lights.  Instead of coiling your holiday lights in a bundle that becomes hopelessly tangled the following year, wrap them around cardboard tubes.  Save cardboard tubes from wrapping paper or invest in inexpensive cardboard mailing tubes available at office supply stores. Tape the ends of the strings of lights to the tube with low-tack masking tape. If the tubes are capped on the ends, open them and slide extra lights and fuses inside so they'll be stored with the lights.

Gift Wrap.   Hanging garment bags can be used to hold rolls of wrapping paper and ribbon. If the garment bag has outside pockets, tuck gift tags, unused cards, and tissue paper inside them.  

Original Packaging.  Save the original packing for items with small pieces, such as nativity sets or holiday villages. That way, all the parts will be together when it's time to set up your decorations next year.

Candles.  Store holiday candles in a cool place (the refrigerator is perfect).  Wrapping them in cellophane (available at paper goods and crafts stores) will keep them from melting together or transferring color if they do become warm. Avoid plastic wrap or waxed paper -- these materials may melt onto the candles in excess heat.