Holiday Decor: Repurposed Ornament Topiary

 

Leftovers aren't just for the refrigerator! In this case, these were leftovers from other projects because they were capless. Either broken or missing caps. They were headed for either the thrift store (because one Maker's trash is another Maker's treasure) and then...my brain had a moment. 

 Supplies:

• Small Wood Box (Dollar Tree)
• Bamboo Skewer
• Evergreen Pipe Cleaner
• Leftover Ornaments
• Leftover River
• Letover Embellishments
• Double Sided Tape, Hot Glue

I gathered what I thought I was going to use. Used some, replaced some with other options. But used the main things. 

I had one of those small square boxes Dollar Tree always has in my stash. I also had some leftover black velvet ribbon bows, so I undid one, smoothed it out, applied strips of double-sided tape all around the edges, and then attached the ribbon as shown. 

The ribbon was wider than the box so I made slits in the corners, applied more DS tape inside, folded the ribbon over and inside, and done! I chose to keep it simple but you could paint the top of the box in a coordinating color to your ornaments, or Mod Podge some scrap paper on top. Whatever you choose! 

I used my glue gun to create a hole in the opposite side of the ornaments, glued the first ornament to the top of the box, then threaded a bamboo skewer (with a dab of glue at the bottom to secure) then threaded the rest of the ornaments as shown.  

I cut an evergreen pipe cleaner down to fit around the bottom and glued down with hot glue. I also let glue drip down the sides of each ornament like melting ice, and painted it white once it set.

Tied some ribbon in between each ornament, and then used up some bottle brush trees and wood snowmen leftover from other projects. 

TIP: Those picks we use to weed vinyl? Work great to remove pesky hot glue threads like the one I missed in this pic. 

Simple. Quick. Repurposed!

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Creatively Crafty Linky Party #279

Holiday Decor: Easy Glittered Centerpiece Candles

 

I wanted my holiday centerpiece to be both simple and glam. When we lived in the PNW, I loved the abundance of evergreens just outside my door, so I tried to capture that with this centerpiece. Once again, used a pool noodle as the base and a faux evergreen garland I cut down to sections. But the stars are these two simple but glam candles I made. 

Supplies:

• LED Pillar Candles (Dollar Tree)
• Elmer's Clear Glue
• Glitter Mix (I made my own)

Dollar Tree always stocks these in the candle aisle. When lit, the "flame" looks like this: 

The biggest decision to make is what color(s) you want your glitter to be! I wanted a neutral icy look so I gathered my glitters that met that definition and played. 

I did this like I cook. A little of this, some of that, more of this etc. You can also mix glitter types. I used some tinsel, regular, chunky...

The iridescent chunky glitter reflects off the silver, giving it an ethereal glow. 

I debated what kind of glue I should use...hot glue, Mod Podge...went with Elmer's Clear! It's fluid and I was going for melting icy wax.

It also wouldn't set as quickly as hot glue so I could get all of the glue on before glittering. 

Then, just sprinkly your glitter mix! Since this glue is fluid, some will continue to drip and carry the glitter with it which just enhances the dripped look. 

NOTE: These little lidded Condiment Cups from DT are a great way to store your glitter mixes. 

Once you're happy with the glitter, let dry until ready to use. 

I picked up a couple of clear glass candleholders from guess where for my centerpiece and these sit atop them. 

I love looking at this at night. The glitter picks up the glow of the fairy lights. It's a real "All is calm, all is bright" feeling. 

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Welcome to Vintage Charm Party #519!

Creatively Crafty Linky Party #279

Holiday Decor: Winter Woodland Lighted Jar

 

This week's BFF Open House Link Party continues here through tomorrow. 

Like the Creatives we are, no room or surface is safe from being decorated in my house! I fell in love with these embossed glass jars from Dollar Tree the minute I saw them and knew these were things I needed to get when I saw them. 

Supplies:

• Embossed Jar with Lid (Dollar Tree)
• Battery Operated Lights (Dollar Tree)
• Evergreen Pipecleaner
• Resin and Glitter Deer (Dollar Tree)
• Bottlebrush Tree (Dollar Tree)
• Wood Slices (Optional)
• Glue Gun and Hot Glue

You could do this with ANY jar with a lid and can color clear jars with alcohol inks. I love all the different battery operated lights that Dollar Tree has every season!

I've seen lots of Reels featuring the clear resin deer, and I FINALLY found some! I also used these two glitter deer ornaments, and the small bottlebrush trees that come in a pack at Dollar Tree. 

I wish DT still sold the mini screwdriver set I bought there years ago (and which Mr. Chocolate loves to "borrow") which are great for getting the screw loose for the battery casing. The light sets require two AA batteries, so make sure you get those too! Unwrap the lights and place in the jar. The cord was light enough not to prevent the lid from screwing back on. 

But before you do, grab an evergreen pipe cleaner and hot glue it to the rim of the lid. 

Since I often disassemble/reassemble/repurpose things from year to year, I wanted that flexibility. That's why I didn't glue the lids on. I also chose to glue my focal items to a wood slice which rests on top of the jar lid. You can skip this and glue the items directly to the lid if you choose. 

I debated about painting the wood slice and decided to leave it natural. Dab hot glue to each hoof and secure to the wood. Follow the same process with the glitter ornament and bottom of the bottlebrush tree. 

This way, if I want to use these elsewhere or differently next year, easy peasy! 

The clear resin deer picks up the lights from the jar. I have these in our master and guest baths, creating a calming ambience and reflecting our Northwest Roots. 

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Sundays on Silverado #278

Welcome to Vintage Charm Party #519!

BFF Open House

 

Happy December and BRRR from the desert, where I woke up to 37 degrees! Not to be outdone, our son texted that it was 7 degrees in Chicago, so I'm not going to whine. Much. 

I hope my US Creatives had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Ours was small and lovely. I'm in full on Christmas mode and since I don't decorate until after Thanksgiving, I'm on day four of Operation Decoration and having a blast. 

A new addition this year made me so happy! Check out my take on the viral Gingerbread version of the Dollar Tree stackable tree here. 

Some fabulous ideas were shared at last week's party, and here are a few to inspire you!

This Tabletop Decoration from Steph Creates Things is absolutely precious! 

Whether for yourself or as gifts, these Christmas Tree Earrings from Try It Like It Create It are fabulous! I first thought they were resin, but even easier! 

Two Chicks and a Mom shared this super-cute idea for a Felt Santa With Goodies Inside. 

This last feature is truly a labor of love and a thing of beauty...A Chocolate Truffle Tree from Sonata Home Design! Gimme!

Wouldn't this be a stunner on any holiday table?! 

Thank you to everyone who linked up. The one natural resource that will never be in short supply is creativity. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Holiday Decor: Dollar Tree Stackable Gingerbread Tree

 

No doubt you've seen all of the incredible ways people have transformed the stackable tree from Dollar Tree into all kinds of wonderful Christmas decor. I was immediately smitten with the gingerbread versions and knew I wanted to try my hand at it. 

Supplies:

• Stackable Tree from Dollar Tree
• Rustoleum Spray Paint, Nutmeg
• Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint, Nutmeg
• White Paint Pen (Apple Barrel)
• Mandala Dotting Tools

If you're not familiar with these stackables, they have trees, snowmen, and presents. I also suggested to them that they add a Nutcracker next year. I mean c'mon...it would SELL! I also like that they fit inside each other like Russian nesting dolls, which makes things easier for storage purposes. 

I spray painted each section with Rustoleum Nutmeg. Then I went over it with Apple Barrel Nutmeg to ensure deeper coverage.

From here, it's just a "let your imagination be your guide" kinda thing. I used an Apple Barrel white paint pen and just started freehanding each section. This is the bottom section. 

For me, it was much easier to do this section by section, than assemble the tree and wrangle the whole thing! This is the middle section. 

Same process for the top section. I used hot glue to create a "snowcap", which I painted white once the glue was set. You can totally stop with just the pen work. But I'm a "more is more" kinda girl so I got out my Mandala styluses and added more detail using different sizes. 

It becomes kinda meditative, like people have said about Zen Tangling / Zen Doodling. Once everything was dry, I snapped all the pieces together and added some gingerbread ribbon I found at Michaels! To finish, I also added a gingerbread-themed poinsettia I found at Walmart. 

And here's the finished tree being guarded by the Gingerbread Nutcrackers I shared last month!

Should they do a Nutcracker? 

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Creatively Crafty Linky Party #278