Pottery Barn Merry Christmas Knockoff

I think I’m one of the last people in the world or at least in the blogosphere who doesn’t decorate for Christmas until December. The first weekend in December has always been our tradition. Of course that doesn’t mean I don’t work on some things before that!

Everyone’s favorite place to find knock off ideas, Pottery Barn, had this very cool and very expensive “Merry Christmas” sign. I think it was $99 and it’s also no longer available.

Loved everything about it except did I mention the price and that it’s no longer available? And theirs was 30x30 which would have been too big anyway.

So, doing what all creative bloggers do, I went looking to see if any like minded creative types had already created a printable and voila, Kristy from The Diary of Dave’s Wife had done just that.  Because she’s awesome you can get the printable from her for free and she’s also got a project idea you should check out.  Thank you Kristy!

For my version you will need:

• 12x12 frame  (re-purposed one I had on hand)
• Red craft paints ( I used red and glitter red by Martha Stewart)
• Printable
• 12x12 black scrapbook paper
• Chalk

I started with my plain frame:

and gave it a couple of coats of flat red and a couple of coats of the glitter red paints.

I don’t have a 12x12 printer (and was too impatient to send the printable somewhere that prints 12x12 prints) so I sized it as big as I could (8.5x8.5) and printed it out. Still, I needed to fill my 12x12 frame so lightbulb moment, mounted it on some 12x12 scrapbook paper. To make it blend, I chalked up the black scrapbook paper background:

Just rubbed a piece of chalk all over like you would to prime a chalkboard.  Then I trimmed my printable and did the same thing to it:

Centered and taped it to my primed background and done and done.

Cost to me: $0. I like my price!

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Chic on A Shoestring

BFF Open House Link Party #136 "We're In Crunch Mode People!"

OK people. It's crunch time! Less than a week to go before Christmas. More exciting here at the Chocolate house is: THREE DAYS UNTIL COLLEGE BOY COMES HOME!!!!! Not that I'm at all excited. 

Let's take a look at some of the fantastic ideas shared last week and then see what you busy elves have been up to this week. 

I have so much fun walking through Dollar Tree and seeing what I can come up with from what I find. So does Shellie from Saving With Shellie who made this glam gold wreath without having to break the bank. 

Shellie's wreath would look great next to this genius idea from Rachel at Holy Craft. Rachel used up some of her vinyl scraps to make this beautiful gold dot tree using an old window . I can easily see a big heart for Valentine's Day using this technique. 

Wesens Art shared these adorable Wineglass Lampshades. Don't you love the silhouette of the reindeer from the tealight? Again, infinite possibilities for any occasion. 

Oh dear. Bad enough that Hershey's has come out with a chocolate spread but Karyn from Pint Sized Baker has gone and gotten her hands on it. That can only mean more temptation like these mini no-bake cheesecakes. Trouble!

On to this week's party!

BFF Open House Link Party #135

Happy Friday eve all! Hope everyone is managing to stay dry and warm. YIKES...we're less than two weeks out from Christmas already and if last week's party is any indication, you all are on top of things. I am counting down the days until College Boy comes home. I want the time to go by fast and slow at the same time.  Here are just a few ideas that caught my eye. 

Gifts don't have to be huge or expensive to be thoughtful.  Stacey at Glued to My Crafts has an easy way to show your thanks or complete your stocking stuffers.

Fonda, over at Southern Scraps has I think my favorite upcycled sweater idea EVER. Combine an old but festive sweater with embroidery hoops for adorable ornaments to keep or give as gifts. 

How totally awesome is this washi tape reindeer? I can't count the ways. Visit the guys at Crafty Lumberjacks for the details. So many possibilities. 

This week's chocolate feature is almost too eat. Who wouldn't love a piece of this gorgeous Chocolate Mont Blanc cake? Katerina from Culinary Favors shares the steps for making this incredible creation. 

Now it's time to see what everyone's been up to. 

Winter Wonderland Repurposed Storage Jar

We visited our favorite little antique town this weekend and while there, I picked up a clear glass storage jar. Maybe it was seeing all of the vintage Christmas displays in the stores but I immediately had an idea mind for my jar which also provided another chance for me to bleach  more bottlebrush trees. You can check out this post for more on the trees.

For this project you will need:

• Large glass storage jar with removable lid
• Bleached bottlebrush tree
• Epsom Salt
• Jingle Bells (large and small)
• Snowflake pick
• Wood Word or letters

After cleaning up your jar, glue the bleached tree to the bottom.

I put a big glob of hot glue on the bottom of the tree since I wanted it to stand firmly in the jar. Once the tree’s glued in, pour in some of the epsom salt and then drop in a few of the jingle bells, add more salt. When satisfied with the depth, place the snowflake pick and phrase inside the jar. I sprinkled some iridescent glitter on top.

Cover the rim of the jar with a coordinating washi tape, twine, and ribbon, and then tie a few jingle bells to the ends.

It’s sitting on my Winter Wonderland vintage mantle with my other bleached trees.

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BFF Open House Link Party #134

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving was already a week ago and Hanukkah has come and gone. December shows no signs of slowing down. We had a smaller party last week due to the holiday but here are some fab features. Can't wait to see what everyone's been up to this week !

Tis the season for baking so whip up these adorable and festive peppermint mocha cupcakes. They are too pretty to eat! Visit Life With the Crust Off for the details. 

Printables are such an easy and inexpensive way to update your decor. This one from 24 Cottonwood Lane is no exception. 

I think your table should be as amazing as the food you prepare. Digiscrapboutique  shared how to use scrapbooking supplies to dress up a holiday table. 

The holidays just scream chocolate and mint don't they? How about these Nutella Mint stuffed crescent rolls? Yes please. Stop by This Silly Girls Life for the how to.  

Now, onto this week's party! 

Vintagey Merry Christmas Printable

After a couple of years of a bright mantle, I'm feeling neutrals and silver this year.  Sharing this printable I made using PicMonkey which I could sit and play with all day but I have decorating to finish! 

It's sized to 8x10 but you can resize smaller if you like. Click on the image to bring to full size, then right click to Save As. 

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BFF Open House Link Party #133

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I didn't put the party up last night figuring everyone was too pooped to party. So for those of us avoiding the Black Friday craziness, let's heat up some spiced cider and take a look at some features from last week. 

Hanukkah started the night before Thanksgiving. If you still need an idea for the remaining days or want to pin for next year, Doreen at Altered Artworks has a fantastic idea. Hanukkah in a jar!

If you're spending the weekend decorating for Christmas, whip up a few of these tabletop trees to supplement your decor. Very Anthropologie! Details at  Philzendia 

Mason jars are everywhere and they're a wonderful way to package gifts. Whether for food gifts or craft supplies, they come in handy. Dana at This Silly Girl's Life has more. 

Tis the season when you need to whip things up quickly. You'll never guess the secret to these Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Turtle Bites. Head over to DigiScrapBoutique for the recipe. 

Now for this week's party!

Bleached Bottlebrush Trees

I love the look of vintage holiday decorations and have long wanted some vintage bottlebrush trees. I’m automatically drawn to displays of them in stores. I am not always drawn to their price so once again, I decided I could make my own.  SO easy. Another why didn’t I do this before project.

You will need:

• Bottlebrush trees. Can be found at hobby and craft stores or where Christmas villages etc are sold. I bought a big bag at JoAnn’s last year for 75% off after Christmas knowing that I wanted to make some this season.
• Household bleach.
• Water
• Container
• Time
• Spray adhesive
• Glitter

I googled around for some hints on how to bleach the trees. All of the instructions were similar: mix equal parts bleach and water in a container; submerge trees, wait. Time is the tricky part and my conclusion is you just have to keep an eye on your trees vs an absolute amount of time. One tree took 15 min. Another the same size took 30. Just bleach until they’re the color you want. I wanted natural but may do some more and stop at pale green. I've seen tutorials where people have dyed them all kinds of colors or used spray inks etc.

Mr. Chocolate only looked at a little oddly when I told him I was bleaching trees. He just doesn’t ask anymore. What’s weird is the color bleaches out but the flocking stays on the trees.

While the trees were drying from their bleach bath ( rinse with plain water once you get the color you want), I made their bases by wrapping some wood spools with washi tape.

When the trees were dry, I used a spray adhesive (Elmers) and silver and iridescent glitter. Spray, sprinkle, turn, repeat.  Then hot glued them to my spools.

They’ll likely end up on my mantle but since I’m a diehard about not decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving , I haven’t totally decided yet.

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