Holiday Decor: Winter Wonderland Vases

 

More and more, I think I should change my blog name to incorporate Dollar Tree, but I don't want to get into copyright trouble! Mr. Chocolate doesn't believe me when we pass one I haven't been to and ask to stop. 

Supplies:

• Dollar Tree Glass Vases
• Dollar Tree Candleholders
• Dollar Tree Icicles (Two Sizes)
• Dollar Tree Snowflake Ornament

You get my dilemma? 

I love the texture on the candleholders and they worked well with the texture of the icicles and snowflake ornaments. The icicles come in two lengths, You need one package of each per vase. 

I used a combination of E6000 and hot glue to secure the candleholder to the vase. Hot glue one of the snowflake ornaments to the vase. 

Since the snowflake is an ornament, it has a hole for hanging. I guess I could have left it, but it bugged me. So I got out my neverending supply of Creatology Gems. 

They fit perfectly over the hole, so I glued one there, and on the other points of the snowflake. 

I grabbed a flatback rhinestone from my stash and glued into the center. Now we're ready for the icicles!

I used the tape to determine where to start gluing my icicles. For balance, and also to make sure I didn't get too close to the ornament. 

They come in two lengths, so I had to keep them separate in order to keep things straight! 

This next part is optional, but I chose to snip the ends off. A good wire cutter works!

Start gluing your icicles, alternating the two sizes, and I left some space between them just because that's what I did. 

And done! I'm debating whether these will be part of my table decor or go on the dresser in the bedroom. This is decorating week so, decisions...decisions! 

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Gingerbread Week: Sweet Shoppe Galvanized Metal Houses

 

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

Gingerbread is so very on trend this holiday season. It's everywhere and on everything. Natch, as a Maker, I had to play! I ended up having so much fun that I decided to do a Gingerbread Week of projects!

I mentioned when I shared my Christmas Card Box that I was incorporating a Sweet Shoppe theme as part of my Christmas Decor, so this is part of that. It won't all come together until after Thanksgiving.  

Supplies:

• Little Houses (I found these Galvanized Metal ones over the Summer when Dollar Tree had them on clearance for $.25!)
• Acrylic Paints 
• Dotting Tools
• Decorative Gems (Creatology, Michaels)
• Mini Gingerbread Figures (Ashland, Michaels)
• Adhesive
• Glitter
• Oversized Bottle Caps

As I mentioned, I picked up these little galvanized metal houses over the Summer when Dollar Tree was clearing out a lot of their galvanized metal pieces. Had no clue what I was going to do with them (story of my life), but for a quarter each? No brainer. You could even make similar from cardboard or use a wood house cutout. Grabbed my Waverly No Prep Paints in Truffle and White and painted the base white and the house Truffle. 

I picked up these cute Gingerbread minis at Michaels (on sale of course!!) and thought they'd be perfect for the idea I didn't know I had. 

I had these oversized bottlecaps in my stash from a previous pickup somewhere and they were the perfect size for the opening in the metal houses. I used JudiKins dimensional glue and some glitter on hand to line the edges of each, and also to glue in the gingerbread pieces. I used E6000 and hot glue to attach the bottlecaps to the metal pieces. 

Then I got out my ball styluses to dot the houses with white paint. You can also do this with paint brushes. 

Attached the Gingerbread Cookie pieces to the top of the house with E6000 glue. Any strong adhesive will work. 

If you've followed me for a minute, you know the requisite "It Don't Mean a Thing, If It Ain't Got That Bling" applies so I grabbed my Creatology Gems from Michaels and added them! I swear, the jar is going to last me for the rest of my life. 

Almost done!

To finish, I used Tulip Dimensional Paint to add some snow atop the bottlecaps. Now, all done!

Stay tuned this week for more Gingerbread ideas! 

Fall Decor: The Only Way I'll Do Centerpieces Now...The Pool Noodle Hack

 

I tried my hand at the pool noodle hack for creating centerpieces with Halloween, and I'm never going to do them any other way! If you aren't familiar, follow along to learn what I'm talking about. 

Supplies

• Foam Pool Noodle
• Assorted Silk Flowers, Picks, etc. 
• Fairy lights (Optional)
• Table Runner (Optional)
• Wire Cutters, Zip Ties, Wire Cutter

This was an early Fall find from Dollar Tree, and I knew it was an "if you snooze, you lose" item, so it was a no-brainer to buy. 

The basic construction steps are:

• Fold pool noodle in half (or you can cut into two pieces if you want)
• Secure with zip ties or wire (I used the extra long ties from DT)
• Thread candleholders through the middle 
• Go wild

I started with the pumpkins shown in the first pic just to give myself some sense of balance. I had these pumpkins in my Thanksgiving decor already so I just used them differently this year. This is my favorite part about DIYing things. You can reuse your existing supplies in different ways!

I tend towards non-traditional colors mixed with traditional ones. When I saw these lavender leaf bunches, I fell in love. I really love how they worked with the copper and other Fall colors. I cut each "branch" from the stem, and this is the best part: you stick the ends directly in the pool noodle. It provides the perfect surface. And when you're ready to change it out? Equally easy. Just pull them out! 

I already had the white and taupe pumpkins. I picked up other stems from DT and Michaels. This is a great way to use the bunches they have every season, since you end up cutting everything apart anyway. I spent less than $10 on florals I didn't already have, between 60% off florals at Michaels and $1.75 stems from DT. 

Keep filling in blank spots until you're satisfied wit hw things look. 

You can use candles or not. If you don't want them, skip the earlier step of threading candle holders in the middle of the pool noodle. The next step I did is also optional. All up to you! I found some remote control fairy lights for a good price online so...

I threaded them throughout the centerpiece and...

I'm so happy with the outcome! I loved my Halloween centerpiece. I love this one even more, and I can't wait to play with Christmas! The pool noodle hack allows for dimension and depth. 

Have you tried the pool noodle hack? 

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Sundays on Silverado #275

Dia de los Muertos Catrina

 

Even before we moved to the Southwest, I loved Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a celebration that originated with the Aztecs, and then when the Spanish colonized Mexico, was incorporated into the Catholicism they brought. Having grown up Catholic, we had three days of celebrations, starting with Halloween, then All Saints Day, then All Souls Day, which is when Dia de los Muertos takes place. It's always resonated with me because my own culture honors ancestors and that's what this celebration is all about. 

Year-round, you'll see Catrinas abound, and incorporated into public art, and you can read more about them here. For years, I've incorporated the holiday into my decor. 

Supplies:

• Skull (Dollar Tree)
• Multi-surface Acrylic Paint (Waverly)
• Tissue Paper
• Acrylic Paint Pens
• Acrylic Flowers

The skulls they have at Dollar Tree every year. I used my go to Waverly no-prep acrylic paint in white to cover. 

I punched a couple of flowers from scrap tissue paper to create the eyes. 

Then I grabbed my acrylic paint pens and just winged it with the design. 

Decorate to your heart's content! 

Catrinas are often decorated with a crown of flowers so I made some tissue paper flowers with tissue that coordinated with the colors I used. These were probably a little too big, but go big or go home, right? 

I attached these with hot glue. I could have stopped here but what fun is that?!

I guess my "signature" is rhinestones and I often say "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that bling" so, added them as shown. 

The inspiration for the colors I chose. Last year, when we were at Disneyland, (both parks honor Dia de los Muertos) I found this "Coco" sipper at California Adventure and made a beeline to the kiosk that had them! I knew it would get incorporated into my decor. 

And here's my Catrina on display on my island! 

While I'm not of Mexican ancestry, I love having a day where I can honor those I've lost, including those I never knew, who lived lives much harder than mine, so that I could be here. 

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