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

Gingerbread Week: Gingerbread House Village

 

Welcome to Day 3 of my Impromptu Gingerbread Week! I had a lot of fun last year with a Dollar Tree Doll House to Gingerbread House transformation, and with Gingerbread design being even bigger this year, it was a given that I'd do more. I also had a couple of Dollar Tree Fairy Cottages I didn't use when I made my Halloween decor, so they became little Gingerbread Cottages!

Supplies:

• Dollar Tree Dollhouses. For this project you need two since each one is only half a house. 
• Ceramic Cottages or Small Houses. I got mine at DT which has Christmas Houses in that would work.
• Rustoleum and Acrylic Paints in Nutmeg and White
• White Acrylic Paint Pen
• Tulip Puff Paints
• Acrylic Paint Pen
• Mod Podge
• Glitter
• Misc. Embellishments

This is the style of DT Dollhouse I used. You can go with just one if you don't want a (no pun intended) full house. I took the roofs off. 

These are the Rustoleum paints I used. 

Spray paint the roofs white (shown here with one coat...I did another since the color was peeking through) and the base of the hose Nutmeg. You can pop out the windows and doors, but I find they're a pain to put back in, so I chose detailing them instead. 

Re-attach the roofs then put both halves together. I used a combination of super glue gel and hot glue and it doesn't matter if it shows through because it will get covered anyway. 

If you're like me, you have a stash of leftover supplies from previous projects so I went through mine and pulled out colors that worked. 

I grabbed two of these strips of adhesive rhinestones and used them to decorate the sides of the house. Again, don't worry about gaps because they'll get covered. Reinforced with some quick-dry glue. 

I used a white acrylic paint pen to highlight the raised areas of the house along with the windows. Then I grabbed some Tulip Puffy Paint in white and added snow!

I did a squiggle across the roof and down the sides of the roofline and sprinkled with some fine glitter. 

Et voila, Gingerbread Manor! Like I did with my Halloween Haunted Mansion, I added two smaller cottages using Dollar Tree Fairy Cottages. 

These are the ones I used. Very Spring looking, right? 

I hit these with the Rustoleum Nutmeg. Already looks totally different. 

I had a couple bare spots so I just went over them with Apple Barrel Nutmeg using a foam spouncer. 

Then, I painted the roofs white, added some to the base, and as with the dollhouse, I accented the raised areas using an acrylic paint pen. As always, I added some bling with some rhinestones and a tree charm to the door. 

To finish, I coated the roofs with Mod Podge and sprinkled on some tinsel glitter. 

I liked the way the tinsel glitter worked with the thatching of the roofs. 

Gingerbread Week Day 1

Gingerbread Week Day 2

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Welcome to Vintage Charm Party #517!

Creatively Crafty Linky Party #276

Fall Decor: Dollar Tree Stackable Pumpkin Centerpiece

 

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

I found the Dollar Tree stacking pumpkins WAY before Halloween, but I've learned, grab it or lose it when it comes to DT finds. I knew I wanted to save them for AFTER Halloween for Fall decorating. There are so many ways to use these stacks. Run NOW, if you want any of the Christmas ones. Confession: I bought both the snowmen and tree stacks. Mr. Chocolate doesn't even blink anymore. 

Supplies:

• Dollar Tree Stackable Pumpkins
• Rustoleum Spray Paint, Copper
• Multi-surface Acrylic Paint, Black
• Baking Soda
• Misc. Ribbons

They were cute as is, but we're Makers so that rarely happens, right? 

Somewhere in my online travels, I saw these done with three different colors, an idea I really liked. I also wanted to try the popular baking soda paint technique and this project was perfect for that. 

I decided to make the middle pumpkin copper and the top one black. I used the Rustoleum Copper for this. 

I did the baking soda paint for the top layer by mixing some into the paint, then shaking more atop and brushing it off with a dry brush. I painted the stem with some Craft Smart Multi-Surface acrylic paint in Copper. 

What I learned: Less is more. I didn't think I had enough baking soda at first, so I added more. It got a little clumpy but that brushed off and I went back over with plain paint and then pouring the baking soda over it took care of things. 

If you haven't played with these, they just click into place. I've seen projects done where people glue the stacks together but I knew I wanted to disassemble for storage so I didn't do that. I don't need to hear about storage from you know who. 

Here is the whole thing, assembled. Now for the fun. I neglected to take pics, but I grabbed some ribbon from my stash and made a couple of whatever this style of bow is called. Then I wrapped ribbon around the top/middle and middle/bottom pumpkins, and added my bows. 

I am really happy with how it turned out and it ties together different color schemes in my Fall decor. I found the vinyl table runner at Dollar Tree, and made over the "Gather" sign, another previous DT find from another year. It had been deep burgundy and gold. The black and copper pumpkins are tissue-paper-covered DT Foam Pumpkins with stems I made from aluminum foil. 

Sharing At: 

Vintage Charm Party 516

Home Decor: From Brass to Hammered Pewter

I previously shared the Lamp and Mirror Makeover I did for our entryway but hadn't yet done the table. I finished it and am so happy with how it turned out! With just a little paint, it changed the whole feel of the table and entry. 

Supplies:

• Rustoleum Hammered Pewter Spray Paint

We bought this table years ago. It's heavier than it looks, has stayed in great condition and there was no reason to get rid of it, except the color didn't go with our new home. I was also not looking to spend any more money when I knew I could re-purpose it! Rustoleum All Surface Paint to the rescue! 

The paint comes in several different colors and is paint and primer all in one. It sprays evenly and coats well. You definitely still want to use it outside or someplace with good ventilation so Mr. Chocolate brought it out to the backyard and I went to work spraying! Not a lot of before and after to show so at the top of the post is the before, here's the after: 

I had to take advantage of a break in the monsoon weather so my picture-taking was utility vs perfection based. 

Our entryway is now complete with a beautiful hammered pewter table. Honestly, I spent more on the orchid stems and branches (Michaels) and quartz vase fillers (also Michaels)!

To finish the entryway, I recovered an ottoman with a crushed velvet cover I bought on Amazon and the mirror we bought a Pottery Barn years ago which is also still going strong. 

Since we're a shoes-off house, it will make it easier for guests to have a place to sit to remove / put on their shoes. 

What's hilarious is, Mr. Chocolate has always been reluctant when I say I want to paint something. Guess who brought our coffee table outside for a makeover? I used the same Rustoleum paint but this time in brushed nickel.