Love Fest- DIY Moss Heart Wreaths and Floating Hearts

Love is in the air....... and today after this tutorial it will be on your door!!

Yesterday I showed you these simple but sweet mossy heart wreaths. Today in a few short steps, I will show you how to make these sweet wreaths and the floating hearts for your mantel.

 Moss Wreaths
Supplies Needed:

Heart form- I got mine at Joann Fabric for about $8.00 each

Spray adhesive

Roll of moss- for 1 wreath you need about 2 rolls of moss

Ribbon- I used wide red grosgrain to hang my wreaths

 Begin wrapping the wreath form with the moss. You will wrap fairly tight , but not to tight where is pulls the  moss apart. When you finish with one roll you will want to use some spray adhesive to tack the ends down- you will want to do that with each start and stop of your ends.

 Your finished wreath should look like this. When you are done , cut a piece of ribbon ( to your size) and loop at the top of the heart. I used some glue to hold my ribbon in place.

 

 I told you these were simple! And will look lovely hanging up.

DIY Floating Hearts

I have never thought to decorate the mantel for Valentines Day until I started seeing all of these cute Valentine mantel displays. I wanted to do something that incorporated everyone in the family so I came up with these personalized hanging hearts.

This is so easy to do, I almost feel foolish giving you instructions, but I will anyways.

Supplies needed:

• lettering for the hearts- I cut my silver letters out of vinyl from my silhouette machine

• pre-packaged felt hearts in an assortment of colors- I purchased mine from Joann Fabrics for about 8.00.

• jute twine to hang the hearts

• clothes pins to clip the hearts to the twine

• tape or something to secure the jute twine to your mantel

Secure your letters to the felt hearts. Clip with clothes pin onto the jute twine. Told you- easy!

With Love,

Love Fest - Moss heart wreaths

I love to hang wreaths at my front door. It's such a great way to express yourself before guests come into your home.

This year if you come to my front door, you will be greeted by these lovely moss wreaths.

 

 Nothing fancy, just a simple expression of how you will feel when you come to my home- loved. Well, at least I hope so.

 

 I added a few other accessories to complete the look. A red birdhouse, pillows on the chair and natural elements of dried sticks.
If you are not into moss ( no feelings hurt) I have found a few other wreath ideas you may want to consider.

Red satin wreaths from My Blessed Life

This Martha Stewart inspired wreath made out of cupcake liners from Tater Tot's and Jello

I saved my favorite for last. Yes, I even like this better then my plain little mossy one's. This is from Salvaged Whimsy and made out of tissue paper. These will be on my door's next year!

So, if moss is your thing, I hope you will come back tomorrow where I show you how to make my DIY Moss Heart Wreaths as the Love Fest continues.

With Love,

Love Fest- DIY Burlap Heart Napkin Holders

 

I kicked off the Love Fest showing you some sweet burlap heart napkin holders for the dinner table.Today I want to show you how to make them in a few simple steps.

 

Supplies you will need:

Burlap

Scissors

Twine

Package of felt flowers - or you can make your own

Dinner napkins

Glue

First thing is to cut out your hearts with the burlap fabric. My hearts were traced from a heart template that I had and were approx 7 inches wide.

Next, make two holes in your fabric heart with your scissors to thread your twine between. You can also use ribbon instead of twine.

 Now it's time to take your pre-made flower or homemade flower and secure to the heart with a small dab of glue

Let the glue dry before tying around your napkin.

These will look beautiful on your table!

With Love,

Taking my hearts over to

Dear Lillie Valentine's Party
Between Naps on the Porch Thursday Tablescape

Love Fest- Home Decor

From now until Valentines Day, I will be hosting a  Love Fest. I will be posting some fabulous Valentine Crafts, teacher gifts,treats, and other awesome Valentine ideas for your home.

Today I wanted to share two great ideas that are perfect for this time of the year.
First up, are these burlap heart napkin holders that I made for the table for Valentines Dinner with my hubby. I  think they are so  pretty.

How about hanging hearts from the mantel? Great way to incorporate everyone in the family into the design and decor.

I will post the tutorials for these projects this week as the Love Fest continues.
Tomorrow on the Love Fest- DIY Burlap Heart Napkin Holders

Another Idea for the New Years Table

Here is a simple but beautiful look for your New Year's table. This look is my favorite as it best represents my overall style and taste.

 On each plate I put a number representing 2012. I used cream and silver dinnerware on top of a natural burlap table runner.

For an extra touch, type up your New Year's resolutions and place in a beautiful frame. This is a good conversation piece at your table. You can also take this idea and place the frame anywhere in the house as a reminder of your resolutions throughout the year.

I made a party hat and placed at each setting. To make, I cut out a hat template ( I used a kids hat) using white cardstock and covered it in burlap. I then embellished the hat by adding silver tulle to the top and bottom.

 Don't be afraid to try different things. This centerpiece was a antique silver bowl tipped upside down with a silver charger placed on top. I added champagne flutes to the center.

Use that same silver bowl to create a beautiful chiller for your champagne and flutes. To do this- Add ice to the bottom of the bowl. Next insert a round mirror or plate on top. To create a stable base the mirror or plate must be wide enough.  Now you are ready to add your bottles and glasses. This idea is much prettier then most ice buckets, don't you think?

I hope you have found some inspiration for your table setting this year. 

Cheers!

Holiday Table Runner

In the burlap Christmas spirit I made this holiday runner to put on my table this season. I have always had a hard time finding a runner that was simple but yet festive and I think I accomplished that with this one. This project is super easy if you can sew (fyi-  I am not a sewing master) and  not so easy if you can't, although you could probably use some liquid stitch for your burlap piece and talk someone into sewing your pleated ends in exchange for chocolate!

 Supplies that you will need-

1. Burlap for the main body of the runner. Amount depends on the size of the runner. For mine, I used 1/2 yard of burlap fabric. My length was 54 inches and my width was 18 inches.   Allow 1/2 inch for seam.
2. Fabric for the ends of your runner. Amount depends on how many pleats you want. For mine, I used a 1/2 yard of fabric.  
3. Matching thread for burlap piece and for your end fabric
4. Sewing machine

First thing you need to do is cut your burlap the length and width of your runner size. You will need to allow 3/4 inch to finish all sides of your runner. Burlap is not as easy to bend and fold so before sewing I used my iron to create my seams. I used a simple straight stitch to finish my edges.The picture below shows my runner with the finished edges.

Next is the addition of your end fabric. I cut my piece of  fabric long so that I could create several pleats. Allow for 1/2 inch  for your finished edges. After pinning your pleats, use your iron to press down the pleats,  this makes it a whole lot easier to sew.

Next you will attach your finished burlap piece to your finished pleated piece. I allowed for 4 inches to attach the fabric to the burlap so that my pleats would "fluff" up a bit.

Once both sides are attached, press the entire runner with your iron to get any of the remaining wrinkles out. Now your ready to place the runner on your table. How easy was that!

How to "GLAM UP" a burlap stocking for the holidays

I told you about my obsession with burlap last month, guess what it still continues. Not only with me, but I  am seeing burlap grace the cover of Ballard Designs, Pottery Barn and  BHG magazines, just to name a few. It is everywhere, but for very good reason. It is inexpensive to buy. I generally buy a bolt at a time ( approx 20 yards) and spend about $50.00. It is super easy to use. It is adaptable to many different looks and styles. Burlap has generally been seen as having a rustic, country vibe. Well, not anymore!! My latest project is proof of that. Check out this burlap stocking that I did for my little girls room. 

 

 Supplies needed:

Burlap for the stocking

Vinyl letter

Choice of ribbon/flower for embellishment

Mod podge

Glitter

First you will want to trace or free hand a stocking template on your piece of burlap. Since I am not good at drawing, I used stockings that were hanging on my mantel to trace. Cut out your stocking template. With the right sides facing in, sew the edges of your stocking template together. I used a simple straight stitch with a  5/8 hem all around the edge. 

 

When you have finished sewing turn the stocking inside out, so the "right" sides are on the outside. At this point go ahead and press out your stocking with your iron, getting all the wrinkles out.

Next, cut out your initial with a piece of vinyl. I used Lucida font and cut with my silhouette machine. Place the initial on the stocking . Apply some mod podge on top of the vinyl letter. While the mod podge is still wet, sprinkle your glitter on top of the initial. Let dry before applying the ribbon and other embellishments.

So easy for So Glam!

   

 

Holiday Decor in my home this Christmas

Well the tree is up, the stockings hung and the decorating is finished. Now I can sit back and relax. Well not exactly. I am trying to get the 2011 project list cleared off by the end of the year so that I can start with a new clean page in January! Wanted to give you a peek of some of my holiday decor and decorating ideas in my home and hopefully provide some inspiration for your holiday decorating this year.

 I bought these placemats at an after Christmas sale at Target a few years back for about $1.00  a piece. With my kids, placemats placed under my glass top,seem to last the season, without the glass top, maybe a day. I placed a large glass hurricane jar with red faux apples and a white candle. On the chairs, I made red santa hats out of red and white felt. See very top photo in this post for a view of the back of the Santa hats.

I was inspired by this next idea by the "JOY" plates that I saw at the The House of Smith Shop. I thought  holiday lettering on some plates would look festive and fun. I used red silhouette vinyl that I ordered from Expressions Vinyl and cut the letters out on my silhouette machine and applied to the plates. What's so terrific about this idea is that you can throw up some whimsical saying any time of the year and take it down when you want.

In this glass hurricane jar, I placed faux apples and cranberries on the bottom and put a white vase in the center with white faux berries. I like how the red and white work together.

 This year only our tree was new, and unfortunately the needles are starting to fall. Everything I decorated with were things that I have had, re purposed or dusted off.  So, whether you use what you already have and mix it up a bit or do what you have always done, it doesn't matter as long as you enjoy the beauty of what you have created this holiday season.