Monday, December 13, 2010

Dare to DIY: Week 5

It's time to deck the halls!!

Ok, so my halls, aren't completely decked yet, so I'm going to run through what I did last year. 

Last year, I aimed for a very natural feeling- branches, holly and candle light- but all with a touch of shimmer.  One of my favorite things was the centerpieces I set up on our coffee table

I took pine cones I collected and hit them with a little gold spray paint

added amongst the holly was smaller red ornaments as well as acorns with a dusting of gold paint

the dried holly was by far my favorite element


Also, around the apartment I took old Ball Jars and added some gilded ribbon, sand and a candle for extra ambiance.  A candle wreath added some panache.   Also, I had some pumpkins leftover from my Halloween and Thanksgiving decor, so I added a little simmer to them with more gold spray paint.

We can't forget my manger scene-- a gift from my mother

Since we don't have a mantle, I hung our stockings (with care, of course) from a self above our dining table.


These stocking hangers were picked up for nothing via Freecycle.  The glassware behind them are vintage goblets with Christmas balls placed inside.

I loved the mix of metallic with the natural elements



One thing I did add this year was a simple table setting

Instead of your normal chargers, I used leaves from a rhodendrum bush


I just love how un-perfect they are

For the centerpiece, I placed two candle wreaths on cake stands and added a few more pine cones




Have you decorated yet?  What is your favorite area to decorate?  Is it the lights on the front lawn, or do you love putting the star on the tree?

Don't forget to stop by Kim for the rest of the Dare to DIYers!

Always & Forever,
  ME

4 comments:

Shannon said...

Did your blog get a sassification? Or am I losing my freaking mind and it's looked this way for months?

Either way, I love the tray on your coffee table most of all. I need to go get some leaves to use as filler. Wait, will these kill my cat? I guess there's only one way to find out. Sorry John.

Kim @ NewlyWoodwards said...

I was thinking your blog looked different, too. I like the header.

I really love the leaves as chargers. How clever is that? Thanks for linking up this week!

Oona Johnson said...

What happens to the leaves when you move the plates? Are the glued to something? They look really neat!

My favorite part is the golden acorns, pine cones, and pumpkins! I had been meaning to go out to the trail behind my work and collect pine cones, but I kept putting it off and now everything's covered in snow! Argh.

We haven't decorated the outside of our house. The Mister is not on board and I don't know how to run all the power cords and crap. Grr.

Lucky Girl said...

That charger idea is so cool! Oh, and I really like the centerpiece on the coffee table. If only our coffee table wasn't constantly brimming with cups/laptops/papers etc...