Hi and happy Friday! Today I’m sharing photos of the Christmas fireplace decor in my home for the 2020 holiday season! I love this fireplace and thoroughly enjoy adorning it for each new season. The fireplace itself has an interesting history. Many years ago on a family beach vacation, my husband and I spotted this mantle sitting on the front porch of an antique shop. We thought it would be perfect in our mission craftsman style 1920 home, so we brought it all the way home across four states on our minivan roof rack. We installed it in our home along with a handpainted tile surround in my favorite, cobalt blue and white.
For Christmas this year, I created a frosty forest feel in my living room Christmas decorations combining decorations I already have, some quick DIY projects, and a few online shopping items. Here are a few ideas if you would like to create a woodsy, Nordic Christmas interior this year.
The first item I placed across the entire mantle shelf was a green garland with gold glitter and berries. I like to have a base of greenery, and I wanted to have sparkle on the entirety of the mantle shelf.
I absolutely love fairy lights on copper wire. Since we discovered these lights a couple of years ago (a bargain on Amazon) we use them everywhere. I love the tiny lights and the wire is also so pretty and looks nice with other decorative elements.
The centerpiece of my mantle is a large carved initial that I found at Home Goods. The other major elements on the mantle are Christmas tree candles. The two green trees are vintage from the 1960s and were still in boxes when I found them at an estate sale! I like them combined with the sleek contemporary trees in metallic tones.
I added some snowball ornaments, sparkly snowflakes, and some wintery greens and pine picks in between.
A felt reindeer garland is suspended across the entire mantle (see post for DIY).
The lit branches on the left side of the hearth are a DIY project, a tree branch planted in concrete in a pot, sprayed with faux snow and lit with fairy lights. A sparkling bird’s nest and faux ice wreaths adorn the branches.
Across the bottom of the hearth, I placed real birch log votive holders in various sizes, from 18 inches tall to around 4 inches. These were a DIY project (more to come on this project).
Isn’t there something so fun and festive about a little bit of jingle in Christmas decor? I’ve been seeing a ton of fabulous felt Christmas ornaments this year on pinterest and in online shops, so I wanted to try making a few myself! I plan to make and post some other DIY felt projects over the holidays, so I hope you’ll plan to stop back!
This fun reindeer garland banner was so easy! The hardest part was cutting out the tiny antlers on each deer. I don’t think any two are exactly identical, but I think they’re close enough. I really like the combination of the rusty jingle bells and the silky tassels on this garland. After completing it, I am displaying the garland across my firplace mantle this year with some other woodsy decor, and I’m really happy with it. The project was fun, and I have ample supplies left to make more banners with the felt, cord, and bells I bought.
Okay, if you want to give this little project a try, here’s how!
Supplies:
(The supply list contains affiliate links. These are the materials I used, and they worked well for this project.)
Thin braided rope or other thin twine of your choice, at least 10 feet long
STEP 2: Pin the reindeer pattern to a piece of felt, making sure to stay on one corner to minimize waste. Using the felt pack I bought from Amazon, I was able to cut two deer from each one piece of felt.
STEP 3: Cut out six deer (or more if you want a longer garland) from your color choice of felt. I used two shades of brown and a camel color. Small sharp scissors work well to cut out the small details.
STEP 4: Lay out the twine on a long table or counter. You will need a longer piece of string than what you hope to have for the finished project. Tying each bell in will take some of the length. You will also want 12 inches or more on each end so the banner can easily be attached wherever you choose.
STEP 5: Beginning at one end, measure off 18 inches and tie on one jingle bell at that spot. Make a mark (using a subtle color marker) 8 inches from the first jingle bell. Tie the second in that spot. Repeat the same process every eight inches until you have enough bells attached for the number of deer you plan to use. For my 6 deer, I needed seven bells each 8 inches apart.
STEP 6: Lay out some newspaper or something glue safe and put the left-most section (between the first two bells) on it. Heat up your glue gun. Measure four inches between the two bells. Put some glue on one side of the section of string where the deer will attach, about 3.5 inches. Place the deer on the glue. Pick up the section of string and deer to let it dry so that it doesn’t accidentally get stuck to the paper. Continue until all deer are securely attached. Check the back side of the deer to make sure all of them are glued on along their full length.
STEP 7: Choose the tassels you want to use on your garland. From the package I bought, I chose gray, ivory, and brown because I wanted my garland to have a woodsy look. Cut the loops down so they they are at a good length to glue, about half an inch. Glue the tassels on the back with the hot glue gun. The tassels will keep the deer hanging in the right direction.
That’s it! Super easy and original Christmas decor for your home!
Have a beautiful day and try something creative! 🙂
Hello and happy Friday! I’ve been busy with a little DIY project, and I have to say, I’m happy with how this one turned out! I love the subtle look of this modern farmhouse style Christmas decor. These little decorations would also look fabulous with a Coastal Christmas theme.
We eat A LOT of pistachios around here, so I asked my husband to start saving the shells for me a while ago. With a small bag full of shells, I had more than enough to make this project. I made the tree base out of paper and the wreath bases out of cardboard and container lids destined for the recycling bin. So this fun upcycled project cost me next to nothing.
I achieved the shaded look of the tree by painting the shells with several shades of chalk paint. The wreaths are a single color on each, and I added some grosgrain ribbon and rustic jute to give them a finished look. The wreaths could be hung from a mirror, on your Christmas tree, or even used as votive holders!
For the tree, make a cone out of the paper by forming a tight cone and taping along the edge. Then cut off the uneven bottom so that the cone stands straight.
Divide your shells into several groups for the colors you would like to use. For the tree, I left some natural (which are the ones that almost look like a light peach shade) and painted some in light celery green and some in light gray. I also painted some white for one of the wreaths. You could also do your tree in all one color, or make a group of trees that are one color each. It all depends on you and your creativity!
Once the shells are dry, attach them to the tree using a hot glue gun, alternating colors for a shaded effect. When you place the next row above, make sure to slightly overlap the previous row so that the paper cone will not be showing. I found it was helpful to keep the little shell pieces for spots where I didn’t have quite enough space for a full shell. Continue this process until the whole tree is covered. I added a single shell with a little gold paint at the top.
For the wreath, I used the lid from a breadcrumbs container and also traced this onto cardboard for the rest of the wreaths. I used a small drinking glass to trace the center circle. Cut out the wreaths and the centers for the size you want. This same method could be used for a much larger pistachio shell wreath as well.
Using the hot glue gun, glue the shells in a slightly overlapping fashion, starting with the innermost row. Continue until the circle is covered. Add jute for hanging and the ribbon trim of your choice.
When your project is finished, pull off all the little glue strings. This project took me about three hours to complete, including painting the shells.
I read this week that getting into a state of “flow” where you can accomplish something productive that is fairly easy is a great way to cope with stress. I think we all could use that right now! So it’s more crafting from now until Christmas! 🙂
Have a beautiful day and try something creative! 🙂
Today was a cold snowy day in the mid-Atlantic. We’ve had some unusually warm weather, but today’s chilly breeze is a reminder that it is definitely time to start pulling out some fun DIY Christmas projects!
I love these merry and bright Christmas trees! They’re so fun in a grouping with other bright Christmas balls and pom garlands. They bring a modern, contemporary take to the traditional Christmas tree, and are easy to make. This is a great project to try with your older kids (old enough to safely use a glue gun) when they’re home for Thanksgiving break or later in the holidays, or if you find yourself pandemic homeschooling. Not just a project for kids, these trees are pretty enough to use on your mantle or table display. Also, I made these trees with very simple materials; all you need is some heavy nine by twelve paper, colorful felt, and trims!
My post contains affiliate links for supplies.
I created three different tree styles. Here’s how!
For all tree styles, the first step is to make paper cones. There are other methods of doing this, but I found the easiest was just to take a sheet of paper and form it into a tight cone, and then tape the side along the whole edge. When the cone is formed, the bottom will be uneven. I trimmed the bottoms with scissors until the cones were straight across the bottom edge. Admittedly, this is a non-exact approach, but it works very easily without a lot of trouble.
Style 1: Pom Fringe Tree
The pom fringe tree is the simplest to make. You will need about 2 yards of fringe. Extra fringe is really fun to have to use elsewhere for your bright Christmas decor. Starting at the bottom of your paper cone, place the trim around the tree, going upwards and slightly diagonal with each row. Each row will be about 3/4 inch to 1 inch apart. As you place the cording, glue it down with the hot melt glue gun.
Draw a five-pointed star on the felt with a pencil. These trees are whimsical, so it’s not that important that your star is drawn exactly. Cut the star out, and attach it to the top of the tree with a dab of hot glue. Make sure the light pencil marking on the star are on the back (glued) side. When the tree is completed, pull off any stray glue strings.
Style 2: Ombre Petals Tree
The ombre tree is made with several shades of the same color. It’s also very simple to make. The hardest part is cutting the petals, but once that’s done, you can complete the tree quickly and easily. I think this ombre tree would be great in a grouping of various colors of ombre trees. Here’s how to make yours!
Find felt pieces in a gradient. You need at least three shades, but you could use four or even fade to white at the top.
Cut small petal shapes out of the felt. I used the felt pack from Amazon listed on the supplies list, and I cut petals from the entire piece of the darkest color. The lighter colors require slightly less because the cone is narrower at the top. My petals are about an inch long and half an inch wide.
Beginning at the bottom of the tree, glue rows of your darkest felt color with a hot melt glue gun. Make sure the bottom edge of the paper cone is not showing and slightly overlap the petals in each row.
Continue this process using lighter shades as you get to the top of the tree.
Cover the tree completely in felt petals. Add a felt star to the top.
Style 3: Bright Contrast Tiers Tree
For this tree, you need four contrasting pieces of felt. I have also seen similar trees in all one color of green that were very cute. I had planned to cut the felt edge with a fancy cut pinking shears, but mine were not sharp enough to cut through the felt. You might have some that would work, which makes the project slightly easier.
Using the pack of felt from Amazon, I cut my yellow piece in half for the bottom layer. This works for all colors except the top, where you will have to adjust the felt size to the top of your tree.
Once you have your felt pieces selected, create a notched edge using scissors to cut out small triangles.
Starting with the lowest layer, glue your felt onto the tree keeping the bottom edge of the felt even with the bottom edge of the tree. Because the felt is straight and the cone isn’t, you’ll have to finesse this bottom layer a little bit. I tucked the felt slightly and glued it with the hot glue gun to make it even all the way around. You can see that small tuck on the left side of the yellow felt on the picture.
Continue gluing on your tiered layers. There is going to be a back side to this tree that does not look perfect. Make sure as you’re gluing, you have a front side that looks nice and displays all the layers. For the top tier, place your felt as it would have to be glued. Mark the felt for how much you will need to cut off so that the felt doesn’t go past the pointed top of the tree. Add a felt star to the top of the tree.
This was a really fun and simple project. I finished all of the trees in about two hours. I hope you will give one or all of them a try and see what you think.
Have a beautiful day, and try something creative! 🙂
Isn’t mercury glass so beautiful? I’ve been eyeing gorgeous pieces for Christmas decor and tree ornaments, wedding decor, and everything in-between.
Today I tried my hand at a little DIY mercury glass project. Where was the first place I checked when I realized I needed some jars? The recycling bin! Luckily for me, tomorrow is trash day, so I had a great selection of glass containers. I worked with a small glass jar from grated cheese today, but this same technique would work with any glass container.
I love a whole grouping of glass together. Mercury glass looks equally at home in romantic vintage decor or a contemporary setting. These DIY jars would look great with a large group of them hanging at a party or wedding, grouped on a mantle, or on a tablescape. In fact, I love this easy project so much, I plan to make a set of mercury glass from everything I can find to upcycle!
Wash the jar to remove dirt and labels. I soaked mine in hot soapy water to remove the jar label.
Fill the spray bottle with water.
Spray paint the inside of the glass container. Don’t spray the outside.
Lightly mist the painted surface with the water.
Carefully dab some of the paint off with a paper towel to make some of the water splotches bigger.
Let the jar dry.
Tie ribbon around the top of the jar.
Tuck leaves, berries, or flowers into the ribbon. I used thin sheer ribbon, berries, green leaves, and lamb’s ears. Glue them in place with a glue gun.
Put a candle or fairy lights in the container. Battery-powered votives work well.
You’re done! So easy and pretty! You could make a whole set for your Christmas display or wedding reception.
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Have a beautiful day and take time for a quick project! 🙂
Blue Willow Lane 