Holidays

Farmhouse Inspired Christmas Tree – Dream Tree Challenge

74 · Nov 1, 2017 · 1 Comment

It’s getting close to my favorite time of year… Christmas!! Every year it’s so fun to participate in the Michaels Dream Tree Challenge and this year has been EXTRA FUN! We gathered together as a family and crafted our Christmas tree together and it was so fun. From trees to ornaments and holiday décor, Michaels has everything you need to MAKE this holiday your own! You can even shop over 100 Christmas Trees at Michaels.com. Crafting your tree together is a great way to bring the family together at the beginning of the Holiday season. Here is what we created to make our 2017 tree magical for our home and family.

The Christmas Tree

This year, I picked the 7.5 Ft. Pre-Lit Jasper Cashmere Artificial Christmas Tree, Clear Lights by Ashland™. At first it was a little wide for our space. BUT… We placed it on top of an old bucket I had and then bent the lower branches down to give it a slimmer figure. I wish ‘slimming-down’ was that easy for all of us! 😉 That also raised the tree up a bit, which makes it look better in a room with vaulted ceilings.

Regardless of what this photo looks like below (someone was being a bit dramatic…) The Jasper tree is super easy to set-up. It’s literally plug and play. The electricity runs through the poll of the tree so you don’t have to go hunting around for all of the connections. Then all you have to do is fluff the branches.

Farmhouse Inspired Christmas Ornaments

Part of the fun when decorating for the Holidays is actually making some of your own decor. This year I was inspired by some ornaments that Joanna Gains has created for another store. I LOVE them and thought we could make some of our own with supplies from Michaels.

I grabbed some of the shatter proof ornaments at Michaels along with some of the Americana Chalkboard Paint from DecoArt…

My daughter Haley is home from college with her boyfriend Kyle and we decided to have a paint party. We covered the table with plastic wrap and went to town with the clear ornaments from Michaels. We painted them all over with the chalkboard paint. Now, the only reason I use chalkboard paint is because I like the matte look. Then we used a white paint marker from Sharpie and created all of the little swiss crosses on the ornaments.

They turned out super cute and we had so much fun making them together!

I think they may be my new favorite Christmas ornaments for our tree.

Next, we painted some large wood stars from Michaels with Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint from DecoArt. Then we used my Cricut Maker to add titles of Christmas Carols onto the stars. You can learn how to make those HERE. You can even download the graphics that I designed for the stars!

The next element for my tree is a few types of picks that I found in the Christmas pick section of Michaels.

Quite honestly, picks are some of my favorite ways to add personality to my Christmas trees. They really add to the tree and they aren’t very pricey. I LOVE the fuzzy little stars, the gold antlers, and the cotton stems. They look fabulous on the tree!

The last element is the ribbon picks. They couldn’t be easier to make. I found some perfect ribbon at Michaels and cut it into 6 inch sections…

Then I folded it in half and wrapped some floral wire around the bottom leaving a 4-5 inch tail to secure it to the tree. Super simple and the bottom doesn’t need to be pretty.

Then you use the wire tail to attach them to the tree. An easy, easy way to fill in those bald spots on the tree or add a pop of color. Again, it’s a very cost friendly way to add color to your tree.

One last thing… I almost forgot! We decided to HANG our star from the ceiling for this tree. I bought a large wood star at Michaels and wrapped it with some wire lights and then hung it from the ceiling. We made sure to place our hook in a stud so that we didn’t have issues with the weight of the star. It’s so simple and tops it with that rustic farmhouse look.

Wow, it’s amazing how some simple elements can come together to create a really stunning tree. All of my kiddos have said this tree is the best we’ve ever had. Make sure to download the Michaels App on your smartphone so you don’t miss any of their amazing holiday deals this season. It really is a great app to have. No more saving receipts! That’s worth it right there.

Don’t forget to tag me in your tree photos… I love to see what you guys are creating!

For more inspiration, visit the Michaels blog and their Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

DIY Farmhouse Christmas Carol Star Tree Ornaments

108 · Nov 1, 2017 · 6 Comments

It’s officially Holiday Season! One thing that I LOVE about the Holidays is creating my own custom decor for our home. Love FARMHOUSE decor?

Then you are going to LOVE this Farmhouse-inspired Christmas Carol Star ornament that you can create for your home. This week I’ve teamed-up with DecoArt and Cricut to create some new ornaments for my Christmas tree this year.

We decided to go with the star of Christmas theme, so… I thought it would be fun to chalk paint some large wood stars and then put titles of Christmas Carols on them. They turned out so cute… Come learn how to make them for yourself.

A few years ago, one of my good friends had the most beautiful Christmas trees. She had large stars all over the tree and I just adored it.

I asked her where the stars were from and I was devastated to learn that they were given to her from a friend who found them discarded from a department store after the holidays. DANG! There was no way of finding a set of my own.

This year, I decided it was time to make some large stars of my own. The timing couldn’t be more perfect! DecoArt and Cricut have teamed up this year to create all kinds of fabulous fun this Holiday season…

I love it when to amazing companies come together to inspire all of us to bring a little bit of our personalities into our home. These two are perfect for that. I’m sure that this will tickle your fancy… You’ll want to visit the DecoArt Blog to check out the GIVEAWAYS DecoArt & Cricut have up their sleeves this year!

Instructions for Christmas Carol Stars

First, grab your raw wood stars and wipe them down with a damp cloth to make sure they are dust and dirt free. Then paint your base coat with the Americana Decor Curb Appeal paint.

The reason why I used the Curb Appeal paint is… One, it’s a durable paint and will stand up to the distressing of the chalk paint. Two, I just happened to have some left over after I painted my front door. I wanted to have a black base because I wanted it to show through when I distressed the white (Everlast) paint.

PRO TIP + When using chalk paint, you will typically distress your paint to create the look that is typical with chalk paint. You’ll need to keep in mind what color you want to show through once distressed. You’ll need to use that color as your base color then paint your finishing color on top. Then make sure when you are distressing your piece, you don’t use too much pressure. You don’t want to accidentally distress down through your base coat.

Once your base coat is dry, paint your top coat with the Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint in Everlasting.

Pro Tip + Don’t worry about making your top coat look PERFECT with multiple layers of paint. You will be distressing them, no need for perfection. The heavier your layer of paint, the harder your piece will be to distress. No need to make extra work for yourself.

To distress, use a 250 grit sandpaper and lightly sand the raised edges of the stars.

Christmas Carol Graphics

Now, it’s time to break out your Cricut machine. I’ve used the Cricut Explore machines and the Cricut Maker and I LOVE them both. For this project, I used my Cricut Maker but, either one is fine.

To begin, I created these designs to put on the chalk painted stars…

I love how they help to usher in the spirit of the season. They remind us of seasons past and they also help to remember the true meaning of the season… The birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

You can download these Christmas Carol designs HERE

Then all you need to do is to upload the SVG files to the Cricut Design Space. You can check out this post on how to upload a design in the Cricut Design Space to learn how to do that.

Then you’ll cut your designs on your Cricut machine and then apply the vinyl to your stars. To learn how to apply vinyl, visit this post… How to Apply Vinyl Tutorial that I created.

It’s really not hard if you follow a few simple steps. It truly is one of my favorite ways to create for my home.

Pro Tip + Make sure you wipe down your stars with a damp cloth to remove any remaining paint dust. It will make applying the vinyl much easier.

Now your stars are ready to add to your tree!

I can’t wait to see what you guys create this Holiday Season! Make sure to tag me on your social media posts. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram & Pinterest.

Witch and Ghoul Death and Breakfast Paper Roll Sign with Cricut Easy Press

2 · Oct 16, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Today, I have a fun new idea. I’ve always loved the vintage paper rolls that little shops used to have. They would keep a roll of brown paper on it and use it to wrap parcels for their shoppers. Well, they are making a come back thanks to the vintage farmhouse lovers. I have found some vintage style paper rolls that aren’t too expensive and thought it would be fun to create new signs for the seasons with heat transfer vinyl and the NEW Cricut Easy Press.

• This post brought to you by Cricut •

Isn’t that fun?! It’s kind of a new concept when it comes to signage around the home.

Now, some people are naturally gifted and can create beautiful signs with just a sharpie and a little imagination. I however, can not… I wish I could! I was not gifted with that talent. The problem is that I love the look and I don’t have an arm and a leg to pay and actual artist to create my design each time I want to change it out. Then, I thought I could use vinyl and cut a design with the Cricut cutting machine. The problem with that is, the transfer tape would be a nightmare on the paper. It would just turn into a hot mess. Plus… I’m not a fan of weeding intricate designs out of vinyl. Although, I don’t mind weeding the Cricut Iron-on Lite! It’s so much easier to weed. I set out to see if it was possible to use Cricut Iron-On Lite on paper and sure enough, it works with the Easy Press!! I LOVE this new tool from Cricut!

All you need to do is to download my SVG file for the Witch and Ghoul sign OR you can download the free printable and print it out to display. You could even frame it if you’d like. I’ve sized it at 8×10 for your use.

Paper Roll Sign Supplies

vintage style paper roll like the one here
Cricut Iron-On Lite – Black
Cricut Maker or Explore series machine
Cricut Easy Press
light cotton towel
heat resistant surface to work on
scissors

Paper Roll Sign Instructions

First, you’ll need to upload the SVG file into Cricut Design Space and size your design for the size of your paper roll. My roll is 8 inches but, you can get even larger paper rolls. You’ll be able to size the design for your paper roll size.

Then you’ll need to load your heat transfer vinyl onto your cutting mat and load into your machine and cut out the design.

Quick tip… I leave the vinyl on the roll while I am cutting it. It doesn’t interfere with the cutting process and it cuts down on waste.

Then you’ll need to weed your design to remove the excess vinyl.

While you are weeding your vinyl, you’ll want to pre-heat your Cricut Easy Press. Once you finish with the weeding process, you should unroll some of your paper and place something at the bottom of the roll to keep it from rolling back-up.

I like to pre-heat my surface before I lay down my design. The transfer seems to work best that way. Then I center the design onto the paper like so…

I then cover it with the cotton tea towel to protect the paper.

Then I place the Easy Press or the iron right on top and let it works it’s magic. I have found that 350˚ for about 50 seconds typically does the trick. Then, I let it cool for a minute or two and then remove the plastic protective covering.

Replace the towel and do one more shot with the Easy Press. Voilá.. You’re finished!

Doesn’t it look kinda of cool? You can check out my post on how to create that Halloween Taxidermy to complete the entire look. It’s super easy too.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the new Easy Press! I’ve used it on all kinds of surfaces now. Paper, canvas, fabric and my next project will be on ribbon. I can’t wait to show you how it turns out. Make sure you add the Cricut Easy Press to your Christmas list AND make sure you make it on the Nice List so that you will for sure get one. It’s one of those game changing tools that you are going to LOVE.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

Halloween Bat Jars

9 · Oct 4, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Chalky Finish Halloween Bat Jars • Have fun creating spooky Halloween decor with these Americana Decor Chalky Finish Ball Jars filled with creepy bats. Decorate your mantle or use them as a table centerpiece. Either way, they will add some stylish fun to your Halloween decoration game.

+ This post is brought to you by the amazing folks at DecoArt +

I LOVE, love, love creating simple and, (strange as it may seem,) elegant Halloween decor. I’ve said it before, I don’t really go for the macabre but, I do love a good bat or six flying around the room. This year I thought it would be fun to use two of my favorites and create spooky mantle decor OR a centerpiece for our Halloween gatherings.

Not All Jars are Created Equal • What Jars Are Fun to Use

We’ve all seen those classic chalk painted jars used for everything under the sun. They are great but, they can be even better when you use the NEW Ball jars that have a little flair to them. The have a new Spiral Jar, a Giving Jar and a little Mini Ball Jar. All three of these jars have something fun to add to the chalk paint jar scene. The Spiral jar has great spiral lines with a somewhat hour glass shape, PERFECT for a chalky finish. The giving jar has great lines and, can we swoon over the cute mini mason jar! That would be perfect for a place card at a Halloween dinner party.

The Benefits of Chalky Finish Paint vs. Typical Acrylic Paint

These fun new jars are a match made in Heaven when it comes to the DecoArt Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint. The two main benefits to using chalk type paint for this application is:

Dry time– Chalk or mineral type paint has a super speedy dry time which is fabulous when you are wanting to a quick project. Whether big or small, furniture or jars, you want to move quickly and not have to sit around literally watching the paint dry.
Manipulatable – With a chalk based paint like the Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint, once the paint is dry, that’s when the magic happens. You can use sand paper or even a wet cloth to play with the paint giving it a nice worn look. With typically acrylic paint you wouldn’t be able to do that. It would just become a sticky mess. The paint would gum up in your sand paper and the result wouldn’t be consistent. And really, chalk painted projects are far more interesting than just your basic flat paint job. They have character!

Supplies Needed for the Halloween Bat Jars

Ball Jars- Spiral, Giving Jar & Mini Jar –
DecoArt Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint – Everlasting
DecoArt Americana Decor Satin Enamels – Classic Black
Chalk paint brush
FloralCraft Dry Foam Mug Plugs
Wire cutters
Black Aluminum Floral Wire
Hot glue gun – I LOVE my cordless Ryobi Glue Gun
220 grit Sand paper
Round pencil or pen
Bats
lint free cloth to protect your surface

I actually purchased most of my supplies here from Michaels or Target. I’ve found Target has the best selection for the Ball jars at a good price. The bats are a chipboard bat from the Martha Stewart Crafts line at Michaels but, you can totally make your own bats out of black paper as well. If you have a Cricut machine it would be a snap!

Instructions for the Halloween Bat Jars

Place a lint free cloth or paper down on your surface to protect it from the paint.

You will begin by painting your first coat of paint with the Classic Black Americana Decor Satin Enamel. Now, I want these jars to look rough and not polished at all. I don’t mind brush strokes or a rough edge at the top. I actually purposefully created a feathered look at the top with my brush.

I turned them upside down and let them dry for an hour or two. You don’t want the paint to be tacky at all when you move onto the next coat.

Once your black layer is dry after an hour or two, you’ll paint on your white layer with the Americana Decor Chalky Finish in Everlasting (white.) I left about a 1/2 to a 1/4 inch section at the top of the black. That way a little more of the black paint is showing through. Again, I kind of feathered the top with my brush.

PRO TIP: For the white layer, I found a thicker application of the paint is best. I wouldn’t go so far as to do two coats. Just paint it on a little heavy.

Then I set them aside to dry again. This time I didn’t have to wait too long. The Chalky Finish paint dries super quick even if it is layered on rather thick.

Then I took the 220 grit sand paper and LIGHLY swipe the paint on the jar with a flat hand. You don’t want to attack it like a jack hammer. You want to lightly distress the high points of the jar so that it look natural.

If you don’t want to worry about paint dust from the sandpaper, you can distress your jar with a wet cloth. Just make sure not to get the paint too wet. It will pull large areas of paint off the jar if it is not done carefully.

Now, put the floral foam into the jars. You may need to cut down the foam in order for it to fit into the jar.

It’s time to add your bats! You have several different choices for wire. If you are using a lighter, cardstock type paper for your bats, you’ll be able to use a 24 gage wire like the one pictured above. If you are using chipboard bats, you might opt for a heavier wire like the black aluminum decorative wire that I used.

Have fun twisting and curling the wire to create fun lines and swirls just like the swirls on the jar! I used some jewelry making tools along with a circular pen to create the twists and turns in my wire.

I hot glue the wire to the back of the bats and then arrange them in the jars sticking the wire into the floral foam to keep them in place.

Doesn’t the jar look fun with the distressed swirls?!

I love how these turned out and can’t wait to make a few more to dress up our home for Halloween. It would be fun to make some jars with ghosts and such… Ahhh, fun!