Making Merry

I know, it's already nonstop Christmas around here and we haven't even hit Thanksgiving. I'd love to just live in the moment, but I also know I run the risk of missing the holiday season here altogether as work and the holiday rush collide, so bear with me. You can always return to these ideas when you're ready.

These photos are from my Christmas feature for Family Circle, a more colorful approach than what I did for Christmas Ideas. They're all easy projects to execute, even the stockings (which only look more labor intensive and which I will discuss in a later post). But the real reason I wanted to post these photos is to direct you to Family Circle's website where they have put together a holiday workbook that includes templates for the stockings as well as 14 vintage botanical designs that are cleaned up and ready for printing and/or resizing. (Just click on the directions to download the plate designs and you'll get the entire booklet.)

You can use the botanicals to make gift tags or holiday cards, use them to decoupage, whatever you can imagine...what I'm trying to say is that I spent a lot of time cleaning them up and you should use them! There are other, more colorful designs there as well (poinsettias and holly).

Which reminds me - don't forget to thank all of the amazing individuals who spend time posting copyright free images for our creative pursuits. They are the best! (Karen at The Graphics Fairy, Vintage Printable, and Biodiversity Heritage Library are the first that come to mind, but there are many others out there, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart!)  They make my job so much easier.

 

Remember my tiered stand that held reindeer cookies earlier in the week? I had a vision for it as a cardholder, but I thought it was too creamy/ivory for this shot. So I brushed on a coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White, then applied a clear wax on top of it. I love the new color on it and it held up beautifully through transport to New York and back. The cards are mostly from Snow and Graham (I love their designs!) and the votive holders are from CB2. I really like the textured, cozy feel of them and they're inexpensive.

I made the stockings by needle felting cutouts onto a felt stocking base. It's a much more polished look than simply gluing cutouts to the front of a stocking and it's easy to learn. I'll do a tutorial here soon.

 

 

It takes just minutes to put together holiday vignettes inside glass (what I think of as the grown-up version of a snow globe). Check discount stores like TJ Maxx and Marshall's for lots of inexpensive options.

I printed vintage botanicals on decal paper to make these plates. You could try decoupaging them under glass plates as well.

 

Photos by Alexandra Grablewski
Prop styling by Christina Lane 

Comments

[Suzonne]

Hi Tina, I purchased it from MatthewMeadVintage on Etsy. He doesn't have any listed at the moment, but you can write and ask. It's a great, versatile stand to have!

[Tina Rhea]

Love the three tiered stand idea#!!! Where did you get the stand from?
tinylittlelight@hotmail

[Suzonne]

Thanks, Leona! I purchased my trees from DorisDotz on Etsy:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DorisDotz

But I've been seeing them at Michaels and Jo-Anns as well, usually in the Christmas model section (for Christmas villages). That might be cheaper for you if purchasing in bulk. But the ones on DorisDotz are nice. I think most of them are from Germany.

Have fun!

[Leona Scott]

Love the adult version of the snow globe, Suzonne! Do you recommend any good sources for the bottle brush trees? I'm wanting to do some snow globes in bulk for Christmas presents. Love, love, love your blog!

[Lisa @hooplapalooza]

oh my! SO beautiful!

[Betty J Schaub]

Love these ideas esp. the greeting card idea.

[rhonda hoehne]

I LOVE the plates...have to try this.