If I am to believe social media, everyone has left Christmas in the dust. They're busy blazing into 2019, fueled by beet juice and piles of wire hangers, as they purge and prosper in the new year.
I've been in no rush to take down decorations but Sunday was actually the Feast of the Epiphany. To me, that's something of an unofficial green light to de-tinsel. And, so, what better way to celebrate Three Kings Day than to share with you a few gifts of my own--not gold, frankincense and myrrh, but a recap of my Christmas crafts, activities and decor tips.
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Potted Wreath
I am a huge fan of using what you have. And what I have is an awful lot of boxwood, holly and other mysterious evergreen plants in the yard (sorry, I'm not a botanist). When we purchased our Christmas tree, we also got some pine roping for the mantels. But adding the other greens really kicks it up a few notches, and the potted wreath gave our living room mantel a bright focal point.
The wreath came from an unlikely source: Ikea. When I was there before the holidays I saw the gold pot for $6 and this artificial ivy wreath for $10. In one of the easiest projects I've tried, I simply took some boxwood clippings from the yard and used floral wire to add to the existing ivy wreath. Then, I just popped it into the pot and placed on the mantel in front of the garland.
Christmas Card Display
Every year I've said we need a better way to display the cards we receive. So, this year the boys and I used some remnant fabric and trims/ribbon to make a cute card display. For this project, I purchased the magnetic wooden frame (which will be great for future projects as well), a small bag of pom poms, a bag of mini jingle bells and mini clothespins.
I didn't sew a thing for this project because the wood strips along the top and bottom are magnetic and hold the banner nice and taught. While I was the one wielding the hot glue gun, the boys picked from my pile of fabrics, determined the size and shape of the tree, cut the ribbons and selected every spot for their "ornaments" and "garlands". The only trick, when you're gluing the ribbons and trim on, is to be sure they're hanging loose so that you can get the clothespin behind the trim to hang your cards.
Wooden Bead and Spool Garland
This craft is a great activity for young kids, and one they can do completely on their own. My boys actually did this while I was making dinner, so it was a win on several fronts! I set them up with bags of wooden beads in two sizes and wooden spools that I got from the craft store, along with some substantial red and white twine. A firm twine will be much easier for kids to thread than something soft and thin. They really enjoyed making these and I love how they turned out--not to mention it was great for my 4 year old to work on dexterity and 6 year old to work on creating patterns.
Christmas Tree Pillows
I had bought this very cozy flannel fabric in cream and grey and settled on a pair of pillows with felt Christmas trees. There were a few learning experiences with this project. The first was that cutting all the little felt leaves with normal scissors takes way too long, but when I took out my rotary cutter, making the felt leaves was actually fast and fun. My mother in law gave me this rotary cutter and a cutting mat similar to this one several years ago. I had only used it a few times but it is the perfect tool for this sort of project and I plan to use it more in the future.
To make the trees, I simply made two triangles with scrap fabric and glued on the leaves, overlapping slightly and at random. I initially used Aleen's Premanent Fabric Glue and I will not make that mistake again. I don't know if felt was just too absorbent, but it was not successful. So, I turned to my tried and true buddy, the hot glue gun. After I had my two trees complete, I affixed them with (wait for it) hot glue, centered on my pre-cut pieces of flannel. Then I sewed my pillows.
Holiday Decor Tips
A pretty pot is a worthwhile investment. It will never go out of style and will make even a simple plant look special. This emerald green one from my local garden center is gorgeous and can be used any season, but I'm pretty partial to how it set off this hot pink Poinsettia in our dining room.
Why opt for one size of lights when you can have two? I use both a strand of small lights and a strand of larger bulbs on the tree, which gives off an extra magical glow.
Re-purposing ribbon, even if it isn't Christmas-y, with some pine cones in a bowl can look seasonal. And vintage toys or collectibles, like this little blue truck, can get in the holiday spirit with the addition of a wire brush tree to the bed of the truck.
