Dollar Store Christmas Decorating.........

okay, who doesn't LOVE the dollar store?

come on, admit it.......

you go there for SOMETHING every once in awhile,

right????

either way, you are gonna be AMAZED at what crafty projects

you can create from goodies found at the dollar store.

i mean it!

you'll SERIOUSLY think some of these are really COOL!

so sit back and check out THESE festive pretties!

GLITTER............

glitter goes with everything, especially at the Holidays.

here we have miniature Christmas village houses from the dollar store, 

spray painted and glittered.

love em!

(visit mrspollyrogers.com for her tutorial:)

also, thanks to Martha Stewart,

crafty people everywhere are snatching up little deer, snowmen, fruit

and anything else you can think of,

painting on a bit of glue and glittering them up!

just think of what you could GLITTER!

SNOWFLAKES................

create your own little winter wonderland with the GORGEOUS,

oversized snowflakes at our favorite store!

hang them in the window, on the front door, outside with twinkle lights........

glue them together to make a wreath or, for the MOST clever idea........

glue them on vintage paper, sheet music, stationery or whatever,

 slide them in a frame and VOILA.........instant art!

i use these all the time!

we decorated a winter nutcracker themed float for a

 Christmas parade last year and this year,

i spray painted them pink and added glitter, of course,

for a whimsical pink Christmas theme at the store.

ORNAMENTS...............

don't ya just love ornaments?

so pretty, colorful and festive...........

and the dollar store has sleeves of them for.......you guessed it, a dollar!  

(once, when these store first opened, i was shopping with my mom

 and she made the mistake of asking the clerk how much something cost. 

 apparently this is the funniest question they get,

 so they yelled at the top of their lungs

  "everything's a DOLLAR":)  hahaha

so, if you have a clear vase or jar,

 grab some faux berries, some pinecones and ornaments and you're good to go!

this wreath can be made with $$$$$ store plastic ornaments a number of ways.

you can also glue ball ornaments on a regular wreath, on styrofoam, or the latest way to make them

is to thread them on a hanger.

lots of people have tutorials out there so go for it:)

possible my FAVORITE way to use them is to make a curtain of ornaments!!!

pick out your favorite cheapo ornaments, 

take them home, thread them on fishing wire, 

knotting around the loop on each one and attach to a tension rod to hang in the window.

is it just me, or is this REALLY cool?

CANDLES............

candles are just plain festive, no matter how you like your decorations.

even unlit, they look so pretty!

and these are pretty incredible!

oh. my. gosh.   

just look at the candles in the hurricane vases.

looks like pottery barn or something,

but nope, they are made from dollar store candle sticks and vases, 

glued together with silicone and there you have your lovely candle holder display!

(visit momtastic for instructions:)

i love the tall candle holders too!

i've seen them there all the time but never would have thought of this.

simply apply words  or sayings from your scrapbook stash, embellish and you're done.

love it!!!!!

finally, if you put a bit of mod podge or white glue mixed with water

onto a candle and roll it in epsom salts,

you get a snowy, sugary candle!

EPSOM SALTS!

who knew???:)

CANDY and TREES.............

okay, last we have some traditional, festive looking decorations in red and green.
fill those clear jars with candy canes and peppermints for instant decorating.
and using glue, spray paint, dollar store candle holders, glitter and styro cones,
you can make the cute trees.
SWEET and SIMPLE!

so, there you have it!
no excuse for having an un-festive home now!
just head to your nearest dollar store and have at it:)
and remember to have FUN while you're at it!

i'm HOPING to do a PINK Christmas post on Saturday, so stay tuned.
(hope being the key word there:)

hohoho.....
Suzanne

have a very, merry, BURLAP Christmas.......

so y'all probably know by now i am totally

hooked on burlap these days!

(part of my rustic chic mood:)

and if you read this blog last December,

you know i have a huge WHITE Christmas tree

that i adore!

but i've never had a tree skirt that made me happy:(

until yesterday.

good ol' Homegoods.........

for the bargain price of $20 i found a burlap and cream/white tree skirt

with embroidered flowers on it!

YAY!!!!!!!

i know i recently did a blog post about burlap,

but here are some ideas for a burlap Christmas.........

isn't this just soooo PRETTY?

 i think burlap wreaths are so unique and unexpected.....

same with burlap stockings......

burlap pillows are great too.....

this one has snowflakes on it and is GORGEOUS,,,,,

but i bet a cheap, easy way to jazz up a burlap pillow is with a lace doilie.....

even if you have to glue it, like me:)

these basic trees are just wrapped around styrofoam cones and glued.  

simple and rustic as is, or embellish to your hearts content:)

LOVE these burlap bags.

i saw some at oriental trading for CHEAP and just stencil on a tree!

 last but not least, some burlap bows would be an AWESOME, super simple way to 

make your Christmas decor a bit rustic chic...like me:)

(well, not that i'm rustic chic but i'm decorating a bit rustic chic.  hahaha)

 adios for now, my friends!

enjoy the season!!!

yep, that's me:)

Suzanne

Winter Decorating with Ice Skates.......

with Christmas just 25 days away,

you might think the title would be

"Christmas Decorating".

but what i have in mind would be beautiful all winter long.

let me backtrack a minute.

i've just returned home from visiting my Mom in Michigan.

while there, I found a pair of my old ice skates.

memories, memories.......

of fun times with family and friends and of VERY sore tailbones:)

i had seen pretty decorations that started with an ice skate,

so when i found my skates,

i grabbed them up.......one for me and one for my Mom.

i didn't have much time,

 so i simply attached a clip of greenery and a red cardinal to the skates.

then my mom hung it on her back porch.

i'm telling you, i LOVE this sweet little ice skate decoration.

not bad for a dollar decorating job, huh?

and not just for Christmas, so no need to take it down in

25 days.

(yep, it's coming that fast:)

i found some more cute ideas for decorating with skates to inspire you.......

~~hanging on an old sled

(and by the way, that's another cool way to decorate.......

with an old sled!)

old skis too!

~~on a window or front door

~~above a fireplace

~~on the corner of a chair

you can hang them ANYWHERE!

(sorry...i couldn't resist a dr. seuss moment:)

~~add a bit of glitter and a sparkly pink star for a little girls room

~~create a pretty vignette with them

just look at these PRETTY felt skates hung as a garland.

if you go here, you can find out how to make these!

and you can use them to hold little gifts, too:)

~~last but not least, you can hang them on a tree.

how GORGEOUS is that!

so start rummaging through your oldie boxes, hit thrift stores, check online.....

and grab yourself a sweet little pair of ice skates!

cause nothing says winter like ICE, right?  hahaha

xoxoxoxo

Suzanne

Decorating Styles.......or How Do YOU Trim the Tree?

This is somewhat of a repost from Christmas in July.
I figured some un-festive people were not too happy
when I did this in July,
so I'm posting it again today.
Soon, I hope to repost one of my reader favorites,
which was a PINK Christmas in July from a few years back:)
If you see a stray reference to summer that I missed,
sorry about that.
It was SWELTERING hot when I wrote this originally:)
Alrighty then, here we go.....

what i thought i would do is look at Holiday decorating "styles".

do you have one?

or are you more of a "fly by the seat of your pants" kind of gal?

maybe your decorating is whatever your kids draw, create or want to hang on the tree.

that's what mine was, for YEARS!

i love it still.....

although now i change it up sometimes.

i'm sure when i have the empty nest, i'll bring back the kiddie tree,

just because:)

anyway, let's get started with the decorating PERSONALITY quiz.

 are you a traditional, red and green kind of person?

i'm not so much.....but i do love it when i see it.

and one of these days i'm going back.......

because i really want a red tree some day.

i know.......a red tree is NOT traditional.

hahahaha

but at least it's red:)

okay, if you go the red and green route,

you are classic, traditional, conservative and reliable.

you are okay with change to a certain extent.

but not too drastic.

decorations may change and get an update.....

but they must stay RED and GREEN.

and your lights are always white.

they look best with the red and green theme.

well, what do ya think?

am i close?  a little bit? maybe???

now, what if you use colors like

 orange, turquoise, fuschia, purple and lime in your decorating?

hmmmmm......

well, to start with ,

you would ALWAYS use multi colored lights.

the more color, the better.

you are non-traditional, obviously.

you like to try new things and you LOVE change.

you are adventurous, free-spirited, confident and outgoing.

people like being around you with your FUN outlook on life.

okay, okay.....what about all those people who have a single color scheme.....

like Pink?

well, obviously you are a bit non-traditional too,

although not necessarily "modern".

you may be vintage and classic, but just LOVE pink!

you believe in surrounding yourself with people and things that you LOVE,

that make you happy.

you don't care what others think.....you like it.

it is important to you that your choices in life reflect the real you.

you love pretty things and aren't afraid to be a lady

you are very warm and approachable and make friends easily......

especially if they like pink too:)

so pretty.....in pink:)

"i'm dreaming of a white Christmas....."

yes, let's talk about those who love their whites.

(including metallics)

that's the style i have these days.

but trust me, it isn't cold.

not at all.

mixed with creams and a bit of glittery metallics,

it's my Vintage glam" look:)

but i promise to be unbiased in my personality description here:)

white christmas lovers are......

non traditional, to start with.

i mean a giant white tree?.  definitely non-traditional!

they like beautiful things and love the idea of a 

snowy white Christmas.

they are confident, happiest when decorating their home,

a bit controlling in that they like decorations to

"go with" or coordinate with the decor.

know what i mean?

but in a good way, of course:)

they are dreamers.....and they are doers.

(had to stick that one in there:)

elegant too...did i say that?

heehee

okay, before i sign off,

just a few odds and ends.

this year, i am sticking with craft paper that i embellish real pretty

for my gift wrapping. 

i think.

if i get my act together:)

something like this......

although MUCH less professional looking:)

nice, huh?

and speaking of gift wrap, 

if the kiddies are getting cabin fever,

summer is a great time to have them make your Christmas wrapping paper.

we used to do this all the time.

just buy solid paper and stamps/sponges.

let them have at it with a bit of paint and you have great gift wrap!

 or if they are a bit older, maybe they can cut out some

COOL paper snowflakes.

lastly, any idea how these ADORABLE penguins were made?

penguin instructions

well, follow the link under the photo but here's a hint.......

they come from a soda bottle.

i'm not even giving more hints because you're going to LOVE

Lucy and her VERY creative blog!

so go meet her and look around awhile!

Be Blessed.......

Suzanne

Tuesday Tidbits......Projects, Blog Links and Cuteness

hello, my friends....

sometimes i have so much to write about, i can't decide 

exactly what to write:)

so today i just have a few random things.......

but before i go any further,

we should all feel beautiful, every day,

because in God's eyes, we are!

now, i have to show you what i did.

Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on pinterestShare on instagram

 i can't get it to line up for this blog post
but see my blog link buttons all in one place.
on my blog, it is at the top of the right sidebar.
get it for yourself at add this.com:
www.addthis.com

okay, there is something i've been wanting to make for a long time.

and i promise you i'm going to give it a try this week!

maybe by saying this, i WILL!:)

it's a hanging doily lamp.

(is doily spelled with a y or ie?)

anyway, like these.......

 using doilies and a balloon........

 keep your fingers crossed:)

i'll let you know how it turns out.

here is one of the cuff bracelets

 i recently made for Vintage Charm of Naples.

if you've read my blog for awhile,
you know i love decorating for Christmas,
and that i have a big WHITE Christmas tree.
usually i decorate in whites, champagne, and silver.....
and i still will.
but this year i'll add sea glass shades...
kinda like this.....

what else, what else.......
i think i'll leave you with a bit of cuteness today.
cause if you don't think this is cute, i don't know what to tell you:)

awwwwwww.......
xoxoxoxo
Suzanne