Cozy Christmas Farmhouse Tour

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Hola familia! 

Every year we take a trip right after the Thanksgiving holiday to kick off our Christmas season. For the past 5 years we have been going to Chattanooga and it’s a wonderful start to the holiday season that the kids and we enjoy time and time again. 

This year, because we don’t have a “home” yet and we essentially uprooted our family, we decided to do something extra special in addition to going to Chattanooga. So we took a trip to Bryson City, NC to ride the Polar Express. 

My kids are long fans of the book and movie and we thought they were the perfect age to enjoy and remember such a trip.

 

My husband was recommended the cutest historic and beautifully restored farmhouse to stay at so we took a chance and we were immediately smitten.

So naturally I had to share some of it with you!

The video version of this has an actual walk-through and you can see each and every room in the house. Watch it here or scroll to the end.

The farmhouse took over a year to renovate and it was taken right down to the studs. The configuration of the farmhouse was done perfectly and took advantage of every nook and crevice.

There were two families who invested in this property and they did a great job restoring it while bringing it to today’s standards. 

The house has 4 rooms and 2.5 baths. 

There is a porch that covers 2 sides of the house. The front porch was long and inviting with a perfectly placed church pew. 

The living room was cozy and had a good mix of masculine and feminine touches. There were small details throughout the house, including old images of the farmhouse when it was first built and items that were found when they began the renovations of the house. 

A large media center was the focal point of the living room but it was the perfect shade of gray with just the right amount of distressing. 

The kitchen was spacious and airy (and stocked with everything you could possibly need). Dark lower cabinets anchored the space while the open shelving made the space feel larger than it was. 

The rustic hood vent added the right rustic touch and the picture window over the sink allowed you to see the beautiful farmhouse being restored next door. 

The dining room was right off the kitchen. It had a wood planked ceiling like the rest of the first floor, but this section wasn’t painted white.

I fell in love with the oversized mirror and the chandelier reminded me of the one I had in our cottage inspired dining room in our last house.

Two corner bookcases painted in a teal color flanked the dining room. Christmas wreaths were hung on each of the windows which was a lovely touch. 

The master was spacious and located on the first floor. And the painting you see on the wall was actually painted by one of the owners of the home. I fell in love with it right away.

Recreating it is on my to-do list for sure! I shared a close up in the video.

The bathrooms were clean and boasted modern and rustic touches, like the antique dresser cabinets paired with marble countertops. 

There was a full bathroom along with 3 bedrooms upstairs and the kids each picked their favorite. 

The rooms were simple, but the beds were cozy and each bedroom had cute accent lighting and planked walls. 

All of the walls upstairs were painted white making it feel larger. The upstairs hallway had a day bed along with a historic Bryson City train depot ticket holder (on the right). You can see it better in the video. 

There was plenty of storage and plenty of room to sleep 8. We had a great time and it was located just a couple of blocks from where we took the train for the Polar Express. 

It had a gorgeous Christmas tree right at the entrance and in front of the stairs. It was the perfect setting our Christmas vacation. 

I will be sharing more about the actual trip on our second channel as well. Make sure to subscribe so you can see what the scenery was like as well as the actual train ride. 

It was definitely a vacation we won’t be forgetting anytime soon! 

Here is the link to the house if you think you’re interested in visiting this cute farmhouse in Bryson City (just make sure you let them know The Latina Next Door sent you!)

And no this is not sponsored, I just really love this place!!!!

What did you think of it? Isn’t it just charming?!? I could have stayed there a month. 

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Watch the Cozy Christmas Farmhouse Tour below!

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I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season! 

I will see you in the next one… until then… adios! 

8 Beautiful Christmas Wreath Ideas

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Today I am rejoicing because we finally have our septic tank installed for our camper on the new homestead. You have no idea how happy I am that it’s finally behind us. It was a much longer process than expected due to our topography, but at this point I am just happy we are one step closer. 

Next order of business is the power. As much as I enjoy the sound of the generator 24/7  (insert sarcasm) I would much rather have power from the utility company. Plus, I can have power 24/7 which would allow the usage of the refrigerator and I can stop having to buy takeout or prepackaged meals while we are up there. 

They are so unhealthy and honestly I miss cooking my homemade meals. 

I am so over it! 😭

In other happier news…. I have some ideas for you in case you have been wondering what type of wreath you might want to put up this holiday season. 

Over the years, I have DIY’d several and they all have their own personalities and styles. I am sure there is something here for everyone. Plus, these are all super easy to make and are extremely budget friendly. 

Right now, the prices of everything are going up and budgets are “respected” a little more than before. So, I have even included a brand new wreath idea towards the end that will show you how you can take one wreath and make new designs every year with ease and minimal spending. 

I have included a link to each wreath’s tutorial or you can watch all of them on this video here or by simply scrolling to the end of this blog post. 

Beautiful Christmas Wreath Ideas

1. SIMPLE & ELEGANT WINTER WREATH –

I actually created this wreath this past January and it was more to use in the winter months after Christmas, however, it quickly became a favorite and since a lot of people tend to do “winter white” themes for Christmas, I thought it was still appropriate for the Christmas season. 

This only takes one pack of yarn, some clearance picks from last year’s Christmas sale and some leftover ribbon. Plus, even though it looks “knit” there is no knitting involved so anyone can recreate this. 

See how you can make your own here. 

2. THRIFTED BERRY WREATH

I found this wreath at Goodwill for only $2.99.

When I first shared the process of this wreath, everyone began to gasp! They highly doubted that the blue berries would work with the red berries already in place, but I had faith. I used some leftover fall berry bushes and one Dollar Tree Christmas tag ornament to update it and the before and after is just amazing. 

My mom ended up taking this one last year when I created it. She still has it today. And I find it to be a very unique take on a holiday wreath. 

It was part of a thrifted Christmas video I created where I shared how to take thrifted items and make them look great for Christmas at a minimal expense.

You can see what I did to make this here.

 

 

3. Elegant Blue “Berry” Wreath

This wreath was another repurpose. I needed a new wreath for my decor last year since it was a brand new color scheme I was using for the first time. 

In order to save space and money I took apart my fall wreath and I added greenery picks that I had gotten on sale at Hobby Lobby. With the use of some pine cones and some leftover bells that I spray painted I came up with the wreath below. 

You can see my color scheme and how I made this here. 

4. Farmhouse Dollar Tree Wreath 

This one is super easy to make and one of the most inexpensive on the list. With the exception of the ribbon, this was all made from Dollar Tree supplies. I made this a small version to go over my cutting board, but you can easily make it larger for your front door and it will still be just as nice and inexpensive. 

I shared this on my 12 Days of Christmas playlist and it was shared on Day 10. 

You can follow the step by step tutorial here. 

Fun fact about this wreath is that it was featured in Country Sampler Farmhouse Style Magazine last year!!! 

5. Farmhouse Buffalo Check Wreath 

This one is the same size as the last one. It too is simple to make and all you need are a few supplies which you may already have on hand. 

You can watch this on Day 10 of the 12 Days of Christmas video along with the one above, here. 

 

6. Winter with Greenery Wreath  (Version 1)

For the next 3 wreaths I will be using the same wreath form. All you need is a a grapevine wreath and 5 greenery picks from Hobby Lobby. The ones below are $4.99 regular price but you can always find them half off this time of year. 

I like using these because they are the most realistic looking ones. 

Since prices just keep skyrocketing I thought it would be nice to share this idea. With having a wreath “base” like this you can always change out the ribbon and accessories so that you can have a “new” wreath every year without breaking the bank. 

I like to only cover part of the wreath since it’s the cheapest option but you can always cover the wreath completely with the greenery. 

This is the first version. Here I had the greenery on the bottom. I used white picks and accessories. In order to keep the picks “temporary” so you can remove them later, you can alway use floral wire to affix them on so they won’t fall. 

The greenery can be hot glued on permanently. 

7. Gold Accents Wreath (Version 2)

For this next one, I decided to turn the wreath so that the greenery is on top. I changed out the white accessories to gold and added some hanging bells in the center. 

 

8. Red Tartan Wreath (Version 3)

For the last version I decided to turn the wreath so that the greenery was at the side. I added red accessories and tartan ribbon and this perhaps was my favorite version of all 3. 

With the flexibility of just changing the picks out and the turning the greenery to different sides, your guests would think it’s a new wreath each year! 

Watch how easy I was able to change these out here. 

 

 

I love each and every one of these wreath ideas and any one can be adjusted to any color scheme or theme. They are all unique and simple to make. 

What do you think of these wreath ideas? Would you try any of these out? And which one is more your style? I would love to know! 

To watch all of these come to life you can watch below. 

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I hope you are having a great start to the holiday season and I hope to see you very soon! 

Until next week…. adios! 

 

 

 

Pottery Barn Berry Tree Dupes

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It is November and I am enjoying the beautiful sounds of Christmas music.

As I type this I am sitting in my camper with my kids as they paint their mini wooden nutcrackers and my husband is hard at work outside with a crew installing the septic tank for our camper so we can move in full time. 

Christmas will look different for us this year, but I couldn’t go without making some dupes to share with you all. 

This year I am really enjoying Pottery Barn’s look book for the holiday season and I was so inspired to recreate some of their new items this year. 

I came across these faux berry cluster trees and I had to give them a go! These trees are gorgeous but as usual I cannot justify those Pottery Barn prices, so off to Dollar Tree I went. 

 

I went to my local Dollar Tree and I found the following tree forms. 

And as always, you can watch the tutorial to this and four more DIYs on my channel. 

Now, before I go on it would be better to use the metal garden cones at Dollar Tree instead, but they are currently out of stock (as you see below) so these will have to do. They are taller than these plastic ones, but these plastic ones will do just fine for this and you can stack them to make them taller. 

 

 

Next, you will need these little buckets also from Dollar Tree. You can use these to recreate the exact look but they are not necessary. You can totally leave them without and they will look perfect as well! 

Finally be sure to grab several of these berry bushes. You get less for your money nowadays, but you will still save in the end! 

The very first thing you will need to do is remove the tinsel garland from the tree. It’s pretty easy. 

Next, add more surface area to the cone with some yarn. Wrap it around from top to bottom. I would not skip this step as it may cause the process of adhering the berries to be a lot more difficult. 

Cut the berries from the stems and then cut them down into small bundles. Begin gluing them to the top and work your way down. The best glue to use for this is hot glue as it dries fairly fast. 

 

Once you apply them onto the tree come back in with even smaller bundles and fill in any areas that were missed. 

Because these are foam balls you can end up with exposed white foam when you separate them from each other. So in order to remedy this I took some Santa Red acrylic paint and began to go over the trees. 

It gave them a more matte finish so I took some glossy Mod Podge and I painted over them so that they would look shiny like the original trees. 

After they are dry you can add the buckets to the bottoms or you can leave them without. You can glue them on or simply place them on top of them – they do stay on. 

Which look do you prefer? With or without buckets? 

 

Here is a side-by-side comparison of the berry trees. I think we made out pretty good despite the fact that prices are high for everything right now and we aren’t getting as many berry bundles per bush as we would in previous years. 

RELATED: DOLLAR TREE CHRISTMAS TREES

 

These trees pair perfectly with some more of my Pottery Barn dupes, like these nutcrackers. 

I am really enjoying bright red this year too.  The red trees also look amazing with these candle red ribbon votives. They are so simple yet make such a bright and cheery statement for the holidays. 

I really love how they turned out and adding that glossy Mod Podge really helped them look more high end. What do you think?

I would love to know if you would be attempting these anytime soon. 

Don’t forget that you don’t have to make these red. You can make them green, white, or even gold or silver! You can make them taller or even smaller. 

Also, be sure to check out these other amazing dupes below! 

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I hope you are enjoying November so far. I hope to see you very soon! 

Until then… adios! 

 

DIY Vintage Ornaments

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Hi familia! Now that Halloween is officially over we can bring out the Christmas music (and movies) and all the craft supplies and start planning for the most wonderful time of the year! 

And while we won’t have an actual house to spend Christmas this year, I do have a few things up my sleeve in order to make it a sweet experience for the entire family. 

Right now I want to share a gorgeous DIY ornament idea that I think you might enjoy. A couple of years ago my friend Debi of Debi’s Design Diary shared how to transform everyday dollar store ornaments into stunning vintage looking ones with the help of IOD molds and her DIY paints. 

Ever since I saw hers I wanted to give it a try and finally this year I did. And I was not disappointed. The results are amazing! 

The main supplies for these DIY Vintage Ornaments are: 

• Dollar Store Ornaments 
• DIY Paint ( I sell DIY Paint in my online shop, it is closed at the moment since we are in the middle of our big move, but you can find them on Debi’s site). 
• Iron Orchid Design Molds
• Air Dry Clay
• Decrepit Dust
• Clear Wax 

Now remember, you don’t even need to go out and get new ornaments for this. You can always check in your stash and if you have any old ornaments you are no longer thrilled about or are using, then just use those to create these instead. 

This DIY originally appeared in my Christmas in July video and you can always watch the video version there. 

First, you will need to create the air dry clay forms and there are several styles to choose from (it will just depend what theme  you wish to go with). 

These are super easy to make. Just be sure to use corn starch on the IOD molds first so that the clay is easy to remove. Simply press the clay into the molds and peel back the clay form right away. 

Do not let them dry.

Instead, immediately use Elmer’s glue (or in my case wood glue) and adhere them immediately on the ornament so they can take on the shape of the ornament. You may need to use tape to hold them in place while they dry. 

They don’t always, but they may crack once dry and that’s okay. 

Once they are dry, begin to paint them. I am using DIY Paint in White Swan. It has great coverage and dries in a chalk like finish. 

Once the paint is dry, you will need to add clear wax all over the ornament. 

While the wax is still tacky sprinkle some dark decrepit dust on it. 

Tip: Do not pour (instead sprinkle) unless you want what happened to me, to happen to you. Oops!

Use a small brush to move the dust around the ornament. Make sure it gets into all of the nooks and crannies.

Then with a damp rag remove the excess, leaving only the dust in the crevices of the ornament. 

Let them dry and that’s all there is to it!

Here is how this design turned out. 

For an alternative look, you can always put a dark color of paint on the ornaments and then use a white decrepit dust. Here I am painting them green and adding a different clay form. 

You can see how different they look before (left) and after (right) they get the “decrepit dust” treatment. 

Here is a close-up of the green one. 

These also complement each other so nicely. You can add a ribbon to hang them or raffia string like I did. 

The cracks just add more to the aged look and with the amount of mold options and colors you can paint them, there are so many opportunities to create vintage looking ornaments. 

 

I hope to create other designs in the future. If you wish to get even more ideas that would complement this look, make sure to check out my Christmas in July video with several more DIYs. 

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If you enjoyed this tutorial make sure to share it with your friends! 

 Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope to see you in the next one. 

Until then…. adios! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creative Gift Wrapping Ideas

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Hey there friends! I hope you are doing well and enjoying some of the holiday cheer! Gift buying is at full speed and I am sure you will be wrapping gifts soon so I thought I would share some creative ways to wrap your presents this year! 

I don’t know about you, but I am a visual person and I like seeing things as they progress. Sometimes, gift wrapping tutorials are too fast paced and/or have no actual instructions so I decided to share a step by step video on how to gift wrap your presents in 11 different ways. The video is below at the end of this post, and here are all of the featured gift wrapping ideas I share. 

1. The Double Envelope Fold. 

2. The Pocket Fold

3. The Ribbon Tree

4. The Wreath Wrap

5. The Accordion Bow

6. DIY Paper (Smooching Fish) Bow

7. The Double “V” Wrap

8.The Basket Weave Ribbon

Here’s another example of the basket weave.  

9. The Fan Top (for weird shaped packages)

10. The Candy Wrapper (for stuffed animals)

11. The Classic Fabric Bow

And here is the full tutorial video on how to do each one of these! 

11 Creative Gift Wrapping Ideas

 

Let me know what you think and I will see you in the next one. 

Until then… adios! 

 

 

Amazing Christmas Ornament Ideas

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Hey friends! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving break! I was able to remove myself from social media a bit and take a few days off to enjoy some time with family. I even got to spend some time with some cousins who I had not seen in 9 years. 

It was time well spent. 

Now it’s back to reality and business as usual as I share some great DIY ornament ideas with you! Some of the are brand new never before seen ideas on here and others are some of my best of all time. I have a nice compilation video on my Youtube channel that goes through how to make each one in easy to follow step by step instructions. You can also watch it at the end of the post. 

The best part is that most of these cost no more than a dollar to make! Some supplies you might even have on hand and others make use of leftover scraps from your craft stash. I will include all the links to all the ones that have individual tutorials. 

Let me know which one is your favorite below! 

1. Wreath Ornament  

This ornament can be make with scrap yarn, leftover ribbon and mini pine cones. All you need is a wreath form and I got mine for only 60 cents a a piece! Tutorial is found in this video. 

2. Snow Glass Ornament 

This ornaments is one of my very first DIYs but I think it’s a classic and I still have it and use it every year. It’s simple with faux snow on the inside, jute and some Christmas florals. Tutorial found in this video: 

 

3. Cork Snowflakes 

This ornament was from last year’s 12 Days of Christmas and all you need is a few wine corks and a small wood now flake cut out. It’s a great way to use some of those corks lying around! Find the tutorial here.

4. Beaded Farmhouse Ornaments 

These are actually one of my most popular DIYs here on my site with over 81,000 pins on Pinterest. I would have never thought. These were so easy to make and extremely affordable. Check out the tutorial here. 

 

5. Neutral Farmhouse Ornaments 

This is such a sweet ornament that looks really delicate and perfect for those who love a neutral look. Check how how to make these here. 

 

6. Farmhouse Berry Ornaments 

These cute crimson ornaments are probably one of my favorites ever. This was another Dollar Tree DIY and I enjoyed making these so much. They may be a little tedious to make since they look best with careful placement of each berry, but the brightness they bring to any tree is totally worth it! 

See the tutorial here.

7. Fabric Ornaments 

If you have scraps of fabric then you will love these! These ornaments are darling and really easy to put together, plus it gets rid of scraps of fabric and who can not like that! Watch video tutorial here. 

 

8. Rustic Christmas Tree Ornament 

If you are into a more rustic look for your tree and don’t mind working with a power tools, this one is for you! Each of these will cost no more than 50 cents and can be easily customized to any color scheme.

Full tutorial found in this video. 

9. Embroidered Christmas Tree Ornament 

If you liked the concept of the previous ornament, but would much rather stay clear of power tools, then this version would be better suited for you. All you need is a few supplies and no experience with embroidery.

Check out how easy it is to make in this video. 

10. Traditional Farmhouse Ornament

If you are into more color and prefer a more traditional farmhouse look then these ones are for you! Super simple to make and all you need are a few supplies. Check out the tutorial here. 

11. Dollar Tree Glass Ornaments

These little glass ornaments were another one that were a part of my 12 Days of Christmas last year. I wanted to actually create a glass ornament from Dollar Tree instead of the non-breakable plastic ones and I came up with this cute idea! 

Check it out here. 

12. Rae Dunn Inspired Ornaments

These are for the Rae Dunn fans. You don’t need much to recreate these and you don’t even need hand lettering skills. A little paint and some markers and that’s all there is to it! 

Here is the video with the tutorial. 

13. DIY Ornament Garland 

If you have enough ornaments and would rather make something different out of any leftovers that you have on hand, you will appreciate this idea. Create a garland out of them and put them to use in a different way.

Check out how easy it is to do here. 

14. Cute Rudolf Ornament

If you love farmhouse signs with a whimsical touch you will love this! Plus, I have the reindeer template available for free in my Printables Library . 

Check out how to make it here. 

15. Mini Toboggan Ornament 

I have seen these all over Pinterest and I finally learned how to make them. My kids love how cute they are. My daughter even thought I was making her Barbie a winter hat, which is actually not a bad idea. You won’t believe what you need to start this cute ornament. 

Find out here. 

16. Christmas Tree Yarn Ornament 

Last but not least is this really cute mini Christmas tree ornament that can be made with leftover yarn. These are perfect for anyone in the family to make no matter what age! 

Find the tutorial in this video. 

 

You can watch the entire list unfold in the video below. All you need is to sit back with a cup of coffee (or glass of wine) and enjoy! 

 

 

Please share these ideas with your crafty friends and I will see you back here in the next one! 

Until then… adios! 

 

 

DIY Snowglobe for Christmas

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This year I am changing up my Christmas decor up and I am enjoying creating new DIYs for this season (keeping things budget friendly of course).

There are so many things in stores right now that are just beautiful and most of the time we want “all the things.” And yet this makes us forget that some of the simplest things can be the most enjoyable. 

And just like that this cute little glass globe caught my eye at Target’s dollar spot for only $5. 

It’s nice and heavy and both pieces are glass. Since I am going for a more formal and traditional feel for Christmas, I thought I would paint the bottom. 

 I used this antique brass spray paint and gave it a couple of coats. 

Once it was dry I got some floral foam that I had on hand and cut it to fit inside. 

Then I cut a piece of white cloth. I get these from Dollar Tree in the automotive section and they are so soft. 

I covered the foam with the cloth and inserted it into the globe base.

Next, I took a couple of Dollar Tree Christmas trees and glued them onto a small piece of white round poster board to keep them sturdy. 

RELATED: DIY DOLLAR TREE ADVENT WREATH 

I placed them on the foam and then added some fake snow around the base and put the globe back on.

I added a navy blue ribbon to it and it was done! I love how simple it is yet how chic it turned out. It didn’t take much to personalize it and now I have a new piece of decor that I can enjoy that did not cost much at all to make. 

It’s so sweet and elegant, my only regret is not getting another one. 

 

For more DIYs like this check out the video below: 

I hope you enjoyed this sweet little DIY. Let me know what you think and be sure to share below. 

I will see you in the next one.

Until then… adios! 

 

 

DIY Vintage Frame Ornaments

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Hi friends! It is the most wonderful time of the year! I’m enjoying the colder weather along with cozy nights by the fire. 

This year I wanted to change up my Christmas decor, and I wanted some unique pieces. But I also wanted to do it in a budget-friendly manner. So I thought I would create some new ornaments myself.  And I got to try a new craft that I had never done before.  

I had seen several DIYers use IOD molds and air clay before and the first person I saw who used this was Debi at Debi’s Designs Diary.  She has done many tutorials on her Youtube channel and she has an online shop so I thought I would finally give them a try. 

I have been really inspired by old world home decor lately. And I came across these frame molds that were just adorable. I also purchased a couple of packets of air dry clay ( I only used 1 for this project). 

 

It took me a few tries to get the hang of it, but I quickly caught on and it was super simple to do. 

Before you start make sure to dust the molds with cornstarch so the clay doesn’t stick. 

Then, roll the clay in your hands to get it warmed up and loose. 

Once it’s more malleable push the clay into the molds. 

Once I made sure everything was pressed down evenly, I used a thin scraper to remove the excess from the mold. 

Then, I removed the mold by peeling it away from the clay frame.

The frames need a good amount of time to dry, so set the frames aside at least 24 hours to dry completely. 

Please note: My frames didn’t crack as they dried, but I noticed they did shrink a tiny bit. 

Afterwards, I took gold acrylic paint. I used the Treasure Gold paint by Folkart because it is highly pigmented and it has a vintage tone to it. 

As the frames dry you can find landscape (or any type) prints online that you may like to use. There are a ton of free printable options on Pinterest. You can print them out in tiny sizes so that they may fit inside the tiny frames. Then you cut them down to fit each one. 

Please note: You can always hand paint this if you wish, or you can also use family pictures for this as well. 

I then used matte Mod Podge to apply the prints onto the frame. First, I applied some one the middle section of the frame… 

Then I added the print and applied more Mod Podge on top of it to seal it.

Once they were dry I got some ribbon and used clear craft glue to adhere it to the back of each ornament so I could hang them.

Please note: Hot glue will not work for this. 

And that was it! I love how they turned out. They are so unique and add so much character to the tree.

I love the various shapes and sizes they come in. They can also be painted to suit any color scheme and can be given as keepsake gifts for the holidays as well. 

I just love the unique touch each one has. Let me know what you think of these below.

 

If you like this, make sure to check out my latest video where I share 8 more inexpensive DIYs for the holidays! 

 I will see you in the next one. 

Until then… adios! 

Hot Cocoa Tiered Tray

Hello and Happy Day 12 of my 12 Days of Christmas! We made it and I thought I would end it with something simple and sweet. I love hot chocolate, but frankly I don’t have an area for a whole decked out cocoa bar. And frankly I don’t need one. 

I am a simple girl and only need a few ingredients for my hot cocoa: hot cocoa powder, milk and marshmallows. Seriously that is it for me and I am a happy girl. 

No bombs, no cinnamon, no peppermint… nada!

So I thought I would share my hot cocoa tiered tray with you all in case you are like me and prefer the simple is better approach. 

CHECK OUT the rest of days in case you missed one! 

DAY 1 | DAY 2 |DAY 3 |DAY 4| DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8| DAY 9| DAY 10 | DAY 11 |DAY 12

*Some of the links below may be affiliate links. Please see full disclosure for more details*

I got this tiered tray from Hobby Lobby a couple of years ago (they still carry it). And it’s perfect for festive displays like this. 

I like to put hot cocoa powder and marshmallows into mason jars to give it a nice rustic look. And even though I don’t like peppermint in my hot cocoa, I always like to add candy canes to my tiered tray to add to the Christmas feel. 

I even add a little ribbon to the mason jar to make it more festive. 

I made this cute beaded garland with an ornament at the end that reads “Hot Cocoa Station” – you can see how easy it was to make in this video. 

I added a few more touches like a birdhouse ornament from Day 4, some tea towels, a mini cake stand and white ceramic creamer. 

The topper was a Dollar Tree DIY from my classic Christmas DIY collection. 

I think everything ties in so well together and I cannot wait to enjoy hot cocoas this Christmas season with my kiddos who enjoy them as much as I do. 

I hope you had fun during these 12 Days of Christmas and were inspired to DIY a few things this season. It was a lot of fun, but I am happy to say that I am done with Christmas decor this year. Whew! 

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I am looking forward to enjoying the Christmas season with my family and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas as well. 

I am hoping to cook up something huge before the end of the year, let’s see if I can pull it off. Check out my second channel for more behind the scenes at what’s going on next door!

I will see you all soon! 

Until then… adios!

 

 

 

 

 

5 Minute Dollar Tree Christmas Wreaths

Hey there friends! Hope you are all doing well! Today is day 9 of the 12 days of Christmas and this time we are doing some 5 minute farmhouse inspired Christmas wreaths out of Dollar Tree items. 

I didn’t mean to make most of these Dollar Tree DIYs, however, I had the items so I might as well use them. 

There will be 2 versions of these wreaths and I will show the second below, however, I will only share the instructions for the white one. If you wish to see the red and khaki one you can always check out the Youtube video on my channel.

CHECK OUT all of the 12 Days of Christmas here!

DAY 1 | DAY 2 |DAY 3 |DAY 4| DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8| DAY 9| DAY 10 | DAY 11 |DAY 12

 

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I had some of these cloths from Dollar Tree on hand and you can find them in the automotive section. 

So I cut them into strips and began to wrap them around these Dollar Tree wreaths. The smaller ones come 2 to a pack. I added hot glue every so often to the wreath to make sure the cloth was secured on properly. 

Next I had this wooden tree form that I had removed from a Dollar Tree farmhouse truck for another DIY and decided to stain it with my Aged Glaze that I have been using on everything lately. 

It just has the perfect stain color!

Of course, one was not enough and I came across these trees in this Dollar Tree pack. This was the same pack the snowflakes on my cork ornaments came from. 

I decided to stain those as well. I removed the adhesive from the back and stained the backs (it was just easier that way!). 

Next, I hot glued them onto the wreath. Easy peasy!

I took some ticking striped ribbon and created a bow and hot glued it on as well. 

 Then with a little bit of twine I hung it in my kitchen. And that was it for this simple white wreath! 

I love how it looks on my faux cutting boards on my kitchen wall.

And here is the khaki and red version. 

These are super sweet and quick to make if you find yourself running out of time for your holiday decorating! Which one is your fave?

As always, don’t forget to share with your crafty friends! 

I will see you all tomorrow! 

Until then…. adios! 

 

 

 

 

 

Trash to Treasure Cork Ornaments

*Some of the links below may be affiliate links. Please see full disclosure for more details*

Hi there! Hope you are well! 

Today I am sharing some ornament ideas made from wine corks. There is so much inspiration online and since I already tackled my largest cork project many years ago, I figured something smaller was in order. In addition to these ornaments I have a bonus DIY towards the end. 

So for the ornaments you will need to cut them in half and the best thing to do is steam them first for a few minutes. This will cause them to puff up and become softer and easier to cut. Don’t worry, once they cool off they go back to their normal size. 

CHECK OUT all of the 12 Days of Christmas here!

DAY 1 | DAY 2 |DAY 3 |DAY 4| DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8| DAY 9| DAY 10 | DAY 11 |DAY 12

You can also watch all of these video tutorials as well on on the playlist and see these back to back on the playlist! 

Simply use a serrated kitchen knife to cut them down. 

Then it’s time to assemble.You will need 13 cork halves for this one. Assemble them with 3 at the top and 2 at the bottom with one in the center. 

Use hot glue to adhere them together. Then, add one cork to each of the ends. You will get the shape below. 

If you want a smaller one leave the end pieces out and only do the first step. You will only need 7 cork halves. 

I wanted to add a little something extra so I got these small snowflakes from a pack at Dollar Tree and painted them white. 

Then I used school glue and added fine white glitter to add some sparkle. 

Once that was dry I hot glued it to both the large and small ornaments. 

Finally, I added a ribbon to the back of each to hang them. 

For the next DIY, I used 37 whole corks. These were actually the more rubbery ones, not true “cork” but they work just fine. 

 I painted 24 of them in my favorite white chalk paint and set them to dry. They can suck in a bit of the paint so you may need to do more than one coat. 

Next, you want to assemble the ones remaining that are not painted. Follow the pattern below: 1,4,3,4,1.

Finally, take the painted ones and glue them onto the perimeter as shown below. 

I came back and touched up several areas with paint and I then was done.

*Now, I plan on using this as a coaster during the winter for hot beverages, so I didn’t bother to seal it. If I were to use it with any cold drinks that might sweat I would definitely add a layer of clear wax. 

It’s the perfect size for mugs!!!!

And here are those cute ornaments. 

They are perfectly neutral and thrifty! 

Any wine lover like myself would love any of these as gifts for the holidays as well! 

I hope you are enjoying these 12 Days of Christmas and I hope you liked today’s DIY. Don’t forget to share with your friends! 

 

Until next time, adios!