Inspiration for a joyful and creative life

When I was decorating for my Winter Wonderland party , everything was in white
and silver to keep with the theme.
I wanted to do an all white flower arrangement.  Whole Foods always has beautiful fresh flowers
at a reasonable price.  I called to see if they had any white flowers.

 

This arrangement is using only 2 different white flowers, Spider Mums and Tulips.
You could substitute anything that is available.  Having at least two different textures makes it interesting.

 

I used a plain glass cylinder, filled it with water and plastic “ice” that I found at a local craft store in the floral department.

 

I cut the mums to fit just above the rim of the vase and then evenly spaced out the tulips.

 

I also had a white beaded candle wreath that almost fit the bottom but I ended up not using it
because it didn’t really need it and I was afraid it would tip over.

 

The crowing touch for this was a white feather boa.
I cut it a little larger than the vase circumference and tied it around the top.

It was simple to put together but looked elegant because of keeping it one color with different textures.

 

Wouldn’t this be pretty for your holiday table?

Filed under: flowers, Holidays, Home Decor
Comments: Click here to leave a comment

Before my husband and I married, we started a tradition of making Christmas ornaments each year for our parents, grandparents, and siblings.

We would choose something different each year and spend hours creating them.  Then the ornaments grew to table decorations and they kept getting bigger and more elaborate.  We were making about 8 or 10 of them each year.

 

We stopped making them after several years but found that we missed having that holiday tradition.

 

A few times now, we have created a special ornament with our son and each made one.

 

One of the favorite mediums has been polymer clay.

Last year, I made the round Santa that has skinny legs attached with wire.
My husband made the “Super Santa” and our son made the set of Penguins.

 

The Best Part about Handmade Ornaments

 

The best part about making Handmade Ornaments is the memories we create.

 

It is a fun way of spending time together.  And each year as we carefully unwrap each ornament, we relive the special memories of when we created them.

We remember something about that year or about a special person or pet in our lives.

A couple of years ago, Parker, our son, created this wonderful ornament of our black lab.  She recently passed away and he added her dog tag around the collar.  It will be one of our most treasured ornaments.  We will remember the joy he had in creating it and also the joy she gave us every day.

Filed under: creative projects, Holidays
Comments: Click here to leave a comment

Here are some more ideas for great gifts for the holidays.

 

How about a How To

If you have someone in your life that enjoys making things, how about a video, DVD, or book that inspires them to create?

 

Creative Catalyst Productions has a wonderful selection of DVDs and online videos for art and craft.

 

 

Craftsy.com

has online classes for things like paper crafts, knitting, sewing, basic jewelry making, etc.

 

You can even give a gift certificate so they can choose their own class.

I bought a fun Paper crafting course with Alton DuLaney.

 

Interweave has videos, books, and magazines, and patterns for just about every creative interest.

Something Handmade

There are tons of great artists and crafters that put their heart and soul into making wonderful things.

And even if you don’t have access to a show or boutique in your area, it is so easy to buy things online now.

 

For a bit of shameless promotion, I’ll mention that I have an online shop of my jewelry and art
at SallyEvansArt.com .

 

Etsy has all kinds of things available.  All you have to do is search at your nearest craft show or online.

 

 

Your Own T-Shirt Design

This comes under the category of semi-homemade because you can design your own T-shirt

with any saying or anything you want and get it made from Zazzle.

 

This is such a fun idea.  You can use your artwork or your child’s art.

Does your family member have a signature saying?

You know, something they always say like “Don’t even think about it?”

 

I just used an free antique car graphic to create a custom T-shirt for my Dad’s birthday coming up.

 

Provide a Service

This is a great one if you are on a budget and it’s still great even if you aren’t.

Some of them involve buying or making something but most of them

but it is mostly the gift of your time.

 

Knitting Lessons

Baking Bread

Chauffer Service to the Airport

Paint a Room

Build some Shelves

Making their Favorite Soup

Personal Shopping Service

House Sitting

Pet Walking

Sew something like a Shirt

 

Hopefully this has given you some ideas, even for the hard to buy on your list.

 

Note: I am an affiliate for Creative Catalyst and Interweave and may receive a small commission
if you buy something but I only recommend things  I feel are worthwhile that I would buy.

 

Filed under: creative projects, Great Gifts, Holidays
Comments: Click here to leave a comment