Fall Candle Holders

I'm so excited with how awesome these candle holders turned out!

Last year, my sister decorated some jars with colored rice and un-popped popcorn; I thought it was so pretty and wanted to try it this year.

I started by mixing uncooked, white rice with a couple drops of food coloring and a couple drops of rubbing alcohol. (If you're worried about kids or pets getting into it, I read that white vinegar will also work.) I kept some white rice and made yellow and orange for the traditional candy corn colors. I laid the colored rice out on paper towels to let it dry completely. If you use vinegar, it will need a lot longer dry time; that's why I decided on the alcohol - plus, the rice for this project will be completely sealed off.

I headed to my area dollar store and craft stores to find a perfect, candy-corn-shape container... It ended up being some wine glasses turned upside down - perfect for a candle holder!
For a base, to hold the rice in, I found some round mirrors that were just a bit larger that the glasses, but would work well anyway.

Pouring in the white rice first, then orange, then yellow, I had an upside down candy corn. I used my hot glue gun to glue the mirror on the top of the glass, then was able to turn the glass without any rice falling out.

       

Originally, I thought I'd leave the mirror visible, but I was a little fussy about the glue showing more that I expected.
Fortunately, I had some silk leaves that I had bought last year and never used, so I added those around the mirror and the ugly glue was hidden! Now I just have to remember not to pick them up from the top, just in case...

I think they turned out stunning! I sprinkled a few acorn and baby pine cones around the leaves to add to the fall look. I absolutely love them! Happy November, Friends.

Fabric Covered Box

Today's project: cover a sturdy box with fabric to turn it into a cute storage box!

To make this, I used a mix of hot glue gun and fabric glue. The hot glue gun leaves texture under the fabric, which I didn't love, but I didn't want to run out to the store for other glue. I may do the next box with rubber cement or super glue.

Cut out the fabric with a little excess to fold over to prevent fraying.

I decided not to cover the top of this box, since the plain white matches the fabric print anyway - saves time and fabric!

Now I have a pretty storage box for my extra fabric!

Note (added 1/6/15): I went looking for a better gluing solution and decided to try Elmer's Spray Adhesive (which I found at Target). It's a very, sticky mess if you get it on anything you don't want it on; otherwise it worked perfectly!

Seashell Christmas Tree

I can't help but walk through every aisle when I go to a craft store - and when the holiday items come out, it's like I could never leave the store! I like to think I'm practicing self control when I pick up and an item, then put it back on the shelf. But really, it's my ever nagging bank account in the back of my head saying, "you don't need that" or, "you could make that for a lot less." While those statements may be true, sometimes it takes me a lot longer to make it myself.

I saw a beautiful seashell tree at Michael's last Christmas season and picked it up, thinking how perfectly it would go in my seashell/beach theme bathroom. Naturally, the price tag gave me second thoughts. This was something I could make for myself - I didn't even need to buy shells, since I knew I had some packed away in my craft room, somewhere.
Yet, I didn't get around to making it til now -

Here's what I used: 

• styrofoam cones

• small seashells

• hot glue gun

• glitter spray

I made two styles and different sized seashell trees. For the larger tree, I used all the same type of shell and glued them on from the bottom up so that they overlapped at each layer. The smaller tree was all different shells and I glued them down like puzzle pieces - wherever they fit best.

I even glued some pointy shells together to make a "star" for the top.

           Once I had glued on all the shells, the trees were ready to be glitter blasted - making them look like they were covered in a fresh, sparkly snow!

Let it dry according to the glitter spray directions and it's done. It's just that easy! 

This is a perfection addition to your holiday decorations, whether you spend Christmas in Florida or just like to bring a little bit of the beach into your home.

Christmas Tree Card Holder

Not sure how to show off all the pretty holiday cards you get at Christmas time? Here's a gorgeous way to display them without taking up a lot of space!

I love sending and receiving Christmas cards each year, but every year I feel like I'm trying to find enough surface space to display them with all my other holiday decor. Sure, there are lots of other ways to show them off - my Grandmother used to tape them all to the front of the coat closet, or I've seen others hole punch them and make garland - but this is seriously the prettiest way I've seen yet.

I found the original idea from Ellie at Moda Bake Shop. Ellie's version requires a bit more hardware and power tools than my copy does, but hers is larger and probably sturdier. I had asked my Dad if he'd be able to cut some plywood into the triangle Christmas tree shape, but even though he's more than happy to help, he usually doesn't have a lot of spare time. I figured a foam board would work nearly as well and I would save some money!

I bought a piece of 20x30 in. foam board for just $2.99 and drew out the shape I wanted; I could even use the excess board to make a second card holder.

After I cut the tree shape out of the foam board, I used it to cut batting to the same shape, then I pulled out all my Christmas fabrics...

Rather than doing the quilting squares, like Ellie, I cut my fabric into triangular strips and sewed them together so that it looked a little more whimsical, Dr. Suess-ish.

Once I had the fabrics to the right size, I laid it over the foam board with the batting in the middle. I pinned the top corner in place (the sewing pins worked well in the foam board) and used a hot glue gun to secure the fabric.

Adding glue a little at a time, I tightened the material around the edges. When I got to the base, I cut the fabric along either side of the 'trunk' so that I could glue the bottom over and then tuck the 'trunk' section under itself.

I didn't bother trimming the fabric until it was completely glued down. Then, after trimming, I used fabric glue along all the edges to prevent fraying.

Honestly, you could stop here because even this makes a beautiful holiday decoration!

I was actually a little afraid to add ribbon to hold cards, worried that it might ruin how pretty it already was. I spent about two hours at different craft stores looking for the perfect ribbon that would tie it all together.

I didn't want a solid red or green ribbon, for thinking the tree would be "too red" or "too green." But I also couldn't picture it with a solid gold or silver ribbon. And a patterned ribbon would look too busy...

Finally, I picked out this burlap ribbon with a touch of gold edging. Since I had used burlap for the trunk, I thought the burlap ribbon would match nicely. 

Starting at the bottom, on either side of the trunk, I laid the ribbon down at what looked like a good angle. Then cut it long enough to glue the ends to the back of the board. I made sure that the ribbon was taught enough that I wouldn't need to tack it down at each intersection. With the two lowest ribbons in place, I used them as guidelines for the rest.

Then, for something to hang it on the wall, I braided some string and glued it across the back; since the foam board is so light, it didn't need anything super-duty to hold it up.

Once it was finished, I knew I had picked the perfect ribbon to make this the loveliest card holder I've seen!

It's fun, elegant, and colorful; and would go with any holiday decorations! I'm even more excited, now, to receive pretty, little cards and show them off.

What do you think? Will you be making this card holder or are you already loving how you display your holiday cards? You could always use this to display your favorite holiday photos. If you have another great card display, I'd love it if you shared! 

Happy Holidays!