Glam Up Mother Nature for a Naturally Beautiful Holiday

savedbylove1_glamupmothernatureforanaturallybeautifulholidayA foraging trip outdoors starts the holidays off right. It’s a sure-fire way to pick some holiday spirit, and an even better way to save your money for gifts for your loved ones rather than spending it on decor.

 

Combine your store-bought sparkle with nature’s bounty for beautiful decorations that don’t break the bank. Low- to no-cost natural elements are the perfect addition to your decoration collection for decorating the mantle, tabletop and tree.

 

Turn collecting natural goodies into a scavenger hunt with the kids. Gather various sizes of pinecones, acorns, bare branches, evergreens and berries. If you don’t have any evergreens outside, you can stop anywhere fresh Christmas trees are sold and get the discarded lower branches for a low cost, or possibly for free. These work just fine to cut up for decorations. Finally, add in goodies from the grocery store like apples, popcorn, cranberries or citrus fruits. Now you’ve got the recipe for a pretty holiday home. It’s time to start decorating!

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Nature on Display

 

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Start with what you already own. Clear vases or jars, cake stands, baskets and plates turn into decorations with a bit of creativity.

 

Create an ornament display that is sure to become a focal point. Collect bare branches and dig into your ornament collection. Tying the baubles on bare limbs makes them stand out and really come to life. Do something as simple as these red balls on one branch, or collect several branches to place in a row of jars. You could even get a large multi-limbed branch to stand in a large floor vase.

 

You can also fill glass containers with pinecones and acorns. Add a bit of glam by dusting them with glitter or fake snow. Try tucking a few tiny ornaments in the glass container, too—look for a really interesting one to highlight, such as a tiny pair of ice skates or a darling little Santa.

 

Holiday Arrangement

 

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Create a floral-shop worthy display with a combination of your natural found items and produce. This wonderfully scented decoration is easy to make. Gather up apples, oranges, whole cloves, pinecones and greenery. Select a container—a basket or bowl will work.

 

Begin by pushing the cloves into the oranges in any pattern you like. If your basket or bowl is very deep, stuff the bottom of it with some balls of paper. First, set in your oranges, toward the center. Arrange pinecones and apples around the oranges. Cut small pieces of greenery and tuck them in between the fruit to hide gaps or any paper that shows. Finish by accenting here and there with a bit of something bright. You can add a few tiny ornaments, colorful cranberries, sprigs of holly or a dusting of fake snow.

 

Tabletop Centerpiece

 

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A low centerpiece is just the ticket for holiday dinners because you want to be able to see over it and enjoy conversations with family and friends. You can make a beautiful, simple one with your natural collection and some shiny ornament balls.

 

Collect pinecones, fall leaves, greenery, ornaments and a bit of paint. Check your paint stash for holiday shades of gold, silver, white, copper or red. Choose one you think compliments your ornaments. Paint the fall leaves and a few pinecones and allow the paint to dry. Leave some of the pinecones natural.

 

Use a flat plate or tray to hold your centerpiece. Snip evergreens in small pieces and arrange flat to cover the plate or tray. Arrange large pinecones in the center and then add the ornaments to the plate. Tuck tiny pinecones and the painted leaves around the large cones and balls.

 

Let It Shine

 

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Holiday parties and family gatherings are a celebration and celebrations call for candles. Natural elements can come into play with candles. Here are a few ideas:

 

  • Place a few cranberries and snips of greenery in a jar. Add water and drop a floating candle in the top. Add glamour by nestling them in some shiny bead garland or silvery icicles.
  • Place fresh cranberries in a tall vase. Nestle a candle into the berries. Tie a pretty ribbon around the vase.
  • Arrange three to five tiny votive candles on a plate with a rim. Surround them with fresh cranberries, whole nuts and acorns.

 

Strings of Fun

 

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Generations of families have enjoyed stringing popcorn on thread to decorate their tree. While you can certainly do just popcorn, it’s fun to give it a glamourous touch, like adding shiny gold jingle bells or a small ornament every so often. Don’t stop with just popcorn – you can string cranberries and even gummy candies!

 

After the holidays are over, don’t toss out the strings of popcorn and berries. Hang them on bushes in the yard and enjoy watching the birds have a winter feast.

 

As an organizational expert, Lea Schneider helps homeowners get organized, but also dabbles in decorating. She provides some great tips on using nature to decorate for the holidays. Visit the Home Depot to find a great selection of Christmas decorations.

 

How to Make a Gorgeous Fall Wreath

DIY Fall Decor

It has been way too long since I made and shared a DIY wreath project with you all. That is why I am a super stoked about today’s simple, cheap tutorial – a gorgeous gilded wreath to adorn your front door. You are going to need just a few supplies and an hour to create your very own. Let’s get started!

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SUPPLIES:

how-to-spray-paint-plastic

Plastic or foam pumpkins and gourds (I got mine for 50% off at Michaels)

Krylon Dual spray paint in metallic gold, or your favorite color

A wreath form, or cardboard with and scissors(I used a pizza box)

Hot glue gun and sticks

Ribbon to coordinate with your paint choice

Drop cloth or old sheet to protect surface from overspray

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Begin by laying out your pumpkins on the drop cloth. This project is best done outside since you will be spray painting.

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Spray pumpkins per instructions on can. Make sure you are using paint that has primer in it. If not, you will need to prime the pieces first. I love Krylon Dual because it has paint and primer in one. It is my go to product for spray painting.

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Now for the wreath form. I showed you how to make your own from cardboard in this DIY Poinsettia Wreath tutorial. For this project, I wrapped the cardboard wreath form in duct tape for durability since I planned to hang the wreath outdoors.

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Before attaching the painted, dry pumpkins, place the ribbon around the wreath. Hot glue it into place, then begin attaching pumpkins.
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It’s as easy as that!

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TIP: For more cohesiveness, once all the pumpkins are in place, use the same spray paint to spray the wreath form where it is visible in the spaces.

For more of our festive wreaths, click:

Saved by Love Creations DIY Wreath Tutorials

100 Mason Jar Projects to Make

Mason Jar Craft Roundup @savedbyloves
The creative mason jar projects keep rolling in, so we have updated our orignal round-up of jar crafts to include our new favorites. Enjoy!!

 

Mason Jar Crafts fb

 

The 50 Plus Best Free Easter Printables

50 plus amazing free Easter Printables @savedbyloves
Valentine’s Day is behind us, and Easter is rapidly approaching. Today, we are excited to share our favorite free printables with an Easter theme. You will find bunnies, scripture, flowers, eggs and crosses galore. Refresh those ink cartridges and get ready to spring-ify your crafts and decor, without hurting your pocketbook! As always, if you have a great Easter printable that we missed, leave us a link in the comments so we can include you!


Easy Budget Christmas Decor Ideas

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of At Home for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

It is already December! Are you ready for holiday entertaining? I have to admit, we are not. We just got the keys to our new Colorado home on Tuesday. We’ve spent the last 6 months in corporate housing, which was basically like a hotel. Bring your clothes and toiletries and get comfy. Moving from Indiana, we got rid of 80% of our belongings, so we are starting fresh! There is a lot to be done in the way of home furnishings and decor around here, which is why I am so grateful to have discovered At Home Christmas Decor and more. Today I am focusing on holiday decor specifically, but that store has it all, and the prices are unbeatable. 

When we first looked at this house before landing on a decision, this little nook caught my eye as a place I knew I’d have fun decorating! Think of the potential. It will be my go to spot for showcasing each season and holiday with a themed vignette. 

My only complaint about At Home is that I seriously have a hard time narrowing things down with the 15 decorative themes of Christmas Decor. 

Snowcapped Scene is my favorite. That is the reindeer I chose for my winter vignette, as well as the candle holder. I love the owls and St. Nicholas figures too. They are a matte, chalky distressed finish with metallic underneath. So pretty!

I couldn’t resist these aged gold bells either. You will find them in the Heaven on Earth themed section, along with other beautiful, gilded gold decor.

Now we get to talk about my favorite finds from this At Home trip! This wreath is so beautiful, and you won’t believe the price! I found mercury glass monogram ornaments for under $3 and displayed one in the center of the wreath, as you can see. The wood background is also from At Home, in their ridiculously huge and wonderful wall decor section. The barrel display table, you ask? Got it there too! I found a small one, seen here, and a larger one which I bought for a side table in our new living room. So cool! I love the combo of wood and rusty, galvanized metal.

I also found the distressed white medallion pictured here, knowing it would complete the scene perfectly!

My next stop? The Tree for Me area, where there are Christmas Trees to fit every style! We are entertaining here soon, and what holiday party is worthwhile absent a Christmas tree? We will be all decorated for the holidays, indoors and out, with the help of At Home. We may not have shower curtains or a coffee table before that happens, but we can get those there too!

Thanks for visiting. Be sure to stop by At Home’s inspiration gallery and let us know your favorite style or piece!

Visit Sponsors Site

Christmas Dining Room Table Scape with At Home

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of At Home for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I recently shared with you At Home Christmas Decor, the one-stop-shop for you to decorate you whole house this Christmas– every single room! At Home offers a total holiday solution for every home, with their unmatched assortment of both indoor and outdoor décor items for Christmas.

As I shared previously, the Christmas and holiday decor is featured in fifteen decorative themes, to fit every style and taste.

In addition, At Home offers 101 Varieties of artificial Christmas Trees in the Tree for Me section!

We decided to snatch up their everyday low priced decor to create a Christmas wonderland table scape! 

Using a combination of the Crystal Chateau and Snowcapped Scene decor themes, as well as candles and candle holders from At Home, we created a lovely, wintery holiday vignette for a super low price!

We can’t wait to have company for the holidays this year! With all the money we saved on decor, dinner will be quite the spread. Not only that, but we are in a new space, which will be hitting up At Home to decorate in general. The great prices and stylish decor are not just for the holidays at this store. If you haven’t been there, you are in for a treat!

Visit the At Home inspiration page and check out the decorative themes, which include Seas & Greetings, Holiday Hoedown, Lavish and Luxe, Peppermint Jazz, Berry Platinum, Forest Fairy Tales, Crystal Chateau, Cherished Memories, Heaven and Earth, Midnight Plume, Regal Renaissance, Snowcapped Scene, Handcrafted from Around the World, Dem Darlings and Handcrafted.

Which is your favorite? We love our combo of Snowcapped Scene and Lavish and Luxe!

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Easy DIY Graphic Christmas Ornaments

 

Make Gorgeous Holiday Ornaments with @plaidcrafts @savedbyloves

This post is brought to you by Plaid and Blueprint Social. All opinions are my own.

It is the most wonderful time of the year, and that means hands everywhere are covered in glitter and Mod Podge. Mine are no different. Yours shouldn’t be either. I am here to help you out with that by sharing how to make these beautiful graphic holiday ornaments in just a few simple steps. Personalize them as great gifts and keepsake ornaments for your friends and loved ones that will be cherished for years to come. But wait, there is more…other awesome things about this project are the fact that it is super inexpensive to create, and features Plaid’s new Mod Podge Pearl formula!

DIY Vintage Christmas Ornament

SUPPLIES

Plaid Holiday Ornament Challenge Supplies

Mod Podge Pearl

Folk Art Multi-Surface Paint in your favorite holiday colors

Foam Brushes

White Christmas Ball Ornaments to decorate

White Tissue Paper

Alphabet or word stamps of your choice &/0r rub-on transfer letters

Empty bottle with small mouth to hold ball while drying

Masking Tape

Staz-On Black Ink Pad

TUTORIAL

Dip ornament in paintClean ornament with rubbing alcohol and lint free cloth and let dry. Tape off ornament top third or so and dip in multi-surface paint.

Color Block OrnamentsShake and tape ornament to move paint around to cover entire surface of untaped portion of ball.

Is it just me, or does this look like dijon mustard?

Dry Ornament on Bottle

Place ball as shown in empty bottle and let dry overnight or for several hours.

How to Apply Rub on Transfer

Apply rub-on transfer with craft stick. It is helpful to cut out the letter or word before applying so you aren’t trying to maneuver a bulky sheet.

Easy DIY Christmas Decor

That is that for the color block ornaments. Now for the pearlized monogram ball…

Stamp on White Tissue Paper

Stamp desired letter onto white tissue with StazOn ink or other solvent based ink.

Stamped image transferTear letter out by hand to leave feathered borders (as opposed to cutting with scissors).

How to Image TransferPaint entire ornament with a layer of pearl Mod Podge, place letter, then paint a layer of Mod Podge over the top of the tissue paper. Take care not to rip the monogram.Mod Podge Pearl Christmas Ornament TutorialHang ornament to air dry. Add another coat of pearl finish Mod Podge and let dry.
DIY handmade Christmas Ornaments

That’s it! Do you love the pearl finish? Of course you do. It is elegant with an aged feel. It looks great with the glittery gold and silver metallic finishes too.

DIY Christmas Ornaments

 Find more ideas and inspiration by visiting Plaid:

Pinterest

Facebook

Instagram

Plaid Website

Instagram DIY Project Tutorials 50 Plus

Over 50 DIY Instagram Projects to Make Updated Square @savedbyloves

It has been awhile since we shared our favorite 50+ Instagram crafts. We decided to update it with the latest projects to make with your favorite photos. Click the photo above or the link below for the collection. Enjoy!

Instagram Crafts

Epoxy Clay DIY Patriotic Filigree Earrings

DIY Epoxy Resin Filigree Patriotic Earrings

DIY patriotic jewelry is a tradition here at Saved By Love Creations! For this pair I combined my newest obsession – epoxy clay – with metal filigree, to create these lovely, star spangled pieces. This project is super easy, so lets get started.

DIY Patriotic Earrings @savedbyloves

Supplies:

Epoxy Resin Mold

Martha Stewart Silicone Star Mold

Epoxy Clay (Martha Stewart shown here)

Metal Filigree

Ear wires

Metal Chain

Jump rings

Charms

Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Powder

White Embossing Powder

Heat tool or Melting Pot

Red Acrylic Paint (I used Vintaj Patina)

Antiquing Glaze

Small Paint Brush

Paper Towel

Latex gloves

Two pairs of jewelry pliers (flat or needle nose)

Instructions:

Silicone Resin Mold

Make the Stars

Mix equal parts of the epoxy clay per instructions, with gloved hands. Here I used Martha Stewart’s clay. I also like Crystal Clay and Envirotex Epoxy Clay.

Press Clay into silicone mold, making sure to push it down into the corners of the stars. Smooth out back of star with wet fingertip to avoid fingerprints.

Let the stars cure overnight, and paint as desired with acrylic paint. I left the blue stars as is, and for the red, I used the Vintaj Patina in red. I antiqued all of the stars with antiquing medium, applying it with a paintbrush and wiping it away with a paper towel while still wet.

Color the Filigree

Use red and white embossing powder to coat the filigree as shown in this Vintaj video:

Epoxy Resin Jewelry Tutorial

Adhere stars to colored filigree with a small amount of epoxy clay or strong jewelry glue.

Easy Epoxy Clay Jewelry DIY Patriotic Earrings @savedbyloves

Attach ear wires and charms and you are set!

Easy Epoxy Clay Jewelry DIY Patriotic Earrings @savedbyloves Pin

Remember Patriotic Earrings from prior years:

Pottery Barn Knock Off $3 Sea Glass Votives

Pottery Barn Knock Off With Dollar Store Supplies @savedbylovesI have been out of the creative groove, dealing with some life stuff, and I can’t tell you how happy I am to be sharing with you again! Punctuating the blog break is a super cheap, easy sea glass hanging votive holder tutorial. Why do you care? I will give you three reasons. First, they are awesome… duh. Second, they are a full blown dollar store craft, yay! Finally, I knocked them off from Pottery Barn’s Sea Glass Hanging Votives for a fraction of their cost. Mine… $3 plus stuff I had on hand. Theirs… $60 and no bragging rights. You can put that $57 you saved towards a backyard soiree, complete with stylish ambiance handmade by you!

Supplies:

Dollar Store Glasses

Grab glass holders like these. I got them at Dollar Tree.

Martha Stewart Glass Paint Frost:in sea glass colors (blues, aquas, white)

Rubbing Alcohol

Vinyl or latex gloves

Lint Free Towel

Cosmetics sponges

Votives

Mason Jar Hanging Lantern Wire

Jar Wire Hangers (I got mine at Joann’s, but here are some on Amazon)

*If your containers are spherical without a neck like one of mine pictured, you will need to drill holes in the glass, which I showed you here: How to Drill Holes in Glass

*In this case, or if your glass holders are too large for the wire hangers you can purchase, or if you want to save $, you will need to make your own wire hangers (I cover that below). For that you will need:

DIY Hanging Lanterns

Pliers

Wire Cutters or Metal Snips if your hanger is to hard to cut with wire cutters

Wire clothes hanger or craft wire 16 gauge

Instructions:

PAINTING THE GLASS

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Clean the surface of the glass with rubbing alcohol and a lint free towel or paper towel. Make sure to wear gloves. You want to get rid of fingerprints and refrain from touching the glass with your bear hands after cleaning it. The glass paint needs a clean, oil free surface for maximum adherence.

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For this lantern, I mixed frosty white and glossy aqua. Apply several thin layers with a soft brush or cosmetic sponge, allowing 30 minutes of dry time between layers. I did two coats with the above mixture, then I used frosty “Surf” on the bottom third for layer three. I went over the entire piece with frosty white to blend and create the ombre effect.

*With glass paint, the key is patience and faith. It will look like crap until it dries…

martha stewart glass paint

I told you. Here I used a soft brush, then remembered why I prefer cosmetic sponges with glass paint. I switched to the sponge for the rest of the layers. It looks awful regardless of what you use, until it dries and evens.

*For more tips and details on glass paint technique:

 Recycled Wine Bottle Address Lantern DIY

Once you have painted your glass holders, let them dry overnight before moving on to the next step:

ADDING THE WIRE HANGER

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For all of my hanging votive holders except for the spherical one and the white one, I used these purchased wire jar hangers. They are super handy and I had them in my stash.

As I said in the supplies section, you can make your own version to save cash, if your holder is too big for the mason jar version, or if you have a container with no “lip” to rest on the wire.

DIY Hanging Lanterns

This holder was to large in diameter for the mason jar sized wire hanger. To start, I cut the top off the hanger with metal snips. You can use craft wire and wire cutters just as well. The hanger wire was super hard and difficult to cut and shape, but I couldn’t resist the repurpose. Next time I will go with a thicker gauge craft wire.

How to Make Hanging Votive Lanterns

Begin at one of the two “V” angles.

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Form a loop by pulling the right wire under the left wire as pictured.

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Bend the left wire just under the loop, and pull the under and back over it above the bend you made (see photo).

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Use your glass to shape the wire. When you get to the side opposite your loop, trim the tails of your wire leaving 1.5 inches extra on one tail and about 0.5 inches on the other.

In retrospect, I should have made the wire for this before painting it, as I nicked it in a couple of places. Don’t make my same mistake. It’s easily avoidable.

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One the longer tail, bend the wire and wrap the end around a pen or dowel to create a loop as shown.

Bend the other tail so that it sticks up, perpendicular to the wire as shown.

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This diagram may help. The perpendicular tail you just made slides over the wire just under the loop from the previous step to secure the hanger around the neck of the container.

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Make a handle with a piece of wire by forming a “U” shape with a loop at each end. Leave the handle loops open enough to slide into the neck piece loops.

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Assemble as pictured and hang!

Make Dollar Store Sea Glass Votives

I love them! These are perfect for wedding receptions and festivities of all kinds. Best of all, they are charming and cheap.

Pottery Barn Knock Off Sea Glass Votives DIY

This is the Pottery Barn version. I went a little frostier because I like that look. You could use transparent gloss to achieve the look of the blue PB version pictured.

DIY Dollar Tree Sea Glass Votives

You may want to check out our 50+ DIY Lanterns for more fun lighting ideas:

 

 

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