HANDMADE TREE DECOR - Day 6 Holiday Decor

While Im not always the Queen of DIY, I do like to find less expensive ways of doing things.   This year in the new house...I wanted to decorate the tree with what we already had.  

I save my ornaments every year and had built quite a collection, unfortunately due to the move, many were broken and damaged.   But that's not going to stop me of course.

There are a few trees in the house this year.   As of right now the count is 5...not all large but I will be sharing the final trees the week of Christmas.

Im a huge fan of burlap as anyone who follows this blog or my IG and FB pages knows..lol    I wanted to incorporate some burlap in my tree this year....which I have never done before.   However spools of burlap ribbon are kinda pricey, not in my holiday budget this year.  

Sooooooooooooooooooo what do I do............  Break out the burlap scraps from the closet.

I just completed a wedding project of 12 ft burlap runners ( I ordered extra burlap for my own runners)

Nice sharp scissor needed for cutting

I cut approx 4 in strips (my runners were 12 in wide)

I then pulled a center piece of burlap thread and scrunched it down, then knotted at both ends.

Easy and simple....you can buy a yard of burlap at Jo-Ann's for approximately $3.99 and don't forget your coupons people (40% off single cut is big savings)

Check back to see how this looks up on the tree and what else I have planned this year.

- MJ

BURLAP ON THE TABLE

I had a wedding project that was due the week of Thanksgiving...so with 20+ yards of burlap for the project and some extra for me.   I decided to add 1 more to my order......for MYSELF!

I love Burlap, but not my favorite fabric to work with...so messy!

My runners for the wedding project were 12 ft long with tasseled edges.  Here is how I did the edges. 

Here is a finished runner on my Thanksgiving day table...I went with a casual rustic theme with vintage pieces on the table.

HOPE EVERYONE HAD A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY!!

-MJ

WORD WEDNESDAY.....ART ON THE CHEAP...

Very rarely am I wordless.....so let's try something new this week.

Most of you know....I love me some burlap.    I recently gave some to my sister and she did an awesome typography project for her living room.

(my sister's work)

Well you know I had to give it a try cause I also love me some letters and typography.

Here is what you will need:

Burlap bag, feed bag, burlap material
Craft paint
Wooden letter magnets

These are my supplies...yep 3 things

Here is the final product...it was made for a friend.

I mean it really doesnt get much easier than this....I picked my main word FAMILY and then just worked their names out of it.    Kinda Scrabble-like! lol

I decided to use the magnets and not a stencil because it's easy to see this way and you dont risk getting paint elsewhere as if you would moving stencil around (I hate that )

This could really be done with any fabric or even paper, but I just like the look and its a great piece for the home.

-MJ

3 ITEM THURSDAY....WHAT COULD YOU MAKE?

Today's post is something fun for a little party with Christina over at The Tattered Tag.   It's a little something she calls 3 Items Thursday, and I just had to join the party.

So there is no specific rule other than to be creative with the items you are given.   This Thursdays items:

Toilet Paper Rolls
Clothespins
Burlap

Well, for those of you who know me this is my kind of party.  And for my new friends, well I'm a self proclaimed re-purposing princess.  I love all things old, vintage and will use them anyway I can if it isn't its intended purpose. lol

I even have a line of home accessories that I make from re-purposed items.   I can't install expensive solar gadgets on my home but I can do my best to recycle and reuse as much as possible to help the environment.

So here is a simple little project that I put together with my items:

Burlap bag and toilet paper roll

Let's get started.....

Handy scissors

Cut the toilet paper roll

Cut the burlap bag

Tada....a nice little dinner for one!

Burlap placemat & handmade napkin ring

My secret revealed......my napkin rings are made from TP rolls wrapped with fabric. lol

Simple, Easy and using what I already have.....just my style!

I had a busy week....so Im a little late to the party.   But I always like to make an entrance! lol

BURLAP BANNER....MY INTERNATIONAL VERSION.

Well now...there are tons of burlap crafts and tons of banners out there.   So me being me.....I wanted to do something different.   In my home, we are like the United Nations (my friends and I always joke...we've got all ethnicities covered).   Im very proud of my family history and culture so I use it in the decor of my home as much as possible.   The holidays are no different.....I dont like to make novelty holiday stuff for Halloween and Autumn/Fall is my favorite time of year!

I decided to make a burlap banner for my fireplace area.  I first thought of F-A-L-L, but that would be to mainstream for me. lol   Im an out-of-the-box kinda girl.  

I decided to make my Autumn banner is the different languages that represent our family and our different backgrounds.

Italian/Spanish - Me
French - Big Daddy is from the island of Domenica (an English/French speaking island)

So the kiddos in this house are Italian/Sicilian, PuertoRican/Cuban, Dominican (the island not D.R)

Supplies:

Burlap..(I have a ton of burlap bags)

Alphabet Stencil

Faux Fall Leaves (garland)

Twine or Rope ( i used ties from burlap bags)

Scissors

Acrylic Paint 

Burlap Bags

Alphabet Stencil

Black Acrylic Paint

Faux Fall Leaves

Cut your burlap into pennant shapes (8 x10 is good)

Stencil on your lettering (whatever you choose)

Finished banner on fireplace in living room

Autumn in English  

Autumn in Italian

Autumn in Spanish

Autumn in French

                                              Our international burlap banner in our eclectic living room. lol