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

HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE /HOME TOUR @ LUCKY 7 DESIGN

The day finally arrived.   The 1st Lucky 7 Design Holiday Boutique was held on Saturday, Dec. 10th.   I wanted to introduce my eco-friendly accessory line along with my vintage finds to friends, family and their friends.   It was a taste of what will be coming up in the Spring when Lucky 7 Design will have a physical location on Main Street in our downtown business district.  Can you get any sweeter than Main Street?

My home was merchandised room by room according to different services offered Lucky 7 Design.

The Studio - Showcase of vintage finds, handmade items and repurposed furniture and other items

Our blue/white/cream display

stockings, shoes, napkin rings, jewelry, 

Vintage hutch filled with treasures

handmade jewelry displayed in vintage bundt molds

Antique chairs filled adorned w/ music garland, paper ornaments and fav photo of tree in SC

Red/Green on display...handmade pillows, ribbon trees in vintage pottery, player piano rolls, handmade shadow boxes, gamepiece necklaces as well a new vintage mini hat line.

Hand painted holiday shadow boxes and photo mattes

All handmade paper goods

Our Nest wall decor

Vintage shutters given new life (UPDATE...Sold)

Vintage Shiny Brite Ornaments from Poland & USA displayed on trees and also in 1/2 dozen and dozen original boxes.  Handmade paper flowers on stems, banners, baby shoe nest, and pink jewelry.

Dining Room - Tablescape Design/Event Planning

I love to create a beautiful table

Glimpse with lit candles

Black/Cream/Gold/White/Silver Theme

The Living Room - Holiday Decorating 

Peacock theme for the mantle

Sweet vignette in the living room

Archway adorned for the holiday and flanked with chartreuse vases

Living Room peacock vignette w/ luggage and boxes

The Peacock Tree (my favorite tree yet)

The Kitchen - Entertaining 

The kitchen hutch merchandised with goods

Closeup of holiday plates, napkin rings, vintage creamer, scales and rolling pin. Handmade holiday shadowboxes

My husband's creative idea to cover my stovetop.  I didn't admit immediately how much I loved the idea....but I do!

Vintage tray redesigned to chalkboard sign...also old terracotta pots made into candle stick bases with moss and holly and functional candle.

Redesigned beat up old Queen Anne console table into fabulous new beverage table (for tonight anyway)

Snowball wreaths, Sunburst style wreaths, Jute Santa wreath, Red burlap stockings, Santa Belt stockings and vintage chalkboard serving trays all for sale.

So grateful to those who attended and for their positive feedback.  Reassures me that I am doing the right think in pursuing my dream of opening a shop.

Special thanks to my supportive and handy husband and my supportive kiddos who think Mama is sometimes a mad scientist creative all of these things.  Today my son said to me " I just wanna say Im so proud of you, you really are doing what you wanna do, kinda making your dream come true. Good Luck".   

Yes Im now crying as I type this, but it's warms my heart that he gets it and appreciates it too.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM LUCKY 7 DESIGN

- MJ

I posted this on my facebook but thought I would share here as well, if you are an artist, crafter, vendor of goods and are interested in selling your items outside of your area.   Like at the upcoming LUCKY 7 DESIGN Home Interiors shop in New Jersey....please contact me at lucky7design@yahoo.com for info.

  




Inspired Room

THRIFTY THURSDAY....Ricordando il mio Nonni

Well...Thanksgiving is next Thursday!!!  Can you believe it, well I guess you can.   From working in retail for years Im so use to being a season ahead, however my family & friends find it funny that I already have my tree up with lights on (no ornaments yet tho...that happens the weekend of Thanksgiving!

I thought I would share with you a thrifty idea for Christmas.    Last night I was photographing holiday items for the shop and this is a little vignette.

This tree is from my Nonna's house and it smells of eucalyptus...It actually goes in the kitchen.   Her father, my great grandfather Nonno Nicola was a pastry chef and owner a bakery in Brooklyn back in the 1930's.    I love my family heritage and tradition so this year again in honor of him..... I took some vintage cookie press discs and tied them onto Italian Linen clothes all cut up.

Perfect little culinary display for the holidays

You could use colored ribbon or twine too.

I think it's a thrifty little idea with a lot of meaning!

BUON NATALE......Ricordando il mio Nonni

Stay tuned for sneak peeks of items that will be at my Holiday Boutique, December 9th at Lucky 7 Design studio.

-MJ

SATURDAY INSPIRATION...

I have been brainstorming for my holiday decor all week.  I think as soon as November 1st comes I'm in holiday decorating mode.

I had an idea a few months back, while not an original idea by any means but one that came to me none the less. Then I Googled it..........................HA!    Tons of ideas and images showed up and I was happy and sad.  Happy that my idea wasn't completely insane, sad because it had been done before!

Your wondering what my idea is right? Well ..a Peacock Christmas Tree & Holiday Decor!

For those of you who follow my blog you know I have a somewhat exotic styled living room with animal prints and greenery and an eclectic collection of accessories.   So when making my jewelry one day and using peacock  feathers I thought it would be a fabulous idea.

I'm going to share with you my favorite tree that came up in all the hundreds of images on Google.

It is beyond gorgeous!

If it looks familiar to some of you, it's because it's the tree of Artie from Color Outside the Lines blog.  He is so talented and I've been a follower of his blog since I started blogging myself.

I'm very excited to try my peacock theme out and hope I can make it as fabulous as Artie's masterpiece.

Stay tuned...but for now here is a little sneak peek of my inspiration basket that Ive started....I'm sure I will have to trade out the basket into a crate of Rubbermaid tub in the next couple of days!

Just a few things I have put together and will soon make it to the tree along with some additional beauties.

STAY TUNED!

-MJ

FAMILY NAME SIGN GIFT FOR REDESIGN....

Okay so I know signs are all the rage, I love me a good sign too!   I have some from Kristi from Barn Owl Primitives, Brittany of 41 West Designs, and Holly of Word Whipped.   I love wooden signs, they remind me of an old general store.

Since I had just received my newest sign from Holly...my "JOSEPH" sign.   It inspired me and I thought it would be the perfect gift to my good friend Liza who asked me to help redesign her living room.   Some of you know Liza through my posts, she is my junkin buddy.   So of course this was a no-brainer...we like the same styles but I wanted to customize and surprise her with some things.

So......................a family name sign it is!   I wanted to do this project keeping within the NO COST mindset that this project was created.    So I started with a free find:

Scrap piece of wood (free)

It's actually a drawer front to some kind of dresser or buffet

It's nice & weathered already...but here it's  getting a coat of Valspar paint (Seagull gray) it's really an off white and its left over paint from my dining room.

Looks nice & fresh...I didnt fill the nail holes purposely to keep it original and to look as if it was just ripped off an old store front.

It was hard but I freehanded the letters...I dont have stencils, vinyl or cricut machine.  This is old school art class...I inherited drawing from my parents.

I used my daughter's crayola paint brush marker to make the edges wispy

 

I then went over the letters with Barn Red craft paint

I used a chocolate glaze to get into the nail holes and look old

I also sanded over the painted letters once they dried again to make it weathered.

Here is my finished project with the rest of the pieces for the redesign.

And here it is now hanging in their newly redesigned living room.

So the next time your drawer breaks or you junkin a dresser you might think twice about throwing away the drawers! lol  Challenge yourself to re-purpose something not only to explore your creativity but to lend a hand in being kind to Mother Earth. I will take an old piece of furniture over new any day.

I want to say thank you to Dave & Liza for being awesome friends to me throughout the years (they've seen me go through the good and the bad).  It's amazing years later how situations change and we are closer now and our husbands maybe more than us. lol    

You guys are awesome and I hope this sign will hang in your home and make you smile!

Im a housebound party girl....so Im linking up here:

-MJ

Hey its' made from a piece of furniture