6 Easy-To-Make Holiday Centerpieces

Need some inspiration for your holiday table? Here are some ideas you can do yourself, or take to your florist.

A bark basket is filled with pine greens, twigs from a craft store, pine cones and berries. Buy large pine cones and use florist wire to wrap floral sticks to them. Place into oasis to create this beautiful centerpiece for a table or your coffee table.

This is a photo of my sister-in-law’s dining room. She lives in Verbier, Switzerland. You can’t see it, but a beautiful waterfall tumbles behind the window. Here, she’s get a beautiful basket, wrapped with leaves and tied with twine. The basket it filled with hydrangeas. Simple and lovely. If you can’t find hydrangeas, use another full flower.

I made this simple centerpiece using a wood, leaf-shaped basket from Scout, a home store in Royal Oak ($54.00). I used pine cuttings from the yard and layered large pine cones on top. Another cutting from a tree, tied with a satin ribbon, finishes the look.

This is another simple idea you can do yourself. Square, decorative boxes are lined with votives filled with water and a litte oasis. Pine cuttings and wild flowers are placed to create small, simple centerpieces. Make several and line them along the table, alternating votives candles.

I like this more abstract idea. You can use just about any sort of vase you have and fill them will a variety of roses and other flowers to create a colorful setting that matches your dishes. You can spray paint leaves to create even more bling factor.

This lovely idea using paperwhites is from My Sweet Savannah. Check out her blog for even more ideas.

DIY Project: Make your own shelves

Built-in shelves add a lot of character to a room. And they’re not too difficult to make. I love this DIY shelving from Marie Claire Id?©es.

You could easily create a version of this using LACK shelves from IKEA. These versatile shelves come in 12″, 43″, 48″ and 75″ lengths. If you don’t like the color, simply paint them in one you love. Notice the piece of decorative paper in the shelves shown here. That’s a nice touch, don’t you think?

To make these shelves you’ll need a metal L-square and a level to make sure your angles are at 90 degrees. Work your design out on paper before you start.

Want some other ideas for things to do with LACK? Check out this post from Apartment Therapy. And this one from Ikea Hacker.

Do you have a DIY shelving project you’d like to show off? Send me a photo!

Instant Room Makeovers: 3 Ways To Do Slipcovers

We’re well into summer, but it’s never too late to bring the feel of summer into your home. Paint is one way to accomplish a new look. But you have to live with that all year round. A better way to makeover a room instantly, and one that can change with the seasons, is to throw a slipcover over the sofa and/or arm chairs. Even the dining room will brighten up with a set of relaxed slipcovers.

In a few months, when winter rears its ugly head and you’re longing for something more cozy, simply remove the slipcovers and you’ve got yet another instant room makeover. Plus, the original upholstery will seem new again after living in seclusion for several months. Here are some slipcover ideas and resources to guide you. Read More…

DIY Party decorations from France

The weekend is upon us and some of us are looking for an excuse to throw a party. So, here’s a craft project from L’Atelier Modele that will provide just that. I’m sending this out to my French and Canadian friends in particular.L’Atelier Modele creates designs for all sorts of party decorations. Everything from placemats to name tag holders. I love their gift boxes. They’ve even done the centerpieces (lotuses). There’s a special section just for the luminaires.They’ve done the designing. You buy the instructions and materials to make them. As I said, this is for my friends, like Kim, who speak French. You’ll need to, or use a translation tool because the site is written entirely in French. But hey, it’s never too late to learn a new language.

I am a closet crafter, but don’t know a lot about the subject. If you’re into crafting, I suggest a visit to Poppytalk.

At any rate, do you know of a similar US site? Is this too Martha Stewart for you?

Crafty tutorials at Poppytalk

If you’re a crafty sort of person, Poppytalk has a nice list of “How-To” tutorials on their blog. Scroll down and you’ll find links to things like button and stencil making.

I like to paint, needlepoint, embroider and sew – though it’s hard to find time for it. What do you like to do?