DIY Gold Geometric Ornaments {Holiday DIY No. 5}

Hi All! On Monday I shared our Holiday Home Tour! Click here in case you missed it and want to look around - I'm still excited about it! I went a little simpler this year and for us, it's just right. Any Office fans out there? Remember K-I-S-S; Keep It Simple Stupid? Well that's been my motto lately. But even simple can be lovely and cozy and cause warm fuzzy feelings. 

I'm kind of sad, (and kind of glad), to say it, but this is the last Holiday DIY project I'll be sharing before Christmas! I know we're still a chunk of days away, but I'm parkin' this DIY bus a bit early to devote the remainder of this special time to my nearest and dearest. I don't even remember what DIYs I said we'd be covering, but I know there are a few we didn't check off. I think we made our way through some good ones though, yea?! All are linked in our sidebar to the right if you want to go back and recap. 

For the grand Holiday 2014 DIY finale, we're making ornaments! A little sparklier than the scrapbook paper ornaments we did last year, but just as easy! 

Geometric patterns are really trending right now, and I loved the idea of using gold pipe cleaners for a healthy dose of sparkle! Ever since our youngest became a giant wrecking ball, we have not hung our glass ball ornaments on the Christmas tree. I've used them elsewhere over the years, but not dangling helplessly and vulnerable from our trees. I do miss the shine they add, so I thought these gold geometric diamonds would be a perfect replacement! Best part is, they can't break! Do your worst, my wild little man!

These ornaments are really very easy to make. Here's how!

1. Take three pipe cleaners and cut them clean in half, (or in thirds if you want to make them smaller - I did an assortment of both).

2. Use one 'stem' to make a square. Secure the ends by twisting them together, or securing with floral wire.

3. Use another stem and bend it into an open bottom triangle. Attach the ends to one side of the square.

4. Make another open bottom triangle and attach it to the opposite side of the square.

5. Bring the tips of your two triangles together and secure with floral wire. Now you should have a pyramid. 

Repeat these steps on the other side of your square to form a diamond! Use floral wire to make a small hook for hanging.

I'm really diggin' these on our tree! I've already stepped on one that 'fell', (haha, right), and just tweaked the form back into shape, and rehung! I love finding ways to make my style more child friendly. What an interesting challenge, indeed! 

Rather BUY than DIY?

Check these out from KelsoDoesntDance on Etsy!

You have yourselves a merry little weekend! Thanks a lot for stopping by!

Cozy Holiday Home Tour

Hi friends! We're all decked out for this special holiday season and I've been so excited to show you around! First, we have had such a fun time checking out all of the inspiring and lovely decor that you have shared on Instagram and Facebook! Everyone has such a unique style and I just love the personal touches people create in their homes. On that note, design blogger and author, Jennifer Rizzo, has once again kindly opened up her 'blog doors' for all to share their decorated homes for a big ol' holiday 'link' party! This tour is linked there today, among so many beautifully cozy and festive homes. This isn't a voting thing, just a fun way to peek inside other peoples homes. You know you want to. (I totally do!!!) Follow the link below if you'd like to check it out!

We're kind of big on birthdays in our family, blowing up balloons and hanging streamers and banners. It's a lot of fun to decorate our home as a reflection of our celebrating the birthday person. Decorating our home for the holidays is just one of the ways we celebrate Jesus' humble birth. His birth was anticipated for 400 years before He even arrived, and still today, we celebrate. We celebrate the hope that our loving Father sent His children through the birth of this baby. 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Romans 15:13

Alright, here goes! I hope you're comfy and enjoy the 'tour'! I'm so glad you've stopped by. I thought it appropriate to start in the dining room, as this is the one room we always come together as a family most days.

Dining Room

With Fall passing us by so quickly, I wanted to use some Fall-ish elements, like pinecones, to connect the seasons together. I've had them out since October!

I was going to wait until after the holidays to share our newest build, but here it is! Our industrial pipe shelves! These were really fun to design and put together, (and surprisingly easy!), and I'll share all the deets very soon! Styling them for Christmas was a real treat.

Since we've got a decent collection of Christmas décor, accumulated over 8 years of marriage, I didn't buy hardly a thing this year. But this kissing ball? Well that was a no brainer. :)

 While our metal chairs are great for dining with little ones, (super easy to clean), they're a little chilly on the toosh in the winter! I found a really thick faux fur bath rug from HomeGoods on clearance, cut it four ways, and placed quarters over the seats. An inexpensive answer to an icy situation!

Living Room

A few small sprigs of fresh Christmas tree, (grab them from the tree lots!), replace the tea lights I usually keep in these small brass hangers.

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I spy a StyleMutt Holiday DIY project!

This magazine tree was really fun to make, (and ridiculously easy)! Love this whimsical take on the Christmas tree.

The cute wooden stag came from my Grandma. It looks very homemade, like something you'd find at a craft fair, and I just love it. Aren't the oldest decorations just the best!

On another note, there are the geo painted coasters I shared from a few weeks ago, (another one of our Holiday DIYs)!

Master Bed

A few twiggy branches from the backyard bring a little of the outdoors in. The pom-pom garland from last year and some cheery red touches add some festive warmth.

Oh, look at that - another Holiday DIY project! This pom-pom wreath uses the same steps as the pom-pom garland! Learn how to make pom-poms once and you've got a couple easy projects you could try out!

Front Entrance

The last stop is a quick peek at our front entrance. Our homemade spoon shelf is the perfect spot for hanging coats, while the red toolbox serves as a bench for the little ones to pull their shoes on and off in the winter. The paper wreath is one of my favorite, (and oldest!), DIYs and stays up year round!

I hope you've enjoyed this little holiday tour and please hop over to the Holiday 'House Walk' to see more - so many beautifully decorated homes, all unique and true to their owners. I sure have enjoyed seeing everyone's creativity and personal touches!

Have a wonderful week, friends! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Rustic Votive Holders {Holiday DIY No. 4}

Hey guys! We're barely into December but the holiday festivities are truckin' right along. We've been under the weather in our home since the week of Thanksgiving, and that's forced us, (me), to really lay the brakes on and focus the small reserve of energy on what I really care about; my people. Here are some of my favorite moments from the last week and a half...

Goodness me, there is much to be grateful for. (I was singing a different tune a week ago when we were bogged down by the flu and I was hosting one of the worlds largest pity parties. Such a wuss! But so grateful.)

I'm excited to share this DIY project today because, truthfully, it was a happy accident! Over the summer we changed the legs on our sectional sofa - we, (Matt), ended up making the new legs from cut up blocks of 4 x 4 which we stained in Minwax 'Ash'. Since we had three extras sitting out in the garage, I thought they'd make awesome votive holders! I wasn't wrong...

This was really, really easy, folks. We pre-drilled a hole about 2" into the center of each block, and screwed in a hanger, (to do this, just wrap a dry cloth around the hanger, then use pliers to twist the hanger into the hole).

I left the top bare, but you could have some serious fun painting a complementing color to your own décor.

Then I screwed a hole into the bottom of the candle, about an inch to an inch and a half deep, just to keep it secure.

All done!

If the thought of cutting a 4 x 4 plank of wood doesn't excite you, you could either a) Grab a hardware store employee and ask them to cut it for you, (they do this for free at the big chains like Home Depot and Lowes), or b) Ask a store employee if there is any scrap wood leftover from other people's cuts which you could take.

Rather BUY than DIY?

Check these out from Tellus360Shop on Etsy!

I'll be signing off until Monday when I'll be back to share our full holiday home tour, but Cate's got another goodie for ya coming up tomorrow, (Friday)!

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a fab weekend!