Wild Herbs Christmas Wreath

Hello, dear friends, I'm excited to announce that I've made my first DIY wreath ever! So I would like to apologize in advance, because this post is gonna have LOTS of pictures...

I've been dreaming of making a wreath since 2005, when I was just entering the fabulous world of interior design blogs. We don't have many wreaths in Romania (and there are no supplies at the craft stores) and I have always been afraid to make one. I was convinced that the leaves would fall off and that the wire base would show...

For my first wreath I wanted the real deal: real natural plants, no plastic allowed. Long story short, we went to a picnic in the middle of November, on a sunny hill at the edge of a beautiful forest. There were lots of wild herbs, which we call "immortal" because they dry out in the field and stay like this forever. I filled the trunk of my car with a bunch of herbs in awesome shades of silver, soft brown and pale lavender. Plus a few thistles. Perfect materials for a natural wreath :)

The natural herb Christmas wreath sits in the bedroom, hanging by a traditional red and white ribbon. It complements the other flowers who live by the bedroom window: a small white Saint Paulia and three orchids which are getting ready to bloom in a couple of weeks. 

Initially, I was going to make the simplest wreath design possible. At the last minute, I've decided to add a little twist to my simple wreath, so I placed the thistles in a small bouquet on one side. A little "bling" goes a long way :)

I've kept the bedding white and full of texture, combining natural white cotton sheets with linen and sheep skin pillows. It tickles the senses and lets the Christmas wreath steal the show. Each morning I smile thinking that I live in a bohemian hotel in Paris :)

How to make a Christmas wreath

If you are like me, a novice in wreath making and a little afraid to try it, I've got 3 words for you: Just do it! I'll guide you every step of the way with my DIY wreath tutorial:

1. Gather your materials: natural plants, scissors and wire. That's all you need!

2. Use a wreath base (you can find them in stores) or make one yourself, from electric cord or thick wire.

3. Make a small bouquet and tie it with floral wire. Make the front line flowers smaller than the ones in the back and spread them like a fan. Layer the colors by height: I put the short brown twigs in the front, then the longer lavender ones and kept the tall silver ones in the back.

4. Cut off the extra length of the branches. My bouquets are 10 cm (4 inches) long.

5. Make an extra bouquet from different branches for the wreath's graphic accent.

6. Repeat step no. 3 and 4 until you run out of stuff. I've made exactly 30 small bouquets.

7. Attach the first bouquet to the wreath base and secure it with wire. Make sure that the bouquet is on the outside of the base curve.

8. Continue with the rest of the bouquets, just like you did with the first one. Don't be afraid to squeeze them together - this way you make sure that the base will be fully covered.

9. This is how the wreath looks when you turn it over. Add some pretty ribbon and enjoy!

Linking up to these lovely parties.

And some of them require a backlink in the actual post, so here they are:

http://adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.ro/   http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/   http://www.blackberryvine.blogspot.ro/   http://www.cedarhill-ranch.com/   http://diycraftyprojects.com

http://www.sew-much-ado.com/   http://www.elizabethandco.blogspot.ro/   http://thelifeofjenniferdawn.blogspot.ro/

http://www.houseofhepworths.com/  http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com   http://www.the36thavenue.com/

http://www.frommyfrontporchtoyours.com/  http://www.theartsygirlconnection.com/   http://www.somewhatsimple.com   http://www.commonground-do.com/   http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.ro/   http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/

http://www.redouxinteriors.com  http://www.myrepurposedlife.com/  http://www.alittleknickknack.com

http://itsahodgepodgelife.blogspot.ro/   http://www.504main.com/   http://www.atthepicketfence.com

http://www.shabbynest.blogspot.ro/   http://romantichome.blogspot.ro/   http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.ro

http://www.remodelaholic.com http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.ro/   http://thefrugalgirls.com/  http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.ro  http://www.blissfulanddomestic.com  http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/  http://www.bystephanielynn.com/   http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/   http://makingtheworldcuter.com/  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/  http://www.delineateyourdwelling.com

DIY Advent Calendar: Igloo Village!

This year I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone with this DIY project: a Christmas village AND an Advent calendar. My first ideas were quite traditional, like making gingerbread houses. But after giving it a little thought, I decided to make something new and exciting: the Igloo Village! It's perfect for Christmas, since the igloos are always snowed in. And the round shapes of the ice homes are simply adorable :)

The Igloo Village is always in the mood for winter fun. It is made of origami paper, so it's light, small and easy to move around the home. Also, if it survives the holidays and the curiosity of my cats, it could be stored away in a small box, until next year. In theory, igloos are white - but mine are colorful, because when the sun shines across the endless sea of ice, the snow sparkles in soft tones of yellow, blue and even pink!

For the countdown to Christmas, I've made 24 little units: 14 origami igloos (in 2 sizes) and 10 paper trees (also in 2 sizes). Each item has its own number written on the side. The village display is random, so you need to find your next number, which adds a little to the excitement. 

The Igloo village Advent calendar also doubles as a treasure hunt. Hide little treats, small messages, tree decorations or tiny toys under each house and tree. This way, the joy of Christmas gets sweeter every day! For me, it was toys all the way, as you can see in the image above. You can also use the paper igloos and trees to decorate the Christmas tree, if you hang them by a thread :)

Last but not least, I must tell you that the Igloo village looks great at night time, too! Since it is already pitch black each evening when I come back from work, it is a pleasure to take a peek at my Advent calendar, sitting quietly under the soft glow of a small lamp! 

If you haven't got an Advent Calendar for this season yet, it's easy to replicate this one. I'm sharing the tutorial below, split in 2 parts: the igloos and the cone trees. It took me 3 hours to make the entire village, but prepare to spend a little more time if you're a novice in paper crafts in general and origami in particular.

Origami igloo tutorial

For this project you will need:

- origami igloo template: I used this great one from the talented Francesco Guarnieri.

- patterned square origami paper. I worked with two sizes: 8.5 x 8.5 cm square sheets and 10 x 10 cm square sheets.

- pencil and ruler for marking where you need to fold the paper.

How to make the origami igloo:

1. Lay the paper square on the blank side. Mark where you need to fold the paper in 5.

2. Start folding the paper in 5 equal strips horizontally, then in 4 equal strips vertically.

3. The folded paper should look like a grid.

4. Fold the extreme strips inside.

5. Fold again and make a little crease just like in the template.

6. Repeat another two times. The paper should look like this. Mark all the valley and mountain folds, for easy final assembling.

7. This is the tricky part: get the valley folds in one hand and flip it on the inside.

8. Carefully press the paper folds in order to make the final shape.

9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 on the other side of the igloo and you're done!

Paper trees tutorial

For this project you will need:

- cone tree template: I used these ones but in a smaller scale.

- patterned origami paper. The small trees fit into 8.5 x 8.5 cm square sheets and the tall ones fit into 10 x 10 cm square sheets.

- pencil and ruler for drawing the template outline and for marking where you need to fold the paper.

- scissors and glue stick.

How to make the paper tree:

1. Print the template on cardboard and cut it out. I didn't make the round base, just the cone. Lay the template on the blank side of the origami paper. Draw the outline. Be careful not to move the template during the process.

2. Cut out the origami paper, following the outline.

3. Fold the paper along the marked line.

4. Fold again on the other side. Apply glue on the patterned folded strip.

5. Turn the paper on the good side and put the edges together to make the cone shape. The long edge must overlap the glued strip. Gently press with your fingers until the glue sets in.

6. Enjoy the paper trees and the entire Igloo village!

Brown Bottle Fall Centerpiece

It's the middle of November and we've been incredible lucky to have 3 weeks of Indian Summer here in beautiful Romania. The weekends were warm and sunny and we had a picnic every Sunday. I got home with a lot of fall clippings and wild herbs. Their colors are amazing: silver grey, soft honey brown and subtle lavender - so I decided to use them in a Fall centerpiece.

Let's take a normal look at the dining room table. That's better... The light colors of my clipped herbs needed some contrast, so I put them in brown bottles. The earth tones arrangement goes so well with the glowing Autumn light! I reached into my cupboards for the perfect companions: small brandy glasses in tinted hues, traditional pottery from my country and a tiny brown apothecary jar filled with spices.

Of course, an all-neutral-decor is too much for me to handle. I just can't do it. It may be classic, timeless, effortless and perfectly elegant, but it just isn't my style. So I added a little twist to my brown bottle centerpiece: a kiss made of pink and orange felt letters. Now we're talking!

This little DIY can be made and re-made in so many ways! For my friends in the USA, the letters could say "THANKS" - it would make a great centerpiece for Thanksgiving! For my European friends, you could spell "AUTUNNO" or something similar. Spot the differences in the 2 images from above! You can leave the bottles standing solo, as well as decorate with additional items - either way, the centerpiece still looks great.

Styling tip: play a little with the height of the bottles. Make the arrangement more interesting and invite the eye to travel across the table by assorting slightly different items. As you can see, I used 3 different sizes. Also, play with the height and dimensions of the flowers / fall clippings. You can create the WOW! effect if you vary the bouquets (some larger, some taller, some smaller) instead of repeating the same bunch of flowers in every bottle. 

Brown bottle centerpiece tutorial:

1. Choose your felt in one o more colors. Trace the outline of your letters, using a marker. The thicker the marker the better (felt is not easy to draw on!).

2. Cut the felt letters with a sharp tool. Make sure that the marker outline is not visible on the final letters. 

3. Use a needle & thread to make a chain around each bottle, each one holding a letter. You can also glue the felt letters directly on the bottles, but I like the thread better, because it looks more loose (and I can simply re-use the brown bottles later).

4. Stick the fall clippings in the bottles and enjoy your Fall centerpiece!

Pussy Willow Easter Tree

First of all, I want to send a big Thank you! to all my friends for your support regarding new ways of managing blogs - thanks a million! Next, I wanna tell you that even though work has been strangling me, Bloglovin has helped me take a peek at your projects :) And third, it just so happened that yesterday I woke up with the urge to make a DIY Easter tree... so here it is! 

Perhaps it was the frustration of not being able to do anything for the home, lately (due to my real job deadlines, as I keep telling you). Or maybe it was my subconscious mind whispering in my head, because I already had these wonderful pussy willow branches on my kitchen counter. Either way, I woke up at 6.45 AM determined to do something. At 7.45 AM, the pussy willow Easter tree was already done!

Dear ladies, I am officially in love! The Easter tree is not among our local traditions, but I've tried my hand at them before (while supervising decorations for commercial venues in my city).  I was first against this foreign custom, but the beauty of these trees conquered me, eventually. So I made up my own version, using what I already had in hand: the willow branches and origami paper. 

The willow is the star of my tree, so soft and fuzzy and cute! Decorating the DIY Easter tree with Easter eggs was a classic choice, but I went with it because I was in a hurry. Choosing paper eggs instead of 3-dimensional ones (real or fake) was also great for my (extremely) limited time. But I would have chosen paper eggs anyway, because they are more subtle, more playful and they also take up less space in the arrangement. 

It is a pleasure to look at and it gives a peaceful feeling to the whole living room. I actually spent more time taking photos of my humble Easter tree, than making it! My inspiration was this blue ceramic pitcher, with a round belly. Its happy color is perfect for Spring and it lifts up my spirits. All I had to do was to find origami paper in matching colors - an array of pale blue, turquoise and lime green. 

Just like I said before, this little project takes 15 minutes to make, so I feel bound to share this very simple DIY Easter tree tutorial:

1. Choose your materials: twigs, branches of any kind, origami paper, scissors, pen, paper glue and thread. I used pussy willow branches because they are so soft and fuzzy.. Make sure the origami paper comes in subdued colors - you don't want to eclipse the natural beauty of the twigs!

2. Cut strips of paper of the same size. The more patterns, the better! The paper eggs you're gonna make will be more attractive if they have different a pattern on each side.

3. Take a blank sheet of paper. Use the paper glue to line the origami strips of paper next to each other, on both sides of the blank.

4. Now you have a patterned canvas. Make sure that the strips on the front and back correspond in position.

5. Draw the egg shape of your choice on each strip of paper. If you're not very artistic, just make an oval.

6. Cut the final paper eggs. Throw the branches in a vase. Hang the paper eggs by a thread.

Hooraaay! The Easter tree has been featured at A Jennuine Life, Suzy's Sitcom, Alderberry Hill and A Glimpse Inside. You've really made my day, thank you for the wonderful surprise! 

  

Edible Place Cards For Halloween

It seems that I will go to a little Halloween party, after all :) I thought it would be nice to bring something for the table: place cards! Easy to do and a pretty addition to any tablescape. To kill two birds with one stone, I will make these place cards edible, so that when you are finished admiring them you can also eat them (for desert, if you are well-mannered, or before the main course, if you are still a child at heart).

DIY Witch Lamp

One month left until Halloween! I don't have a mantel to decorate for the occasion and I'm not extremely fond of pumpkins. So what to do, what to do? A little witch lamp, of course!  It's black like a real witch and it's got witch stockings, too :)) I used an old Ikea lampshade for the top and a yellow base from the gay lamp for the bottom. Oh, I also drew and decoupaged the Halloween spooked cat. 

In order to decoupage the Halloween cat, I used an ironic patterned paper covered in... other cats:)) And we ate the eggplant the next day (grilled with mushrooms and onions).