How is it less than 4 weeks until Christmas? Am pretty sure I only just pulled down last year’s stick tree… I’ve been playing with Christmassy things but haven’t really decorated my house yet – we’ll do that Saturday. I’m also rushing madly to get the advent calendar done in time – I only just decided last night what I was doing so I don’t have much time! Stay tuned for that one!
The last few weeks I’ve been playing with the natural beads I bought from ebay a while back. I’ve made mini wreaths by threading them on pipe cleaners, strung them together as garlands and for this just-because shoot, I made some hanging beaded ornaments and a larger wreath. I’ve also had fun gold leafing nature – I don’t know why that combo speaks to me so much, but I love it. Yes, I am still obsessed with gold leaf… Anyway, I quite liked the colour combos I was working with so put it altogether in this little gold and nature decor theme. Here is how it all turned out!
Thread a bunch of natural beads onto galvanised wire until it is about a metre and a half long. Keep spiralling it on itself until you have the wreath size you’re happy with. Twist the shorter end of the wire around the longer end until secure and snip. Cover any sharp bits with a big ribbon and hang. TIP: When twisting the ends together to secure, create a loop before you cut the longer piece and secure again with more twists before snipping off the end.
Make it: stick pyramid
Collect a whole bunch of similar-width lightweight sticks. Snap four of them to around the same length and glue four together in a square shape with a hot-glue gun. Once set, cut four more a bit longer but again to the same length and glue to the base then together at the top to form a pyramid. You could make small ones and hang as ornaments or larger ones and hang over a table. I finished off by gold leafing the very top.
Make it: beaded ornaments
Find an assortment of different sized wooden beads (the big and small ones were from Spotlight; the natural beads – same as on the wreath – were from ebay). Work out the pattern you want them in and their colours and get painting. The best way to paint beads is to insert wooden skewers – as many as will fit so the bead is jammed on. This allows you to easily paint and then you can simply stick them into the grass so they’re standing upright to dry in the sun (or stand in a tall glass but make sure they don’t touch each other when wet). Once dry, tie the bottom bead onto a piece of embroidery thread or twine and simply thread the others on. Then hang.
Make it: filtered paper cones
These look pretty with a battery-operated tea light flicking inside! On a piece of white cardboard, got to town with a single hole punch or punch and hammer (I used the Martha Stewart Screw Punch – my fave!) in various sizes. Then roll into a cone and secure with double-sided tape. Cut off the ends so they’re neat and pop them down pointy-side up.
Make it: gold-leaf pinecones
Using a small paintbrush gently brush a little of the gold-leaf size onto the ends of random pinecone leaves (I have no idea what they’re called!!!). Stick on a little bit of gold leaf and brush the excess away.
Wrap it: I never really divert away from plain white and kraft wrapping paper – it’s the ribbons and twine and bows that change year-to-year. This year I found this copper foil flower (from House 2 Home), some glittery curling ribbon (also House 2 Home) and some brown and white stripes and blush-coloured ribbons (another bargain shop I don’t know the name of) and kraft paper string. White and kraft is lovely, but the perfect way to break it up was to wrap a couple of small things in leftover wallpaper I had – Ferm Living Mountain Friends. It’s nice to add a little bit of pattern. And now I’m off to work on my advent calendar…
What colourway are you going with this year?
{Images by Belinda Graham for The Happy Home}
I love white against a rustic backdrop and the exposed brick in my dining room is just perfect.
As always I love all your pics
Kate