Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Decking the Halls...and the Mantle

I am having so much fun pulling out all the Christmas bins and finding new ways to decorate with my great old stuff! Those little white felt trees are still one of my absolute favorite purchases of all time. And the best part...they're from the Dollar Tree! Stinkin cute and only one dollar each. You gotta love that!



This is my mantle in progress. I still have to put up my fou fou garland to top it all off, and then it will look complete. I usually don't go for this much glitz, but Christmas is the perfect time to glam it up a bit. And I take full advantage of that to have some fun with my holiday decorating. The rest of the year, it's pretty simple. Don't you just love my adorable little (not so much) Elfie? I scored him for 50% off the day after Christmas last year at my favorite boutique. This is a store I only window shop at, so it was so fun to actually buy some cute stuff there!




I totally copied The Nester on these feather trees she posted about. I fell in love with them on her blog and they were only 9.99 at Dayspring. The red jewel ornaments I found at Target. At last count I had 7 feather trees. I can't stop making them....I've got a thing for feathers this year! It is turning out to be a slight addiction.



And last, but certainly not least.....my candles wrapped in red houndstooth wrapping paper from Hobby Lobby. This is one of my absolute favorite, no fail ways to spruce up plain candles for any holiday. I'm sure many of you have seen me post this little tip many times before. But, I just had to share it again for those of you who might be new here. It is one of the cheapest and easist ways to add some oomph to your decor. I use wrapping paper, scrapbook paper, ribbon, fabric strips, and more to decorate the simple off white candles I keep up all year long. And each time I change them, it looks and feels like I went out and bought new candles. A little retail therapy without leaving the house and it's FREE! It's great to be able to make do with what you already own and repurpose it to feel new again. What have you repurposed this season? Tell me your favorite thrifty holiday decorating tip.



35 comments:

Jess said...

Well, I haven't repurposed anything...YET, but am so copying the candle idea! And I don't have any tips either...that's why I read YOUR blog! LOL I think that some of my most favorite decorations have came from the dollar store. Last year, my favorite find was the little pompom trees.(Thank you for that one!)
BTW... I just love Elfie too!

SkinnyMeg said...

I think your mantle looks awesome! I love the elf and trees. The colors really pop and it made me smile! Im so gonna steal your candle idea, easy and cute! Love it.

Shannon said...

I remember your white trees from last year and just love them!!

southerninspiration said...

I got some of the houndstooth paper too, from HL, and I love the way you used it! I got the black and white and will use it ALL YEAR LONG!!!

Suzanne

nina@themissadventuresofnina said...

So Pretty. I love that the Dollar Store is carrying more and more beautiful and cute things!

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

Your Elfie is so cute! Great deal getting him 1/2 off after Christmas. My mantles are usually pretty plain during the year, too. It's nice to dress them up once a year though. I'm loving mine this year! I repurposed on one mantle quite a few things, which worked out well.

Nancy @ Live love laugh said...

So cute! It is slow going decorating here! First I would like a mantle that I love but will probably decorate the plain wood slab that I do not like and has been here since we moved in. Yours looks so bright and happy!
~Nancy

Linda@Coastal Charm said...

Love the candles...I have used fabric and ribbon on candles...so now I will try some wrapping paper...thanks for the idea!

Blessings,
Linda

Kristina P. said...

You have the coolest stuff!

Kelly said...

I looove your mantel! and those feather trees are to die for:) did you make them? if so could you possibly post a link to the tutorial you used? your christmas decor is wonderful and I love the gift wrapped candle idea as well!

Beverly said...

That is cute even before you finish it...so crisp and clean!

Kendra @ Domestic Princess in Training said...

You had me at houndstooth! Houndstooth has become my new obsession. I want, I mean NEED to make those candles…..now where would I put them….hummm. I bought wrapping paper at Hobby Lobby on Black Friday and picked up the black houndstooth, a red and white vine looking one, and one that is lime green with white polka dots. The all look so cute together! I’ve never really bought wrapping paper at Hobby Lobby but they have some great patterns and the quality is really good. I’m a huge fan now.

Anyhoo thanks for sharing pic of your décor. I’m off to find some candles….I’m sure I have some shoved in a closet somewhere around here.

Oh and just FYI: I’m hosting a party over at my blog next week (Dec 9th) where we can all share our Christmas décor obsessions. If you collect a type of Christmas décor (or perhaps your feather obsession) or showcase a certain color scheme throughout your home stop by and link up. You can find my post with more info over at my blog.

http://domesticprincessintraining.blogspot.com

Kendra @ Domestic Princess in Training said...

You had me at houndstooth! Houndstooth has become my new obsession. I want, I mean NEED to make those candles…..now where would I put them….hummm. I bought wrapping paper at Hobby Lobby on Black Friday and picked up the black houndstooth, a red and white vine looking one, and one that is lime green with white polka dots. The all look so cute together! I’ve never really bought wrapping paper at Hobby Lobby but they have some great patterns and the quality is really good. I’m a huge fan now.

Anyhoo thanks for sharing pic of your décor. I’m off to find some candles….I’m sure I have some shoved in a closet somewhere around here.

Oh and just FYI: I’m hosting a party over at my blog next week (Dec 9th) where we can all share our Christmas décor obsessions. If you collect a type of Christmas décor (or perhaps your feather obsession) or showcase a certain color scheme throughout your home stop by and link up. You can find my post with more info over at my blog.

http://domesticprincessintraining.blogspot.com

Elaine's Semi-Homemade Life said...

As always, love it! I did SO much repurposing for Halloween, I gotta pull together the energy for Christmas. (OF course, right now, all my energy is going into Big Sis's Nutcracker 'Sweet' bday party!
I'm totally doing the candles this time around... will be perfect for a display in my dough bowl! :)

Marci @All Things Wonderful said...

Beautiful! Love the mantle!

Dena Pickle said...

Beautiful and colorful. I'm trying to break away from some of the traditional color ideas this year, it's working well so far!

Dena

seanymph said...

I love the feather trees.....please how do you make them? Id love to see a tutorial.

Christine said...

LOVE that paper!! I bought the red & white damask last year (and just had to buy it again this year as well).

A few little things I love:
* With my cute wrapping paper, I made ornaments - - cut long, thin pieces of the wrapping paper and curl around a chopstick. drop in a clear, glass ornament. i used the red & white damask with a coordinating stripe. on the outside of the ornament, I wrote "Joy" with a white paint pen. Easy, cute, cheap = love

- - I've got a couple more ideas, but I might as well just take a pic of what I've done & blog about it. Check back later tonight :D

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

PRETTY!!! Here's my tip from today...I couldn't find a girlie tree skirt in the right colors for a mini tree, so I used some tutu skirts from The Dollar Tree, and it looks awesome. :)

Tammy @ tinselshop.com said...

Everything looks so fun and festive! Especially love the feather trees and the wrapped pillars, I will have to steal that idea!

Best wishes,
Tammy

Richella Parham said...

Your mantel looks so fun and whimsical. We have two mantels in this house, and both rooms are a little too formal for such fun as your Elf. . . but you've inspired me to incorporate a bit of whimsy, nevertheless! We'll have to see what I can come up with. There ought to be some fun in every room, right?

Hope you're doing great!

Love ya,
Richella

Unknown said...

Love the mantle. I have three of the Dollar Tree felt trees myself and I agree that they are the best. And, I admired the Houndstooth paper @ H.L. just yesterday, but ended up folding and going with the red/white polka dots. What a great idea to wrap the candles with the paper...

Paula@SweetPea said...

Your candles cover in scrapbook paper was the inspiration for a centerpiece that I did tonight for my dining room. I just blogged about it if you want to take a peek!

Nicole said...

Looking good! I like the feather trees and the hounds tooth candles! Cool ideas!

Angie said...

Love everything you've done!

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com said...

ADORABLE! Love love love everything! What a fun mantle. I love how whimsical everything is.

You would love the cake plate I got at TJ Maxx about a month ago. I put it on my kitchen table. It has a red scalloped top and then underneath are legs in striped tights and red high heels. So fun. It would fit right in with all of your cute decorations!

XOXO
Jen

Pam Walter said...

Love the red & white and all the items on the mantle. What great fun! www.satisfiedsole.com

All Things Cherish said...

Wow, I love your mantle!! The molding is absolutely gorgeous, can we say jealous?!?! Your christmas decor looks great, love the white little trees. Oh and I totally stole your houndstooth candle idea, love it. I have the exact same paper, from the Container Store, which makes me sad because I know I got completely taken advantage of on the price. Why can't I have a Hobby Lobby? Looking good!

Trusted Service Since 1890 said...

Love everything you've done. The thing most recently I repurposed was a headboard / turned chalkboard that is the focus of my mantle this year. Would love for you to come visit!
http://spiesspirit.blogspot.com

LouLou said...

Love that elf!! PRECIOUS....Looks like he came from Fairhope! Hayden JUST told me you called during my nap...I'll buzz you tomorrow.

love you.

Linda@Coastal Charm said...

I'm wrapping up lots of candles with my HL wrap...thanks sooooo much for the idea...I have one of them posted...check it out!

Blessings,
Linda

Nishant said...

Looking good! I like the feather trees and the hounds tooth candles! Cool ideas!

Work From Home India

Tardevil said...

That mantel is just too cute. You know, a red boa would look good up there as a garland too!

Lana said...

I love your decorating ideas. I think I am going to try my hand at wrapping the candles w/ paper. What a clever idea and I really love the wrapping paper you used! I will be back to visit often!

Jess said...

Those white felt trees really are amazing! So cute!!

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