Holiday Gift Wrapping- A Homemade Feel

   It's that time of year again! You've survived the dreaded crowded stores and now it's time to start wrapping your presents!

This holiday season, for me, has been all about rustic decor. So naturally, I've decided to wrap my presents with the same rustic, homemade feel.

   For my wrapping paper, I kept it simple and used brown kraft paper. I bought my paper from my local Target. It wraps well, and my favourite added bonus, it has a grid pattern printed on the inside of the paper to help with straighter cutting and a tidier wrapping job. Perfect for any perfectionist, like myself! Another bonus, if there's any leftover wrapping paper, it's neutral enough that it can be used for any other occasion.

To decorate, I used:

• twine
• gold decorative cord
• pine cones
• faux berries
• gold glittery ribbon 
• salt dough gift tags

                                          *I made the bow in the fourth picture using left over wrapping paper. 

To attach the decorations, I found using a hot glue gun was the best and easiest way. 



Here are some more gifts that I decorated for a window display. 

Brown kraft paper, tissue paper, and ribbon go a long way to make some impressive gifts!


How are you decorating your presents this year? 

Glittery Silhouettes- Add the Sparkle

   When I think about Christmas, I always think about twinkly white lights and lots of sparkle. There's something magical about all of the sparkle and shine during the holiday season. Let's face it, it wouldn't be Christmas without a little glitter. It's easy to add it to your Christmas tree, shelves, and tables, but your walls are often overlooked. Here is an easy way to create festive artwork that anyone can do, and is full of glittery goodness!

What You'll Need:

• Picture frame
• Glittery scrapbook paper
• Paper for background of picture
• Double sided tape or glue
• Scissors
• Pencil

-Cut the paper for the background of the picture to fit inside of the frame.

-Trace the background paper onto the back of the glitter scrapbook paper. This will be your guideline on how large to draw your silhouette.

-Draw your silhouette of choice onto the back of the glitter scrapbook paper. Make sure you draw the reversed image. For more complicated designs, you may want to create a template on a separate piece of paper first. I had to do this with the deer silhouette, and then trace it onto the glitter scrapbook paper.

-Cut out your silhouette.

-Use double sided tape or glue to secure the silhouette onto the background paper.

-Put your picture into the frame.

-Hang, take a few steps back, and enjoy your new glittery masterpiece!     

                  

   Will this DIY be a new addition to your holiday decor? What silhouettes will you try out?

Salt Dough & Sharpie Ornaments

   
   Salt dough ornaments are fun, super easy to make, and look great on any christmas tree. They add that personal touch to your tree that you just can't buy from a store. 

   This year, I decorated mine by drawing on them with a fine tipped Sharpie. This gave me more precision and control to add a lot of detail to some of my designs. Whether you want really intricate designs on your ornaments or something really simple, they all look great!

What You'll Need:

• 1 cup of flour
• ½ cup of salt
• ½ cup of warm water
• Mixing bowl
• Rolling pin
• Cookie sheet
• Cookie cutters
• Straw or toothpick
• Ultra fine point Sharpie
• Twine or ribbon

Preheat your oven to 250° F

Combine flour, salt, and warm water into a bowl and mix with your hands until it becomes a dough.

Prepare your rolling surface and rolling pin with a dusting of flour. This stops the salt dough from sticking.

Kneed the dough well before rolling out to get rid of any air bubbles trapped inside the dough. 

Roll the dough to about 1/4” thick. 

Use cookie cutters to cut out your ornament shapes (I used a cup to create my circular ornaments). 

Use a straw or toothpick to create a small hole at the top of each ornament. This will be used to string ribbon or twine through later.

Place ornaments on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 2 hours. 

Once done, let cool completely before drawing on them. 

Use an ultra fine point Sharpie to draw on your designs. I decided to do a mixture of both intricate and simple designs on my circular ornaments, and left my star shaped ones plain. 

String with twine or ribbon, and they are ready for your christmas tree! 

   With leftover dough, I made gift tag shaped ornaments using a knife to cut them out. They look very impressive on your gifts and will surely impress anyone who receives one. 

The cookie cutter ornaments also make great gift toppers. They double as a decoration and a gift for their tree.