Super Easy Homemade Napkin Rings

These napkin rings can be used as place card holders, too!

Ever get caught with a more quests than napkin rings? I seem to have a lot of sets of 4 napkin rings and will sometimes just mix and match to make it work.  This time I decided to get creative in a pinch - literally! This napkin ring does double duty as a place card holder!

You only need a few simple items:
Glue gun
1" burlap ribbon (or cut pieces into ribbon size)
6 to 8  2" curtain rings with clips
6 to 8 old buttons
Floral wire

Here's how to make it:

•  To form the bow just fold ribbon in a crisscross and hold, then pinch middle and secure with floral wire.

• Glue button to the center of bow.
• Holding the clip out and ring secure, hot glue bow to ring so that the clip is in the middle of the bow.
• Pull napkin through the ring and clip a special note or name card to the ring. 

Be sure to have fun and be creative! You can use any type of ribbon or vary you colors!

Burlap, Branches, and Bows!

So, this year I decided that I wanted to start over! Out with the old Christmas decor and in with the new! But as you know, the holidays can be expensive, with presents to buy and parties to host. So I knew I had to get creative! Using simple items like burlap, branches and bows,  I created a beautiful holiday home!

I set out to get a few things to work with:
1 yard of burlap -$4.25
4 sets of blue, green, silver ornaments : $25
1 batch of icy branches - $21
1 spool 2"green wire ribbon - $4.99
1 spool of aqua/blue grosgrain ribbon - $2.99
Extra branches from the Christmas tree - Free
Branches from the yard - Free
Pine cones - Free
Total cost - $58.28 That's just a little over $50!

This week I want to share with you all of the homemade holiday projects I made using the above items.  I will also include instructions. Let's start with the front door!

 Here's what you need:
Glue gun
Grapevine wreath
Large wooden letter
Branch of garland
Pine cones
4 8" strips of burlap
Grosgrain ribbon
Floral picks

To start the project hot glue your wooden letter at the corners and attach to the wreath. Then glue your branch of garland to the bottom right hand corner and secure with floral wire. Then you need to glue your pine cones to the center of the garland.

Make each bow piece separate and attach the floral pick

Next glue a strip of ribbon down the middle of each of your burlap strips. Cut 2 strips into the bottom bow parts about 6" in length and cut a triangle at the bottom edge. You will need to gather each strip and attach to the floral picks. Take the other 2 strips and fold in half for the upper part of the bow. Gather those pieces at one end and attach to the picks, as well. I added a dab of glue to secure the picks.

Finally, just tuck the bow pieces into the pine cones to create the full bow. Make sure your pieces are all secure before you hang it on the door.

Enjoy your simple new holiday wreath!

Three-way Thursday - Quick, easy, and free Holiday decorating!

Three ways to use the clippings from your Christmas tree to decorate around the house.

Use them to create a beautiful mantel display

I just asked the guy at the tree farm if I could have the branches leftover from the tree trimmings and he let me take as much as I wanted, FREE! By cutting them into smaller branches, I used them to create this beautiful mantel display. I used a grouping of pine cones from the yard and spread the branches out from there. I tucked in a string of lights and votive candles to add sparkle. All the other accessories were already on the mantel. The birds and vase of branches just added to that "winter wonderland" feeling I was going for.

Make a spray to use on mirrors or anywhere you want!

This one is easy and can be used all around the house. You can even make a larger one for the front door. All I did was group the sprigs together and tie together with floral wire. Next I added ornaments on a string to make it more interesting. Then I simply added a burlap bow to the top and hung it on my iron art in the dining room. So simple!

Tuck them around a candle

Simply tucking the branches around a hurricane candle holder helps give this entry way table  and dining room table that Christmas feeling! Again, I added candles, icy branches, and pine cones to pull it all together.

Create a holiday center piece for the table

With Christmas just around the corner, finding ways to save money is a must. I love that I was able to create that wintery holiday feeling by using natural elements, like tree branches, pine cones, and burlap, around the house. I love that wonderful smell of a fresh Christmas tree!  Best of all it cost little to no money at all! 

Please note they will eventually get brittle, they will usually last about 2 to 3 weeks.