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Showing posts with label SNO Wonder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SNO Wonder. Show all posts

11.28.2012

Fresh & Green Holiday Decor Ideas!



to follow up the fabulous SnoWONDER-ful Giveaway last week,
i thought you'd like to see a few more ideas for using it in your Holiday decor!
above, a vintage glass pie plate is filled with sno-balls made from the magic SnoWonder faux snow. 
yes, they hold their shape like that - and are still wet and 'cold'!
they look absolutely real - except you can't do THIS with real snowballs:
 what else can you do with SnoWonder faux snow?

one year for Christmas Eve dinner,
i placed a scoop of sno inside my collection of vintage Santa mugs
and used them at each placesetting:
 i like the simplicity of the sage green ornaments hanging from the chandelier on spiraled pipe cleaners, too.

btw, my spiffy white Santa mugs started out just like the ones you see in antique shops - red and white. 
i just soaked them in hot water and soap, then used an old credit card to scrape off the softened red paint.
it was an easy fix to stay true to my own style!
i am a big proponent of using ornaments all over the place - not just on the tree.
[when the tree is full, you gotta' stop.
but when you fill other containers with them, you can keep going!]
in the photo above, you see a HUGE aluminum pedestal punch bowl filled with a mound of SnoWonder,
and various ornaments nestled into the snow. 

TOP TIP!
see the white, chartreuse, and silver bell in the photo?
it has no back. really. it was broken when i bought it. 
nestle broken ornaments or figures into snow, or glitter, or greenery,
and no one will ever see the back and know that it is not a perfect vintage treasure.
 a clear glass footed bowl also plays host to SnoWonder and some ornaments.
mixing up the ornament sizes, patterns, and shapes makes for an interesting display.
the monochromatic palette of white, silver, and clear neutrals
is invigorated by the shades of green: evergreen, celadon, sage, and chartreuse.
 a white ironstone platter with a huge crack in it 
is still able to serve up a healthy serving of ornaments on a bed of fresh Sno!

since SNOW was the major theme of my Christmas decor that year,
it carried into other ways to bring wintery delights inside.
i mixed clear glass, silver, and white neutrals
with some fresh green colors for simplified style...
 with a soft color palette and not a lot of 'stuff',
the whole look is clean, spare, simple, and spacious...
in a 900 square foot Cottage, keeping it spacious was important! 
i used a fake tree, with mini white lights and strands of large white light bulbs.
sadly, the large bulbs ended up BLINDING anyone who looked at the tree at night!
so I took some polyfil stuffing and placed a 'pouffe' of it as 'snow' over each bulb to soften the brightness.
[NOTE: these were NEW bulbs and burned cool - 
please DO NOT place anything over old or hot light bulbs!]
 i also used large plastic glittered snowflakes on the tree [with one as a topper]
an abundance of white and silver glass ball ornaments in various sizes and finishes
and some funky paper ornaments with glittered designs....
they were gift tags that i bought at a paper supply store on clearance!

[if i were to replicate this look NOW, 
i'd use manilla tags stamped with a green inked design instead]
 on the mantel, glass and silver containers were grouped on either side
and filled the glass vases with MORE ornaments in green, white, and silver - 
i love doing this - it's so easy, and keeps ornaments from breaking!
some pine boughs and white mini lights finish it off.

i also made some fun poinsettia-like flowers
from vintage pipe cleaners and silver resin mini-ornaments.
[i am looking for more of those shaped pipe cleaners
and will put together a tutorial for you soon...]
the flowers sit in a tall silver florist's bucket, with some greens, a large ornament, 
and some dripping silver glass garland.
i like them a lot better than real poinsettias, but those would look lovely here, too.
especially the 'Limelight' variety with bright lime green bracts. 

it didn't take a lot of 'stuff' or money or even time to put this look together - 
just a fresh idea, the color green, and Snow!

 click HERE to visit the SnoWonder website

11.19.2012

Front Porch Holiday Decor: Raid the Garden Shed AGAIN!

when you drag out the holiday decorations, what area do you decorate FIRST?
i'm a front door / front porch kinda' person. 
i figure if you begin by creating a warm seasonal welcome at the door,
everything else you do looks that much better!

OK, i'll fess up...
i also think that if your front door / porch is decorated the day after Thanksgiving, 
you blow your neighbors away. 
you win the neighborhood 'who gets their lights and wreath up first' contest.
even if the inside of your house looks like a tornado hit, you look like superwoman!
so, let's start at the front door!

in THIS POST back in August,
i shared photos of my fall front porch: 
well, the decor you see in the photos in today's post is based on the SAME elements used back then:
stuff from the garden shed!
 the galvanized buckets, watering can, and plant stand all stayed in place for the Holidays.

after removing the fall grasses, leaves and pumpkins,
i flipped over the bottom bucket, and then filled all of them up with greens
that i cut from our trees.
the details include a little miniature tree [fake],
pinecones, a birdnest, a banner & burlap stocking that i made
 and
one very cool vintage light globe nestled into the top bucket of greens
is lit from within [night light bulb] to add a soft glow at night.
it looked like a glowing white snowball
and regarding those greens....
you're going to want to pay close attention here, 
because this is my NUMBER ONE 'TOP TIP' for Holiday decorating on the cheap!

HOW TO GET FREE GREENERY:
stalk the landscapers in your neighborhood. 
know when they come - not just to do YOUR yardwork,  but the neighbors. and the common areas.
take them a plate of cookies
[why, yes, i AM suggesting that you SCHMOOZE them!]
and then ask them for some cuttings...
evergreens, pine, fir, cedar, boxwood, magnolias, bay laurel, cypress -
no matter where you live, there are always bushes, trees, and hedges being trimmed.
FREE MATERIALS!

just ask them for the greens before they load it all into their chippers or trucks.
 you will be saving them money when they go to the landfill, so they usually always hand over the goods.

if you live in a rural area, always make sure you have permission to be on the property to cut boughs.
and don't steal them from your neighbor's yard at midnight ;0)

i have been known to pillage greenery from abandoned warehouse complex parking lots
but i am not recommending that YOU do that!

ok, back to the porch...
there was also a very long wood bench (made from an old headboard)
that i cozied up with a huge burlap pillow and a bagful of 'gifts' - 
really just simple boxes tied with burlap & ribbon.
between the bench and the door, there's one of my old folding wire shopping carts,
filled with greenery.
an old snowsled leans against the wall behind the cart, 
and an old brown umbrella is a fitting final touch for the Washington winter weather. 

i didn't buy anything to decorate with -
i just combined things i already had to create a mood.
the white, brown, green, and gray color palette
made for a serene setting that coordinated with the beach house,
and it welcomed neighbors, friends, and family well into January, too...