A blizzard of snowflake ornaments

My Christmas tree is already decorated and yes its not even Thanksgiving yet! It's hard not to get sucked into the holiday spirit when they are playing Christmas music on the radio, every department store is decorated from the floor to the ceiling in red and green decorations, and the weather outside feels more like winter than fall.

 

The theme of my tree for years has been snowflakes and this year I am attempting to make a few of my own snowflake ornaments. I did some searching for designs and finally found a few on the Better Homes and Gardens website. The first one, pictured above, is the Beaded Snowflake Ornament. The directions are easy to follow and can be found on the previous link. The finished product looks professional and makes a beautiful addition to any tree.

 

The next design I found on Better Homes and Gardens was the Jingle Bell Snowflake (pictured above). Decorating with jingle bells are a great way to incorporate simple and practical items into a unique holiday ornament. If you want to match your Jingle Bell Snowflakes to your color scheme just use colored bells. They might be harder to find at your local craft store so I would suggest doing a search on Etsy in their supplies section.

All of these are inexpensive to make and supplies can be found at your local craft store such as Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann Fabrics, or online at Esty.

Photos courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

Holiday Decorations

I recently discovered Craft Junkie 28's shop on Etsy and fell in love with her ideas for each holiday season. Every season is unique in style with a combination of scrapbook paper, paint, and glitter among other craft items. I love how she incorporates a graphical image like in the picture above. She uses a turkey in place of the letter a in the word thanks. You can find the give thanks design here. The Thanksgiving letters cost $28.00 plus $8.00 shipping. Don't delay these won't last long!

Sweet and simple with a button O full of the Christmas spirit. The HO HO HO set cost $28.00 plus $8.00 shipping.

Finally, the Snowman set can be enjoyed all winter long. The cost is $33.00 plus $9.00 shipping. If you are interested in purchasing more than one item the shipping charges are discounted. Make sure to check out all the other items that Craft Junkie 28 has to offer!

Photos courtesy of Craft Junkie 28

Christmas Card Clothesline

Little Creative Maven can now be found on Etsy! I recently opened my own shop to sell some of my own homemade items. It is still a work in progress so keep checking back for more items. Above and below are pictures and descriptions of my latest handy work.

Hang your treasured Christmas cards in style with this simple and elegant holiday clothesline. This set includes eighteen standard wood clothespins with snowflake details and nine feet of silver ribbon. Display your holiday cards by stringing them along your fireplace mantle or down the banister. Include your own garland for a more festive look.

 

Photos courtesy of little creative maven.

Thanksgiving...the forgotten holiday

Even though after Halloween department stores begin to display Christmas decorations let's not forget about the holiday in between, Thanksgiving. This simple but elegant reminder of what Thanksgiving is about would look great on a shelf or mantel. You can find these cute blocks on Etsy by the seller Sassytalk. They will cost you $25 plus shipping but hurry these won't last long!

Another elegant decoration idea is provided by Bekah Jennings. She designs the cutest banners for every holiday but the simple message of Thankful would be perfect for Thanksgiving. The banner measures 40 inches long and costs $19 plus shipping.

Finally, this whimsical wreath will adorn your front door with the spirit of fall. The colors of autumn and the tiny pumpkins enable you to keep this festive decoration out until Thanksgiving. The wreath was created by Twoinspireyou and can also be found on Etsy. The cost is $60 plus shipping.

Photos courtesy of Sassytalk, Bekah Jennings, Twoinspireyou

Unique Holiday Helpers

Check out these festive wine coasters. The cute pumpkin design fits over your stemware to add a little holiday flair while guests don't have to worry about placing their glass on your hardwood furniture. The coasters shown above can be found on Etsy, created by Dimmalimm. A set of pumpkin coasters consist of eight and are available in eight different colors. The coasters cost $30 plus shipping.

Photo courtesy of Dimmalimm