Christmas Living Room Projects 2009

Since my motto this year seems to be "The more pictures, the merrier", I decided to post the projects themselves separate.

Following is a collaboration of short tutorials, and before and afters.

I found these three angels at a local thrift store for $1.50. I loved the wings, but was not so crazy about the faces.


I unscrewed the wings from the back and hot glued them to the burlap wrapped candles.
The mercury glass candle holders were a thrift store find for $3 (for all three). The cracked glass votive holders came from the Dollar Tree.

This little stool was a steal at $3.49, but the red vinyl had to go!

I removed the legs and painted them an oil rubbed bronze. I used a staple gun and covered the top with gold silk dupioni.
The cute "MILK" jug was from an empty Burts Bee's Milk Bath. I primed and painted it white, and then stenciled on the letters.

You may recognize the metal frame from the entry way vignette.

I found three at the thrift store several months ago.
I cut out thick watercolor paper, and spray painted it silver. I used a ledger stamp over the entire top, and then stamped a crown in the center.

The paper looked similar to this painted.


The black and white fabric balls add a lot of texture and contrast.

I collect samples every time I go to the fabric store, always sure that I will use them "for something".
I hot glued the samples on to Styrofoam balls (my Aunt gave me), adding a dab of glue, wrapping and then tacking each section down as I went around the ball. I tried to make the "fronts" more smooth, and keep the bulk to the back, knowing I could hide the flaws in the garland.

Here are the fur balls. I just love them, and I love the "free" price tag even more!

I found this at a thrift store (notice a trend here? :)) for $0.97
I painted it oil rubbed bronze, and highlighted the edges with antique gold.

I forgot to take a good "before" shot of the mailbox. It was bright blue with metal snowmen all over it. It took pliers to pull them off, and gave the mailbox a nice aged beat-up look.
I painted it Carmel Latte by Krylon and used my favorite raw umber oil glaze on it.
A little hot glue holds the two together.

I shopped all over town looking for just the right shade of burlap with no luck. I ended up getting
a tan one, but then dying it. I used a combination of strong coffee (to make it look aged) and a watered down Folk Art craft paint in a celery green. The green just gives a slight sage cast to it.
(Yes it looks pretty gross.....)

I washed it out really well, and then hung it on the fence to dry.

I used Delta Ceramcoat textile medium mixed with black craft acrylic paint to stamp with. I brushed the paint on the stamp after every five or so uses.
The pattern was really random, no real method to the madness.
I mainly used a combination of script, crowns with an occasional "W" thrown in.

I cut it into long strips and tucked it into the trees, garland, and wreaths.

I bought 5 grapevine wreaths at Hobby Lobby on sale for $2.00.

I let them soak in the bathtub for over 24 hours. I just kept checking them to see when they had absorbed enough water to be pliable.

(Yes, that looks mighty disgusting too!)

I put them on trash bags and dragged them outside.

I undid the wreath form, there is an end tucked in to hold it all together. I used twine and tied one end to the fence (we have a wrought iron fence), and stretched it out as far as I could and the tied the other end. I secured the middle sections with twine also. I do not have any pictures of this because I was too busy getting crazy looks from people walking by. I think if I had taken pictures of it they really would have stared!

The whole process was very trial and error. In the end I liked the thinner pieces stretched out more, so they easily wrapped around the trees and garland. The thicker, larger pieces I wanted to use as accents on the ends of the garland. I soaked them again, and then wound them up as comparable grapevine garland available at the store is $15 for a very small amount.

The thinner pieces wrapped around garland

The thicker pieces used in the ends of the garlands

In the tree

The library garland

The ends of the garland

Some berry picks before they got painted. I used Krylon Nickel, and raw umber oil glaze.

And after:

A closeup

My Aunt Pat gave my Uncle Darrel this grandfather clock for an anniversary. He passed away several years ago and is greatly missed. She is in the process of moving and needed to get rid of the clock. I am such a sentimental sucker, I couldn't see it go to a stranger.

The glass was missing from the center panel. I cut a piece of paintable wallpaper to fit. I primed it and painted the clock and the wallpaper the same Krylon Carmel Latte. I used an old t shirt to rub on my favorite raw umber oil glaze. After it was all dry I hot glued the wallpaper in.

I had grapevine garland from my Aunt, I sprayed it oil rubbed bronze, I added a strip of burlap on top and ruched the ends. The banner was cut out of brown kids craft paper, and spray painted silver. I painted "Twas The Night Before Christmas..." in a darker silver craft paint on top. I hot glued the three together.

To se the full Christmas Living room tour click HERE.

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