DIY Christmas Décor- a tutorial

I love to make my own Christmas decor when I can. This past weekend I spent some time out doors cutting fresh pine to create some wonderful outdoor arrangements to decorate my porch! Then it was time to work on the inside of the house! I am in love with anything burlap and love how burlap ribbon looks on a Christmas tree. It is super easy to make, so let me show you how!

 

To start, get yourself some burlap. It can be bought at any fabric store, or go to your local coffee bean roaster, they often give them away. 

Cut the burlap into long strips, mine are about 2.5 inches wide. I always cut with a rotary cutter (they are made specifically to cut things like fabric) but scissors work well too.

 Before we go onto the next step, we need to finish the edges of the burlap. Now if you have a serger (specific sewing machine), just run it through to finish the edges. If not, a simple stitch along the edge with a regular sewing machine will work well too.

I like this look too because it allows you to fray the edge slightly without everything unraveling.

 

Now before we add this to the tree, I want to show you how to make one more of my favorite items. Rag ball Ornaments! 

You will need some type of Styrofoam or paper mache balls. The ones I use are 3” in diameter. For the fabric, you don’t need much. 1/4 yard would be plenty. I cut 6 strips that were 1 1/4” wide by 10.5” long. 

Begin by taking 1 strip and use hot glue to glue the 1st strip to the top of the ball. Wrap around and glue the bottom over the top. Continue this process until you have covered the entire ball. I will alternate where I glue so all of the glue isn’t at the top.

Once you have covered the entire ball. Add a hanger. I used twine to keep it rustic looking. Tie a knot at the bottom, dab in hot glue and attach to the top of the ball. I also used a long quilting pin to secure it in place.

 Time to add them to your tree! I twist the garland as I wrap it around the tree.

 

This one shown is what the serged edge looks like. I used a contrasting thread here.

And there you have it. Wonderful handmade decor that is very affordable. These would make such great gifts! You can customize them to match any decor, experiment with other fabrics such as cotton, muslin and lace! 

If you are uncomfortable attempting DIY tree décor for the holidays, I know that Shutterfly has customizable Christmas ornaments you can create pretty easily. Have fun! 

I would love to see what you create! If you instagram, please use #thelittlegreenbean on your DIY Christmas projects for a chance to be featured!

Enjoy your projects!

~Missy

The little green bean

DIY holiday porch decor

I love fresh pine arrangements and this past weekend I spent some time putting some together! Halloween came down and Christmas went up!!

If I don't decorate early, I'm not able to. Soon I will be sew busy making stockings and tree skirts for my shop! So I have to do it when I have time, and I do really enjoy it! Makes me happy!

All but 2 of the pots I did myself. The others I bought from my friends over at West Tischer Cottage! 

I love to keep everything natural. Old skis, snowshoes, sleds and ice skates are some of my favorite pieces to use!! 

Here is one of the great pieces that was built by the girls at WTC! I just love it!! 

These arrangements are super easy to make. I did buy some fresh greens from The Home Depot. They have a great selection. I also bought some natural looking berries and pine ones from Hobby Lobby! Take any old or rustic looking container and just arrange your items until you like it. I don't use any dirt or filler in the bucket. Just stuff things in! They hold up great and look fresh all winter long! 

I use some white lights throughout the decor and the front of the porch and I just had to have these adorable burlap owls from The Home Depot!!! They are just too cute! 

Now we need a few inches of snow!! Yup I said it! The "s" word. snow!! Can't wait! 

I hope I have inspired you & some fresh pine arrangements!! 

Missy

Working with Sizzix

Did you know that you can have your very own sizzix dies made? I worked with them this past year and had my mitten design turned into a die that I use with my big shot machine! 

It's already pretty well worn! As I was making the mitten tree skirts every Christmas my hands were getting pretty sore having to cut out 6-12 pair of kittens per skirt. 

So I was thrilled when I found out that you could have them made! 

It was a little expensive but for me it was well worth it! 

I make about 30-40 of these skirts every Christmas! Not only does it save my hands, but it saves me so much time! 

And I get perfect mittens that are ready to apply to the skirt. 

I also had owls made for this year! The great thing is that they work with you to create exactly what you need. 

So if you order a mitten skirt this year you will get my brand new design!! I am so happy with it! 

Thank you Provo craft & Sizzix!!

What a great idea for schools and teachers too!! 

Do you Instagram?

One of my favorite places for inspiration is Instagram! I am on it daily and I think I am inspired by someone new everyday. Its a great place to browse and simply become inspired! Its also a great site to connect with people who share similar interests.

And did I mention the photo editing? You can add so many fun filters and creative edits to photos in just seconds!

Recently I came across this post by @lpatfindinghome She made this amazing wreath using cut logs!

She was also featured in Better Homes and Gardens! I totally want to make this wreath! 

I am hoping to find some time this weekend.

So if you instagram I would love for you to follow me. 

You can click here:

The Little Green Bean on Instagram

If you have never tried instagram its a free app in the app store! 

Have fun!

A new fireplace and some blue accents!

Today we finally finished up the fireplace project that we started back in September.  It was a long process of finding the right stone and the fact that we did everything ourselves, even hooking up the gas! My hubby can do anything! 

After a couple attempts, we finally got it to work, found the right stone, hearth and wood for the mantel. 

The mantel is solid pine. I stained it using the color Jacobean by Minwax. I absolutely love this color!

We added 3 coats of polyurethane and it is perfect! 

Next up was the hearth. That was the toughest. After a few trips we landed in the right one. And today we finished it up! 

I really could just sit and look at it. I wish you could see how the stone sparkles in the light. It's beautiful! 

I wanted to keep it very neutral so I could change color as I wanted. 

Right now I am on an aqua blue kick! I wanted some subtle pops of it in this room. 

I had lots of "jar fillers" already that were all neutral. I wanted just a few blue ones. 

So outside I went with some pine cones and grapevine balls and a can of spray paint! 

It's perfect now!

I love spray paint! It's such an inexpensive and simple way to change or add some color! 

I added a few of my burlap pumpkins and now I am all set for fall! This is all the decorating I did this year since the room was tore apart! 

This room is now so cozy, literally! It's so warm and inviting! I think we will be spending a lot of time here! 

Zach loves to read here, however I think we should get him a bean bag. He is using the dog's bed! 

The big day is almost here!

I'm I know it's not even Halloween yet but I am ramping up for a busy Christmas season! I have been updating my Chirstmas pillows and Stocking assortment for this season! I wish I had more time just to design! I love coming up with new pieces! 

So far these guys are my favorite!! I had this idea last year and time just got away from me. 

My goal was to offer more variety this year!

So I created 4 basic designs and then applied different colors and patterns!

I am really excited to show you this last photo! I found out this summer that my natural stocking assortment was going to be featured in a very popular magazine!  With over 92,000 copies in print each issue and so much more than food! It's the magazine "Simply Gluten Free"

The holiday issue comes out next week and I can't wait to see it! 

Look for these stockings!! It's my first official magazine feature so I am pretty excited! So please pick up a copy Nov.1! 

Now it's time to get back in the studio! The burlap is calling my name! 

Missy

Loving fall!

We have been having a lovely fall this year! I have been busy getting ready for fall and the upcoming holiday season! 

But I have also been able to stop and enjoy the beauty around us! We have been to apple orchards, out for the best ice cream and long drives to take in the view! 

The boys are loving all the crisp leaves and warm nights to play!! 

Another thing I love about fall, new fall crafts! I found some great faux fur coats this year and made some baby owls!! 

They are so fun to make!! I hope to have lots of them ready to go in the shop for quick gift giving items this year!! 

I hope that you are all enjoying some wonderful fall weather! 

Missy