Classic Christmas Wreath Tutorial

There are three holiday decorations essential to the embodiment of the Christmas spirit - the tree, the garland, and the doorway wreath. This DIY is my take on a classic Christmas wreath - nothing over the top, too colorful, or too glittery. Just simple, clean, fluid, & soft - with a tiny extra something. I wanted it to say: A cozy, loving home is here :) You will need the following materials:

Wreath: $5.00 (Hobby Lobby); Artificial Snow: $2.50 (Hobby Lobby); Ornament Balls: $1.00 (Dollar Tree), Ribbon: $4.00 (Michael's); Silver Bell Ornaments: $3.00 (Wal*Mart); Pine Cones: various sizes; Glue Gun; Ornament Wire

First, coat your wreath with the snow. Follow the instructions listed on the bottle & take the appropriate precautions. I did mine one layer at a time, letting each layer dry for 1-2 hours. I did a total of 3 layers and let it completely dry for 24 hours. Layer to your desire. Mine turned out as shown:

Next, glue your pine cones to your wreath with your glue gun.  Helpful tip: Arrange the pine cones FIRST and then glue them down :) Also, gluing the pine cones right-side up & upside-down help to give the piece texture & dimension.

Don't forget to leave a gap at the bottom of your wreath. This is where the ribbon & bow will be placed.

Using the ornament wire, secure your ornament balls and silver bell pieces to the wreath. I alternated between the satin & glitter finishes.

 Close-up:

Take your ribbon & simply place it in-between the pine cone clusters.

Tie a ribbon and you are finished! 

 The neutral, creamy tones make this such a versatile piece. Hang it anywhere in your home...

 ...or outside :)

I honestly can't believe that there is only a week left till Christmas. If you're trying to hold on to the last leg of the holiday season for as long as possible, this DIY will do the trick - and it cost me no more than $15 bucks! Follow me on Instagram @jrosehomedecor and hashtag your recreations as #jrosehomedecor. See you in the New Year!

xx,
Jessica

2 Simple Ways to Add a Touch of Holiday Spirit to Any Room!

The big Christmas statement pieces are easy to tackle - the tree, the garland along the staircase, the stockings hung with care along the fireplace, the front door wreath....but what about those empty nooks & crannies that if left bare are just an eyesore? I give you two easy ways to add a touch of the holiday spirit in any room. The best part - it's ridiculously simple & inexpensive to achieve, and you don't have to take them down after New Years! It's the perfect Saturday project :)

#1 - Decorative Glass Vase Filler

 You will need the following materials:

Small to medium-sized pine cones ($2.50), artificial Christmas stem ($3.99), Winter berries ($0.74), Glass Vase ($5.00), Wire Cutters --> all items found at Michael's on sale and/or with coupon.

Simply trim off pieces of the Winter stem & berries using your wire cutters and fill up the vase to your liking!

 

Voila!

 As you can tell, I did not select your typical holiday-themed material or colors on purpose. I chose more neutral, true-to-Winter colors and textures because it allows me to use it all season long as opposed to changing it out after Christmas or New Years.

#2 - Pillar Candles & Wine Glass Filler

You will need the following materials (minus the cute cat):

Pillar candles $3.00 altogether from Michael's; long stem candle & glass candle holder each $1.00 from Dollar Store; cuddly cat - priceless.

Take your long stem candle and place atop the wine bottle or beer bomber opening. Then light the candle and simply let it melt to your desired height. Tip: select a bottle in which the label has old-looking calligraphy or little hints of the same color as the candle.

Next, take the medium & large pillar candles and secure the burlap around it with either tape or a pin. Also place a second long stem candle into the glass candle holder.

Add some little Christmas accents for extra cuteness & you're finished! :)

 

 

 Altogether these two DIY's cost me no more than $20.00 and took no more than an hour to complete. Re-create them and hashtag it as #jrosehomedecor on Instagram!

xx,
Jessica

Easy & Cheap Autumn/Fall Inspired Kitchen DIY Using Mason Jars for $10!

Easy & Cheap Autumn/Fall Inspired Kitchen DIY Using Mason Jars for $10!

Happy October 1st everyone! It is finally that time of year where everything just gets cozier in my home. I get better sleep, my coffee tastes more scrumptious, & soothing bubble baths feel more relaxing and less like a sauna. Last year around this time, our area of Colorado was hit by heavy rain and biblical flooding - "The 1,000 Year Flood" to be exact. Stress for my husband & I were at an all time high - we were evacuated from our newly purchased home and we had no flood insurance. In the end - praise God - our home was safe, but needless to say our first Fall in our new home was everything but relaxing. Even driving around and seeing the aftermath of such great destruction everywhere was mind-boggling and honestly, a little traumatizing. So, this year I wanted to make our home feel extra cozy. I decided to start in my kitchen because it's where I spend the majority of my day. I wanted to incorporate that classic Autumn orange-red hue along with a cozy cream/beige color, harvest sunflowers, and mason jars for that county-cottage feel.

Colors: Terra Cotta (left) & Orange Spice (right) - on sale for 50 cents each!

I purchased these acrylic paints & sponge applicator from Michael's. I combined the colors to get that mix of red & orange I was aiming for.

To prep for the paint, I took a cotton ball and some rubbing alcohol and cleaned the outside glass of my mason jars & let that dry ~ 1-2 minute. This will get rid of all traces of oil or dirt that could mess up the finish of your paint. Then, I painted one thin coat at a time with my sponge applicator letting each coat dry for 15-20 minutes, or until dry to the touch. I applied 3 coats total. When the painting was complete, I tied twine to the top of the jar (as shown above) for that touch of 'country home'.You could even take it a step further from here and distress the jars up a bit using low grit sand paper and gently sanding off some of the paint for that vintage look!

50% off! - $2.49 for each bouquet

Next up are the sunflowers. I also purchased these from Michael's. As you can tell by the picture, these bouquets used to be fuller. Using wire cutters, I cut off one sunflower at a time and arranged them into the jars to my liking.

Medium size mason jar (left) & Large size mason jar (right)

For the orange-red painted jar (shown on the left) I oriented the cream-colored sunflower to line up with the front of the jar to juxtapose the orange-red color of the jar itself. For the cream painted jar (shown on the right) I did the opposite - placing the yellow sunflower at the front in order for the cream color of the jar to pop more. I also used more of the yellow & orange sunflowers and less of the cream sunflowers because the jar is already cream itself.

Everything from Michael's :)

 For that 'harvest' touch, I took it a step further and added this cute little bronze-colored basket to the whole arrangement. I filled the basket with brown moss and topped it off with a cute mini pumpkin & pine cone, but you could use whatever you like for your own personal touch :)

Add some of your favorite kitchen lotions, a Fall candle, and there you have it - my very easy, simple, & classic Autumn Kitchen DIY using mason jars! Enjoy! :)

xx,

Jessica