DIY Christmas Staircase Garland for $25!

 There's nothing that makes a house more cozy than the Christmas season. With so many decor options at hand, it can sometimes be overwhelming to decide which areas of the house to decorate while leaving other areas on the back-burner, especially if you're on a budget like me. It goes without saying that the living room is always the epicenter of everything Christmas. Thus, choose focal points in this room that you & your guests will notice first. My staircase is the most focal part of my living room. If the same goes for you & you have $25 to spare, then this DIY will definitely interest you! Why buy those overpriced, overrated, boring looking garlands in store when you can blow those out of the water with this one? ;)

You will need the following materials:

Garland $2.99 - Michael's

Poinsettias $2.50: Michael's has the best ones!

Garland Ties $2.50 - Wal*Mart

Ornament Balls $4.98 - Wal*Mart

Mini Lights $2.99 - Target

Ribbon $2.47 - Wal*Mart

Glitter Stems $0.74 each - Michael's
Pine Cone bag - $2.50 each - Michael's

*Note: sale + coupon price shown above*

Measure your staircase in order to determine how long of a garland you should purchase. My staircase measured 5 feet long & I purchased a 7 foot long garland. Take the garland and weave it in between the railings. Secure it with the garland ties. I did one on each end & two in the middle. Secure your ornament balls with the ornament wire and place them as shown below. Alternate colors & finishes (glitter, matte, shiny) throughout. Don't forget the backside!

Taking the poinsettias, detach them from their stems.

 Then, taking your ornament wire, slide it in-between the bottom of the flower & plastic stem, as shown:

Proceed to secure each poinsettia to the garland with the ornament wire. The cream poinsettias add warmth to this piece. In my opinion it is what makes it unique & cozy.

Next, take the individual glitter stem pieces and simply slide them into the garland - alternate colors throughout. You can secure them with ornament wire if you like, but it is not necessary.

Take your string of lights, plug them in, and place it to your liking. I suggest having them lit while you weave them onto the garland so that you can maximize the amount of surface area to be covered in lights & to ensure you do not miss any spots.

Add your ribbon of choice (I suggest a sheer ribbon - it makes the lights pop more!) & some pine cones and you are done! So simple & inexpensive, but it most certainly doesn't look that way ;)

 

 Here are some close-up shots for more detailed placement.

It's also a great place to add your stockings!

 

 And for impromptu Christmas card pictures ;)

I had such a fun time creating this & I hope you do as well! If you re-create this DIY, please leave a photo in the comment section below - I'd love to see them! Share this with your family & friends!

DIY Orchid Arrangement UNDER $10!

I know you've all seen them - those beautifully potted orchid arrangements at the grocery store. The colors are majestic - the perfect finishing touch to liven up that room you've been decorating. Excitedly, you reach for it, lift it up, and see the price tag - $30?! Sometimes even $40. For something that has an inevitable expiration date?! No, absolutely NOT. So you put it back and wallow in sadness over what could have been. But where there is a DIY, there is a way! Today's how-to solution to this overpriced problem will ONLY cost you $10* and I must say looks just as good if not even better than its counterpart. You will need the following materials:

Orchids: Hobby Lobby - $2.00 each; Vase: Michaels - $4.00; Fake Grass Topper: Michaels - $2.00; FloralCraft Dry Foam: Michaels (*everything purchased was on sale or discounted with a coupon)

I know some people are hesitant to purchase fake flowers for fear that it will indeed look fake and tacky. Here's a **Helpful suggestion - look at various pictures of orchids in person, online, or in magazines to see, on average, how they naturally stand & mimic this. This will ensure that your fake orchid will resemble as close to a real one as possible - sometimes even better. See image below:

This is an example of an orchid that does not resemble a real one. It looks stiff & way too tall. The green leaves & succulents don't look natural, and you can see the wire holding them together.

Taking your Craft foam, snuggly place it into the vase. Then insert one of the orchid stems into the foam. Carefully & with great detail, bend the stem to your liking.

When you are satisfied with your first stem, insert the second stem directly behind it & repeat.

Place the grass atop the craft foam. You can secure with a glue gun or simply press the plastic bottom into the foam.

 And you are finished!

This piece goes perfectly in any room. I chose to place this piece atop my new kitchen island that my husband & I just finished making. It matches perfectly :) Our inspiration was Rustic Cottage meets Biergarten Pub and only cost us $50!! If you would like to see details on how we built it, I will link it here. The benches, however, are not included in this link as they will be featured in an updated version of that blog post, so keep an eye out for that!

xx,

Jessica

5 Easy & Inexpensive Ways to Liven Up Your Kitchen: Spring Edition

This week I was really inspired to liven up my kitchen with all things Spring. I wanted to bring soft, earthy colors into the room without taking away from the clean, natural light it already has. I also didn't want to break the bank either. Here are 5 super easy & inexpensive ways to achieve this that encompass every area of your kitchen. 

#1: Stovetop Decor

I've always found this area to be particularly difficult to "style". I didn't want to go to typical route with chickens, salt & pepper shakers, pigs, chef caricatures...or anything else cheesy. And leaving it bare just makes the kitchen look unloved. I wanted something classic & clean...I know - big shocker coming from me! ;) You will need the following materials:

Wood Crate - Michaels: $1.00; Glass Vase - Hobby Lobby: $1.00; Paint - Michaels: $0.69; Baby's Breath - Michaels: $0.75

Decorative Cup - Home Goods: $2.99; Flowers - Misc. Leftover Flowers

Paint the basket with white paint. I ran out of paint sponges so I actually those eyeshadow sponges every self-respected makeup lover detests - Free & works just as well :)

While that's drying, "prune" some of the Baby's breath stems & place in the glass vase. Discard the cork and place in the crate.

Next, place the flowers in the decorative cup. Use flowers that match/complement the color theme of your kitchen. These were some leftover flowers I had from previous craft projects. You could also buy a plain, inexpensive glass jar for $1-2 and paint it white to achieve this.

Done!

#2 Shelf Decor

This piece perfectly adds to the natural light in the room. The rustic bird & birdcage accentuate the worn shelf.

Birdcage - Michaels: $4.00; Bird - Hobby Lobby: $2.00; Vase - Michaels: $2.00; Flowers - Misc. Leftovers

#3 Kitchen Counter

There is this hideous phone jack in our kitchen that I absolutely hate. If you have an area like this in your kitchen simply hang a Spring succulent piece in its place, add some necessary Bath & Body Works Spring lotions, and done.

Succulent - Michaels: $0.75 on clearance

#4 Kitchen Bar

This arrangement was featured in a previous blog post of mine, so for all the DIY details I will link that here. The only thing I changed was swapping out Winter branches for Spring flowers :)

Flowers - Michaels: $2.50

#5 Kitchen Island

I've always wanted an orchid, but have you seen how ridiculously overpriced they are?! I mean $20-$40 for something that is eventually going to die is just crazy. So I made one that looks just as good for only $10.00! But just to keep you coming back for more, I'm going to feature this in my next DIY blogpost so stay tuned! Consider this a sneak peak ;)

Orchids - Hobby Lobby: $2.00 each; Vase - Michaels: $4.00; Succulent - Michaels: $2.00

 xx,

Jessica

The Perfect Springtime Wreath

I love Spring. It's new life, birds singing, & trees flowering. It's soft, yet subtly bright coloring in everything that you see. It's peaceful and lush. This was the inspiration for today's DIY. The following are suggested materials. You can be as creative as you want to be when choosing your foliage. If you find that you are overwhelmed, try choosing a general color scheme, then pick flowers & fillers that match accordingly. I went with yellows, soft pinks, whites, & bright greens. Remember that Summer is for bright, colorful flowers. Spring is more for soft colors in combination with bright green foliage....well, in my opinion at least :)

All flower bouquets purchased at Michael's

Next is cutting & placement. For each stem cut 2 inches down using wire cutters. Doing this will allow the stem to fit snuggly within the grapevine wreath. I arranged the flowers in a particular pattern so that no two of the same flowers are next to each other. Doing this allows the colors, textures, & types to contrast and accentuate each other so that each color pops more. I place the flowers around the entire wreath FIRST, then I glued each piece SECOND, then I filled in spars areas with foliage LAST.

A fourth of the way placed

Fully placed, not yet glued

Place glue at the base

 And finished!

Close up:

 How gorgeous & easy is that?! This piece is so versatile. It's perfect for any room/space that desperately needs some life & light - an instant room face lift :)

xx,
Jessica