A Scented Garland...

Over the weekend,

I made this little scented garland

for my kitchen window...

 

 

it all started simple enough...

 

 

I was visiting Karen's lovely blog

Beatrice Euphemie

 

and in her post

Christmas in the North Woods

she shared her beautiful nature inspired decorating...

 

I was smitten with her dried orange slices,

and had to make some...

 

her complete directions are here...

 

on Pinterest,

I had been saving a recipe

for these little Cinnamon Ornaments...

 

they are just Cinnamon,  Apple Sauce and cloves...

Here is the link to the recipe

so easy...

 

the house smelled divine

as they cooked...

 



and still smells divine,

in the kitchen window...

 



 

like sunshine on a cloudy day....

 

I'm joining

WOW Us Wednesday

 

Metamorphosis Monday

 

I always Love it when You stop by...

Christmas Sideboard...

I like to set my sideboard up

as a sweet bar,

for Christmas...

 

It makes sneaking a cookie easy..

 

 I also think so much work

 goes into Christmas Cookies

it's nice to have them out and seen...

 

I am just beginning to bake for this year,

so it's a little sparse still...

 

if you would like to see a Christmas Past,

here is a link...

 

this was also before

 I painted my sideboard,

so it's a little before and after too...

 



 

glittered stars

twinkle from the mirror..

 

all sorts of tree renditions.

line the upper sill...

 





my Victorian Scrap boy

and his swan,

take center stage...

 



since,

I've just begun baking...

 

vintage ornaments stand in as

low calorie sweetness...

 



 

I like to have at least one Candy Cane

each year...

 

I was thrilled to find PINK!

 

if you are looking

Whole Foods is carrying them this year...

 

small cut glass plates,

stood on end

with tea lights at their feet...

 

look so pretty...

 

 

as does this sugar bowl

with a tea light inside...

 

 

creating sparkle and drama...

 

 

my cake didn't make it to the sideboard

in time for photos...

 

but, I thought it was so cute

I wanted to show it off...

 

I used a cake stencil

from Martha Stewart...

 

Can you believe Christmas is almost here...

already!

 

I hope you are finding time to enjoy

all the beauty of the season...

 

I'll be at

Inspire Me Tuesday

and

A Return to Loveliness

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by....

Ornament Wreath Tutorial...

 

 

   

Ever since last Christmas,

I have had my heart set on making

a Glass Ornament Ball Wreath...

 

I have watched several techniques,

 learning a bit from each one...

 

this is how I made mine...

the trickiest part

is finding enough balls...

 

I used a 16"  styrofoam wreath

and it took about 80 full size balls to cover it...

 



 

I collected from garage sales

and the Goodwill stores in my area (Seattle)

open little Christmas Boutiques

selling ornaments by the bag full...

 



 

I also used a couple dozen

small and accent ornaments...

 

they are very helpful

in the end to fill in gaps...

 



I have been saving those big fat pink ribbons,

Rachel Ashwell ties her fluffy blankets in...

 (I love those fluffy blankets)

and used one for my wreath hanger...

 

if you use a ribbon be sure to tie it

and then glue the knot securely
to the back edge of the side...

 

because you don't want the ribbon
to put pressure on the balls

when it's hanging...

 



 

run a bead of glue around any ornament hangers

that won't be showing...

 

since you will be glueing the balls from any and all points that touch,

this will keep them from popping off...

 

the only exception to this is

anytime you want to create a focal point

from the hanger,

then don't glue those...

 

 you'll see in the end,

I set a lot of the top row ornaments

so their hangers showed...

 



 

keeping the foam wreath flat

glue a row of balls

to the inside and outside edge...

use lots of glue,
glueing to the foam and to the other balls...

 

fill them in as tightly as possible,

but don't worry

too much about gaps,

you'll fill those in later...

 



 

at this point I stood the wreath up to work,

so I could work on placing the balls

where they looked nicest...

 

fill in with the large balls,

till all the gaps are filled,

then fill in and accent with the smalls...

 



 

now you do some real cover up work,

 by tucking and glueing  tinsel in the gaps...

 

and I like it because
it softens the whole look...

 



 

there it is!

 

It took me four hours from start to finish,

and it was easy!

 

I'll be joining...

Be Inspired

Shabbilicious Friday

Show and Tell Friday

Home Sweet Home

Feathered Nest Friday

Pink Saturday
Saturday Show Off
Wowza Weekend Link Party

Mod Mix Monday
Metamorphosis Monday

Inspire Me Tuesday
Tweak it Tuesday

WOW Us Wednesday

 

Happy Crafting!