Our "4th of July" Mantle

I must admit that decorating our mantle here in Colorado has been really fun!

The two years we lived in Michigan, I decorated shelves and kept our mantle pretty simple.
{You can see the shelves here and skim to the bottom to see all the holidays represented}

 

Even though I have boys, they both really enjoy seeing the mantle change for the holidays.

And as an extra, unexpected bonus, Harbor has started to remember what time of year certain holidays occur- great for an educational experience!

: )

 

This year, I made giant double sided pinwheels with grommets.

They were time consuming, but now that I have them, I plan on keeping them in mint condition so that I never have to make them again!

Ha!

{Thanks a lot for the idea, Pinterest!}

Rolling eyes!

: )

 

 

Ornament Swags: A Tutorial

The last few years, we seem to get asked a lot of questions about our Christmas tree and how we are able to create such a "full" look.   This tutorial is to show the step-by-step process we use to create ornament swags.   We start with a garland we use as a starter chain. You can use any multitude of store bought garlands, but the longer and thicker, the better.   Our garland is about four feet long. You will also need about 30 ornaments and small clear zip ties {ours are from Lowe's}   Start by zipping the very top of your garland right under the hook. This is to make it strong enough to carry the weight of thirty ornaments. Then, add another zip tie onto the first one to use as a "hanger" so you can work free handed and allow the garland to hang. Hanging it while you work helps you to see the form.   

 

We like ornaments of different sizes and textures: glossy and matte work well paired together.

 

After Christmas sales usually have the smaller ornaments marked down upwards of 70% or more.

And most people pass over these small ones- but buy them up!

 

After they're swagged together, they make one big beautiful ornament!

 

Start at the top and zip a small sized ornament at the very top under your initial zip tie.

Thread the zip tie through the actual hook on the ornament.

 

 

Begin by adding additional ornaments on the opposite side of the garland.

 

You will see the zip ties going down the garland in a row.

 

Use wire cutters to snip the extra zip ties off after you have pulled them tight.

 

We like to spread our ornament selection out where we can see all we have to work with.

 

Alternate sizes and colors and work down both sides of the garland,

keeping the ornaments pulled tight and close!

 

Letting the garland free hang as you work really helps you to see the form

and helps you decide what color or pattern to use next.

 

When you pull the zip ties tight and keep the ornaments snug, they will pop out on the sides.

 

We clip the excess ties right at the clasp.

 

Keep at it until it begins to look nice and full.

 

Enlist helpers if you have them!

: )

 

We like to have our swag be over half way full before we call it quits.

Remember,

your goal is to use mainly swags when you put your tree up

{if you're going for this "full" look}

and not have to spend three hours putting on single ornaments.

: )

 

And with only a few ornaments remaining, David calls it good!

 

This is the final product!

 

When you're done, simply snip the zip tie you used as the hanger,

but make sure not to snip the first one you used to add strength to your strand.

 

They are so easy and so beautiful.

Imagine nesting a full one on a mantle in a fresh bed of holly.

Or outside over top of a doorway.

The possibilities are endless.

: )

 

We first add deco mesh to our tree and then add our swags.

We have six of them.

 

To give you a bit of perspective, our tree is nine foot tall

and a single swag fills a good portion of it.

Now, imagine having five or six of them.

 

Tree decorating is quick and fast and clean up is easy!

Simply remove six swags and that's it!

 

Because our tree is large and our ceilings in this room are 20 feet tall,

these long full swags make a great impact in filling the space.

 

And again, you create them with the cheaper, smaller ornaments

 most people brush over at the after Christmas sales.

: )

 

We store all six of them in large clear tubs with tissue paper between each one.

 

And there you have it!

 

Some deco mesh, six swags, and a few large orbs..

and you're done!

 

Let me know if you give it a try next year!

 

Happy "after Christmas day ornament" sale shopping!

: )

  {I'll add this post under the "Tutorials" tab at the top}  

Homemade Baby Gate {A Tutorial}

Hello, friends!

 

Dropping in to share our latest DIY project with you:

A homemade fabric baby gate for our lower level staircase.

 

Before I go further, I want to throw out a disclaimer:

this fabric baby gate is great for lower level stairs to keep babies from crawling up,

or for hallways when you want to keep babies from entering other areas of the house.

But!

Please do not use this fabric gate for upper level stairs.

Babies who lean back on these can possibly slip under the fabric and topple down the stairs.

 

This pattern we have created is used for deterring babies from crawling up.

And it is fantastic!

And cute! And easy for grownups and older kids to unlatch.

 

Ready?

: )

 

First off, here is what you need to have on hand:

 

*Two yards of fabric

*Non-Roll elastic

*A package of Western Heavy Duty Snaps

{we bought ours at Jo Anne's Fabrics}

*A sewing machine and thread

*A drill

*4 screws {1 inch long #8}

*A heavy duty craft punch {or a sharp pointed object!}

 

 

Start by giving your fabric a good iron.

It will look much better once hanging to iron it now.

 

Fold down the sides and stitch a seam on all four sides.

 

We kept it simple by using the width of the sewing machine foot as a guide.

 

After you have all four sides sewn down, fold the top down again, but this time, make sure it is a big enough pocket to allow for your elastic to slide through later.

{If you have a "husband/engineer/creative force to be reckoned with" like I do, then you will understand (and ignore!) the chevron headband and mad sewing skills.}

 

Ha!

 

Once you have pockets on both top and bottom of your gate,

use your fingers to thread your elastic through.

 

Stretch your elastic to the length you will need it when you attach it to your walls.

Figure out where the elastic {stretched to its full amount!} needs to stop.

Hold it with your finger and stitch it into your pocket only on the ends.

In other words, where the elastic sticks out of your pocket, stitch a small vertical stitch to hold the elastic to the fabric.

 

 

 

 

After the elastic has been sewn into the fabric at the ends,

you will want to measure the elastic for your snaps.

 

We measured about two inches of elastic and marked it with a pencil.

 

 

We then folded the elastic over and marked it again with a pencil

so that we had a one inch doubled-over strip of elastic.

 

We used a heavy duty craft punch to then punch a small hole in the elastic.

If you don't have a punch, get some help from a family member and use something sharp to push through the elastic to form a small hole.

 

After punching a small hole near to the end of the doubled-over elastic, we put the snap on.

 

You will repeat this with the ends of the elastic for both top and bottom panels.

 

Measure where you want your gate to go so you can apply your snaps.

{this is why pulling your elastic before you sewed the sides in is important- to guarantee a good fit!}

 

And apply the last half of the snap to the wall.

To do this, drill a small hole in the wall and use your screws to drill the snap right on.

 

Because we have a wall on one side and a stair railing on the other,

we also added a snap to the stair banister.

 

Attach your gate to your snaps.

{Are you getting excited yet?!}

: )

 

Mark for both the top and bottom of the panels and repeat until all four snaps are up!

 

And there you have it!

 

We have a busy, active nine month old-

and visually, just seeing this gate deters him from climbing the stairs.

 

But, because it is pulled tight at bottom and top, he can't push his was under either.

 

{Side note:

it is October and the mice going up our stairs are for Fall. 

 Just in case you were wondering. Haha!}

 

The snaps are heavy-duty enough to hold up to a standing or cruising baby pushing and pulling,

but not too hard that we can't unsnap them to easily go up the stairs.

 

Cute, stylish, and functional!

 

Let me know if you make one!

 

Happy sewing!

: )

 

{I'll add this post to the "Tutorial" tab on our homepage so you can find it quickly!}