Holiday Archives | Page 15 of 53

Holiday

crafts

molded salt dough “gingerbread” ornaments | Christmas crafts

These molded salt dough “gingerbread” ornaments were one of those crafting happy accidents. They started when I made an impulsive purchase from an Instagram ad for a couple of cookie molds. Minutes after I purchased them, I thought it was a stupid purchase. But, I really loved the patterns and they were inexpensive (I think $16 for both.) I thought it might’ve even been a scam because the site had one of those not-quite-right names that I can’t even remember now. But the carved cookie molds arrived at my house a few weeks later. I was relieved they weren’t a total waste of my money, but I still questioned the hasty buy. I put them into the cabinet with my other baking gear, cookie cutters, gingerbread house templates, etc. On Monday, I decided I would try making “gingerbread” houses out of cinnamon salt dough for Christmas instead of using traditional

December 8, 2021 16 Comments

a slice of life

mini cheese balls recipe & a holiday grazing board

Disclosure: This mini cheese balls recipe & holiday grazing board post is sponsored by . As always, all words and opinions shared are honest and my own. As a lover of cheese-and-crakers and grazing foods in general, I am a big fan of the charcuterie board/grazing board trend. Not only are they beautiful and visually impressive, but they are simple to put together and require little or no cooking. It’s just about arranging things together in a way that looks appetizing and inviting. So, I headed to my local to pick up all of the ingredients I would need to make my favorite recipe for mini cheese balls, a holiday grazing board, and even a kid-friendly grazing board for pickier eaters. While I was picking up ingredients, I found this . It is a really cute set at a great price, so I bought it to test it out and

December 7, 2021 12 Comments

crafts

swallow bird ornament from a cereal box | christmas crafts

I have another easy Christmas craft for you using a cereal box, school glue & glitter! While I love pretty much all creative endeavors, I’ve never considered myself a “crafter”, but Christmas brings out the crafter in me. It’s the perfect time of year to make handmade gifts and decorations. There is also something about the season that inspires me to make things just for the sake of making them…for the process and enjoyment of it. And then I can hang it on our tree or put it on a shelf or give it as a gift. In this post, I’m sharing how I made a pretty swallow bird ornament with simple supplies. I just love the shape of a swallow in flight with that delicate tail, so when I was thinking about an ornament shape to make, the swallow immediately came to mind. Here is the vintage graphic I

December 6, 2021 11 Comments

All Things Home

gold leaf ornament tutorial | christmas crafts

After adding the gold star to the top of my dining room Christmas tree, I felt like I needed a few gold ornaments to add some more shine and gold details that would tie in with the topper. Well, that’s an easy thing to make! Here is an easy tutorial showing how to apply gold leaf to ornaments. What I love about gold leafing is that it elevates simple, humble materials. I’ve used this trick so many times on dated or boring frames and other home decor items to add a little bit of shine. I started with just some inexpensive ($.50/each) raw wood ornaments. With the addition of gold leaf, these ornaments look elegant and are just what the tree needed. You could apply gold leaf to almost anything, though. Wood, ceramic, paper, cardboard, glass, and plastic will all work. This opens a whole world of options for elevating

December 4, 2021 11 Comments

Decorating

how to create beautiful garlands | christmas decorating

I remember buying my first Christmas garland for my college apartment. It was the kind that was a single strand with thin plastic needles. It was an unnatural shade of green and looked nothing like real evergreens. But, I wrapped it with lights and hung it up around my apartment, proud of my efforts. After being married for about six years, Jeff and I bought our first house and I had a lot of pent-up decorating energy to throw at all 1,100 square feet of that 1980s townhouse. I was super excited about decorating for the holidays and felt I had graduated from my college-apartment-style garland. I bought artificial greens that were on clearance after Thanksgiving, mixed in some Christmas evergreens, picked everything apart, and made my own wreaths, garlands, and swags. That started my can’t-leave-well-enough-alone when it comes to using artificial greens. They just look so much better when

December 3, 2021 6 Comments

All Things Home

mini advent stockings | Christmas decorating

Several years ago, I purchased runners, pillow covers, and other handmade linens from Ann of On Sutton Place to sell in my retail spaces. I had learned that despite my most determined DIY efforts, I couldn’t make everything I sold. I just couldn’t keep up and I needed to find things I could hire out and buy wholesale. Ann is wonderfully creative and did beautiful work with antique linens, so it was a good match. I also bought mini stockings from her for Christmas and requested she make 24 for me to use as an advent calendar. I even sent her my grain sack and fabric scraps from upholstery work for her to use. Ann made a beautiful set for me that I have used as a countdown for Christmas every year since. I purchased some numbered clay tags on to number them. Sadly, the shop I bought them from is

December 2, 2021 9 Comments

crafts

lino printed wrapping paper project | christmas crafts

Over the Thanksgiving break, I worked on cutting out a lino block for printing wrapping paper and cards. The project turned out even better than I expected and, as I shared peeks of the process on Instagram, many people asked if I would share a tutorial. So, this post is it! Here is a lino printed wrapping paper project for beginners. We’ll walk through the materials you’ll need, the process of carving a “lino” (linoleum) block, and printing. | The pattern that I carved over Thanksgiving took me several hours, so we’ll use a simpler pattern for this lino printed wrapping paper project. Before we get to the details, I will share the process of how I made this one for those who are interested. The process is very similar, but I used some different materials. Instead of using an easy-cut “lino” block made of a rubbery material, I used

December 1, 2021 17 Comments

Antiques

customizing a vintage ceramic christmas tree

You know when you’ve owned something for so long that you’re just sort of seeing past it? You no longer see the potential in it, but just what it is and what it’s always been. Such was the case with this vintage ceramic Christmas tree. We’ve had one in our house for as long as I can remember and it’s always looked the same. My mom made one at a make-your-own ceramics place in the early 1980s and my uncle’s wife at the time made one as well. When I was snooping around in my Opa’s attic over 20 years ago, I found the tree my uncle’s wife made nestled in a box of paper. It’s exactly like my mom’s tree that I grew up with, so I asked if I could have it. For many years, this ceramic Christmas tree was just a nostalgic decoration, one that didn’t particularly

November 30, 2021 38 Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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Holiday

molded salt dough “gingerbread” ornaments | Christmas crafts

mini cheese balls recipe & a holiday grazing board

swallow bird ornament from a cereal box | christmas crafts

gold leaf ornament tutorial | christmas crafts

how to create beautiful garlands | christmas decorating

mini advent stockings | Christmas decorating

lino printed wrapping paper project | christmas crafts

customizing a vintage ceramic christmas tree

next art sale

May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

Now Available for Preorder

Move Slow & Make Things

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

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