As I write this entry, the rain is pounding on my window and the wind is lashing against our back door. It’s not snow but I love it just the same. I’ve got a candle flickering beside me, the warmth of my dog underfoot and a cozy blanket wrapped around my body (I’m also craving penne arrabbiata – extra picante – but that’s another story).
December is settling in and in the spirit of celebration, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite holiday decorating and gift-giving inspiration with you.
I know we all come from different backgrounds, have different traditions and ways of celebrating (as well as different budgets!) — so the focus of this particular feature is not so much on commercial links but rather simple DIY ideas to spark your own creativity and direction. Some of these ideas only take minutes to pull together and many of them are sourced from nature or from things you already have on hand in your home (a recurring theme in this post). I hope you have fun browsing and maybe discovering an idea or two ~ enjoy.
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Favorite Napkin ‘Ring’ Inspiration
I found these beauties over at Waranna’s Blog ~ a delicious combination of fresh sprigs of green, cinnamon sticks and twine. I’m drawn to the simplicity, natural elements and rustic appeal ~ I also imagine these would be wonderfully fragrant. If you are planning a tree or wreath this year, be sure to keep your trimmings or collect some during your walks – (including pine cones which are beautiful in centerpieces, as gift embellishments and also make great place card holders). Individual branches also look beautiful in vases and jugs sprinkled throughout the house – on tables, bedside and in centerpieces.
Favorite Party Favor Inspiration
How great is this miniature potted tree in burlap by Craftberrybush ~ a thoughtful, enduring gift that’s small enough to have at the table plate side for guests or to give as a hostess or teacher gift. Potted herbs are another idea that could be presented in any number of containers ~ tea canisters, jugs, mugs or mason jars, etc. Seeds could be packaged in little tea filter bags (the ones with cute drawstrings might work especially well).
Favorite Table Decorating Idea
Champagne flutes double as vases in this simple, affordable and elegant table decorating idea found over at Sunset ~ I love how the greens fill the length of the flutes to create a beautiful elongated effect but you could use any type of clear vessel here. For a splash of color, consider adding a few winterberries or fresh cranberries in each glass.
Favorite Small Tree (Branch) Planter Inspiration
Vintage jugs, jars and pots make adorable miniature tree (branch) planters. Whether you’re living in a small space or don’t have the time/desire to bring a live tree into your home, this is a great way to add some festive flare and spruce up your living space. Of course you can add lights and ornaments as you please.
Favorite Small Space Decorating Inspiration
Amazing what a few strings of light can do to transform a space ~ IKEA (p.s. I want to live there).
Favorite Re-Purposed Wrap Idea
A dated wool sweater transforms into cozy gift wrap as beautifully captured by Boxwood Clippings. If you have an article of clothing that is past the utility sharing stage, or any stray pieces of fabric lying about, this is a great way to use them for gifts and ornaments. Fun, fresh and eco-friendly.
Favorite Personalized Wrap Inspiration
Personalized wrap, as illustrated here with sheet music by Mustard Seed Interiors, is a clever and thoughtful way to individualize gifts ~ there are so many possibilities from maps of geographic locations (upcoming destinations or sentimental ones from the past), a particular passage from a book or play, a favorite quote, children’s artwork, photos, or a school or job acceptance letter… any number of ways of recreating the magic for that special person in your life.
Favorite Gift Embellishment
I can’t keep my eyes off these adorable homemade gingerbread I found over at Decorator’s Notebook ~ and while I may be out of my craft league here, these fellas are pretty darn cute and I’m thinking they might make a super fun project for youngsters! The link provides a full tutorial.
Favorite DIY Gifts…
Pinecone Scented Soy Candle from Evermine Occasions ~ how gorgeous and would you look at those delightful sprigs of green!
Rosemary Mint Soap from A Spark of Creativity ~ utterly beautiful with invigorating properties and natural exfoliant. Many years ago (16 to be exact) I came across this image browsing through a Martha Stewart magazine. It launched five years of soap making and a little entrepreneurial spin off business that was both fun and rewarding ~ you just never know when something will inspire some pretty cool stuff in your life.
Ingenious. My friend Suzanne from La Vie Quotidienne made these lavender sachets from the burlap bags that basmati rice is sold in. I am completely smitten with these rustic beauties and their creative re-purposing.
Peppermint Tea Bath by Thirsty for Tea ~ a wintry version of bath salts infused with a delicious and all natural pine-like fragrance.
Homemade Green Tea Exfoliator by Live Simply ~ wonderful and surprisingly simple too!
Roasted Maple Sriracha Pecans ~ simple, delicious and ideal for sharing. Find the recipe here.
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These all natural Frosted Mint Chocolate Bars are heavenly (and a huge hit with the boys teachers!) Find the recipe here.
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Love this idea! A good morning breakfast basket (found over here) for the busy host/hostess to enjoy the day after a party. Such a clever and original idea and of course you can make the offering as simple or complicated as you wish. 6 muffins and a bag of coffee (tea) works! Or swing by your favorite bakery on the way to the party and pick up some fresh baked goodies.
Finally, my list wouldn’t be complete without sharing the well-loved gift certificates that are made in this home as handsomely illustrated here by our youngest. These certificates are very popular between our boys who trade off chores such as dish duty, cutting the grass and walking the dog. Did you catch the teeny-weeny ‘some restrictions apply’ clause on the bottom left? (yeah, the one that’s impossible to read) our eldest comes up with some very creative exclusions – including same day expiry – he carves it out tighter than any Bay Street lawyer I ever worked with. Ah, the spirit of giving.
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One more for the road…
Favorite Free Printables
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I couldn’t resist linking you to these lovely (and free) watercolor gift tags generously offered through MStetson ~ enjoy.
Are you craving more? My holiday Pinterest board is packed with ideas ~ have fun!
Agh… very dangerous blog post. Love the selection! Can’t wait to get my hands on more kitchen stuff :p
I don’t know where to start on how many of these ideas I love! Will definitely be repurposing old sweaters and sheet music for wrapping paper. Love those ideas! The champagne glass decorations, the green tea exfoliant, the spicy pecans (YUM!), chocolate bars (double-YUM) – all great ideas! Thank you!!!! BTW – so glad to hear you’re getting rain.
me too MJ – I just love the repurposing of sweaters and fabric scraps… such a great idea for wrap (and talk about personal – heeheeh). I want to make all of those delicious essential oil DIYs… not sure it will happen at once but I will spread them out through the year – they are too beautiful not to try. Wishing you a great day MJ; I hope December is off to a fun and festive start for you, x.
Awhhh the rain has finally arrived. What a cozy way to spend time writing and creating… curled up with a blanket, best friend at your feet and a flickering candle. I wish I could hug you my dear Kelly. I adore this round up for so many reasons, but mostly because it focuses on simplicity, handmade and/or repurposed gifts. I feel like commercialism has gripped most of the country this time of year when all anyone really wants is time spent together, experiences and/or gifts that were created with handmade love. I’ve gotta give your mint chocolate bars a go! Genius!! I can see why your boys would love them! Thank you for sharing this beautiful post with so much inspiration!
your warm thoughts are wrapping me in a hug this morning Traci – it’s as though you were right here :) I love homemade gifts and it’s such a nice way to spread joy and a piece of ourselves this time of year… and those mint chocolate bars Traci… oh dear… *so* good!! Thank you my friend; have a beautiful Wednesday, x.
Wow Kelly! This is such a great list. I absolutely adore the napkin rings, would love to wrap all my presents with this super cute gingerbread man (praying I have time to pull this off), and can’t wait to put the good morning basket to good use.
Hi Lynn! I’ve fallen for those napkin rings too… they will make an appearance either at Reveillon or our Christmas breakfast table… and talk about easy. Yes, the time factor always looms large this time of year doesn’t it; we have to make choices. Have a great week and thank you for taking the time to say hello :)
This is a great roundup, Kelly. I love all the greenery ones – always an easy and festive way to decorate and makes the house smell great, too. But I especially like the gingerbread cookies tied with the ribbon. So charming. Hope you’re enjoying the rain – it’s always such a welcome sound – we haven’t had much yet in LA but I am seriously bracing for El Nino!
you’re so right about the smell of the greenery Geraldine… I drove across town yesterday to pick up an all natural wreath and found myself inhaling a forest on the way home :O) – a natural high really – there’s nothing like that smell… the gingerbread cookies are adorable, aren’t they? so glad you enjoyed this roundup and thank you kindly for dropping by.
I must say this is the most beautiful holiday list I’ve ever seen! I can’t keep my eyes off those diy projects and I love that they seem so approachable – both time and talent ;). Your sons homemade certificates have stolen my heart and the ‘some restrictions apply’ is hilarious! You must have so much fun with those two… I’m going to check out all the links (and maybe make some maple pecans too!) stay cozy – loved this post!
heeheeh, our boys are fun indeed ;o) thank you Elizabeth! I hope you enjoy exploring the links; so much talent and inspiration and yes, most are super simple too! love that :)
Thank you soooo much for all these inspiring ideas! I’m so bad with manual things, I never even try DIY gifts. I must say my number one is the free dog walk. I don’t have a dog, but it gives me many ideas! (I’m so sorry for such a long absence. I was so busy on long holidays…).
agreed, we are only limited by our imagination with the certificate ideas… oh the places you’ll go :o) the diy here are pretty simple – even I can do them! ;) enjoy Sissi and thank you for dropping by.
This is an excellent post Kelly, I adore home made gifts and these are so classy. You made soap? I married into a family of soap makers. Sadly their business only lasted 140 years (a few US chapter 11s sealed their fate) but we always have a special place in our hearts for soap! Some time ago, I made place cards using little metal frames and baby pictures of everyone! I had so much fun making them and everyone thought it was a blast! I remember making IOUs for my parents too, wish I was smart enough to include the restrictions;)!
I’m glad you have rain, it’s been a horrible year with the drought.
only lasted 140 years… that seems like a long time to me but I guess time is relative especially when it comes to enduring businesses… I had so much fun with the soap making and participating in craft fairs, etc. Got into some Celtic designs/patterns and beautiful essential oil fragrances… love projects that feel manageable like that but are still challenging and fun. It brings a great deal of joy. You are so crafty Eva… always full of ingenuity – I love seeing what you create when you share on your blog. Have a beautiful day and thank you so much for your thoughts ~
Absolutely love everything! Fabulous roundup.
Have a super week ahead.
:-) Mandy xo
Hi Mandy! thank you so much for stopping by with your sunshine; always love seeing you and hope you are well. Have a beautiful hump day :)
all amazing ideas! terrific post!
thank you for sharing the love Donna ~ appreciate your support and kind words. Hope you and family are off to a great December, x.
ps- *ideas* not days :)
smooch!
i love these curated holiday days! the very first image, the place setting is so simple and elegant. something i would totally do if i was hosting. i really like the greens in the champagne glass too.
so now my next sweet treat needs to be those frosted mint bars. how had i missed this recipe?! xo
this is my favorite way to decorate — not only is it a lot more affordable than an ornate floral arrangement, I also love the quiet beauty and simplicity. The less is more thing, you know… the frosted mint bars are killer ;o) hope you enjoy them if you give them a try and thanks for stopping by Amanda, x.
I adored this post, but I must say the “some restrictions apply” made my day!
I laughed so hard, your boys are simply the best! Absolutely priceless….
maple sriracha pecans, you said…..
frosted minted chocolate bars, you said….. if your boys ever want to learn molecular biology, I can qualify as their teacher…. ;-)
heeheeh, thanks Sally, the boys give me a natural face lift, that is for sure :o) – and they are both science inclined so you never know… they might well end up in your lab one day! imagine that. Thank you for the sunshine sweet lady, x.
I love your style! This roundup is gorgeous.
yay! thank you Mia, so happy you enjoyed.
what great ideas. i swear i could almost smell all the wonderful aromas! inspiring indeed. and thank you very much for the shout out. no snow here in ottawa, yet, and they are predicting a warm winter. hope you have a restful holiday kelly. all the best!
Suzanne, thank you for your inspiration – so great how you used the burlap and prepared the material for these fragrant sachets… I imagine them in drawers and in my valise for travel :) perfect size to bring along. I’m also in love with the image – its lighting and serenity. Sometimes the simplest things are the most exquisite. Thank you, x.
What an utterly festive and beautiful collection. I would love to be surrounded by each and every one of these things. I too would love to live at that beautifully decorated small space. So sweet. Such happy things today Kelly. I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season! We’ll be thinking of you. :)
ins’t it a cozy, fantasy space… just love it. hope you’re off a great Wednesday Kristy, x.
This is such a beautiful round-up! I’m not at all crafty (I cook to make up for it) but many of these ideas are so simple—and so darn beautiful—that I’m tempted to give them a go!
Hi Sarah, I brake out into a sweat drawing a stick figure – I hear ya :) these are pretty straightforward projects and delicious too! Hope your December is off to a good start. By all accounts, you’ve been getting warmer weather than us!! I’m loving the change.