2015 - Page 3 of 31 - Pretty Handy Girl

arts and craft, Decor Adventures, Decorating, Holiday decorating

5 Steps for Beautiful Holiday Wreaths

Hello friends, it’s Jessica from Decor Adventures. December is the most wonderful month of the year and these early days are perfect for holiday decorating. I’m sure you are decking your halls and getting ready to have a festive season.

One of my favorite ways to decorate for the holidays is to hang wreaths. I admit, I’m a wreath addict. I have them in many sizes and many colors. They are the perfect holiday decor item and one of the easiest to use. Today I want to show you 5 steps for beautiful holiday wreaths, come see!

Materials:

A wreath
Holiday lights or fairy lights
Ribbon
Ornaments
Holiday decor accessories
Scissors
Green twine
Batteries

The type of wreath you use for this project is up to you. The most common wreaths are evergreen and can be found at many retailers including grocery and home improvement stores. They also come in different types such as boxwood, fir, pine, cypress, and more. Real or fake wreaths will both work for decorating. Grab a wreath (or three!) and let’s get started.

5 Steps for Beautiful Holiday Wreaths:

1. The fluffing. Wreaths often get smushed during shipping. Pull out the branches and shape them in a nice circle. The before and after will be dramatic and can make the wreath even bigger. Real wreaths may have some dry spots or unshapely branches, which you can easily trim off.

3 DIY Books for Holiday Gifts

I’m thrilled to share with you a selection of 3 DIY books this holiday season. If you are looking for ideas for someone on your gift list who: has children who love to create; loves rustic metal decor; or wants some simple ideas to love the home they are living in…I have the book for you!

Let’s start with C.R.A.F.T – Creating REALLY Awesome Free Things (affiliate link). This book by Jamie Dorobek was not a book I had originally planned on reviewing. But, when I opened the envelope and set the book on the counter it was instantly whisked away from me. My boys took the book and read it from front to back!

Within 30 minutes, my oldest (a middle schooler) had already cut up a cereal box and was working on his own puzzle.

The next day, my 3rd grader had a playdate at our house. He and his friend asked for the materials to make their own Emoji masks. Read more

November 30, 2015/6 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Birthday Gift, Gift Ideas, gift wrapping, gifts

21 Creative Gift Wrapping Ideas

21 Creative Ways to Gift Wrap | Pretty Handy Girl

Hello again! It’s Colleen from Just Paint It with a collection of 21 Creative Wrapping Ideas.

When I was a kid my favorite part of Christmas was wrapping presents. (Outside of opening them, that is.) I loved it so much that my mother would often have me wrapping my own presents without telling me. Then she’d switch the tags around on Christmas Eve! Such great memories. Using creative gift wrapping is a special way to create memories that will last a lifetime. Enjoy some beautiful gift wrapping inspiration here:

Polar Bear Gift Wrapping

Monogram Gift Wrap Read more

November 29, 2015/4 Comments/by Colleen Jorgensen

art, Build It, decor, framing, gifts, Stashbusting, Trash to Treasure, Tutorial, Upcycling

Scrap Wood Shadow Box Frame

Okay all you woodworkers. You know as well as I do that you have an ever growing scrap wood pile that you don’t want to throw away because you know you’ll use it one day.

Rustic Scrap Wood Shadow Box Frame | Pretty Handy Girl

Well, today is that day! I challenge you to use some of that scrap wood to make a Scrap Wood Shadow Box Frame like this one.

But, if this isn’t your cup of tea, Sawdust Girl has an entire link up party of scrap wood projects. And you can link up your own scrap wood challenge too!

Okay, so the truth behind this project is that Pretty Handsome Guy has been begging me to frame his U.S. Open flag from Pinehurst almost two years ago. My poor hubby rarely asks for anything, and I figure he waited long enough.

Materials:

Scrap wood
Backer board (scrap bead board, masonite, thin plywood)
Construction glue
Lattice edging
Wood stain
Plexi-glass
D-hooks
Drill bit
Drill
Double stick foam tape
Brad nails
Nail gun or hammer
Machine screws
Saw (miter, jigsaw or Dremel UltraSaw)

Optional: Gorilla Glue

Instructions:

Cut backer board to the size you want for your frame.

Rustic Scrap Wood Shadow Box Frame | Pretty Handy Girl

Lay out your scrap wood on top of the backer board until it is covered completely.

I tried Gorilla Glue Construction Adhesive on this project (Gorilla Glue sent me a tube of glue to try out.) It dried and held all the scrap wood firmly.

Lift up one piece of scrap wood at a time and apply construction glue onto the backer board. Read more

November 27, 2015/8 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Gift Ideas, gifts, Holiday decorating, jigsaw

DIY Snowflake Christmas Trivets

Hey there, everyone! It’s Katie again from Addicted 2 DIY. I’m back with a Christmas tutorial that can pull double-duty as both Christmas decor and a useful accessory for your big family gatherings. I don’t know about you, but in my family finding a spare trivet during Thanksgiving or Christmas meals is about as hard to find as an extra serving spoon. We often find ourselves short one or two and holding hot dishes of food, while trying to decide if it’s cool enough to set on the bare table. I decided that making my own simple and pretty trivets would solve some problems. The fun thing is that you don’t have to just use these pretty snowflakes as trivets. You can hang them as Christmas decor if you like!

To make these, purchase plywood (a 1 – 2′ square piece is all you need) or you can use scrap wood. I used 3/4″ plywood. However, you can easily use 1/2″ or even 1/4″ if that’s what you have on hand. It’s all about saving money this time of year, right?

Materials:
(contains affiliate links)

Plywood (square sheet or scrap)
Jigsaw with scroll blade
Snowflake templates (I found mine HERE)
220 grit sandpaper
Stain of your choice (I used Varathane in Antique White and Weathered Grey)

Instructions:

STEP 1: Size your snowflake templates however you would like and cut them out of cardstock.

STEP 2: Trace the snowflakes with a pencil onto your plywood. Read more

November 25, 2015/2 Comments/by Addicted 2 DIY