Happy Monday! I’m sorry this is being posted so late but I had a date with my other half tonight. We made cocoa cake and watched “Elf” as we decorated the tree for the first time in our new home. It feels like a dream being in a house for Christmas but I have to admit, it was a little bittersweet decorating the tree somewhere other than our tiny, little apartment.
Well, I won’t bore you with my trip down memory lane. Instead let me tell you about my “mockingbird” project for the week. The inspiration for this week’s project is the November 2009 Anthropologie catalog. If you haven’t seen it, stop reading right away and spend the next 10 minutes swooning over the catalog.
Here are a few of my favorite spreads from that catalog. I love the snow, the vintage pieces and most of all, I love, love, love the book cut-outs below. It reminds me of all the magic you associate with Christmas as a kid and I just adore the way these everyday items have a touch of that magic.
So, here are my tips for creating an Anthropologie-inspired wonderland out of items you can find around the house or at your local thrift store. The only thing I purchased was a few books from the thrift store (25-50 cents a piece,) artificial snow, 3 Styrofoam cones and 2 sweaters from Good Will ($1 a piece.) Using those things and a few items I had around the house, I decorated the entire bathroom for about $10 and I did most of this while watching a movie. Seriously, paper back books and used sweaters are the way to go!
1. Change your wall art
I really wanted the winter wonderland theme to consume everything in the room, not just one shelf. I swapped out my everyday art for something more whimsical. The only rule I had was that it had to be cheap…free cheap.
The first thing I did was the mirrors turned chalk boards that I featured last week. Next, I used scraps from the sweaters I cut up for my throw pillows to create a few simple pieces of wall art. If you have a unique frame, you can stretch the sweater fabric out and hot glue it to the sides or use a wooden plaque (available at Wal-Mart or Micheal’s) to display the material. I hot glued a shimmery snowflake ornament for a little touch of whimsy. The key is to use what you have and believe me, old sweaters have gone a long way in creating my holiday decor this year.
The monogram below was painted on top of scraps of paper I tore from the paperback books. The final touch was the wreath I created using pages from the paperback books. For this wreath, I simply bent a wire hanger into a wreath form. Then I took pages from the book, folded them in half and pushed the wire through the middle of the page. Honestly, I think there are probably better ways to create a wreath out of book pages (it is rather thick and was sort of difficult to hang) but what can I say? It was fast, cheap, easy and looks great in the bathroom.
2. Create a wintry display
To create a unique display, search your house for everyday items like silver platters, glass bottles and jewelry that can add sparkle. It doesn’t have to be something directly related to Christmas as long as it has that sparkle. You can also sort through old Christmas ornaments (which look great in a glass vase.)
My favorite little craft was the paper cut-outs. I used clip art that I found online as a template. Print some clip art, trace it on a page from the paperback book and start cutting. So simple but so pretty! I’m telling you, the 50 cents I spent on those paperback books went a long way in decorating my bathroom. To give my shelf that “Anthropologie-look,” I sprinkled artificial snow on top of everything then weaved some glittery, beaded garland through the display.
Oh, and the banner. I used pages from the book (bless those books!) to cut out triangles then painted the music notes and the letters on the paper with acrylic paint. The little pearl do-dabs are scrapbooking accessories that I glued to the top. For instructions on how to make your very own book accordion-thingy, go here.
3. Use what you have!
I had a lot of sweater remnants leftover from my throw pillow project so I put those to work. If you have an old sweater that you don’t want, cut off the cuffs. I used them to “decorate” the soap bottle and the candle that I keep on the sink and everyone who has come in has asked about them.
On the back of the toilet, I’ve created a little scene using one of those Styrofoam cones which I covered with, you guessed it, paper scraps then topped with a vintage earring, a mini-Christmas tree and a plastic snow globe picture frame that we got as a favor at a dance in high school (I used adhesive glue and Martha glitter to cover the base.)
Perhaps my favorite use of the leftover sweater remnants (and one of my favorite crafty projects this year) are the trees I made using foam cones and the arms of the sweaters. I simply cut the arms to fit the foam and hot glued the fabric to the foam. A few little embellishments like ribbons and pearls finished them off.
4. If you still need a little Christmas…
Add a holiday candle. I highly recommend the Twisted Peppermint candle from Bath and Body Works. Personally, I think it has a fresher, stronger aroma than the Yankee Candles (and it was much more affordable.)
Well, I’m off to bed! Have a blessed week 🙂