DIY Christmas Card Holder

This post and shop for this DIY Christmas Card Holder has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. 

#MerryAndBright #CollectiveBias

Yay! It's almost Christmastime, y'all. I broke allllll of my usual traditions and decorated the house before Thanksgiving...and I'm kind of loving it. This DIY Christmas Card Holder is one of my new Christmas items this year...put together by the husband and painted by me. See the complete tutorial for it below.

This wall off the kitchen area and family room had been empty since we moved in last March. It's not a high traffic area, so I kind of wasn't sure what to do with it. I thought about a floor to ceiling chalkboard (I miss the one from our old house), but this area gets very little natural light and would probably seem cave-ish. So, we built this DIY Christmas Card Holder to hang here during the holiday season...and I'm even thinking after the holidays it can double as the "stuff I don't want magnetted to the refrigerator" holder. It's in the perfect spot for "family stuff"! And Christmas cards definitely fall under that category. See how this came together below.

DIY Soda Shoppe Sign and Holiday Beverage Bar

This post for a Soda Shoppe Sign contains affiliate links. I make a small portion when these links are used, at no additional cost to you.

This DIY Soda Shoppe Sign and Holiday Beverage Bar were so much fun to put together. They came together to create the perfect spot for guests to enjoy a drink and bite anytime.

In our previous home, our red buffet acted as a beverage station. Since moving into this 1970s ranch home, we have a bit more space, especially in the kitchen. This little corner has worked its way into becoming a drink area, no matter what the season (and our buffet is a little more at home in the dining room here). I made the homemade “Santa’s Soda Shoppe” sign and then grabbed some of my vintage trucks and trees for the holiday look for this space. Check it all out below.

Blending Christmas Decor Styles

Today's post for Blending Christmas Decor Styles is brought to you by Tree Classics.

I've been working in our front room blending Christmas decor styles from vintage to classic. 

Come check out how it all came together below.

My collection of Christmas decor can best be described as a whole lot of hodge podge, y'all. I have inherited a great deal of my Christmas decorations from relatives...and I love putting it all out because it reminds me of those special people. And I've also added to my decor over the years, as well. Trying to mix my vintage items with my recent (more classic) items I've acquired is always a fun little challenge. This year, I've added a beautiful new tree from Tree Classics, as well as ornaments and a skirt to my front room decor. I mixed my new items with a lot of goodies I already had before and I'm really happy with how it all came together. 

Inspiration Monday

Woot, woot...it's party day, y'all! We are enjoying some glorious fall weather here in Texas. We spent the majority of the weekend down in Horseshoe Bay celebrating our anniversary. It was such a beautiful place we were at...I didn't want to come home! But, of course...we did! And now, I'm in full-on Thanksgiving prep mode (we're expecting a houseful next week!). Hoping you're having a fun time in this wonderful season, too.

Today's features were chosen by Jamie from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom!

With Thanksgiving just a week and a half away (what on earth?)... these fun and easy Thanksgiving Day Crafts would be a hit with all of the littles at the gathering. Check them all out below (and link up your own awesome, too)!

Free Printable Season's Greetings Banner

This free printable Season's Greetings is the perfect addition to your Christmas decor. Just print, cut, and hang up. Instant prettiness, right?

Download this free printable below.

Vintage Christmas Decor in the Family Room

Today's post for Vintage Christmas Decor in the Family Room is brought to you by Minted.

We've got some fun vintage Christmas Decor in the family room for this holiday season.

Check it all out below, along with a $250 giveaway to Minted!

Since this home is a bit larger than our previous one, I thought I'd break up my Christmas decor tour room by room (or, really, just the rooms I do decorate). This is the first room that's officially done for Christmas (to be clear, one of my brothers will be giving me a hard time about decorating before Thanksgiving when we're all together here for turkey day...I'm mentally preparing myself for that). But, honestly, I'm just loving having the decor out right now. We're traveling on several different trips in December and simultaneously hosting several events...having everything already in place will help with my sanity the weekend after Thanksgiving when I'm in a mad rush to get it all in place. Plus, we get to enjoy all the cheer just a little bit longer! Dominick the Donkey is already at the top of the playlist...come check out the vintage Christmas decor in the family room!

Christmas Wood Slice Art

This post for Christmas Wood Slice Art contains affiliate links.

I make a small portion back on these links, at no extra cost to you.

Today, I'm sharing this Christmas Wood Slice Art as a part of the 2016 Handmade Holidays Blog Hop. This is a fun little project that will look great with any holiday decor. See its complete tutorial below.

I love the look of wood slices...I use them in lots of decor scenarios. I thought it would be fun to create a simple Christmas sign on one of these pieces...to give a bit of a rustic touch to our holiday fun around here. I've got the step-by-step plans for this below, along with an AWESOME giveaway and links to 40+ other holiday projects involved in this hop from other bloggers.

Inspiration Monday

It's party day, y'all! And it's alllll kind of Thanksgivingish on the party lately and my friend and co-hostess, Meegan, has rounded up loads of inspiration for your turkey day festivities. I'm getting super excited about hosting the big day in our new home...loving all of these Thanksgiving features to give me a little helping hand!

This week’s features were selected by Meegan from What Meegan Makes.

Check out these Nine Thanksgiving Tips and Recipes below!

Free Printable Christmas Bulb Banner and Tags

This post for a  Christmas Bulb Banner and Tags contains affiliate links. I make a small portion when these links are used, at no additional cost to you. 

This Free Printable Christmas Bulb Banner works double duty...each bulb can be used as a gift tag, too. I also think these would be super cute strung up around a Christmas tree with some white twinkling lights mixed in. Print as many as you like for the length you desire. Download this versatile printable below.

I love fun vintage-y Christmas bulbs...I think they're the best. When I was a kid, these were all that my parents decorated with. I thought it would be fun to create a banner with bulb lights. Once I had printed them out, I realized they worked great as gift tags, too...so they're the perfect little double duty printable. Download yours below.

Miniature Grain Sack Gift Bags

I was supplied paint & brushes for these Miniature Grain Sack Gift Bags by Plaid Crafts. All opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links that I receive a portion back on.

This tutorial for how to make Miniature Grain Sack Gift Bags is a fun little craft that anyone can make. It was a simple project with a lot of bang...and it's perfect for the holidays!

Anyone else as obsessed with vintage grain sacks as I am? I love these things. A few years ago, I bought a few authentic ones down at the Round Top Vintage Market and have used them to recover furniture here and there (and to make the curtain under my sink). I also have a couple of faux ones I've made around the house as well. I am obsessed, y'all.

The stripes on grain sacks are the most significant part. Historically, they're the way farmers individualized their sacks. Each farmer had their own pattern...some sacks were even stitched with their monogram (I'd probably give up a body part to obtain one of those).

I thought it would be really fun to make mini grain sacks for the holidays...I mean, what a fun way to give a little gift, right? Check out my tutorial below for these Miniature Grain Sack Gift Bags.

50+ Printable Holiday Gift Tags

This post for Holiday Gift Tags contains affiliate links. I make a small portion when these links are used, at no additional cost to you.

These 50+ Printable Holiday Gift Tags are perfect for all of your Christmas gift giving. They're the second holiday bundle in my Premium Printables line of art for your home. Grab all of these printable holiday gift tags below.

Y'all, I'm flipping over how cute these turned out. When I design pieces like this, I'm always happy with how they look on the computer...but the real test happens once I print them out. And these were even more beautiful once printed! Gah, I sound silly and braggy here, but I really do love these. I've bundled them all together (13 pages) for $5. 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE SET.

NEW! These are now on Etsy for only $4. Click here.

(Pssst...commercial licensing is available on this set here.)

Grab more details on these below and see all of the individual designs.

Inspiration Monday

Hey, party people! Have you had a good week? We've been sweatin' in our Halloween costumes down here (it's too hot for fall!). But, still enjoying all of the fun of the season. And every week, the party seems to have so much fall inspiration!

Speaking of party, did you know that we are also now a “dual platform” link party? That means we are sharing the love here on our blogs and on Instagram, as well.

Here’s how to play… Tag and follow all of your hosts on Instagram: @redheadcandecorate, @refreshrestyle, @meeganmakes, @inspirationformoms, @oursouthernhome, @ishouldbemoppingthefloor Add the tag #InspirationMondayParty to all of your inspiring favorites throughout the week. Next week, we will each pick our faves and feature them on Instagram. 

Now…let’s get on with this party. We can’t wait to see what you have linked up!

This weeks feature’s were chosen by Christy from Our Southern Home.

{Please pin from original sources only.}

This week's fabulous features surround Creating a Cozy Fall Home. 

It's all about the look, feel, scents and tastes of the season this week.

Free Printable Thankful Banner

This post for a free printable thankful banner contains affiliate links. I make a small portion when these links are used, at no additional cost to you.

This free printable THANKFUL banner is perfect for your decor as we head into the Thanksgiving season. Just cut and string the letters for a fun little decoration that you can hang anywhere.

I just love a good letter banner. What's not to love, right? This THANKFUL one of my new fave...just when I thought I was done with fall decor, I just had to throw this up, too! Download your free printable THANKFUL banner below.

DIY Coffee Tray

This little DIY Coffee Tray was simple to put together. 

It's perfect for lazy Saturday morning coffee in bed...one of the best luxuries.

I feel like bedside coffee is one of those little luxuries in life. It's not fancy...but it's very enjoyable, you know? A few years ago at a conference, I roomed with a friend who ordered coffee service to the room every morning...and I was instantly hooked. Ever since then, I've started doing that when we stay in hotels that provide that service. And I really love doing it at home. Our bedroom is on the other side of the house from the kitchen. My husband is a doll and started this little practice when we moved into our new place last spring. Every Saturday morning, he brings coffee to our bedroom. We've used this large melamine tray that I've had since college and it was massive (and slippery)...cups would slide all over the thing. I thought it would be fun to make a small tray that would work perfectly for our in-home coffee service situation. I modeled this tray similarly to the large one I made to corral items on my kitchen island...using a wooden canvas for the base. But the difference is that this one is smaller and mobile. Check out the entire tutorial below. 

This Lace and Drop Cloth Table Runner is a beginner sewing project that can be completed in a couple of hours (or less!). It's a great way to add some texture and dimension down the middle of a dining table. Plus, it's a table runner that not only looks lovely, but is also budget-friendly.

Lace and Drop Cloth Table Runner

As the holidays are rapidly approaching (wasn't it just August, y'all?), I'm turning my attention to our dining room. Since this is our first year to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners in our new home with my entire side of the family (there are LOTS of us), I'd like to make this space a little more "us" and customize it as much as I can in what limited time I have left. One thing that's been on my list forever has been a new table runner. Our dining table is a family heirloom and I love it...but it presents its own set of issues due to its massive size. To accommodate only half of us, (we're a big "auxillary" kiddie table family...only because we need the space at the regular dining table), it has to have all of its leaves in place...making it nine feet long. It's also a very wide table...almost four feet across. So, traditional table runners are always super wimpy in here. I've tried to make them work, but no bueno.

If you recall, last year, I tried to add some fun to the middle of the table with the large centerpiece box I built (see that post here). It's a fabulous box, but in our new dining room, it looked out of place. AND, it was truly a bit tall when filled with decorations...making it difficult to visit with (or even see) the person across from you at the table (hindsight is a real thing, y'all). I have big plans for it elsewhere, but it wasn't destined for the dining room in this house. In all honestly, I want our mealtimes in here (holiday or not) to focus on the people...and having a large, invasive centerpiece just seemed to block out a lot of the conversation and memory-making. 

So, I decided to keep it simple this year. I created a table runner that would be plenty long and wide for this crazy table of ours. I'm really happy with how it turned out, y'all! Check out the tutorial below.

Inspiration Monday

Welcome to the party, y'all! It's a pumpkin-filled, apple-licious, all-kinds-of-autumn filled time today...we're so happy you're here to join the fun.

Did you know that we are also now a "dual platform" link party? That means we are sharing the love here on our blogs and on Instagram, as well.

Here's how to play... Tag and follow all of your hosts on Instagram: @redheadcandecorate, @refreshrestyle, @meeganmakes, @inspirationformoms, @oursouthernhome, @ishouldbemoppingthefloor Add the tag #InspirationMondayParty to all of your inspiring favorites throughout the week. Next week, we will each pick our faves and feature them on Instagram.

It's that easy.

Isn't fall the perfect time for a big pot of flavorful soup? We found lots of delicious recipes at last week's party. Perfect to warm you up on these cool autumn nights.

This weeks features were chosen by Laura from Inspiration for Moms.

Check out all of the yumminess below.

Free Thanksgiving Printable

This simple free Thanksgiving printable is perfect for your fall decor.

 I know I said I was moving on to all of the Christmas designs, but I'm throwing just one more free Thanksgiving printable at ya! I really wanted to do something with a banner wrap-around and this fallish one kind of evolved from that idea. Download yours below.

DIY Holiday Crate

This DIY Crate is not just for the holiday season. 

I flip it to the other side for a neutral look the rest of the year. 

See the tutorial and how I use this below.

Today, I'm joining Traci with the 12 Days of Handmade Christmas Blog Hop. We're on day #7 and it's been a super fun hop so far. SO MANY IDEAS! Click here to check it all out and ENTER all of the awesome giveaways that Traci put together. Click below to see my DIY Holiday Crate tutorial.

Eight Holiday Printables

These Eight Holiday Printables are my latest installment of Premium Printables line of artwork for the home. They're perfect to display together or on their own with your holiday decor. Grab these holiday printables below.

The holidays are almost here...squeallll!  These eight holiday printables have a fun, brushed and hand-written vibe...with a little hipster feel, too! These are bundled together for $5. You may click here to purchase them here on my Gumroad store, or wait for the widget to upload below.

(Pssst...commercial licensing is available on this set here.)

How to Launder A White Slipcovered Sofa

This tutorial & shop for how to launder a white slipcovered sofa

 has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. 

All opinions are mine alone. #StickItToLint #CollectiveBias

When we bought this white slipcovered sofa last spring, my mom thought we were out of our minds. I mean, two black dogs, two preteen boys, and a busy family schedule...I can see where she was going with that. But, the beauty of a slipcovered sofa? It can be washed, y'all. And it looks brand spanking new every time.

This is quite possibly my favorite sofa we've ever owned. Having a white sofa is great for decorating...just switch out the throw pillows and you have an entirely new look (I can't wait to show you guys the holiday pillows that are going on this couch in December...squeallll!). Check out how easy a white slipcovered couch is to launder below.