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The Christmas tree has long been an icon of the holiday season. Always eager to add a little sparkle to my home décor, I love the idea of emulating the classic Christmas tree shape with some of the beautiful and twinkly things that I find around the house at this time of year. 

Introducing the most inexpensive DIY holiday project yet: the tinsel wrapped Christmas tree. Make this holiday décor item yourself and add it to mantles, side tables or anywhere else you would like to add some Christmas cheer!

Step 1:

Use some sparkly Christmas decorations that you have around the house!

Step 2: 

Take your cardboard cereal box and fold it into a cone shape (to resemble a tree). Secure the seams with tape. Cut any excess cardboard off of the bottom of the cone so that it stands flat.

Step 3: 

Using a glue gun and some tinsel, wrap the tinsel around the cardboard cone from the bottom to the top. In this case, I ran out of the same colour of tinsel, but I decided that I really liked the two tone effect. You should have what appears to be a fuzzy looking tree. 

Step 4:

To create more of a Christmas tree shape, and mimic the look of a garland, wrap Christmas beads from the base of the tree to the top just as you did the tinsel. Secure with hot glue.

Ta da! A DIY Christmas tree that is inexpensive and rivals the ones you can buy at the mall! To make yours extraordinary, add baubles, ribbon and a star! The possibilities are endless. 

Stay tuned for more DIY projects, home décor and fashion ideas coming your way this blogmas!

Anastasia

Holiday wreaths are a great way to add a warm and inviting touch to your home. You can purchase a high quality holiday wreath but it will cost you a pretty penny. Keep the pretty and your pennies by making your own wreath at home by following these easy steps!

You Will Need:

Step 1: 

Glue your greenery onto the wreath form. I had greenery from an old wreath that bit the dust. Simply place the greenery onto the form until it looks like the real thing! Don't worry if there are some spots that are less thick than others, those will be covered up in just a moment!

Step 2: 

Add the twinkle lights by wrapping them around the wreath and tying the cords onto the wreath form with wire or dental floss. Make sure that the end of the cord has enough slack so that you can plug your wreath in when you are finished. 

Step 3: 

Add some sparkle! I found some broken Christmas bulbs and some plastic snowflakes lying around my house and hot glued them right into the greenery. For the ornaments, simply pop off the metal hook and closure and add hot glue onto the hole in the bulb. I then added a big, red ribbon bow to the bottom of the wreath. Easy!

Step 4:

Hang your wreath using wire or dental floss. Sit back and enjoy!

Create a Spooky Halloween Mantlepiece!

Halloween is a big deal in our household. My husband and I face the month of October at full force, much like the passion exuded by the Grizwold's come the 25th of December. Our home, inside and out, becomes a spooky spectacular set for the bravest of trick or treaters who are invited (along with their chaperones) to come in an explore our haunted homestead. 

This year, Nic and I wanted to set the stage for our annual Halloween Bash starting with the fireplace. The fireplace, a focal point in our dining area where most of our guests will be gorging on freaky food (recipes to come) needed to create an eery atmosphere fit for the countless kiddies (ok, and adults) that visit our house each year. 

Being on a budget this year on account of the home renovations, Nic and I made a plan to spend no more than five (yes, FIVE!!!) dollars in order to decorate our mantlepice. Not wanting to forgo errr..."taste", we decided to hit up our grandparent's basements for some creepy accessories. This is what we came up with this year: 

*insert your own haunting Halloween music here!

So how did we create such a chilling setting? It was easy! Here is what we used: 

• 1 candelabra that may or may not have made an appearance at our summer wedding
• 2 spiral trees that we had purchased for our Christmas decor
• 1 spooktacular skull (Dollar Store, $1.00)
• 1 package of cobwebs (Dollar Store, $1.00)
• 1 old tea box found in grandmother's crawlspace
• 1 treasure chest found in neighbours garbage
• 1 ghostly picture found in grandmother's basement (you can use a poster for this if you don't have any pictures of old creepy relatives)
• 1 crow (Dollar Store, $1.00)
• baking spice scented candle that we found in our fall decor box
• netting (Dollar Store, $1.00)
• 1 skull with rose (Dollar Store, $1.00)
• 1 small farm picture that we had in the house
• creativity - free!!

First, we placed the ghostly picture of our unnamed ancestor in the middle of the mantlepiece (sorry old Mrs. Machan!). We then placed our candelabra and tea box on either side of the picture to create some symmetry. We made sure to select items that continues the brown/tan, grey and black theme to keep things looking worn and dingy. We then placed the treasure box and small frame beside these items as well as a scented candle that can be lit when the party is in full swing. We added a crow to add some interest. Next, we draped the netting around all of the items and added cobwebs to the entire design. A skull in the middle holding a red rose in its teeth adds spookiness and a splash of colour to the fireplace. Now just imaging when that fireplace is lit!! Terrifying!

Let me know if you used this picture as inspiration for your own Halloween party design or if you have any new ideas that you would like to share. More Halloween-inspired decor to come so stay tuned!

Anastasia

Renovations Are Crazy!

Home is where the heart is. It is a place where we can sit back, relax and be ourselves. Home is a place where we should feel comfortable and where we can find solace from a busy day of work. 

My home is crazy. It is cluttered, messy and incomplete. Just today I have tripped over an extension cord, a dog bed and have accidentally bumped in to a desk and an extra fridge. Yes, I am somewhat clumsy but, if you could see my house, you would understand that the fact that I am currently living in what appears to be the aftermath of a tornado could be to blame for this mornings series of unfortunate fumblings. Even my two standard poodles are starting to become weary of the constant turmoil. As I write, Teddy is panting heavily and flopped on the hardwood floor so hard, that I am sure he is trying to communicate his latent frustration. 

They say pain is beauty and I am somewhat a believer. Among the constant mess and disorganization lay dreams of a luxurious home. My goal is to one day own a house that is comparable to the houses that make up the front covers of interior design magazines. A lofty goal but, I am worth it, right Maybelline? I'm not afraid of hard work and will toil until the job gets done. That is what I keep on telling myself (and my husband). My 1950's Campeau home WILL be my castle. 

So I keep on Pinning my way to luxurious living, a storyboard of my future home. Still, the beginning process is always tough, and I had to record this time in my life so that, one day, when I am reading the Sunday paper out on the back porch in my newly designed outdoor living space, I can reflect on the "hard times" and know that I actually deserve that extra piece of white chocolate, that pair of sparkly heels and maybe that new Chanel suit jacket too...  

Here is a "Before" picture of my house. This girl is getting a makeover!

Anastasia

Even the cutest of houses deserve a luxury makeover.