fernliving christmas tree blanket

CHRISTMAS IS MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY OF THE YEAR.

I love being able to feel like a little kid and let all that special excitement fill our home! I feed off the kids joy and I just go for it! The first few years my hubby and I had xmas together we didn't have a lot of money for decorations and I made 90% of our ornaments (thank you martha stewart). Well not all of them have survived the last 6 years or so but some have and I treasure them. So this year I vowed to make a few new ones for our tree and do some annual Christmas crafting & decor for our home.

Life has been crazy busy over here and I got knocked over by a nasty flu bug. I like quick and fulfilling unless it's truly worth it :) So instead of doing 3-4 roundups like I usually do each year this time I decided to put them in one AWESOME roundup of what are my 5 fave choices for the year to possibly make in our home. Not everything will get done, heck I might not even get one done (I'm not a machine...lol) but I love making a good roundup for me to go back to for inspiration and more in one easy place.

geometric wreath tutorial \\ marshmallow wreath \\ snowflake wreath \\ duct tape wreath \\ pom pom wreath

First let's start off with one of my favorites - the wreath! Who doesn't love a wreath right? 
Such a statement piece that can so easily reflect your whole Christmas style in one piece! I have tried a few different wreaths but fell head over heels for this one which remains up on our wall all year round. So this year I thought I may add to our arsenal of wreaths. It's about time I think. Above are my faves for this year.

paper snowflakes \\ star wars snowflakes \\ printable snowflakes \\ coffee filter snowflakes \\ fuse bead snowflakes

Next the snowflakes. We have a big crush on snowflakes in our house.
Each year since the girls have been babies we make a boat load of snowflakes and adorn the apartment with them. So fun! This year we decided to look into doing some "fancy" snowflakes instead of our usual winging it ones (though those are equally as fun). Above are some of my faves for the year:

wall art diy \\ honeycomb chandelier \\ honeycomb tree \\ paper party ball \\ ornament balloons

And ohhhh...the home decor! Lovely little jewels of diy to adorn your home with!
I have a thing for pine cones. I spread them all over the house year round. I think my hubs thinks I'm nuts but I still do it..lol. This year I thought to myself though "branch out a bit Shannon, try something new"...so I'm going to give it a shot. Above are some of my faves for the year.

diamond ornament \\ let it snow \\ felt ornaments \\ himmeli ornament \\ felt tree ornaments

Now - the ornaments. We can't leave out the ornaments! These can be the most fun to make!
Those first few years I made only my own ornaments were sure fun! I bought rolls of some awesome silver shiny wrapping paper and saved up for a month all of our used cardboard and set out to cut out ornament shapes from templates and then the same sizes from the wrapping paper. I painstakingly glued them to each piece of cardboard. Then for some special ones I would print out pics of us and the girls and glue them to the wrapping paper. Hole punch and hang with spare thread. Voila! Well last year I was too darn tired to make them. So store bought ornaments finally made their way to our house and we loved them too! So this year I'm going for a happy mix! A few handmade each year to add to our collection. I don't need to go nuts and do the whole tree if I just can't swing it. I think that's the trick with xmas - don't add too much too your plate. Just do what makes you happy. If it's stressful - skip it. It is afterall a happy time of year :) Above are some of my faves for the year.

bright & colorful \\ very bari tree skirt \\ chevron tree skirt \\ snowflake tree skirt \\ pom pom skirt

And last but not least the tree skirts - we can't forget those! Who wants a nude tree! Not me!
I admit for about 5 years I used an old white receiving blanket/sheet for a tree skirt...hangs head in shame and finally whipped one up last year. I loved it then and love it still. I waited all that time until I had the skills to make one I would really love. Above are some of our favorites for the year (ours included).

Want to keep track of all the other lovelies I will add during December? Follow my "Holiday Love" Pinterest Board to keep track of all the fun things I love during the holiday seasons!

What are your fave diy's of the year? What did you make for the holidays? Any fun ones you'd like to link up to or share? Happy making!!!