DIY Winterberries

Hey, hey, it's nice to see you today! Care to join me for some holiday crafting?

During the winter months, when all the trees are bare, I am always drawn to this tree with red berries. I think it's called a Washington Hawthorne, but for any of my dear readers who are skilled gardeners or tree enthusiasts, please correct me if I got it wrong.  

I think of it as a fantasy tree where woodland creatures come to gather for some winter feasting. But that's just me. It's also inspiration for a lot of holiday decorations like holly wreaths, garlands, and holly centerpieces. 

It's easy to find bunches of these holly berries or winterberries at the supermarket. Just add them to a clear vase and your home will turn from blah to TADA!

This door decor looks so extra with all the berries and pinecones!

I'm now inspired to make my own winterberries.

I found these dried twigs with pea-shaped buds in the park. I don't know what they're called. They are lovely as is or if included in a dried floral arrangement.  

But if we painted the buds using some acrylic paint and a small paintbrush...

Don't they look like winterberries?

Paint a few stems, let them dry, and add them to a vase -- instant holiday vibes! 

Or why not add them to your holiday gift wrapping?

And that is how I turned some dried twigs from blah to TADA!

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Ornaments Made of Seashells and Salt Dough

Whenever I am at the beach, I can't help but collect some seashells. They serve as souvenirs of my day. When I touch their smooth surfaces or symmetrical ridges, I feel the energy of the sand, sunshine, water, and wind even if I'm at home, faraway from the shore.   

Here are some of the seashells I've collected:

I remember my Grandma had a similar collection but she had bigger ones like conch and nautilus shells. She kept them inside decorative glass jars on the coffee table. As kids, my cousins and I weren't allowed to touch them, "Look only," was the stern warning. I never asked my Grandma about that collection -- where they came from and what stories were behind each shell. But I always remember her whenever I see seashells.  

I don't particularly display my seashells but I often use them for crafting. I've used them to make jewelry like earrings, pendants for necklaces, and a bracelet...TADA!

I've also incorporated seashells in my embroidery...TADA! 

Today, let's make these seashell ornaments that we can add to our Christmas Tree.

Start off by making salt dough disks. You can find the detailed tutorial here.  

I painted the salt dough disks with acrylic paint and a small paintbrush. I chose this shade of pool blue. I used about five coats of paint (with some drying time in between each coat) and let them fully dry.  

This is not only a Christmas Tree ornament but a memento to remind us of which beaches we've visited. At the back of each salt dough disk, I wrote the names of the beaches from where the shells came from using a permanent marker. 

Then I added hanging strings (I used skinny yarn). 

These are the shells I'm using (I made sure to make a salt dough disk big enough to fit each one).

Attach the shells to the corresponding salt dough disk using a glue gun.

And that is how I turned seashells and salt dough from blah to TADA!

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Five Things for December

Hooray, we made it to the last month of the year! 

When the holidays come around, I hang a wreath on our front door. Every year, I give it a new look using ornaments that I already have on hand such as capiz parols from the Philippines, winterberries, foraged pinecones, a silver ribbon, and a butterfly. In the past, I've decorated it with a candy-theme and an all-red theme. I encourage you to tweak the look of your plain wreath and turn it from blah to TADA! 

If you have some vacation days that you need to use, visit a new town to check out their holiday decorations. The National Christmas Tree is located in Washington, DC., right across The White House and the Washington Monument. You can't see it in this photo but it's surrounded by smaller Christmas trees representing each of the United States. Some places I would love to visit are Bethlehem, Pennsylvania known as "Christmas City" or any of the cities on this list that are filled with Christmas charm.

The holidays are also an opportunity to learn about celebrations that we didn't grow up with. For me, it's Hannukah (Jewish Festival of Lights). Books like this one can be read to the young ones in the family and it would be fun to try out the recipes, too...TADA!

NVC Artisans of Hope

These Christmas tree ornaments are made of 126 discarded coffee capsules...TADA! They are crafted by a non-profit organization in the Philippines and the proceeds of their shop are used to fight hunger and poverty. May these inspire us to make our own ornaments using recycled materials or to consider charitable giving this season.   

My very thoughtful cousin gave me this vintage cookbook that she found at Argosy Books. Cookbooks like this give me a glimpse of the past. I am now considering making retro dishes and cocktails for Christmas and New Year's Eve!

I know December is hectic for many of us -- here's wishing you lots of energy and a little "me" time to relish the holidays!