Handmade Holiday Decorating!

I'm so excited to be a part of my first Blog Hop today. It is being sponsored by the lovely Frugal Housewife. The theme is decorating for the holidays. There are 23 amazing blogs participating and I can't wait to read all of their ideas. If you want to see the master list check it out here.
My first thought when I agreed to participate was to go through my Etsy favorites and promote their handmade holiday items. Trust me, you can find the most unique ornaments and decorations in every theme imaginable by simply searching for Christmas on Etsy. For example one of my handmade blog buddies Selahestelle sells the most amazing embroidered balls which would be perfect on a tree or in a basket like you see above.

But as I gave it some thought I decided that I would take both a handmade and frugal look at holiday decorating this year, which I thought would be appropriate. I have to be honest that I haven't done much in the way of decorating yet this year. When my parents asked us to go to the farm this weekend to "watch" the farm while they took a quick trip to Dallas I brought my camera along. My Mom loves to decorate and I was sure that I would find examples of what I was looking for. The picture at the top of the page is a shot of their front entry way. The stained glass was handmade years ago by a close friend of the family and goes so nicely with the greenery Mom has put up for a simple yet striking display.



So many of us have things in our house, whether they are handmade or not that can be repurposed for the holidays. This shot of the tree is a great example of this. The handmade quilt behind the tree is usually hung in the master bedroom but is the perfect backdrop to the tree. It was given to Mom a few years ago by an aunt and has pictures of the family in each of the stars. You probably don't have this exact item but there are likely other things in your house that could be used to display and create a great visual. I have a large tin star that hangs in the living room and I have hung ornaments off the holes in it before to use what I have.






Most of us crafters have supplies in our stash that can easily and cost effectively turned into holiday decorations. I once ordered a box of mystery yarn that in addition to some great designer yarns also included over 10 balls of the wildest boa yarn. It is so rough I would never use it in a scarf to sell but I have made scarves for the nieces with it. I realized the other day that it would also make great garland. I knitted up the two on this little tree with the biggest needles I had in the time it took to watch a Law and Order. They would add some real bling to a tree or banister. I held 3 different yarns together and just cast on 3 stitches. I did all garter stitch until it reached around 40 inches, but you could make them as long or as short as you wanted. I have also used ribbon that I got on sale at Michaels on my tree instead of garland. I like that you can find it in all different colors not just the traditional holiday colors.


The last example I have of using what you have to decorate with is this sweet ornament on Mom's tree. It is a picture of the girls that they cut out and glued in place last year. It's a great handmade ornament that I know Mom will enjoy for many years.


I have really enjoyed participating in this hop. It is my pleasure to introduce the next stop on your tour. Will Oaks Studio is actually a favorite of mine. She has the most visually stunning blog and is a real inspiration to improve my photography skills. So go check her out and I'm sure that she'd be thrilled if you stopped by her etsy shop here to do some holiday shopping while you were at it.