DIY Christmas: Stockings Sew Easy!

 

I am a little obsessed with my homemade stockings inspired by the movie, Elf. This was my first time making my own stockings and I was surprised how easy they were! 

Briefly, the steps I took:

1. Fold the fabric in half and cut the shapes using a general pattern or reference, such that there are two pieces which are mirror images of each other. 
2. Sew across the white fur on both "outside" faces of the fabrics. 
3. Place the outsides facing each other and pin in place. 
4. Sew around the sides and flip inside out when done - just like making a pillow! That way, my imperfect sewing is concealed inside, and all you see on the outside are nice seams. 
5. Hot glue decorations - ribbons, belt, bows, etc. Highly recommend this instead of trying to sew decorations on. It seemed to work really well!

Since I had so much fun making these (and honestly, am really proud at how they turned out), I started brainstorming other designs I could make. Take a look at some of my other ideas!  

 

If you prefer the original Jovie color scheme: 

More "Elf" ideas (if you have more humans raised by humans):

...and some more because I just couldn't stop...

Okay, enough of "Elf", what else we got? How about stockings for Lego fans?  Get the fabrics here.

 

I've always adored the patterns from Moana! They could be turned into unique stockings for fans! Check them out in my Dress Up Time collection here.

Speaking of Disney, I plan on making a pullstring backpack with my Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout -inspired fabric, but it could also make a funky stocking!Or use some Tivan-style writing from the Obscure Writing collection.

While there are plenty leopard print designs out there, have you ever seen a giraffe print stocking? Me neither! That's one reason I started my "You Animal" collection - to bring more representation and variation to the animal print options!

The Pantone Color of the Year for 2023 hasn't been announced yet, but it is anticipated to be "Digital Lavender". You can be very fashion forward with these Digital Lavender patterns hanging from your fireplace this year!

Halloween DIY Decorations

Halloween can take many themes and feelings.  It can be downright scary, or it can be fun and silly.  Your Halloween décor may involve spider webs, bats and ghosts, or it may hint at axe murderers, villainous vampires or mummies.  So the drop-dead awesome DIY projects you can use may be limited to the way you want to haunt, err, decorate your home.  Here are some ideas you'll shriek for.
 

Broomstick Way

Use a collection of old, dusty brooms to line your driveway or walkway.  Turn the broomsticks upside down and stick the end a few inches into the ground to secure them.  The broomsticks can be painted or decorated in orange lights, fake spider webs, or both.
 

Halloween is in the Air

Hang ghastly decorations in trees and off your roof or anything else that's tall.  Use fishing string to hang your decorations so they appear to be floating.

Ghosts can be made from old white pillow cases stuffed with batting, newspaper or grocery bags.  Make the head of the ghost by stuffing the center and then pulling it tight with a rubber band or elastic hair tie.  The bottom can be cut up to make a more whispy appearance.  You can also take these ghosts and prop them up on broom sticks (with the broom part removed) around the yard.

To make bats or spiders, use balls of newspaper secured with duct tape and spray painted black, orange, purple or green as desired.  Pipe cleaner, bent metal hangers or paperclips can be used to form the bat wings or spider legs.  For additional thickness, use aluminum foil or paper wrapped around the legs or wings, and spray paint them as well.
 

Pumpkin Patches

Use large garbage bags full of stuffing, and spray paint them orange to make large, round pumpkins (if you can find orange garbage bags, even better).  You can also paint a face on them with black to make them look like jack-o-lanterns.  Or you might try illuminating them with lights on the inside of the bag, pressed up against the outside of the bag.

 

What Would You Like on Your Tombstone?

Old sheets of wood make for sturdy, re-usable mock graves for a cemetery theme.  You can either prop them up against something (like a tree or boulder) or construct wooden frames to prop them up.  Gray, black and white paint can be used to make a gloomy, stone like façade.  Then use stencils or stamps with black paint to write your epitaphs and add decorative scrolls and designs.  You can either write RIP in large letters, or add funny or realistic epitaphs.

 
Here are some real epitaphs from Boot Hill in Tombstone, Arizona:
 Here lies Lester Moore.
Four slugs
From a forty-four.
No Les
No More.

Here lays Butch.
We planted him raw.
He was quick on the trigger
But slow on the draw.

Here lies George Johnson, hanged by mistake 1882.
He was right,
we was wrong,
but we strung him up
and now he's gone.
 
Stranger look as you pass by -
As you are now, so once was I.
As I am now, soon you shall be.
Prepare for death and follow me.

He was young
He was fair
But the Injuns
Raised his hair


Here are some funny ideas if you want to add some humor to your Halloween decorations, but many, many more can be found on the Internet.

I told you I was sick.

Rest in Pieces

She always said her feet were killing her
but nobody believed her.

Bad to the Bones

He was Dead Serious




For more craft and design hacks, check out my book, Design Hacks for Disney Themed Rooms!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084H5SK33

Centerpieces

Most people cannot afford to redecorate their homes for every change in season and for every special occasion.  If there is one thing in the home you can customize for a big impact, it would be the centerpiece at your table, and centerpieces can be as creative as your imagination allows!

One piece every modern entertainer should own is a plain, clear, cylindrical vase.  I would recommend one with a four to eight inch diameter, depending on the size of the table, and at least a foot tall.  These are great because you can easily fill them with seasonal icons to make stunning holiday centerpieces.  For

Halloween and Thanksgiving, you can fill them with small pumpkins, and for Christmas you can fill them with ornaments.  For a baby shower, use rubber ducks or pacifiers.  Small balloons can be used for birthday parties.  There are dozens of objects that can work, but as a rule of thumb, stick to items that approximate a ball shape so the centerpiece is interesting from all angles.  Three to twelve items of the same size, shape and theme are optimal, and should be big enough to almost fill the vase.

Using what you have around the house, a cluster of decorative items can be an inexpensive route to an expensive look.  Place several candles in a circle on a decorative plate.  A larger candle or a small vase with flowers can be placed in the center, or it can be left empty.  For special occasions, a sprinkle of confetti can really bring the look home, or rose petals (real or fake) can be scattered underneath the candles, and even along the length of the table.  Alternatively, as with fillers for the large vase, small pumpkins or Christmas ornaments can be placed on a decorative place surrounding a large candle as well.

Shabby chic centerpieces can be created with some paint and natural elements found outside.  A shallow bowl of pine cones, for one idea, are great for the fall and winter holidays.  Pine cones can be left alone, sprinkled with glitter, or painted in seasonal colors to match your holiday décor.  For winter holidays, you might even try painting them white and sprinkling them with silver glitter, for example.  Likewise, gathering twigs and spray painting them, setting them upright in a small vase can add a quirky, wild twist to the common centerpiece.  If you have fruit that has fallen from your trees, instead of tossing them in the garbage, paint them in shiny metallic colors or bright summery colors to fit the occasion.

For wedding showers, reunions and birthday parties, photographs can be utilized in centerpieces.  Consider making your own memo holder by partially straightening large paperclips and sticking the end into a piece of decorated Styrofoam.  Or, print pictures on thin paper, wrap them on an empty food jar and make a paper mache collage.

Still not sure what to do?  A trip to your local crafts store is a great source of inspiration, especially for seasonal events.  Browse through the various sizes of vases, buckets and containers, and see what you can find to fill them with, from artificial flowers and plants to crystals, beads and feathers. 





For more craft and design hacks, check out my book, Design Hacks for Disney Themed Rooms!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084H5SK33

Canopies

Even if you don't have a canopy bed, there are many ways to get the luxurious look of a canopy over your bed.  Whether you are after a ring canopy, bed curtains or a full overhead canopy, it can all be done with a few simple tricks.  The best part is, because you make it yourself, it is a custom piece and point of pride.

For a ring canopy, first find a piece of sheer fabric or mosquito netting, and cut it vertically into four equal sections, leaving the very last inch or two uncut.    Fold the edges around a plastic hoop, and stitch along the edges below the hoop.  Tie one end of fish string to a hoop, and the other end directly across on the hoop, with enough slack in between the knots to hang the canopy at the desire height.  Do the same at a right angle to the first string.  Then simply hang the fish strings on a garden hook in the ceiling, and adjust the leaves of the netting to drape around the bed.

Instead of a headboard, you can frame a bed with a European bed canopy.  Start with three wooden dowels or curtain pullbacks attached to the wall in a triangle pointing up, with the top point about 6 inches below the ceiling, and the corners a little bit wider than the bed.  Thread your choice of fabric through the dowels or pullbacks, leaving a little slack to for a swoop between dowels or pullbacks.  Alternatively, use only two dowels or curtain pullbacks, closer to the ceiling, and let the fabric swoop down in the center.

For dramatic overhead canopy, use about 10 to 12 yards of fabric and two curtain rods.  Attach one curtain rod just above the head of the bed, and the other curtain rod about towards the end of the bed (use ceiling fixtures for one or both curtain rods).  Drape the fabric over both rods, leaving enough fabric against the wall to reach just below the bed (you can tuck it behind the mattress to give the appearance that it goes all the way down and is part of the bed) and some slack in between the rods to creating a swoop over the bed.

To add a sense of privacy, use bed curtains instead of a canopy.  Using ceiling fixtures and corner segments, you can make a U shape around your bed with curtain rods.  Put fabric on each corner of the bed, and tie it a few inches above the bed to give the appearance of a canopy bed.

Canopies and bed curtains are an easy and fun way to make a dramatic improvement on your bedroom decor.  You can use bold colors to really make a big visual impact, and live in luxury for close to nothing!  My last piece of advice: don't be afraid to try something.  Once you have the design down and the hardware in place, it is easy to change the fabric, and fabric is relatively inexpensive, so be experimental and stretch your comfort limits.






For more craft and design hacks, check out my book, Design Hacks for Disney Themed Rooms!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084H5SK33