Vintage Inspired Sequin Ornaments

I guess the subtitle of this post should be "if you can't thrift it, make it." I have never found any vintage sequin or beaded ornaments in alllll my years of thrifting but it was the look Mollie and I wanted for our new flocked King of Christmas Tree. So we ordered supplies and got to work!

They are not difficult to make and you can chat or "watch" TV while making them. We left our supplies out on the kitchen island for a few weeks and any time we had a minute we would add some sequins. That is a nice thing about this project - you don't need large blocks of time but they do take time to complete. Our goal was 10-12 and we made it but I was secretly hoping for twice that many. We will keep working on them but this would be a great thing to do in the summer or early fall if you want a large quantity. They are a bit addicting once you get going and they add so much sparkle to the tree. You can see videos on my Instagram and tell how much they sparkle. 

We ordered two sizes of styrofoam balls. Mollie likes to do the smaller ones but I like the large ones even if they take a while to finish.

We ordered a lot of different pin options and even some fancy thumbtacks. 

We used a ton of these clear pins. I ordered two or three bags of them. They are probably the quickest and easiest to use. I also bought a variety of pins with ball tops in pink and pearl colors. We chose a color scheme of pink, red, white, gold and silver so we kept all of our supplies limited to that but you can get pins and sequins in every color imaginable. We found some of our ball top pins at Wal Mart and ordered pearl pins. 

You have to pay attention to the length of your pins. The large balls can handle longer pins but the smaller styrofoam balls do better with shorter pins. 

I ordered the pins below in silver and gold. You can use a lot of pins on a single ornament. I used a whole bag of the sequin pins plus a few more on one of my large ornaments. It is surprising how many sequins and pins it takes! 

I found the fancy thumbtacks at Wal Mart. They were about $4.00 for the jar and we used them as accents on a couple of balls. They were a fun touch but they are heavy. I dipped the pin part in a little white glue before putting it in the styrofoam ball and that has held them in. 

You can find sequins a lot of places. We ordered from Amazon. Our red ones here, the pretty pink ones, a great multi pack  that has us thinking about other color combos, and we used a lot of these iridescent white ones. You need more than you think - remember one of my large 4" ornaments has over 500 sequins on it!

We decided to put our supplies in muffin tins to make it easier. Sequins tend to get everywhere otherwise. It was a great system because you can rest the ball you are working on in an empty spot. This makes for a portable work station too. 

Once you have your supplies all set you simply start putting sequin and pin combos onto your blank ornament. We worked pretty organically. I tend to start on the middle of the large ball along the faint seam line but a couple I started by randomly placing designs all over the ball and then filling in around them with sequins. Mollie also used different techniques depending on the design she wanted. There is some room for creative adjustments - sometimes a pattern doesn't work out perfectly so you have to wiggle things a little. It didn't matter to us - we were having fun and just seeing what happened. 

The one thing I did have to figure out was how to hang them securely. Some vintage ornaments have ribbon wrapped around the ball and looped into a hanger. We did one trial ornament with ribbon and didn't like the ribbon colors with our sequins. We decided to sequin the entire ornament and figure something out. I like to hang ornaments from fishing line because its practically invisible and the ornaments can move a little and sparkle more. 

I tried using one of the sequin pins to hold the fishing line but it wasn't secure enough. I thought about a needle because it can be threaded with the fishing line and then pushed securely into the ornament because of the length. You can just barely see the needle "hanging loop" on the ornament above. It worked perfectly! I bought the needles below in a variety of lengths to fit our ornament size. 

(Don't worry-  I fixed the knot after I took these pictures!)

We love how the colors we chose turned out and how sparkly they look on our new flocked tree. 

Be sure to let me know if you make any sequin ornaments!

July 1

 July 1. Dappled light.

The dappled light is so pretty in the backyard and gives us relief from the hot summer sun. The amount of shade we have makes growing certain things more difficult - tomatoes are a challenge. But I have learned to appreciate so many variations of cooling greens as the backyard became more and more of a shade garden. I think I enjoy subtlety so much more  now than I used to. You have to slow down and look closely to appreciate the minor variations but it feels like a metaphor for life as I age. It is the little things that catch my eye and appreciation. I'm also more open to working with the things I have - like this old shed - and appreciating the things it does do even if it's not a fabulous, charming garden folly. Gardening definitely gives one perspective. 

Garden Folly - WIP

For years I have loved greenhouses, large and small, made from reclaimed windows. It seemed like the perfect combination of repurposing and gardening - two of my favorite things!

There are tons of images and DIY all over Pinterest and other online resources. About a month ago someone local posted that they had dozens of single pane windows that they needed to give away by the weekend. I decided this was the motivator I needed to give one of these recycled window projects a try. 

I messaged that I was going to come get some, grabbed my gloves and went to get them. I knew I needed six but grabbed one extra just in case. She had so many and there wasn't anyone coming to get them at that point so I decided having one extra "juts in case" was a good idea. 

I bought a variety of hinges at the hardware store and a few L- brackets and started figuring out exactly how to cobble the windows together. They are old, not square and somewhat worn. You have to be willing to make allowances for this but that's what I think gives the whole project charm. 

You can see that the windows are very old and chippy and I had to add a few extra pieces to brace the roof and door. I'm going to see if I can "age" the new hardware a little. 

This is a work in progress and I'm excited to update you soon about the hardware and how it is styled for spring.

Chartreuse is Having a Moment

From the runways to the bedroom, we will be seeing this zesty green hue everywhere in 2024. "Chartreuse is a bold, energizing color..."  - House Beautiful

I couldn't resist this beautiful plant the other day because of its amazing chartreuse color. I started thinking about the color and how much I'm currently noticing it in beautifully designed rooms.

What do you think? I personally love chartreuse as an accent color. I think it makes other colors seem more crisp and vibrant.  The color was named after a French liqueur called “chartreuse” which has a greenish-yellow hue. The liqueur was first produced in 1605 by the Carthusian monks of France. So while chartreuse is having a "moment" it has been around a long time and gone in and out a favor in design many times. 

I agree it is a bold choice but just a touch can really give a room some pep. I think it works just as well in winter as it does during the spring and summer.

I have a large chartreuse velvet pillow on our garden room daybed. One of the things I like best about chartreuse? It plays well with Le Tigre - actually with all animal prints!

Pillow covers or a throw blanket tossed on your couch is an easy and inexpensive way to add the zing of chartreuse to your room.

I already have a velvet throw that I love to add to the end of a couch or use on the daybed but this throw is really tempting me.  Such an easy way to add a touch of chartreuse and everyone loves a cozy throw blanket. 

If you are thinking about adding a touch of chartreuse with throw pillows I think lumbar pillows can be a great way to go. You simply add them in front of throw pillows you already have and use. A pair of lumbar pillow covers for under $15.00 is a great way to try a new color and see how you like it. 

A quick, easy and inexpensive way to add a touch of chartreuse to any space would be to spray paint something. This is my favorite chartreuse spray paint! It could be something you find at the thrift store or something you already have - a candlestick, wooden tray, a lamp base or a basket to toss magazines or tv remotes into. . 

Check out these fun lamps. They are available online but you could definitely get this look with thrifted lamps and a can of spray paint!

Another one of my decor favorites that looks great with chartreuse is blue and white chinoiserie! A very "safe" way to give the bold chartreuse a try is to use some taper candles on the dinner table set with your blue and white dishes!

What do you think? Are you ready to give chartreuse a try? 

When You Don't get Much Snow...

We don't get much snow in the Deep South. I do love a surprise snow and a day off from our regular activities (we just stay home because we really aren't equipped to deal with much snow or ice!) Even when we get a snow day we don't usually have enough to build a snowman so I decided to create one from some moss spheres that I had. Everything looks so empty when the Christmas decorations come down and this helps to fill the void. 

I started with a blue and white planter that I had. Any planter, even a terra cotta pot, will work. You just want something that your largest moss sphere sits on easily. I put a piece of floral foam in the pot and then wedged some used packaging materials that I had to secure it. 

Next I pushed a metal stake I had on hand into the floral foam. I happened to have this piece from the garden center but you could use a dowel rod or a bamboo stake. I chose to slide my spheres on the rod without using any glue because I wanted to be able to use my moss spheres in other ways in the future. 

Then I  added the remaining spheres. You could do this in a smaller version as well - simply adjust the sizes of your spheres and use smaller planters or pots. You could vary the sizes and make a grouping or create some small ones as gifts. 

I found a wicker top hat ornament at Christmas and I knew it would work perfectly for my moss snowman and work with my style. I removed the ribbon and berries and then just perched it on top of the top moss sphere. I made sure my metal rod stuck up at the top just enough to hold the hat. 

If you can't find a little top hat you could easily create one by covering a small paper cup and a cardboard circle with sheet moss or use clay pot and saucer glued together. I'm thinking about making a smaller version, placing it in a clay pot and creating a clay pot "top hat" for it. 

You could also add twig arms, glue on buttons or small pebbles for the face. You could get very creative. 

I only added a green bow and kept things simple because I will pull it apart and use the moss spheres for other things.

If you don't have supplies on hand they are easy to find at craft stores and on Amazon.

The following are what I used or similar:

8" moss sphere

6" moss sphere

4" moss sphere

floral foam blocks

I thrifted my blue and white planter but you can use any base you like for this. 

I hope you get to build a snowman.

Thinking About "Ordinary"

 

It is Epiphany Sunday. I usually post* a picture of my big, vintage camel from an old store display but since Epiphany Sunday is sometimes called Three Kings Day I decided to share three thrifted wisemen. Whichever name you use for the day, Epiphany (officially yesterday) historically and by tradition, marks the end of the Christmas season. It is followed by what is known as ”ordinary time” in the church calendar. I’ve been thinking about the term ordinary a lot recently- really since late last fall. There have been so many posts recently on social media about New Years Resolutions and “word of the year” and grids of letters where the first four words you see are “your words” for the year. All good and positive things if you wish to participate but I have not done any of the above. My goal for 2024, after much thought about this, is to appreciate, enjoy, celebrate “ordinary” this year. We are bombarded by so many external stressors (the economy, politics, war, illness and more) that I just want to be glad, to be thankful when I get to do the ordinary. I know that could be different for each person but I want to find daily joy in some basic, ordinary, every day type of thing in each day - even if difficult things try to overshadow it. When did “ordinary” become a negative thing? I’m not going on the trip of a lifetime, doing major home renovations or anything over the top (that I know of!) to share on social media this year. But I am going to celebrate my every day ordinary because somewhere there is someone who would like to have “ordinary” happening in their lives and it isn’t. I hope you’ll join me in welcoming and celebrating “ordinary” this year.

*I originally posted these thoughts on Instagram but decided that I also wanted it to mark the beginning of the new year on the blog. 

A Wardian Case for Christmas

Thank you if you have wandered over from my Instagram post about my little Christmas scene in my terrarium on a stand. I have had so much fun creating it and I have learned so much about Wardian Cases - they are fascinating.

I have always loved the vintage "terrariums" on stands but other than knowing they were popular in Victorian homes I didn't know much. 

When I first saw mine - and it is not a valuable, older one - I knew it had potential. I did not know that Wardian Cases changed the world. They revolutionized the movements of plants and changed botany forever. I just knew I wanted to put a glittery Christmas scene in mine. But once I began researching them a little I became fascinated. There are so many great articles by Harvard and Kew Gardens about the important work that was done using Wardian Cases to move plants. The first Wardian cases were pretty plain structures intended to transport plants but then the Victorians caught on to the idea and did their thing to make them more ornate. If you love plants I recommend both articles. 

I found mine on Facebook marketplace which is funny because I rarely ever look on there because I have had so many negative experience trying to buy and sell. I will go months without looking then give it a glance. This experience was about par for the course, but I persevered and ended up with my plant stand. After multiple conversations where she assured me it had all of it's 'glass' intact and that it was vintage I arrived to find that all of the glass was missing and had been poorly replaced with plexiglass - and one of those was missing. But I'd spent a lot of time dealing with her in DM's and then driving there (plus I knew it had potential) so I loaded it up. 

I bought a large and fairly unattractive framed print at a yard sale and removed the glass (far more economical then buying glass.)  I cut glass pieces to replace the yellowed plexiglass and used the metal clips inside the frame to hold the glass. Worked perfectly and all I used was a $3 glass cutter from Amazon! The clips were made for glass (not plexi) so it holds them securely. 

I accidentally deleted the listing picture but the mottled finish wasn't great so I gave everything a coat of flat black paint. Many of the older vintage ones have cases that are black or dark green.

Now I could get on with the fun part. I had found a little wooden house that was similar in style to ours.

 I "bricked" it with a little rectangle of sponge and some paint. I was inspired by glittery putz houses so after painting the house and a couple of wooden trees from the Target Dollar Spot I gave it all a coat of extra fine glitter. I love the sparkle. I gathered up some bottle brush trees, quilt batting and some decorative items like pipe cleaners, beaded garland and battery operated lights. 

This was definitely the fun part. Anything goes - glitter, sparkles, fake snow! 

I cut a board to fit inside the bottom of my Wardian Case so I could glue the batting "snow" down and get everything placed just like I wanted it. You could arrange it right in your case but I wanted to secure my little items so that they wouldn't fall over if it got bumped. I made some snowmen from airdry clay and a little front walk from aquarium gravel. This is definitely one of those projects where you could keep adding charming little touches - it's hard to stop. It is so much fun. 

In case you are thinking "I cannot wait to find a Wardian Case" there are some reasonably priced new ones on Amazon. Of course there are some fabulous vintage ones on sites like Chairish and 1stDibs too! As always, check thrift stores and online auctions, estate sales, etc.