Make Ornament Place Card Holders

I have been eyeing the ornament place card holders that so many bloggers have used in their tablescapes, but just four of them were $20.  Procrastination has paid off.  Last week on the Today Show they demonstrated how to make them.  Here's how it is done.

Supplies:
Old glass ornaments (that you don't care to use on your tree)
glass ornaments you want to use for place card holders
hot glue gun
popsicle stick

• First, take the old glass ornament you don't care for and remove the hanging hook.

 

• Take the hook and put it together with the hook from the ornament you want to make a place card holder out of.   NOTE: The tops of the ornaments need to be almost the same size or this will not work.  All hooks are not the same size and they don't always fit into the ornament of choice.
  

•   Place both hooks into the desired ornament.

 

• Next, take desired ornament and cover the bottom with hot glue.  This should make a base, so the ornament can sit upright.

 

• If you need to smooth the bottom with a popsicle stick while the glue is still hot.  This should give you the base you desire.
  

 

The ornament will stand on it's own and you have created a place card holder!  Enjoy it on your tablescape.  Sunday night HGTV will air Christmas at the White House, check your local listings.  I love seeing how they decorate every year.

Weekend Project: Recycle a Candle Jar

Supplies needed:  

leftover candle jar

spray paint in metallic finish, gold or silver

school glue

glitter in coordinating color to your paint

clear acrylic sealer in matte

I had a candle jar left over from fall that I thought I would recycle for a holiday table.  I am not the first person to try this, but it saves a glass jar from going in a landfill.

• Take a leftover candle jar and completely remove the label.

•  Then take a can of silver/gold spray paint and give it a light coat.  Let it dry according to directions.

 

• Spray only the exterior of the jar not the interior.  
• Then use school glue and cover the entire surface of the jar lightly. 
• Next, sprinkle the entire exterior surface of the jar with glitter. 

 

• Let the jar dry throughly.  
• The final step is to lightly apply a clear acrylic sealer (matte) all over the exterior of the jar.  Allow that to dry according to directions. 

 

 I lit my jar with three tea light candles and placed it in a tablescape.  So, very inexpensively you can add a nice glow to our holiday table.

Weekend Project: Hang a Garland

On the weekends I will post a weekend project post.  It will probably be easier than you ever thought to make an impact to the entrance to a public space in your home.  The living room space is a place for everyone to gather in, especially over the holidays.  In this photo I am showing a ready made garland I bought at a home improvement store.  I hung it over my living room's entrance with 3M's Command Adhesive Decorating Clips.  You can hang a garland with the clips I used or with the smaller clips they make you can hang a string of lights.  It is really simple, just clean the wall surface, apply the adhesive strip, apply the hook as directed, and wait one hour.  The packaging on the hook does not recommend using the hooks on delicate wallpaper.

    One tip:  If you are hanging against trim; as I did to hang this garland, you need to put the adhesive strip upside down so you can pull it away from the trim to remove it.  Otherwise removal may damage the walls.  You can't pull the adhesive strip at an angle to remove, you have to be able to pull it straight up or down.

Happy decorating!