Make a Holiday Wreath in Minutes for a Red + Aqua Kitchen

I know that there are a few people out there just itching to add some red accents to my aqua kitchen.  Any time it's suggested that I add a pop of red I demur, but when I started brainstorming ideas for Canadian Tire, I decided I'd use this opportunity to add a little bit of red, just for fun - just for you!



My grandma is a serious crafter (I just helped her with a craft show on the weekend and there's only about a hundred more this season).  She makes many different things, including beautiful wreaths.  In a strange coincidence, she gifted me one before my partnership with Canadian Tire commenced, and it's made entirely from supplies purchased at Canadian Tire last year.  It features prominently in a post later this week - I'll be sure to point it out.  She makes her wreaths from scratch: buying a metal frame and attaching each sprig of greenery with wire.  Here's the back of another one she made:

It's time consuming and labor intensive, so when I saw that the CANVAS line included beautiful, modern greenery wreaths - calling out for a little personalization - I decided that I had to have one for the kitchen.  I added a few sprigs of cranberry (for that pop of red!) to the square laurel wreath.  I thought it made a festive place-holder for that spot next to the window that sorely needs some art. This is the cheater version of making a quick and easy holiday wreath - seriously, it takes minutes!

I turned one long CANVAS sprig into three smaller ones by simply removing the floral tape, but that's pretty much the only prep work.  I just attached my sprigs with hot glue, lifting up some of the faux foliage and affixing the sprigs directly to the wreath base so the leaves hide the glue.  We all know hot glue isn't always permanent, so it's simple enough to remove these sprigs and re-use the square laurel wreath with completely different accent colours next year!

The tea towel, made in Finland, is something I put out during the holidays, along with the little felted wool joulupkkis I've had forever (you can spot them in this really old blog post).  My Mom bought them for us at a local shop, but I just recently saw the same kind (made in Sweden) at Winner's.  I moved the red Iittala bird from the credenza and then cheated by snagging the little Arabia strawberry pot from the Etsy shop.  It was hard finding red accents around the house but I did it!!  There is RED in my aqua kitchen.

You like?

Click the link to see the rest of my modern holiday decorating ideas!

If you're looking for ways to add some red (or red and aqua) holiday decor to your home, here are a few fun ideas:

• Red and aqua felted garland
• Red and white striped tea towels
• Red Iittala Toikka bird
• Red  and aqua modern Advent banner
• Red and aqua holiday wrapping paper

Unique Ideas for Displaying Ornaments - Alternatives to the Traditional Christmas Tree

This post is all about unique ideas for displaying ornaments and I have two cute ideas: using a rustic ladder for a casual ornament display and framing beautiful ornaments as holiday wall art.

When my friends at Canadian Tire saw the colossal, rustic ladder I dragged into the lakehouse like a Morlock, they were inquisitive about where it came from:

"Antique shop?"
"Nope". 
"Thrift store?"  
"Nope".
"Family heirloom?"
"Nope."
"Okay, we give up."
"I found it stuffed under a building on my property (duh)."

It seemed totally normal to me to find random odds and sods, here and there on the property.  My mother-in-law bought a rural place with an out-building packed full of dozens of men's suits, so a ladder is kind of a run-of-the-mill find.  But the weathered wood was especially beautiful, so I heaved it inside for some holiday decorating.  I've seen rustic ladders used for everything from magazine holders to a place to stash blankets.  I decided my rustic would make the perfect display piece for some pretty ornaments.  The ladder ended up in the videos I'll be sharing next week, and it looked so good on film.

If you can't find one under a building near you, you can easily find rustic-looking display ladders online, in varying heights and price points - like this beauty!

Holiday Decorating Idea:  Use a Weathered Ladder to Display Ornaments

The execution of this idea took seconds: with the rustic display ladder placed firmly against the wall (you might want to consider securing with string and removable 3M wall hooks if there are kiddos and pups in the house), I just tied on various ornaments with sparkly teal ribbon.  If I did this again, I'd really pack it full of ornaments but I wanted a spare, minimalist vibe.  

Although Hubs and I referred to the ladder as "the janky ladder" (not sure why it needed such a specific name, when it was the only ladder we had propped up inside), I grew to love this thing.  I liked the contrast of the sparkling ornaments and ribbon against the weathered wood, but, if I'm being honest, I grew pretty smitten with this ladder on its own.  What is happening to me?!?  I'm starting to really fall for weathered wood.  Is there something in the water here?  Someone help me - stage an intervention because every other string of words that comes out of my mouth seems to include "weathered wood," or "driftwood look" - discussed favorably, without fail.

Yup, the ladder stayed propped up long after the holiday stuff was packed up.  How cute would this be for storing blankets and magazines within arm's reach?  Here's are some of my favorite rustic ladders (made with genuine reclaimed wood) from Amazon: 4 ft Tall Authentic Barnwood Ladder (has a great weathered brown patina), this 4 ft Rustic Barnwood Ladder (which has a lovely light and airy patina), this taller 6 ft Decorative Ladder with Genuine Reclaimed Wood (it makes a great statement), or, for smaller space, this cute 3 ft Reclaimed Barnwood Ladder. 

Holiday Decorating Idea:  How to Create "Framed" Ornaments


Eager for more places to display ornaments, I also painted some thrift store frames and, using ribbon and a staple gun, created glittering works of "art" using sparkly ornaments. 

Before

To attach the ornaments (and to affix the ribbon from which the frame hung), I just used my trusty staple gun.  I used 3M removable hooks to hang the frames on the wall temporarily, and created little bows to hide the hooks (you can buy pre-made bows if you're pressed for time).  This was a seriously easy DIY holiday project.

With a Bow...

Without a Bow...

The result was really fun and festive.  My one suggestion: really large ornaments protrude from the wall a little too much (unless they're hung in really thick, deep frames), so petite ornaments - like these small glass acorns - are best.

Here's a better shot of everything, including the ladder - what a giant, right?  It got me thinking that, one day, building a really tall book case with a rolling ladder would be oodles of fun.  Until I have to dust it. 

This post was sponsored by Canadian Tire.  I'm seriously having a ton of fun sharing these DIY projects with you and I hope you've been enjoying this steady stream of non-traditional holiday projects.  Click here to see the rest of my DIY projects created with Canadian Tire - there is not a single evergreen tree among them!   

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Modest Nest

Just a quick note today: I wanted to tell you about my friend Melissa's new shop, Modest Nest.  This isn't a sponsored post - I just figure that if you enjoy reading my blog, you're probably a fan of vintage and Melissa just stocked her shop with a huge assortment of vintage dead-stock jewellery (at insanely good prices).  She's such a sweet person and I'm so excited for her that she's adding "shop owner" to her already impressive resume (she's also an incredibly talented photographer).  She's offering Dans le Lakehouse readers a free gift with purchase (while supplies last), so if something strikes your fancy be sure to include the word "LAKEHOUSE" in the comments at check-out.  Plus, if you follow Modest Nest on Instagram, she's got an extra coupon code there too. 

I've got some favorites that I think are super chic (like the gold ring, maple leaf studs and leopard lucite cuff, pictured below), but she's also got some really youthful styles (think: rainbows, kitties, and E.T.) that might make cute stocking stuffers for the littles on your shopping list this season.

Thanks for letting me chat up my friend's shop!  Would you mind just wishing her "good luck" on Instagram if you have a moment?  It's always so nerve-wracking trying something new and putting yourself out there, so I'm sure she'd appreciate any words of encouragement.

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How to Hang Christmas Ornaments in a Window - NO Damage

Looking for new ways to display ornaments around the house?  Living in a small apartment or house with no room for a tree, but craving some festive sparkle?  Why not try hanging ornaments in front of a window!  When the sun catches these gleaming beauties, it's like the whole window glows.  Here's how to hang ornaments in front of a window without causing any damage.

Supplies:

• Tension rod
• Thread (this silver thread is pretty!)
• Plastic holiday ornaments (these are cute)

Once you see my "secret" supply (the tension rod!), the idea is so simple that it doesn't need much of a tutorial, but I've outlined some steps - and useful tips - below.

How to hang ornaments in front of a window:

• Purchase an inexpensive tension rod to fit your window and place it inside your window frame
• Attach a length of thread to each ornament, in varying lengths for visual interest
• Tie a knot in the thread and set aside
• When all ornaments have been threaded, loop the thread over the rod and bring the ornament back through it
• Hang the ornaments at different heights

I temporarily removed the screen, which I do in the winter anyway because I hate the look.  I've never had a window in the kitchen before and I like to look at our view, which is such a novelty for me still.  In the summer (aka "bug season"), I gloomily pop the screen back in. 

The result is really cheery.  Although I initially intended on using glass ornaments (the glittering and gleaming was intense when the sun shone), I started dropping them left and right and quickly switched to plastic.  With plastic, I can even safely open the window.

If you missed it, here's the info on my partnership with Canadian Tire.  Along with four talented bloggers (including Jillian Harris!), I put together some neat ideas for holiday decorating, using items from the new CANVAS line from Canadian Tire.

This post is sponsored by Canadian Tire, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.   

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DIY LED "Celebrate" Plywood Sign

I'm so excited that I can finally begin sharing the DIY holiday projects I worked on with Canadian Tire!  Even though I haven't celebrated Christmas in many years, getting free rein to create some creative DIY holiday ideas was an opportunity I couldn't turn down.  Over the years, some folks who also don't celebrate Christmas have thanked me, not only for sharing my thoughts, but also for not filling their inboxes with Christmas-themed blog posts.  So I thought long and hard about this opportunity but ultimately I said yes because the Canadian Tire team didn't necessarily want full-on "Christmas" from contributors; they wanted fresh ideas and encouraged creative, personal (even a little off-beat) projects.  I think that my Christmas-celebrating readers will enjoy (finally) seeing a few holiday-themed posts from me, but for those who don't celebrate Christmas, you'll be relieved that a lot of my projects are really just wintry and party-friendly (and, most importantly, still 100% me).  I've always loved the glittery parts of the holidays (evidenced by the fact that I've made and sold Christmas ornaments for many years so this was an incredibly fun and nostalgic experience for me. 

Check out the fabulous group of Canadian bloggers involved: Jillian Harris (Jillian Harris Design), Sarah Gunn (Yummy Mummy Club), Kerri Roche (A Pop of Pretty), and Jo-Anna Rooney (A Pretty Life in the Suburbs).

Let's get to my first project DIY holiday project: an LED plywood sign that spells out the word "celebrate":



I'd spotted light up signs floating around the web, and really wanted to try one for myself.  I love how it turned out and I especially like that it's versatile and could be used for any festivity.  I could have used the words "Be Cool" (my second choice) and just kept it up for winter parties (or in my office as a helpful reminder).  See how un-Christmassy my Christmas projects are?  I promise I'm the same old me (just with a ton of glitter stuck in the seams of my hardwood floors).

LED Sign Supplies:

• One package of LED flexible mesh tube lights (if you don't have a Canadian Tire store, these ones I find online could work)
• 3/4" Plywood
• Finishing nails
• Hammer
• Drill
• 3/8" spade drill bit and 1/2" spade drill bit
• Staples and staple gun
• Printer, paper, scissors
• Grey stain (optional)
• Sandpaper (optional)

How to Make an LED Sign:

I used a piece of plywood left over from another project that was already the perfect size - you can cut this sign to any size.  I lightly sanded the surface smooth and applied a coat of grey stain.  I used the grey leftover from the credenza hack, and I like that it hides the finishing nails and staples a bit.  Alternatively, you could wait until the nails that will hold the tubing are in place and then prime/spray paint everything to make the nails nearly invisible. 

While the stain dried, I printed "Celebrate" in a large, loopy font (one letter per page), cut it out, and arranged the text on the plywood.  A cursive font makes this project much easier.  When I was happy with the placement (and checked that the word was level and didn't slope down to one side like my writing does), I taped it in place.

Keeping the paper in place, I hammered in some nails along the edges of the letters and started roughly placing the LED tube lighting.  It's so soft and so bendable that this was an easy task.  When there were enough nails to hold everything, I ripped up the paper - and a bunch of little pieces were left.  Oops.  I then removed the nails, removed the paper and quickly found the holes for the nails again.  I thought my method was a much more genius idea than tracing (no evidence left behind!) but I clearly didn't think it through all the way.  It took a few extra minutes this way, but still worked.

To thread the tubing to the back, and also to make the "t," we drilled small holes using the spade bits:

It was actually Hubby's idea to make a border, because we had so much left over tubing.  We shaped a wiggly, ric-rac inspired border (loose, relaxed shapes are much easier to create) that we held in place with staples.  The lights are battery operated and all of the extra tubing and the small battery pack were affixed to the back (but slightly to the side so it's easy to reach it to turn on/off the lights).    

It's really hard to photograph the sign lit up, but it looks so good at night!  Even during the day, it's easy to make out the lettering because I chose teal tubing which has a high enough contrast against the light grey.  You can mix up and personalize this project so easily and if you get bored of it, it's easy to remove and re-purpose the lights, and turn the plywood into something else.  I think I get bonus points for a holiday DIY that can quickly disassemble and morph into something else...

Thanks for letting me share!  This post was sponsored by Canadian Tire.  

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