We’re so excited to introduce you to Wendy Monaghan. She’s an Interior Decorator, mom and our latest guest blogger for a new monthly “Let’s Decorate” blog, offering tips and tricks to keep any family home organized and beautiful. We hope you enjoy her first blog which includes two very cool decorating projects just in time for the holidays!
The Christmas season is upon is and the festivities are in full swing. The first thing that most of us do at this time of year to get us in the spirit and make it really feel like Christmas is decorating our home. We pull out our old favourites, spruce them up with some new finds and make our home sparkle for all the fun ahead.
If your house is anything like mine, Christmas is the most anticipated time of the year. For my two girls, because they can’t wait for Santa, and for Mama, because I can’t wait for the decorating! I love to primp the house and deck the halls with all of my lovely holiday decor and new ideas that have been brewing all year. Just as everything is coming together and I’ve put the last nutcracker in his perfect home for this year, I get the flood of Christmas crafts that the kiddies bring home to display. They are so proud of their handiwork, but it sure throws a wrench in my decor. So over the years I’ve had to get creative and find ways to fit the crafts into my Christmas decorating plans. Here are a couple of ideas that I hope will help you create stylish AND kid-friendly holiday decor in your home.
A Garland of Art: This is a twist on garland, and it’s my new favourite. Draped over a door way, I’ve created little “frames” to display ornaments, crafts and paintings. Each item gets its own frame. Fill it all in one year or save the best from year to year, or update them all every year. Anyway you do it, the kiddies will be bursting with pride to see their work highlighted as a centerpiece in the house, and I think it looks pretty great!
You’ll need:
– Ribbon (length depends on where you will hang it in your home)
– Card stock in colours that co-ordinate with your Christmas colour scheme, I used a red, a blue/green and a sparkly blue/green, (plus plain white as backers)
– Co-ordinating gift wrap to use as the background of the frames
– Scotch tape, double sided tape and a glue gun!
Directions:
1. Cut the 12”x12” card stock in quarters to create four 6”x6” squares, then cut the center out to make frames
2. Use a white cardstock cut a slightly smaller square (about 5”x5”) than the frames, then use the double sided tape and cover the cardstock with the gift wrap. This is the background for your frame.
3. Use the scotch tape and stick the gift wrap backer to the back of the frame.
4. Repeat this process until you have as many frames as you’d like. I made some of mine circles to mix it up a little.
5. Once you have all the frames made, lay them out in an order that you like and begin gluing. Use a dab of hot glue to stick each frame to the ribbon. Repeat until you’ve used all the frames. I found it easier to hang the ribbon before gluing, as it was easier to space the frames evenly this way.
6. Hang the frame garland over a door way, drape it on the stairs, or anywhere you’d like in your house.
7. The last and most important step is to gather the kids and have them help filling the frames with their beautiful artwork and crafts!
A Serving of Art: This is a great project for the kids at Christmas – making a personalized serving tray with their art. It’s even more wonderful when your kids are old enough to carry the tray of treats to your guests. They get to play hostess (which my girls adore) and show off their art at the same time! It’s so simple.
Here’s how you do it:
1. Find a tray that you already have, or buy a new one, and a piece of glass that fits in the bottom. You can have the glass cut, or do what I did and buy an inexpensive picture frame, toss the frame and keep the glass (keep the matting too – you may want to use it)
2. Find one favourite piece of art, as I’ve done, or create a collage of smaller pieces.
3. On the tray, lay the art, then the matting (if you’re using it), then the glass.
4. I’ve added a row of pinecones on each side as well to add an extra Christmas touch.
Voila!! You’re done. You can keep the same art all Christmas, or help the kids switch it up many times throughout the holidays.
Have fun with these projects and many more that you might imagine to create a chic kids Christmas display. I wish you a very Merry Christmas filled with love, laughs, and style!
Wendy Monaghan, Interior Decorator and owner of Link Interiors, creates homes where life and style co-exist with flare. She believes that a functional space allows families to have more quality time together and that children and all of their stuff can live in a beautiful home. She is the mother of 2 fabulous HRM girls, aged 7 & 4. For more information or to contact Wendy, visit her website, www.linkinteriors.ca
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