Tuesday, November 13

a bit of holiday cheer...

whilst i was out and about last week i couldn't help but notice that 'christmas' was in the shops...and so i thought i would share with you, dear readers, a couple of ideas for 'handmade' door decorations...i'm not so good at the 'glitter and tinsel' side of decorating and have found that i prefer the more scandinavian style of things when it comes to my home, plus i love to see 'handmade' decorations, which add a personal touch to whatever 'holiday' you celebrate...

both of these ideas are pretty simple and require a few items along with some yarn.


first up is 'the wreath'...i got this idea when out and about christmas shopping with my mum last year. one of the shops had as part of it's window display, balls of yarn to represent snowballs. "how clever" i said to myself and then on my return home the little cogs in my brain started to turn. i decided to opt for a silver/blue/cream theme as that is what my yarn stash had to offer. all you will require is some yarn in your color choice, a wire coat hanger and a pair of knitting needles. get to work making different sized balls of yarn (kids are very good at this bit) and just secure the yarn with a few stitches into the ball.


next, open up the wire hanger and make a rough circle shape. then start to thread the balls onto the wire...(not suitable for kids as it takes a bit of 'wellie' to get the wire through the balls, so hands could get hurt). once you have filled the circle, then close the hanger up, (you will probably need the help of some handy pliers) and fold the hanger top over to make a loop. cover wire loop with a bit of yarn, stick in your needles and hey presto, you have a 'crafty' yarn wreath that lasts through winter, especially if your colors aren't too christmasy.


okay next up, is my 'door hanger' that i have made for this year, i was inspired to make it when i found these lovely door bells in our local World Market...i then proceeded to take the same idea of 'balls of yarn' and mix it with scraps of lace, buttons, some 'die cut' felt snowflakes and a garland of felt hearts from Ikea that i cut up...


you are going to make strands of different lengths and layer them in front of the bells. it is simply a case of mixing and threading items on to yarn...i chose quite a traditional color this time, but i think it is possible to have a load of fun with this one...i'm thinking you could attach baubles, knitted mittens, little toys, popcorn, dried oranges, cookies...the list goes on, just use items from around the house and your sewing corner...


at the top, to disguise the knot of yarn, i just sewed a simple bit of old lace...you can see the bells hanging out just below and i can't wait nearer Christmas to hang it on the door, be it my one here or the one at Mossy Shed and hear the bells jingle when the door is opened...


hope my instructions are clear, i'm not sure the 'tutorial' bit is my forte,
the pictures are pretty clear so you can get the idea from them without all my 'waffling'...

the sun is shining today so she's off to get tea towel pictures done for tomorrow ~ Tif

25 comments:

Lucykate Crafts... said...

those instructions are fine : )

that wreath idea is so cool!!, its looks really effective, love the colours too, they look like real snowballs.

Francesca said...

what a fantastic tutorial! they are amazing...so different and so pretty. i want to hi 5 you now!
x

Anonymous said...

These are fantastic! How fun!! Thank you for sharing these. :)

Kate said...

Love the door decorations!

Anonymous said...

i love that wreath ...great idea!

thanks for knitted dishcloth idea too!

xo laura

dottie angel said...

thanks for the 'tutorial' support...

P.S. Laura, i got the dish cloth idea from my lovely cyber pal Janet Clare...just so i make it clear ;)

Anonymous said...

thank you janet clare...
your dish cloths are also lovely!

:) laura

Anonymous said...

oh you have just decided my holiday decorations for this year for me. :) i looooove the colors you used. I'm crazy about creams and greys lately.

Jane said...

These are lovely. I like the idea of door wreaths all year round - well different ones for different seasons -and this would seem to be ideal, not just for Christmas, but for that season when snuggling up on the sofa begins.
Here in the UK wreaths are very definately a Christmas only thing but I remember lots of door wreaths about when I was in the States one September. A year round welcome - which I thought lovely.
I am just about to go out and make some dogwood hearts for a wedding. I wish the bride was an avid knitter - I could have nicked your idea!

Cowboys and Custard Mercantile said...

Hi Tif
What lovely classy decorations..
I am going to forward this to a friend who is has a wool fetish and knits to live or is it lives to knit??
I love the colour combinations you have used..
Thanks for the instructions too..
Michelex

debbie said...

my goodness Tif, you could be a real Blue Peter presenter! Just need an old washing up liquid bottle and some sticky back plastic!!! Yours are much lovelier ideas though ;-) Thank you for making Christmas look gorgeous and inspiring - I was beginning to lose hope and it's not even December yet!

Anonymous said...

They are gorgeous - I'm gawping here.Such a brilliant idea and youv'e done it so well -thanks for the inspiration!

Casey Maura said...

what a wonderfully clever idea!! I love seeing crafty bits and pieces integrated into holiday decor... the wreath is just so pretty! :)

Good Girls Studio said...

What a great idea! Now to scavenge my home to see if I can't find my inner Ms. Claus :)

~*Sarah*~ said...

ohhh dear, is that cute!

I'll deffinately be trying the wreath later. How...cute.

Anonymous said...

What a great idea, I love your colous too. I much prefer blues/whites/creams to the usual reds/greens.

Anonymous said...

They're both great ideas!

That wreath is really cool. My mom mentioned it to me today. She's a knitter and thought it was a great idea! {And I love that I don't have to know how to knit to make it. I might have to try that myself someday.}

Mandy @ Belle and Boo said...

what a beautiful wreath, truely unique, I might have to try and make one blue peter styley!

Penelope said...

Okay, I've been secretly hanging around here for a while now but I cannot resist posting a comment any longer- this is such a beautiful and simple idea! I'm looking for christmas decor ideas now and this hanging of bells and beautiful bits is perfect inspiration. Thank you- and thank you for such a lovely blog. &hearts

Linda said...

These are great. The images have been burned into my brain forever now.

Heidi said...

Thank you for the great wreath idea. I made one for my mom for Christmas and she loved it! (I posted it on my blog yesterday)

Cristina said...

wow! just amazing!

Melanie Egorin (melanie_egorin@yahoo.com) said...

I love the wreath. The perfect project to use up the last scraps from a stash blanket. It took less than an hour to complete. Can't wait to hang it on Nov 1- the official start of the holiday season here in Germany! (posted pictures on my Ravelry account)

Daily Craft said...

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Perlenkatze said...

After Christmas ist before Chrismas. Splendit ideas. :) Thank you for shareing .
GaBIE