DIY Network: Let’s Get This Holiday Season Startedddd

There’s all kinds of loving gratitude spiraling around us this holiday season. For fellow Americans celebrating Thanksgiving today, we hope your holiday is overflowing with hugs, stuffing, and pie.

Last Sunday evening, HGTV and DIY Network hosted a Holiday Pinning Party attended by so many of its on-air and online talent, popular designers, and, wait for it, ME, by formal invite. To participate, I finished a slew of brand new projects last week to contribute (think of it as me bringing a side of sweet potatoes at the Thanksgiving dinner table). The par-tay was great; it oozed awesomeness in the home decor arena, and spurred inspiration for seasonal design that can be appreciated my all. If you missed the live party, you can still see/browse/repin/comment, so join in on the fun right here.

It launched me into the holiday spirit, so today I’m featuring those new projects. Grab yourself a second piece of pie and enjoy.

Portland Cement Letters:

Take it from me, if you’re going to buy a set of alphabet cookie cutters, don’t let the kids see you doing it. They will be really, really sad when they find out that you’re not making ABC cookies and instead mixing up some dirty cement letters in the cold basement. That moment of disappointment aside, this little experiment turned out really great, and in a very merry way, and makes our entryway special this year. The project could take many different avenues, so I hope it spurs some great projects in your home for this season and throughout the rest of the year. My only complaint, if I can be totally honest, the font in this kit I found at JoAnn’s is a bit too comic sans for me – I still wish I had spent more time tracking down a different set. See the full tutorial (and the finished project) here!

The 5-Minute Wreath:

Crafty with portland cement, yes. Crafty with spray-on faux-snow? Never before in my life. That lack of experience didn’t hold me back from buying up my first can of it this year though, and I’m actually really surprised how much I like the effect given by fake snow. Check out this 5-minute wreath and then tell me what else you’re accustomed to using faux-snow on!

I get things hung and get things done:

When it comes to my fragile or sentimental ornaments, I’ve taken to really anchoring them to the pine branches as a preventative measure. The dog’s tail? It’s ridiculously waggy. Kid fingers? They’re known to curiously pull at and explore ornaments. Me? I’m just clumsy, and I often flail my arms as I scurry through the house which ends up being a hazard for even the delicate ornaments you purposely hang higher on the tree. In this post on DIY Network, I spell out the details of my little trick that keeps things put for the entire holiday season, so check it out and test it yourself this year.

And, just to suit all audiences, if holiday crafties aren’t your thing (or don’t settle with your turkey dinner the same way as a classic home improvement topic), check out this week’s bonus post to get a few ideas relating to installing custom shelves in your home.

Cheers!