I’m still decking the halls, or at least trying to. This has been such a frazzled holiday season for me. And like usual, I had all these hopes and expectations of what Christmas would look like in our new home. This is one of the first years that we haven’t had to travel for the holidays, so I had imaged all these wonderful memories being made in our new home. But, instead, it kind of doesn’t feel like Christmas at all. Ya sure, we have a tree. But, I’m just running from task to task and feeling like I’m actually not accomplishing anything at all. I had hoped to throw a big holiday open house – nope, that didn’t happen. I wanted to have all sorts of cookies baked by now – nope, just one dozen in the freezer. I was really wanting to spend some time making our new mantle look off-the-hook Christmasy – nope, it’s just a bunch of random things that really don’t go together. And I could complain some more, but I won’t. This morning I decided I can’t wish for the what-ifs and all the things that haven’t happened, instead I’m choosing JOY! I know the real reason for the season and I have a lot to be grateful for. I determined to make the most of what’s left of this Christmas season. Yes, I still have lots of work to do, but I’m just going to try to power through it the next couple of days and focus on all the good things in my life. And tonight, I’m going to bake some cookies, even if it’s at 2:00 AM. I don’t know, can you relate? I don’t want to be disappointed this Christmas, I want my family to have fun memories this year.

So, even though my to-do this is super long, and I really should be sanding floors or something more productive. I decided to take some time this weekend to make some modern wreaths to hang in our windows. And because it’s the holidays, a little gold is always a good idea. Last year, I friend and I made about a dozen wreaths similar to these with eucalyptus we foraged from our neighborhood. I’ve been wanting to make more this year, so I just did it and I’m super

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 16″ brass hoops
• Design Master Gold Medal Spray Paint
• Florist’s Wire
• Winter Greenery (I bought a $4.99 bunch from Trader Joes to make all three wreaths)
• Large Jingle Bells
• Wire snips or heavy duty scissors

Start by laying out branches to get a general idea of how you’d like the wreath to look. I kept mine all very sparse and kind of asymmetrical.

Begin wiring on the branches. Try to tuck the wire in under leaves and needles to hide it as you wrap up the branch.

Layer on more branches as needed.

Starting at the center point of the wreath and spray on a even thin coat of gold spray paint work out towards the ends of the branches. Leave the ends their natural green and feather out the paint so that there isn’t a harsh line where the gold paint ends.

Design Master paints are perfect for jobs like this. This paint goes on in even, light coats that can be layered. It also dries super fast.

Using a little more florist’s wire, wire on the jingle bells to cover the mess of visible wire in the center of the wreath.

Be sure to check out the some of the other fun DIYs I’ve created using Design Master Spray Paint – 3 Tiered Hanging Planter, DIY Modern Decorative Plates, DIY Faux Copper Vase, DIY Ombre Give Thanks Banner, Metallic Dipped Taper Candles, Dala Horse Salt Dough Ornaments, DIY Ombre Shoes and Laces and the Gold Dipped Yarn Hanging.

I buy my Design Master paints and my local Michaels. Design Master paints can paint the most delicate of surfaces, such as silk and fresh flowers, fabric, ribbon, tulle, lace, paper, foam board and Stryrofoam TO the sturdy hard surfaces such as wood, metal, masonry, terra cotta, ceramics and plaster. Design Master is a great resource for products and ideas.  Be sure to check out all the craft and project ideas on their blog.

This post is sponsored by Design Master, thank you for supporting the companies that help make this blog possible. 

So, if you follow me on instagram, I’ve mentioned that we are working on a really fun project. We are renovating a small apartment attached to our garage and making it into a really cool Guest House. It is just a one room studio with bathroom and a good sized closet. But, it’s going to be a really comfortable, stylish little guest house for our friends and family and also hopefully a little extra income as we will be listing it on Airbnb. I’ve partnered with one of my favorite companies, AllModern, to give this space a top notch look. I’m so excited about the details in this space – the lighting, furniture, fixtures, tile and accessories are OFF-THE-HOOK! (Stay tuned, I’ll be sharing the design plan with you very soon.) You guys, I think I might move out there when it’s finished. I’ll take Lonnie, but I think we’ll leave the kids in the main house (tee hee).

So, this has been a little bit of a “can of worms” situation, kind of like any old house renovation is. You get started thinking that this should be a totally doable project, and then after repairing termite damage to most of the floor joists and running all new water and plumbing lines, you are so deep into it that there is no turning back. I’m lucky to have a family that is very handy. My dad and brother Joash, who both helped us with our last house renovation, are the kind of experts that you need to know. Joash has actually been living with us for the last month and half and tirelessly repairing, replacing and rebuilding the space. We’ve loved having him around and he’s also very handy at picking up and dropping off 3 kids to 3 different schools (just saying). We will really never be able to repay him for all he has done. This is way over our DIY skill set. He’s done an amazing amount of structural work to this little space, and while it still looks very unfinished, we now know that it has a solid foundation and sturdy walls.

The bathroom plumbing had all been cut off, cement poured down, or removed many many years ago. So we hired a plumber to run new lines from the main house and install a new hot water heater. This was a pretty big chunk of change, but this much plumbing was definitely more then we could handle on our own.

This has been a big project, but I think it’s going to have a big pay off when we have a beautiful Guest House to welcome guests to. I hope you’ll follow along on the progress. (This is the messiest part of the process, pretty pictures to come.)

Do you have a small space that won’t allow for a full Christmas tree?  Or maybe you just want to add a little more Holiday cheer to another room in your house. This simple, but beautiful Modern Triangle Wall Christmas Tree might be a fun project for you. It’s make a big statement without taking up any floor space in your home.

With the right tools, a few supplies from the hardware store, foraged winter greens, some bright red berries and about an hour of your time, you’ll have a pretty new addition to your holiday decor. This easy-to make triangle frame can be disassembled and stored away neatly for future Christmases.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Red Berries (foraged or just ask your local florist)
• Winter Greenery (this is Leyland Cypress, or Cedar works well because it lays flat and it very pliable)
• 24 gauge Florist Wire
• PowerGear2 Fiskars Pruners, Fiskars Lopper (25″), and Fiskars Softgrip Micro-Tip Pruning Snip
• Saw
• Power Drill (with 1/4 bit)
• 3 #10-24 x 3/4 Brass Machine Screws, washers and nuts.
• Measuring Tape
• 1 1/2 inch width pine wood lattice (12 foot length)

Start by measuring the wood to 2 lengths of 40 inches and one at 27 inches. Cut the three pieces with a saw.

With a 1/4″ bit, drill holes on each end of the wood centered and 1/2 inch from the end.

Line up the corners of the triangle and fasten them together with the bolt, washer and nut.

Now it’s time to gather some greenery and berries.  Using my new PowerGear2 Fiskars Pruners and Fiskars Lopper (25″) I cut healthy green branches from my Cedar tree. These pruners are the best. They are easy to hold and cut through thick woody branches like butter.

Once you think you have enough greenery, trim off the woody ends and lay out the branches on the triangle frame to determine if you have enough.  This tree only took about 3 large branches from my tree.

Starting in one of the bottom corners, begin wiring on the branches, layering a generous amount on top of each other. Lay all the branches in the same direction.  Lay the 2 sides of the triangle with the branches pointing up.

This bright pop of red really makes this tree.  I got these berries from my local florist, they are called . Using the Fiskars Softgrip Micro-Tip Pruning Snip to trim off all the leaves so that I was just left with bunches of berries.  These sharp little snips are perfect for detail work like this.

As you can see, I really just added the berries kind of randomly.  I didn’t want it to look too uniform, I wanted it to look a little more organic.  So, every 5-6 inches, I wired in the berries along with the greenery, making sure to tuck the stems in behind the greenery.

To make things a little easier, work with shorter pieces (about 1 yard) of wire at a time and join the piece together by simply twisting the ends together.

And that’s it!  So easy right?  These greens and berries should last at least 2-3 weeks, kind of like any other fresh wreath or garland. The cooler it is, the longer it will last. They will dry out some, but it will still be a pretty.

Because this is so light weight, you only need a small picture hanger or even just a 3M Command Strip if you don’t want to make a hole in the wall.

When Christmas is over, simply cut the wire and remove all the greenery and berries. Unfasten the bolts and store the three sides of the triangle away till next year. I love a project that can be used over and over.

This post is sponsored by Fiskars, thank you for supporting the companies that help make this blog possible. 

Hey, and if you like today’s post, be sure to also check out this gorgeous Summer Floral Arrangement and this Scandinavian Wooden Bead Icicle Garland I created in collaboration with Fiskars.