Monday, December 15, 2025

Holiday Decorations I Always Buy Secondhand

 


Photo source:  Martha Stewart

If you are not a thrift shopper, you may be lost when you go shopping in a secondhand shop.  No problem, take the advise of a professional thrift shopper and shop for your Christmas decorations like a pro.

Thrift shopping has always been one of my favorite things to do.  There is nothing like the feeling you get when you find a super bargain.

Click here to go to the article from Martha Stewart.com.



Sunday, December 14, 2025

Real Touch Evergreens are the Upgrade You Didn’t Know Your Christmas Décor Needed

 


Photo source: Holiday Magic Hub

"They look so good, all decked out with Christmas lights and candles tucked in among them. I found one garland that even had real pinecones in it, making it look even more realistic." - Comment from Holiday Magic Hub

Whether they are real or fake, they are so festive and beautiful.  Great Christmas decor idea!

Click here to go to the article page.  You must check out the website if you love Christmas!



Saturday, December 13, 2025

Ways to Make Outdated Wood Cabinets Look More Modern

 


Photo source:  Martha Stewart

"Natural wood cabinets were popular for decades before falling out of favor as all-white kitchens became desirable due to minimalist design trends. But replacing outdated wood cabinetry is an expensive and costly project that not everyone has the time or budget for. Luckily, there are many ways to refresh wood cabinets without ripping them out." - comment about outdated cabinets from Martha Stewart.com.

It occurs to me that in all the years I have lived in my house, I can't tell you how many times I have repainted the kitchen cabinets.  Yes, you can make them look decent without spending a ton of money.

Click here to see what the people at Martha Stewart.com have come up with to remedy the situation.




Is It OK to Leave Your Christmas Tree Lights on All Night?

 


Photo Source: Real Simple

"The soft glow of holiday twinklies delivers some of the coziest vibes imaginable. It’s tempting to just go to bed without flipping off the switch on your Christmas tree or strands of garland, and sometimes you may even accidentally forget to do so. But is it safe to leave indoor holiday lights on overnight, or is it considered a fire hazard? We went to safety experts for the final word." comment about the article from Real Simple.

It sure is pretty!  Good question I always used to wonder about when I put up a Christmas tree and sometimes I left them on and sometimes not.  It just depended on my mood!

Click here to find out what the experts have to say.



Friday, December 12, 2025

Unique Christmas Tree Ideas for Every Decorating Style

 


Photo source: Real Simple


"Christmas tree decorating is more than just knowing 
how to put lights on and digging into the assortment of decorations from years past. Your Christmas tree decorations help set a tone and give you holiday decorating ideas for the rest of your space." - comment about article from Real Simple.

This article will surely give you Christmas inspiration, even if a little bizarre.  But everyone has their individual creative inspirations and even the most bizarre will give you some type of inspiration.  Maybe like . . . don't do it!!  Anyway, lots of inspiration for your consideration, just add your creativity to make it yours.

Click here to go to the article and be inspired.





Thursday, December 11, 2025

The Secret to a Stunning Christmas Tree, According to a Macy’s Designer

 


Photo source:  Real Simple

"Whether you're hosting guests for the holidays or just trying to perfect the art of Christmas tree decorating for your own holiday cheer—we have some tips to help guide the way" . . . description of the article from Real Simple

This article has more than just a few guidelines.  It has a wealth of information and inspiration to help you create your own stunning Christmas tree in your style.

Click here to go to the article.



Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Easy DIY Placemat


Photo source: AppleGreen Cottage


Placemats and napkins make the kitchen table look so put together and cute.  When you make your own, you can customize them for holidays, make wild ones for crazy days or just color coordinate them to match your decor.

This DIY placemat is perfect for beginners.  Damjana Jakos, the content creator and owner of AppleGreen Cottage says this is probably the easiest DIY you can sew for your home.

Click here to go to the tutorial.






 

Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Alternative Christmas Tree Ideas

 


Great idea, especially if your budget does not include a Christmas tree and all the decorations that go with it.  When I moved into my first apartment, I was young and on a strict budget.  The alternative Christmas tree thing is what I did for a few years.  It can be very festive, very inexpensive and so cute.

The article comes from Good Housekeeping and some ideas are cute, but it is a good starting point to inspire you to put your own spin on it.

Click here to go to the article.


He may be gone, but I will still acknowledge and honor him.

Are Permanent Holiday Lights "Tacky" or Worth the Investment?

 


Holiday lights to me are magical.  Tacky is good for the holidays, but not so tacky on a permanent basis would be worth the investment in my opinion.  I see houses with subtle permanent holiday lights that are awesome looking.

House Beautiful has an article with the pros and cons of permanent holiday lights.  While I have not read the entire article, I think it is interesting from what I have read.

Click here to go to the article.



Monday, December 8, 2025

Christmas Tree Themes That'll Inspire You

 


Photo source:  House Beautful

"If you're in need of a little inspiration, we've curated a list of 30 Christmas tree theme ideas that are all so delightful, you'll be set for the next few years" from House Beautiful.

Click here to go to the article.  Some great ideas, some not so great, but a great article to be inspired.


Saturday, December 6, 2025

How To Make A Sunglasses Case

 


Photo Source: Beginner Sewing Projects

We always need a sunglasses or eye glass case.  This case looks quick and easy.  You can even use your fabric scraps by making a piece of fabric first.  Love this project!

Click here to go to the article from Beginner Sewing Projects.




Friday, December 5, 2025

Should You Bring A Gift To A Family Member Who’s Hosting The Holiday Meal?

 

Photo source: Southern Living

Regardless of what anyone else would suggest, I would always have a good supply of little food gifts on hand and take with me to any gathering.  The host or hostess, no matter what the relationship, would always appreciate something they could add to their appetizer or dessert table.  

Speaking of those little food gifts . . . I have and will be listing many items you can make at the beginning of the season to have on hand for gift giving of all kinds.  Whether someone comes to visit you and brings a gift or if you visit someone or you are invited to a holiday gathering.  Always have little gifts on hand for all these type of occasions.  Check out my food blog, Gina's Italian Kitchen.

Southern Living's article is about the question of whether you should bring a gift for a family member who is hosting the holiday meal.  The question should be for anyone in a number of situations.

Click here to go to the article.




Thursday, December 4, 2025

Unexpected Ways To Reuse Dryer Sheets Outside The Laundry Room

 


As much as we pay for stuff anymore, we should find more ways to use them.  The featured article surprised me with all the other uses for dryer sheets.

Check it out . . . click here for the article.




Wednesday, December 3, 2025

How to Make Fast and Easy Pincushions

 


The little pin cushions are so cute and look so easy to make.  I do a lot of hand stitching and I could use some of these.

Click here to go to the tutorial from SewCanShe.





Monday, December 1, 2025

DIY Small Pouch Sewing Pattern



Why not use your fabric scraps to sew some of these small pouches for gifts or for yourself.

You will find all kinds of uses for these little pouches and the featured article will give you many ideas.  

Apple Green Cottage has a tutorial for them . . . click here for the article. 





Tuesday, November 25, 2025

Most Popular Holiday Decorating Trends Of 2025

 


Maybe I'm old fashioned, but when I was decorating for the holidays, I decorated with old ornaments that went back to my childhood as well as new ones I had to buy every year.  The decorations were always little toys like a bear on a bicycle.

The article is from Southern Living and goes into everything that is on trend this year.  

I would be in trouble the way I used to decorate, but I've never really been a trendy person.  The one thing I really enjoyed was simmering oranges, cinnamon and cloves in the simmering pot.  Do they even sell simmering pots anymore?

Click here to go to the article and see what they think is trending this year.




Monday, November 24, 2025

Craft Room Organization

 

Photo Source:  In My Own Style


After going through this article, I am very encouraged to get my craft/sewing room under control.

The article from In My Own Style is fabulously detailed and provides lots of inspirational photos.

Click here to go to the page source that will motivate you to get that craft room organized.

Click here to get more inspiration from The Wonder Forest





Friday, November 21, 2025

Refashioned Flip Flops


Photo source:  Flamingo Toes


Being the classic hoarder that I am, there are a few boxes of old shoes that I have not had the heart to throw away.  

After seeing this post from Flamingo Toes, one of my favorite creative blogs, I have all kinds of ideas going through my head on what to do with these shoes . . . with some broken vintage jewelry, or how cool would they be made of denim!

It goes to show you, sometimes being a hoarder is not such a bad thing!

Click here to go to Bev's article that goes into great detail on how she refashioned a plain pair of flip flops.

Links to more refashioned flip flops:




MORE TO COME!






Thursday, November 20, 2025

DIY Drawstring 8-Pocket Jewelry Pouch

 

Photo source: Sew 4 Home

Perfect for those adventures away from home. Imagine how much you can store in this little pouch.

Liz Johnson of Sew 4 Home brings up detailed instructions with lots of photos to make it easy for us to make this cute little pouch yourself.

Click here for the project source page.





Monday, November 17, 2025

Creating Mosaics the Easy Way

 


Mosaic crafts are fun and creative.  You can create mosaic on all types of home projects, for example, tables, stepping stones, floors, walls, etc. 

Whatever the project, they are all created in basically the same manner.  But not Suzy at Suzys Sitcom website.  In the post I am featuring, she has created a mosaic on a lazy susan in a very unconventional manner.  The lazy susan is pictured above.  Suzy is so creatively amazing!

Click here to go to the amazing project.


A couple of years ago I wrote a post about mosaics that includes links to other mosaic project.  Click here to go there.

https://labelladiva.blogspot.com/search/label/mosaic%20table