A Simple and Inexpensive Christmas

 

PhotobucketHey friends!

Even though I am knee-deep into a kitchen renovation, I am feeling the need to talk about Christmas.

Since I cannot decorate for Christmas around my home, I thought I could do a little on my blog.

This year, like many of you, I am focusing on a Simple and Inexpensive Christmas.

I want my Christmas gifts, décor, and recipes to be simple.

And inexpensive!

So throughout the next two weeks, I will be sharing some simple and inexpensive ideas with you.

I also have some very special guest posters lined up to share with us, and you are going to love them!

 

To start us off, I thought I would post a little project that I did for a guest post about a month ago.

I really do love this project. 

It took me less than an hour to make and cost less than $4.00!

(I didn’t have to purchase all the supplies because I had some of them leftover from previous projects.)

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First of all, I bought this wooden plaque for 50 cents from Hobby Lobby.

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Then I spray painted the plaque with some Krylon Satin Dover White that I had left over from another project.  You could use any off white paint you may have at home.

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Then I hammered in some bronze upholstery tacks that I bought from Lowe’s for $1.30.  I  used less than two boxes.

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Nailing in the tacks takes some practice.  I had to draw a thin pencil line down the middle of the plaque to help me keep my lines straight.

The tacks are not perfectly lined up, but good enough. Smile

 

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I left a space at the bottom of the tree for my red ribbon.

Then I used my StazOn Ink (that I already had) and stamped “Blessings” at the bottom of the plaque.

I got the “Blessings” stamp a few weeks ago in the dollar bins at Michael’s.

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Next, I hot glued some jute string to the top of the plaque so I could hang it on a wall or tree, and I hot glued my red ribbon on.

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I loved the way it turned out, but it looked a little too “new” to me.  I love the look of old, vintage types of decorations.

So I used my sanding sponge and sanded down the edges of the plaque.

But since the plaque was pine, you couldn’t really see where I sanded it, and it didn’t have that vintage look I was after.

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So I used some Valspar Mocha glaze (that I have had for about two years!), and applied it to the sanded edges with a Q-tip and wiped it off with a paper towel.

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It made the plaque look soooo much better!

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That’s it!

I took it outside and hung it on a tree because the weather was gorgeous in KY that day!

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I love my sweet little plaque!

It is such a great reminder of all the blessings that Christmas holds.

 

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They have smaller plaques at Hobby Lobby if you would like to make a similar smaller ornament, or use it for a gift tag.  I thought you could even do a monogram plaque as a gift!

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I want to say a special thank you to Kristin for creating a cute little button for me!

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Didn’t she do a great job?

She has a website called Kristin’s Veranda.

On it, you will find links to her blog, her online store, her healthy recipes, and her community page.

Check it out! Smile

15 Comments

  1. Love this! Can’t wait to see some of your ideas coming up! One thing I like to use at Christmas that is inexpensive is cranberries! Looking forward to this series!
    Amanda

  2. I LOVE this project!! It’s on my To Do list….I want to try to aim for one project a week until Christmas. Doesn’t sound like much I know, but between home, church, chasing after a 15 month old and keeping up with a blog, that’s about all I can do!! haha!! Thanks for the inspiration!

  3. I love this! Thanks for sharing. I’m trying to take the same approach this year too! Spend less, be content & thankful for what I have. Love your blog! Such an encouragement!

  4. I love this Traci!! Such a simple but beautiful Decoration. I think I will be making some of these for some neighbors this year. Thanks for the lovely idea! Hope all is continuing to go well with your home remodel! So inspiring!

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