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Hope you all enjoyed St. Paddy’s Day!
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March is really flying by, isn’t it? Now that all the leprechaun fun is dying down, I’m looking forward to taking down the St. Patrick’s Day decorations from my mantel (click here, if you missed that post!), and decorating it for Easter over the next few days.
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I’m not sure what I’ll come up with. I’ll definitely use some of my favorite Easter decorations, but I enjoy changing things up from year to year.
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In the meantime, I thought I’d share some of my Easter decorating ideas over the past few years.
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My favorite place to start is my mantel!
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Over the past few years, I’ve created several Easter and Spring Mantels. The simple Easter mantel below, was from 2011. Since then, it’s been featured at both HGTV.com.and Better Homes & Gardens in round-ups of Easter mantel decorating ideas, and more recently at One King’s Lane. I liked how the muted color scheme was calming, and blended in with our decor. Most Easter decorations are really colorful – with pinks, yellows and greens – but that doesn’t mean you have to go that route if you prefer a simpler look.
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This next mantel was not nearly as under-stated! Last spring, I decided to decorate around the song “Singing in the Rain” which my daughter sang in a local musical festival at the time. I created it in early Spring, and planned to keep it this way through Easter.
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As much as I loved the pink and other happy colors, I grew tired of them, and decided to change it up again before Easter holidays! (Yes, I’m that much of a freak when it comes to seasonal decor 
.) Because I was getting tired of decorating the mantel by then (ha!), I kept it much simpler with some candles, a green feather wreath with blue eggs, and a couple of mercury-glass looking decorative Easter eggs.
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.Besides decorating my mantel, here are a few other super easy and fun little decorating ideas I’ve used in past Easters…
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1. Eggs strung on twine for an easy diy Easter garland:
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2. Dyed eggs in a jar (great if you have toddlers like me who like to break things):
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3. Kids’ Easter art on some twine (using clothespins):
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4. Sequined eggs hung from the chandelier:
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.5.A fun way to disp
5. A fun paper Easter banner on the stair railing:
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6. A diy Easter wreath for your front door:
( pssst…I made this one with a pool noodle, dish cloths and painter’s drop cloth!)
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For the tutorial, click below!
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7. Fresh tulips always look great!.
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OK, I seriously love Easter decorations! I’m chomping at the bit to pull out the bunnies and eggs.
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How about you? Have you already decorated your home for Easter? Are you planning to?
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Until next time,
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Around this time each year, Miss G (now 8) begins drawing up her plans to make a leprechaun trap for St. Patrick’s Day. Every year since she was 3 or 4, she’s tried to catch one! I’m not really sure how or why this tradition began in our home. It’s certainly not an idea that I planted. Let’s face it, I’ve got enough little beings to care for around here already; I don’t need a leprechaun too, lol! But she goes about it with the same excitement as finding her Elf on the Shelf every morning during Christmas, so who am I to interfere!
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Last year, she enlisted her cousins to help!
. You’ll see lots of elaborate schemes out there for a leprechaun trap.
But all you really need to lure a leprechaun is an empty tissue box, some things to decorate it, and a good dose of sneakiness. .
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What is a leprechaun? The leprechaun is a character of Irish Mythology. He is about 2’6″ (75cm) tall. He is very rich but extremely tricky and if you catch one don’t take your eyes off him, or he will disappear! He is a very slick talker and loves a bit of fun. Source: The National Leprechaun Museum, Dubin, Ireland.
.While Miss G hasn’t caught one yet, she’s come close!
We’ve found a trail of green glitter on several occasions, and last year, he left a note! (See end of post.)
Here’s what seems to work the best to trap the leprechaun.
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.1. Promise him gold.
Leprechauns are greedy, and they’ll do just about anything to add to their fortune.
On the first night, leave a note that explains your offer!
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2. Follow through.
Give him a small amount of gold on the first day, and then set the leprechaun trap the next!
Sneaky!
You’ll note that at the end of the letter, Miss G and her cousins requested that he please not wear his shoes in the leprechaun house. LOL. Those kids are well-trained!
3. Set the trap.
Make a door that is easy to open, but more difficult to get out. A shamrock usually works well.
A leprechaun can smell gold from a mile, so don’t forget to stuff some inside.
Cover the floor with something sticky – like double-sided tape!
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4. Surround the trap with a rainbow.
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A rainbow will make him feel at ease. It’s easiest to trap him when he’s relaxed, and his guard is down.
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If you’re lucky enough, you might just catch one.
The next best thing? A note that shows you almost did!
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No doubt, Miss G will be ramping up her leprechaun chase this year! I’ll keep you posted on whether she catches one.
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If you’re feeling particularly creative, you might want to make a leprechaun trap cake. Check out this fantastic work of art I came across in my web travels! And, the best part? The inside is a rainbow! Source: Not Martha (notmartha.org). Full tutorial can be found here.
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Did you know:
While they’ve become a popular St Patricks Day icon because of their role in Irish mythology, leprechauns don’t have any real connection to the holiday.
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Want to learn more about the leprechaun? Check out the National Leprechaun Museum in Dublin, Ireland!
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Until next time,
Yesterday, I showed you how to make shamrocks with a heart punch for St Patricks Day crafts or decorating. Today, I thought I’d show you what I did with all the paper shamrocks I made! You guessed it. I decorated my mantel with them! I don’t usually decorate my mantel for St Patricks Day, but this year, I really needed some festive spirit around here to get through the final weeks of winter. So I added a simple, light hearted paper garland to the mantel, with a good dose of polka dots and glitter!
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The diy shamrock garland was made from scrapbook paper, a heart punch, a circle punch, twine and straws!
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I used the heart punch to create the shamrocks.
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A circle punch and gold glittery paper was used for the coins. So simple, right?
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Then I just strung them randomly along some twine, and used some fun, green washi tape to attached the garland to the mirror.
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I created the Kiss Me I’m Irish sign in colors to match the paper shamrocks, and prettied it up with washi tape and velvet ribbon. If you’d like to download a printable of “Kiss Me I’m Irish – Today”, you can click over to my post from last week where I offered up two different versions for free. I also created some free St Patricks Day printables last year too!
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St. Patrick’s Day isn’t usually a holiday for lots of decorating, but it gives an excuse to add a little pop of happy to a month that’s otherwise cold, wet and foggy around here!
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So, do you get in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day too?
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Until next time,
.Want to see how I decorated my mantel every season last year? Click over to see…
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When I first did a round up of 10 DIY Wall Art Ideas last year, I was amazed at how many of you out there were as interested as I am in creating wall art yourself (without being an artist). Since then, I’ve completed more of my own wall decor projects, and I also did a whole series on the topic of DIY Wall Art Ideas back in October 2012 as part of Nester’s annual “31 Days” party . So if your Christmas and holiday decor is now put away, and you are staring at a few blank walls, you might be interested in this new round-up of more than 25 diy wall decor ideas, which draws on all of my related blog posts in 2012.
Just click on the picture or the link to take you straight to the post for more details!
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Hope this list of diy wall decor is inspirational in some small way!
Until next time,
Just like I love decorating my mantel for every season, I’m also obsessed with decorating my front door! One of the reasons I like coming up with mantel decorating ideas and DIY wreath ideas so much is because it allows me to indulge in decorating without taking on a big project like a room makeover. Also, I’m just one of those people who likes to celebrate different seasons and holidays – and I like getting my kids excited about them too!
I love the creative challenge of figuring out how to make a wreath. When I create a new one for my door, sometimes I edit something old one that’s been banging around for years (like my Fall Burlap Wreath, my Traditional Christmas Wreath) and other times, I start from scratch (like with my Sisal & Starfish Wreath). Some of my wreaths are complete DIY disasters (gahhh!), and don’t turn out at all like I had imagined. But sometimes, they turn out better. Regardless, I love the creative process.
Here’s a look back at some of my DIY wreaths over the past year!
DIY Valentine’s Day Wreath
In early February, I made a new Valentine’s Day wreath from an (unusual) combination of burlap and pink tulle. I also used different pink grosgrain ribbons. You can find the tutorial on how to make a pink ribbon and burlap Valentine’s Day wreath here.
DIY St. Patrick’s Day Wreath
I created this Irish-inspired DIY wreath for St. Patrick’s Day using mostly dollar store materials, like sparkly green tulle, a big die cut shamrock, and shamrock garland.
DIY Easter Wreath
This DIY, shabby chic-style Easter wreath was a new creation, but I used mostly materials that I had on hand. It was made from a pool noodle that I shaped into an oval, and then covered with painter’s drop cloth and ripped up dish towels! I also used Easter eggs that I pulled off an old wreath. This was one of my DIY wreaths that I considered a disaster at first. It turned out nothing like I imagined! But, eventually I embraced it’s shabbiness, and I hung it anyway! You can see how to make this Easter wreath here.
Spring Door Decor:
Hanging Tulip Basket
And…when Easter was over, I hung no-fuss basket of (artificial) tulips for the rest of Spring.
Starfish Wreath
For early summer, I created a DIY starfish wreath which I made from a foam wreath form, sisal roping and dried starfish. I really liked how this one turned out. You can see how to make this starfish wreath by clicking over to the post: DIY Sisal & Starfish Summer Wreath – A Tutorial (Summer Decorating/Summer Door Decor).
Summer Door Decor:
Hanging Floral Basket
When our summer gardening season started, I hung this basket of real flowers on our door. I’m proud to say that I kept it growing most of the summer. (Well, to be honest, I think it was actually my husband who kept it watered, lol).
Fall Door Decor:
Hanging Floral Basket
When Fall came, I first hung this basket of Fall florals.
DIY Fall Burlap Wreath
Then I switched it out for this oldie-but-goodie DIY Fall burlap wreath that I’ve been updating for years! (To see how to make a burlap wreath, check out my post: My Fall Wreath (2011)
Halloween Door Decor: Boo Letters
In October, I decided not to hang the DIY googly-eyed bat wreath that I made in 2011, mainly because I fell hard and fast for these giant, glittery BOO letters at Hallmark. They were meant for a mantel or shelf, but I tied them together with ribbon, and then put strong magnets on the back of each letter so that they would stay put on my steel door even in windy conditions! It worked!
DIY Traditional Christmas Wreath
In December, I transformed an old artificial wreath that was in our basement to one that had the look of real greenery. You can find out how to make a Christmas wreath like this one here: DIY Traditional Christmas Wreath Makeover {The look of real greenery}
And, that’s what’s on our door right now!
I know that some people don’t like to hang wreaths on their door because they fear they’ll will chip the paint. And, I’m not gonna lie, they definitely do, especially if you live in a windy, wet climate like ours! But those little scratches and scuffs are easily fixed, and for me, are a small sacrifice for a pretty door! (Check out: How I painted my front door in under an hour: “The Harried Mom’s Guide to Painting a Front Door”!)
I’m signing off now until we ring in 2013, so my very best wishes for a very Happy New Year!
Until then,
I’m linking up with Beth:
P.S., You might also like
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One of the fun things about having a diy decorating blog is that it holds you to task on projects that might otherwise get half-finished (or not done at all). Rhoda, at Southern Hospitality holds a link-up every year at this time to look back at bloggers’ favorite DIY decorating projects of the year. I thought I’d join in and take a look back at some of the ones I managed to accomplish amid the daily circus that is 3 kids and a dog!
Winter…
This DIY wall art with the inspirational quote, “Love Conquers All”, was one of my most visited posts in 2012, which came as a surprise because it was an unplanned, spur-of-the-moment project. The interest in this decorating project was one of the reasons I later decided to do a whole series on DIY Wall Art in October 2012.
See: DIY Wall Art: “Love Conquers All” Painted Canvas
Much to our kids’ delight, I also finished decorating our renovated basement. I was thrilled when this DIY decorating projects was later featured at Apartment Therapy (Family), as well as on RemodelAholic and Home Stories A 2 Z .
For more, see:
- Colorful Basement Family Room: House Peeping #2 (Room Tour)
- Featured at Apartment Therapy: Our Colorful, Play-Inspired Basement Family Room!
- Our ‘Alphabet-Inspired’ Basement Stairway Gallery Wall
With my dad’s help (thanks dad!), we also re-painted our entire main floor in a new color scheme of blue, gray/grey, and cream – using Benjamin Moore Woodlwan Blue, Navajo White, Silver Fox and Revere Pewter. It provided great entertainment for our 2-year old boys!
I was really happy with how it all turned out, and showed the results in a couple of posts about the living room and the kitchen.
This was the Living Room “BEFORE”…
and “AFTER”…
And, here’s how the kitchen now looks in a shade of grey / gray (Benjamin Moore Silver Fox)…
For more, see:
- Woodlawn Blue: I’ve got the blues…and I’m loving it!
- The Evolution of a Living Room (Modern Cottage / Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue)
- White Kitchen + Gray Walls: Reveal (Benjamin Moore Navajo White & Silver Fox)
I also had fun with some seasonal DIY decorating projects last winter for both Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. I made a new Valentine’s Day wreath from tulle and burlap, and decorated the mantel in a whimsical style with pink and aqua. For St. Patrick’s Day, I put together a shamrock wreath with some simple dollar store materials. 
For more, see:
- Irish Door Decor: St. Patrick’s Day Wreath
- Whimsical Valentine’s Day Mantel
- Valentine Wreath Tutorial: Pink Ribbon & Burlap Rag Wreath
- Free St. Patrick’s Day Printables
Spring…
I was thrilled to be able to put the house back together again in time for Easter and Spring decorating. I implemented two different mantel decorating ideas during the Easter period. The first Spring mantel was inspired by the song “Singing in the Rain” which my daughter sang for a local music festival.
A few weeks later, I decided to simplify things and decorate a simple Easter mantel in a more muted color scheme. I also made a DIY Easter wreath for my front door using, of all things, a pool noodle, drop cloth and torn dish towels!
For more, see:
- Pretty Hydrangea Globes: A Simple Spring Craft!
- My Spring/Easter Mantel: I’m “Singing in the Rain”!
- A DIY Shabby Chic Easter Wreath
- My Simplified Easter Mantel
After all the tear-up during the winter, I was happy to tackle just a couple of easy, low-key DIY decorating projects in the spring months! I made a sign for my newly painted laundry room (which was painted in Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter).
I thought that the words I came up with for my sign were kinda cute: “This home has endless love and laundry”. So I decided to share a free printable with you so that you could have your very own laundry room sign.
For more, see:
- See: Giant Laundry Room Sign Tutorial: “Endless Love & Laundry”(+ Free Printables)
- Free Printable Artwork, “Endless Love & Laundry”: Now in more color choices!
And, I also …
…painted a console table…
…and spray-painted some artwork frames from brown to cream…
For more, see:
- Love the Art, but Hate the Frame? How to change it: in 2 easy steps!
- Blue, painted console table makeover: It all started with a leaning mirror!
Summer…
When summer arrived, I was craving a little sunshine! I created a Sunshine-Inspired Gallery Wall for our newly painted front porch (Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter).
I also changed the color of our front door from red to light aqua (Martha Stewart’s Artesian Well), and changed my door decor more than a few times (lol) – including a DIY starfish wreath.
For more, see:
- How I painted my front door in under an hour: “The Harried Mom’s Guide to Painting a Front Door”
- Sisal & Starfish Summer Wreath – A Tutorial (Summer Decorating/Summer Door Decor)
- Here comes the sun: Our Sunshine-Inspired, Front Entrance Gallery Wall!
In June, I also went to my first ever decorating / blogging conference in Atlanta, where I learned a tonne, and got to hang with a couple hundred other home decor bloggers! (For more see: Haven 2012: Group Therapy for the Decorating-Addicted and Life’s an Adventure! (Attending Haven 2012!)
Fall…
I started Fall with a big bunch of bright and happy sunflowers. In September, my 3 little sweeties went off to school – including the very first day of pre-school for my ‘baby’ boys (boohoo!)
In true me-fashion, I also changed my Fall door decor a few times! I decorated a simple Fall mantel using mostly neutral colors, rather than using deep saturated Fall colors like the year before.
For more, see:
My biggest DIY decorating project for the Fall was re-decorating our twin boys’ bedroom from a nursery to a toddler room. This was a super-fun project! I painted horizontal wall stripes (for the first time!), and added some fun new fabrics to their elephant bedding.
For more, see:
Room Makeover: Twin Boy Nursery to Toddler Room (without changing everything!)
A little later in the Fall, I decorated the front porch for Halloween using giant, glittery “BOO” letters on the front door, and created a kid-friendly (gore-free) Halloween mantel.
For more, see:
- Our Halloween Front Porch {Giant Glittery “Boo” Letters & Ghostly Urns}
- Kid-Friendly Halloween Mantel / Mantle (Halloween Decorating)
Next up was Christmas! In keeping with my more pared-down approach to seasonal decorating in 2012, I decorated a simple Christmas mantel with branches and bulbs, and a neutral Christmas tree for the first time.
See: Simple Christmas Mantel Decor (Branches & Bulbs)
For more, see:
- Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas: How to Change Your Color Scheme Affordably
- Christmas Decorating Tip: How to Add Ribbon to Your Tree
- Our Newly, ‘Bleu-tral’ Christmas Tree (Neutral + Blue)
You can check out all my Christmas decorating by visiting my Holiday Home Tour post.
And, that’s my diy decorating projects for 2012 in a nutshell!
Oh, and mixed in there for good measure was a whole lotta Thomas the Train, dance and music recitals, juice box disasters, homework, and chicken nuggets.
Thank you so much for coming by in 2012! I appreciate each and every one of your visits. I hope you’ll join me again in 2013 as I continue with sharing my diy decorating adventures, while facing new challenges and opportunities here at home.
Sweet wishes for 2013,
I’m linking up to Southern Hospitality!
P.S. You might also like:
One question that we got a lot of when we decorated that Winter Wonderland Christmas tree at my daughter’s school, was how to add ribbon to a Christmas tree. So today, I thought I’d show you how I added the ribbon to my own Christmas tree this year. I love getting new tips for Christmas decorating, so I figured that you might too!
There are lots of different ways to add ribbon to a Christmas tree, depending on the look you are trying to achieve. I didn’t use the popular sinamay / mesh on our tree this year, mainly because I couldn’t find a color that I was 100% happy with for our newly, neutral Christmas tree, decorated mostly in champagne. But I did find a bunch of pretty champagne ribbon I loved, so I decided to go that route instead.
First, I should mention that I always add ribbon (or sinamay) to my tree before anything else. It makes it so much easier than having to work around ornaments. Plus, it allows you to get the ribbon deep into the tree, which is what creates the fullness you’re looking for.
To achieve a full look using narrower ribbon than sinamay, I used a little bundling technique. I picked out several different coordinating ribbons in different widths and textures. Then I cut long strips from three different rolls at a time, each strip about 4ft long. To get a flowing effect, I simply let the ribbon fall of the roll naturally. I pinched all three strips in the middle, and tied one strip tightly around the others to create a little bundle.
To add each ribbon bundle to the tree, I placed it far down one of the branches, and then wrapped one of the wire branches around it to keep it secure. If you have a real tree, just use some wire to secure it.
Next, I spread the ribbon out and tucked the ends into the tree randomly. I wasn’t picky about it at all. The idea is for the ribbon to look as if it’s just falling naturally into place.
I repeated this process a bunch of times, until I had covered the tree relatively evenly with ribbon.
Once I was finished positioning the ribbon, I added the tree ornaments, placing some behind and some in front of the ribbon.
I like how the flowing bundles of ribbon really help to fill in empty areas of the tree.
So do you have your tree decorated yet? Is this how you add ribbon to your tree, or do you have another method that works? In any case, I hope this Christmas tree decorating tip comes in handy!
Have a super happy weekend,
Linking up with Beth…
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Welcome to A Pop of Pretty, a Canadian home decorating blog that chronicles my love of home decor and pretty things. I'm out to prove (mostly to myself!) that a pretty home is still possible amid the circus of 3 young kids, including twin toddlers. {More...}
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