Baby It's Cold Outside: some winter decorating projects

Pottery Barn Kid's holiday catalog had an adorable picture of framed mittens this year. I was instantly inspired. I wanted to buy them but they weren't for sale. So I created my own version. This is SO super easy! Last year I shared a 5 minute decorating project, my pink feather wreath. This year is another 5 minute decorating project, winter accessory wall hanging.

The how to:

-I bought 3 square frames and wrapped burlap over the glass.
-I found winter gear on clearance
-I created the "baby it's cold outside" sign on my computer and printed it on cardstock.
-Then I simply pinned each item to the burlap

-Ta Da. Ready to hang.

Neutral tones with a splash of bold aqua.

Our little reminder to wrap up for the winter!

Baby it's cold outside...

Christmastime is fabulous.
I don't do my normal chores in December....

like dishes....

or clear away clutter from the countertops...

or laundry...

More time for the good stuff
like shopping, baking, and decorating, right?

The whole "do less, simplify, reflect more" isn't on my radar in this stage of life. I have a house full of happy boys and I so delight in watching them anticipate the magic of Christmas! So, I do all the "stuff" and we make good memories. And we love every second of it. When they're grown up, then maybe I will slow down, reflect, and simplify...maybe. Or maybe I will continue the madness. We will see. Life is brief and such a treasure! Each day our family tries to focus on what will inspire us most and what will energize our days. Each season of life has its purpose. This blissful and crazy time that I'm in right now makes my heart smile. So I push aside the laundry and make room for projects with my boys!

This is a photo from last year's holiday season that I just aDORE.

We spent an afternoon making Pom Pom Snowballs. These are just too cute. We incorporated the classic yarn pom poms into our Christmas decor this year for a handmade holiday look in our home. I remember when I was growing up, my Grandma had a giant sized bright pink yarn pom pom key chain so she wouldn't loose her keys in her purse. I loved it and always wanted to play with it when I was with her. They're timeless.

The boys were all about it. They had to wrap their little fingers almost 100 times with yarn and it looked like their fingers would fall off. A very unsettling holiday project lol. ;)

I read a story to them as they worked. It was a fascinating true story about snowflakes and some history with the snowflake's discovery. Then we did a google image search on Bentley's snow photography. Bentley's photographs are stunning.

After 20 pom poms, the boys lost their enthusiasm and ran off to play hotwheels. I finished by creating a Pom Pom Snowball Garland with our yarn snow.

Here's How:
- make 30-40 of the classic yarn pom poms.
- take a string of yarn and thread each pom pom onto it
- adjust the pom poms on the string of yarn and double knot the ends.
- you've got it done




I added other cream colored and neutral accents in the garland.
A few hanging mercury glass ornaments...

And cream pinecones...

A touch of handmade as we decked the halls. You can see all of our home's Christmas decor for 2010 in my previous post.

In closing, a little bit of random. The only problem with Chris being a real life Spiderman and literally scaling walls with no ladder or chairs is that his boys want to be JUST like him...notice Kotah...

Chris helping with the holiday decor.
Yes, I use a tree skirt for an entryway banner.

Happy Christmastime Lovers!

This post is linked to: Centsational Girl, Somewhat Simple, DIY Showoff, Home for the Holidays, Deck the Halls, Southern Hospitality, DIY Showoff, The Lettered Cottage, Dare To, DIY Living, Seasonal Sundays, , Strut Your Stuff at Saturday Mornings, Making the World Cuter, Motivate Me Mondays, Market Yourself Mondays, It's So Very Creative, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tuesdays at the Table, Topsy Turvy Tuesday, Tuesdays Unwrapped, Toot Your Horn Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, We're Organized Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday, Show and Tell, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Tablescape Thursday, Spotlight Yourself, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff, Friday Favorites*, Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday*, I'm Lovin It*, Funky Junk Interiors*, Fabulous Friday Finds*, Tickled Pink*, Be Different Act Normal, Weekend Wrap Up