Hasta La Ideas

Alice‘s DIY handmade origami Christmas decorations …

Origami wreaths are very easy to make and involve nothing more than some scissors and scraps of paper. I re-used some magazines, catalogues, old maps, and old wrapping paper. A nice little task to do when watching all those Christmas movies!

I got my instructions from the excellent step by step tutorial here :: There are also a lot more designs; I found a useful page here:





To summarise this is the method that I used:


1. Cut out eight rectangular pieces of paper that are half as wide as
they are long. So in this instance I used paper 4cm by 8cm.


2. Fold each piece once in half along the length.


3. With the folded edges uppermost fold the top left and right corners down at right angles.


4. Then fold the piece in half across the width so that the flaps of the folded corners are inside.


5. Now you are left with a square end and a pointed end. The top of the
square end has two pockets. Take each piece and poke the pointed ends
into the pockets of another.


When you have linked all eight together you will have your wreath.

* * * Peapods

* * * Alice her beautiful blog

Tara Hogan‘s creative Christmas ideas




*Trees

We usually do not get a tree anymore so I have been buying eucalyptus and decorating it. If you purchase a large quantity you can really create a dramatic tree and hang ornaments and lights from it. A large clear glass or milk glass vase with pebbles in the bottom works nice. I love the shape of the leaves and who says you need to get a traditional tree. I would feel better decorating a pine tree outside with white lights. I have become closer to trees and I like the idea of leaving them in the ground as much as possible.




*Tin Vintage Ornaments

I  have all of my grandmother’s vintage tin ornaments. I love placing them in decorative milk glass cake pedestals or wooden bowls. If you can get your hands on vintage holiday ornaments you can do a lot with them. They can be hung in front of windows at all different levels for contrast and it creates a stunning look in any home.




*Handmade Cards

I  love making things by hand and made this holiday card out of a 3" x 7" red vintage tag. You can find these tags on eBay or at antique stores. They already have a hole at the top if you want to use as an ornament or gift tag. I stitched this tag with with white thread to create garland.

I have a lot of paper materials to work from in a large box. I save all my Anthropologie catalogs as they make for great pieces in a collage. Old books, wallpaper scraps, scraps from a hole puncher, you name it, I have it here.

*Paper Mobile or Garland

All of these paper scraps can make an interesting Holiday mobile or paper chain as well. I used some small metal red bells and misc paper scraps left over from my collages. You could add you popcorn to this too and have a really fun chain link full of recycled materials. It looks romantic, vintage, and fun.




*Laser cut Ornaments or Wallhangings or Trivets

This year I began to make laser cut wooden ornaments out of scrap wood. The laser cut pears are a new addition for INK+WIT. All you need is bakers twine and you have a lovely ornament. Even past the holidays.



I experimented in making these larger and  love how they sit in the window. Right now they are unfinished but I may paint them. If you research laser cutters in your aree or online you can easily send them your designs to make ornaments or wall hangings. They also work as trivets on the dining room table

* * * INK+WIT

* * * Tara Hogan Art

* * * INK+WIT Shop

Studio Violet‘s Chlotespeg church




Split ordinary wood clothespegs. Glue them to a formation/building (church or what you like). Use thin wood boards to make a roof, glue. Paint all of it, or not. Saw a hole for a door, and if you want, make a cord holder for a lamp (40 watt) and light it up.

{click for large image right here}

Add what ever you want to decorate and build a whole world around it. Here we´ve used a cone, candy balls on thin steel wire, recyled paper to cut out a bird, roof plates and stones. Voila, ready to play!

* * * Studio Violet

* * * Studio Violet blog

* * * Studio Violet shop

… just a little bit more about Studio Violet … Camilla Engman and Elisabeth Dunker are two, I think, famous artists/designers/stylists/creators who recently opened a studio together in Göteborg, Sweden. Not only are they working on their own separate projects, but they also combined forces and launched their first gorgeous product-line together … here are some images of the journals, cards and posters, all available in their online shop!