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DIY Christmas Wreath

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Youtube Wreath

Jennifer's DIY Christmas Wreath

I am so excited to share with you a super simple DIY Christmas Wreath! So many of you ask me where I get my wreaths and florals so I am thrilled to share with you that we have my favorite wreath in a bundle package you can purchase!  Everything you need to put this gorgeous wreath together is available here in our online store!

Dripping Cedar Wreath

Dripping-Cedar-Wreath

Let’s get started!  First of all- I am really picky about choosing my greenery!  I like for my wreaths to look real.  This wreath is called a Dripping Cedar Wreath– it is extremely full and you cannot tell it is not real!

DIY Christmas Wreath | Bells

DIY-Christmas-wreath

This wreath design is super simple and the wreath itself is so beautiful we really do not need to add a lot to it! 

I have chosen three little bells with a little bit of cedar on it.  So what we will do next is simply attach them to the wreath with wire! 

How to Make a Bow

DIY Christmas Wreath

The ribbon that will come with your DIY Christmas Wreath is some of my favorite!  So next we are going to make a bow to go on your wreath. It may seem like it’s hard but I promise making a bow is not too difficult at all! 

You can click the video below to see step by step how I made and attached this bow!

Youtube Christmas Wreath

DIY Christmas Wreath

I absolutely love this DIY Christmas Wreath!  It is super easy and all of your guests will think it’s real!

Remember in the bundle you will receive the wreath, the ribbon, and the sprig with the little white bells.  You can click here to purchase the bundle package for your own home!

Youtube Christmas DIYS

If you are looking for more Christmas DIYS or wreath ideas, check out my videos below!  Have a wonderful day!

jds-all-about-home

Fall Mantle Decor

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Fall Mantle Decor

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Hello!  It is one of my favorite times of the year- Fall!  I am going to show you how to take inexpensive fall garland and customize it to look expensive!  Let’s go through this fall mantle decor step-by-step!  AND, learn how to make a beautiful bow!  Let’s get started!

Spread Out Your Garland! |
Fall Mantle Decor

fall-garland-custom

First, you want to be sure you spread out your garland.  You want to spread it out as wide as it will go!  When I am putting garland on a mantle, I always put the end of the garland that has the loop in the middle and the pretty ends on the outside.  Next, I secure the garland. I take some floral wire and I wire it around the garland, and then around the nail.  

Adding Christmas Lights

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The next thing I am going to do is add some Christmas lights to the garland.  I think adding lights makes it SO homey!  

TIP:  When I am adding lights to a garland, I will add a little bit to one side, and I’ll stop, walk over to the other side and go ahead and add the lights on that side as well.  That way I know how much I have to weave into the garland!

Customizing Your Garland |
Fall Mantle Decor

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Next is the fun part- customizing the garland!  I chose a burgundy boxwood that I thought would contrast into the garland really well!  I snipped small pieces and tucked it in and I also wired it them onto the garland.  Then, I added cotton to the garland.  I purchased the cotton on Amazon- check it out here! 

TIP:  When customizing your garland, always be sure to have something that is light in color, medium, and dark!  

Make a Bow

fall-mantle-decor

Finally- time to add the bow!  I actually found this gorgeous grey and white ribbon on Amazon!  It’s wired so it will keep its shape year after year!  I have linked it here for you! 

If you’d like to learn how to make a bow, I have a video here that will show you step by step!

Fall Mantle Decor

If you’d like to see more and see how I decorated the rest of my hearth, simply click the video above.  If you are ready to start decorating for Halloween, I have a post here with tons of fun DIYs!

Thank you and have a wonderful day!

jds-all-about-home

Christmas Mailbox Swag

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This post is all about making your own Christmas mailbox swag!  Well, we have finally finished all of our client Christmas decorating for the year.  It feels good to have it completed!  I believe we did around 30 trees this year.  So, this week I decided to spend some time on my own Christmas decorating.

Learn how to make a beautiful Christmas mailbox swag. Easy!

I wanted to share my Christmas mailbox swag.  It was super easy to make!  So, there is a little secret to creating a mailbox swag with real greenery!  It doesn’t all have to be real!  I used an artificial swag as my foundation to adding real greenery.  It is so much easier than starting from using real greenery only!
So, I set off on a drive to find pretty evergreen trees to use on my swag.  Luck was with me when I found a Magnolia tree on an abandoned lot!  With my little pup waiting in the front seat, I headed out with snips and collected a basketful of Magnolia leaves.  Next, a beautiful cedar tree donated a few branches.
To begin this project you need floral wire and snips.  Make your bow first, and attach it to the swag.  Then start adding the cedar.  Begin at the bottom of one side of the swag.  Wire on the first cedar branch.  By starting at the bottom of the swag, this allows you to hide the wire and cut stems.  You will place the second stem over the first, covering the cut branch.   Keep adding cedar until you get right up against the bow.  Repeat this on the other side of the swag.
Learn how to make a beautiful Christmas mailbox swag. Easy!
After you are finished adding all the cedar, it is time to add the Magnolia leaves.  I like to add them around the bow only, and not all the way down the swag.  Add about three cut stems of the Magnolia.  Once you are finished hold your swag up and bend it like it will be when it lays on the mailbox.  This allows you to see if you need to add more greenery up against the bow.
Next, you can add ornaments.  Shatterproof ornaments are best.  I wired two ornaments together and then wired them to one of the artificial branches.   The last thing you need to do is tuck the tails of your bow down each side of the swag, and attach them with floral wire in a few places.  That is it!  This is such an easy DIY Christmas decoration!  And, when everyone drives by your  mailbox, only you and I will know that the entire swag isn’t made of real greenery!

A Christmas Mailbox Swag for a Client:

How to make your own Christmas Mailbox Swag! ~Jennifer Decorates

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

 

Best Fall Cake Ever!

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Believe me when I say, “Best fall cake ever”!  If you have been Googling “Easy to Make Dessert Recipes”, or “Best Dessert Recipe”, look no further!  Listen, I will never write a blog about cooking.  I do okay in the kitchen.  But, when I stumble upon a recipe that is easy and absolutely delightful, I’m going to share it! (Printable recipe at bottom of post)

Best fall cake recipe ever!

This cake doesn’t take long to make, and will fill your home with the best aroma! Your friends and family will lavish you with praise!

Here is a video tutorial on the making of “the best fall cake”!

 

Best Fall Cake Recipe

Cinnamon Cake

CAKE:

3 cups flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

1/2 cup butter, melted

 

TOPPING:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Mix everything together except for the butter.  Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9×13 pan.  For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined.  Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife.  Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes.

GLAZE:

2 cups powdered sugar

5 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

 

I believe this cake is best served warm!  If you are not eating it right out of the oven, then just 15 seconds in the microwave is all it takes! So, if you are on the hunt for easy homemade desserts, this one is in my top three!

 

Printable Recipe:

Cinnamon Cake

 

If you loved this recipe as much as I did, be sure to share!  Thank you so much!

Best fall cake ever! Jennifer Decorates.com

DIY Fall Decor Ideas – Easy and Inexpensive!

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I am so happy to share a few DIY fall decor ideas that are inexpensive and easy to do!   I keep waiting for the cooler fall weather.  It is around the corner, right?  But, these hot days are killing me!  Nevertheless, it is time to chat about fall decorating ideas.  I’m not quite sure where all of my fall decorations are exactly. (Moving really is a process is it not?)  Sarah and I have been working on a few fall videos, and she has come up with some really easy and simple ideas that I thought I would share with you today.

DIY Fall Decor from Jennifer Decorates

I keep a large gray lantern on my fireplace hearth.  It really shows up well since painting the brick white.  Sarah found some really pretty ribbon at our local craft store.  The ribbon has a gray feather with just a touch of gold.  I made a large bow and tied it to the top of my lantern.  Inside the lantern, I placed a cotton and eucalyptus candle ring.  To add a little fall color, I snipped a few pieces of fall flowers from a single floral stem and placed them around the candle-ring.  This is a very neutral fall look, but it really turned out beautiful.

DIY Fall Decor from Jennifer Decorates.com

In keeping, with a simple and neutral look, we placed three pumpkins on the other side of the fireplace hearth.  The three pumpkins were completely different.  One pumpkin is a grapevine pumpkin, the other looks like little cut tree branches, and the last pumpkin is a muted green and white color.  Here the look is more about texture rather than color.

DIY Fall Decor from Jennifer Decorates.com

The last thing we added to the fireplace was a wood beaded garland with small little wood clothespin clips.  We took a stem of fall leaves and clipped different colored leaves to each clothespin.  This would be a really fun project to do with small children.  You could gather real fall leaves, or use faux ones like we did.  The natural wood tone of the beads really stood out against the white brick.

I have to say, from someone who has decorated a fireplace with more bright colored fall picks and garland than probably needed, I really like this muted and simple look.  And, this is an extremely inexpensive fall decorating design.  That is even more appealing!

Easy fall decorating ideas.

Look at how beautiful these pumpkins look sitting on pieces of cut wood.  Natural, easy and inexpensive.  Checks all the boxes!

Well, it may not be very cool outside, but go ahead and do a little fall decorating.  It really lifts the mood in anticipation for a wonderful autumn season!

Click links before for my new favorite ribbon and wood bead garland. (These are my affiliate links. 🙂 Thank you. )

FEATHER RIBBON

WOOD BEAD GARLAND