It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Hello, Friends!!  Thank you so very much for popping in to spend a few moments with me.  I hope everyone enjoyed the festivities yesterday. 

The ending of Thanksgiving for most signifies that it's time to begin the shopping season, and head out into the crowds for Black Friday.  Years ago in my youth, I worked in retail, and I can recollect too many stories of people frustrated with the long lines, arguing over items, and the general unrest.  No thank you, very much.  Lol.  Personally, I prefer a relaxing day at home and I use this time to begin my Christmas decorating. 

When I decorate for the seasons, more often than not, I begin by decorating the front door.  I love mixing elements to make something that is uniquely my own.  In today's post, I am making a door swag fit for the Christmas season.  I hope you enjoy.

I began with this beautiful door swag I found at Hobby Lobby.  I loved the combination of conifers, foliage, and cranberries, added with the charm of apples!  I get very excited to find items such as these, which were 50% off each!  If you've read my blog, you know I have double doors, so any time I feel I am getting two for the price of one, it makes me feel good.  :)

At the top of each swag is a very pliable and bendable hook.

 

A few months ago, I bought a couple sets of nesting bells.  These bells are really pretty, with lots of glitter.

 

Each bell includes a small ring on top for hanging.

 

I simply threaded the swag hanger through the ring.

Here is a shot of the swags on the doors.

 

To add a little more Christmas charm, I decided to add bows.  The swag reminded me of the mountains, so I chose to use Ettrick Tartan.  This pattern, which is not typically traditional for Christmas, reminds me of warm, cozy flannel shirts or jackets made of Buffalo Plaid you might wear while up in the mountains.

 

I wanted to make a bow that had no hanging ribbons, because I wanted the bells to be the focal point of each swag.  Here is my process.

Begin by laying your ribbon out and folding over to the right.  I made sure to use a wired ribbon, because they are easy to mold and very pliable.

  What is also fab about tartan is you can use the pattern as a guide as you fold.

 

Fold right and left, right and left.  Each fold should be smaller than the last, staggering the ribbon.  I chose to do four folds on each side, pressing each fold down.  Pressing the folds down will keep the ribbon in place as you work.

Flip over.

 

Where the loose end is at the ribbon's beginning, glue down with hot glue.

 

Press down.

Flip back over to the front of your bow.  Fold ribbon over at an angle,

and glue down.

Press and hold.

Loop the ribbon around and fold over onto itself, creating the bow's middle.

 

On the reverse side, pull tightly and glue down.

Trim.

Glue again until there are no loose frays.  Please excuse my glue gun....she works a lot. ;)

Your bow is complete!!

To add my bows to the swag, I simply threaded a bit of burlap thread through the bow's loop on the reverse side to create a hanger.

 

Almost ready to hang!

For the final step just before hanging, fluff out the folds of your bow.

Ready!!

Here are the completed swags on the doors.

Closeups of the Right

and Left.

A couple more shots.

Where to buy:

Swags, as mentioned, Hobby Lobby

Gold bells, Tai Pan Trading

Ribbon, HomeGoods

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