DIY Christmas Ball Bouquet

I love the unexpected! Bringing together natural branches from the backyard with glittery ball ornaments makes a lovely, unexpected centerpiece. I would suggest taking this one step further by wrapping the quilt batting in the glass vase with a top layer of fun glittery tulle. (I just noticed our Hobby Lobby sells tulle in a rainbow of colors! hmmm... wheels are turning!) Change the balls to black and silver and use this bouquet for New Year's–or colors to complement any party, even a birthday party. So many ways to use this cute, easy idea! Get the how-to at Indie Fixx here.

Merry Monday: Holiday Tables

I wanted to start this week with a bang by showcasing some of the amazing creativity that's been happening around the blogosphere! And most importantly, I want to make sure you all don't miss any of it! I wish there was time to spotlight each one of these on their own, because there is so much goodness to learn from each one, but there just isn't time. I picked each of these for specific reasons... SO, grab your coffee (or whatever your drink of choice is!), sit back and scroll through some great inspiration for your holiday tables. If you aren't familiar with any of these party stylists, I encourage you to spend some time on their blogs for great ideas, motivation or just plain eye candy!

Inspired by The Nutcracker, this dreamy fantasy-scape was created by Kate Landers Events for a young girl's party. This one photo doesn't serve the party justice. The table is dressed with a three-tiered, ruffled table covering and there is a complementing table for the lucky party girls. Click here to see the meticulous details.

A bold, red background certainly sets the stage for this festive dessert table done by Anders Ruff. When using a strong background, keep your table accents simple or plain, as done here with the solid colored platform boxes and confections. All the printables are designed by Anders Ruff and can be purchased in their etsy shop accessible from their blog here.

This "Cocktails and Cheers" table is a great example of how just a few accessories can really dress up your table. Decor such as the colorful, felt garland, the trim around the candle holders, and ornaments adorning the spoons are inexpensive and easy to execute. Designed by Celebrations at Home, their blog offers great inspiration with designs you can use for your own "real life" parties. Jump to their blog here.

I love the elegance of this simple Parisian-styled table that was done for an open house by Icing Designs. I love the use of ribbon as a backdrop. Use ornaments as done here, faux crystals or pinecones for your table. Take advantage of all the glittery and pretty ornaments and decorations that are available in stores now for the holidays. The banner was also done by Icing Designs. They have fabulous handcrafted paper goods. Visit Icing Designs here.

This is a great example of how you can use candy to build your color palette. And I love the fullness and texture of the paper snowflakes above. Done by The Party Dress (aka The Well Heeled Hostess), it's a perfect table appealing to both kids and adults. All labels were done by The Well Heeled Hostess too, and can be purchased via their site. Visit The Party Dress here.

Finally, I happened to find this one as I was dabbling online. It's kid-friendly, yet still sophisticated. Photo source here.

Whew! If that doesn't get you in the holiday spirit, I don't know what will!! Until tomorrow-cheers!

Funny Faces

Tis the season to shop, wrap, eat... and to take tons of photos! After you take the obligatory formal portraits, lighten things up with these fun photo props! It'll definitely help the kids if they start getting cranky. How fun are these?!

Turn your subjects into Santa or Rudolph with these fun props from Paper & Cake. Visit Paper & Cake's blog here. You can buy them directly from their shop here.

Set up a photo booth area at your holiday party and use these hysterical lips and mustache to get some fun souvenirs of the party. Send the finished photos with your thank-yous. Best of all, you can download these free at Living Locurto here.

DIY Holiday Wreaths

My goal for getting holiday decorations up is usually the first weekend in December. So, with that in mind, there is still time to make a nice wreath. Here are just a few of my favorites that go beyond the usual greenery and pinecones.

These two wreaths both use yarn that gives them each a warm and cozy feel. The wreath at left from Life as a Pepin combines yarn balls and ornaments. A perfect complement to the Christmas tree, this would look great above a mantle. If you want to save a little money, wrap yarn around $1 store ornaments instead of buying the styrofoam balls. Click here for the complete how-to. The wreath at right serves as great inspiration because the yarn lets you come up with so many variations of colors and patterns. Use red and white to create a peppermint pattern. Embellishments like white doves would also be really pretty. Photo source here.

I just want to squish these two wreaths! I love the lushness of each one! The one at left is made with red fleece. Find directions here. The one on the right is made with cupcake liners. This wreath, originally made for Valentine's Day by Tatertots and Jello, can certainly be used for Christmas. Just add a green "flower" if you want to use traditional colors. Get the how-to here.

Looking for something more unique with a lot of color?? These will do it for you! I love the mix of patterns and whimsy feel of the first wreath from Piccadilly Peddlers here. I am in awe of the one on the right. You can certainly use this beyond the holidays to welcome spring. Almost too pretty to put away! Find the directions here at Fancy Pants Designs.

But, if you're looking for a wreath that's quick and easy to make, yet still gives you pretty results, one of these should do the trick. The one at left from Creature Comforts here is basically made from just wrapping a tinsel garland around a styrofoam wreath. The one at right was made from tying ribbon around a metal hoop. From Sunset, see the directions here. You can also achieve this same effect by pinning ribbon loops into a styrofoam wreath.

Brilliant Bash Giveaway Winner and Party!

I am so happy to annouce that reader, "randreozzi," is the winner of the Brilliant Bash Giveaway! Randreozzi: PLEASE contact me, as your profile did not include an e-mail address. We want to get your Holiday Prize Pack to you right away! Thanks so much to everyone who entered!

I actually want to share with you a party from Laura of Brilliant Bash. Laura recently celebrated her birthday and threw a festive, yet sophisticated "Ladies and Gentlemen" themed celebration. Check it out!

I love the houndstooth pattern and she did all the details herself, including the ruffled cake and cookies. Brilliant, indeed!

To see the rest of the photos from her birthday soiree, visit Brilliant Bash here. And thanks again to Laura for giving Home Confetti its first giveaway!