Christmas Holiday Handmade DIY Repurposed Home Decor

Welcome to LilacsNDreams! Christmas Holiday Handmade DIY Repurposed Home Decor. Christmas is a fun time with home decor, and all the fun things we can do. You can buy locally, online, or better yet some of your items you can revise to fit with what you want. That is something I enjoy doing too!

Last week I showed you some picture frames I got from the Dollar Tree Store. I took some simple black frames, and removed the backing, and the glass. I then painted the frames white. Nothing fancy with the painting just a simple white. I then added some decoration to each piece. Some ribbon bows, letter snowflake paper clip, and some ornaments. The second frame I did not have completed fully with my last posting. I have completed it, and changed a bit what I was going to use with it. 

Below you will see 3 pictures of the arrangement that I made using those frames that I hand crafted with. The window that you see in the middle of the frames was made by someone else who signed it, and had donated this one along with a few others to the thrift store. I picked it up because it was cute, and handmade. Wasn't sure what, and where I was going to put it. Tonight it came together for me as you will see. 

This picture shows the arrangement that I had grouped together on one of our walls in the dining room of our home. All 3 pieces have been handmade, or revised to make this arrangement. 

One of the picture frames that I had painted white, added a blue ribbon bow made by me along with a couple of tags for ornaments. I also clipped a letter snowflake on the bottom of the bow.

This is the second frame that I completed which was also painted white. I added the red and white ribbon bow I made to the bottom of the frame. I then added some ornaments to this piece too. 


I love my vintage collectibles, and I enjoy crafting with different things too. Some things I craft with might be with new pieces, and sometimes they might be with pieces that I have found thrifting or that I have had on hand for a while too. It's a good feeling to complete pieces, and be able to show them in our home. Sometimes pieces will be offered for sale as well too. 

I hope you enjoyed your visit, and happy to see you stopping by here. Feel free to contact me, leave a comment, and etc. 

Thanks for visiting LilacsNDreams! Have a beautiful week, and see you again soon.

Christmas Handmade DIY Repurpose Home Decor

Welcome to LilacsNDreams! Christmas Handmade DIY Repurpose Home Decor. Thanksgiving has passed, and I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving too. The belly has been filled, and the anticipation for the next holiday has expanded just a little bit more. I like many others are excited for the Christmas season.

Christmas is my favorite holiday to celebrate, share, and enjoy. It has much meaning for many people. It's a time of year that the weather changes, many festivities are scheduled to celebrate this holiday, and the mood changes a bit for many too. 

If I was doing my online sales...like I use to...I would be busy right now with that too. People buying for gift giving, and some are treating themselves to special gifts. Many are filling their homes with  decor for the season or just because, and many are also getting things together to craft with as well. 

I enjoy my vintage collectibles that I collect, or sometimes will sell too. I also enjoy decorating, and crafting some of the decorations that I find. Last week I showed you a glass vase I had decorated with different things. Since I shared that I have also added some white fairy lights to the arrangement. The soft glow of the light brings out some of the blue, and glitter a bit more too. 

This week I am going to share with you my latest project I have been working with. I'm almost done. I have enough to share one completed item, and to share some of the things being used for the second item too. I love the Dollar Tree Store. I can purchase many things there to add in with decorations, and to craft with too. For this project I bought some 8X10 picture frames. I already had the spray paint at home. I had some Christmas ribbon, I purchased some ornaments, and I found some Christmas gift tags from another store to use too. Step in a little closer to have a look at the pictures below showing my progress so far. 

I bought 2 of these 8X10 pictures frames that you see. 

I removed the plastic wrap, the glass, and the backing. Once that was done I spray painted both sides of this a white color. 

In this picture you can see 1 of the picture frames completed. After the paint had dried on the frame. I glued in the corner a blue glitter ribbon bow that I made. I made this one simple, and just added 2 different gift tags, and a snowflake letter clip to the bow. 

In this picture I am showing the complete picture frame again along with some extra items at the bottom of the frame. While the other frame is drying fully for me to work with I prepared a red ribbon to put on that one. The second picture frame is white also. Now, after I attach the bow I have some decisions to make about what else to decorate with. The ornament is a green, and silver bulb with a pine cone design on it. Next to that is another older ornament that has mini pine cones, a mini white lace doily behind that, and some red ribbon that has some old gold bells at the bottom of them. I'm also considering using some gift tags again. Not quite sure how it will turn out yet. Don't want to make it too heavy that it won't hang right either. 

I enjoy the Christmas season. I so enjoy adding touches to things I already have, or maybe restyling some things I find within the Dollar Tree, and Thrift Stores too. Sometimes it's a gift for someone else, and many times it's for my pleasure too.

Now to see what else I can get into for crafting with this wonderful holiday. I know some people are bahumbug with the season, but sometimes I feel like I come alive with some of my creative juices.

Thanks again for visiting with LilacsNDreams! I enjoy your visits, and look forward to you dropping by again. Take care till the next time everyone. 

  

Holidays Christmas Home Decor DIY Restyle

Welcome to LilacsNDreams! Holidays Christmas Home Decor DIY Restyle. I love Christmas! I'm trying really hard not to bypass Thanksgiving as I too get upset with the way holidays are just being passed along anymore. Holidays are a bit different for us this year with us moving, daughter has her husband's family to also celebrate with, and our son being on base too. Also, with working on the house too. Having time on my hands lately I have been slowly putting Christmas stuff out through the house. On a nice day I will get some outside lights up, but they will not be turned on till after Thanksgiving. We cannot forget that holiday of sharing being thankful for everything. 

I have 2 windows I have put things in for show with Christmas. Good old Dollar Tree store is great for some of these things along with a little bit of thrifting too. The other night I worked with a glass vase that a candle could be put in the center. I had put some colored ornaments in it. At the top of it I added some colored foliage to add to the look. I then placed this vase in a weathered looking tray with some rope handles. In the tray around the vase bottom I added a few more colored ornaments, and some pretty silver glittered items for a little character too. After cleaning up my glitter mess I kept looking at the arrangement on the dining room table. It looked good, but felt like it was missing something. Ever get that feeling? Keeps my mind busy when this happens. 

I got up the next morning, walked by the table with the vase arrangement I had done the night before. Then, it hit me what I could do! Since a lot of my craft items are still in containers, in the spare room, or in the loft room I figured I might be going to the dollar general store for what I needed. Sad to buy more when I know I have a few bags of different pine cones, but I wanted them like now too. I took a chance, and searched in the garage with no luck. I looked in the spare room, and did find 1 bag that had a few colored pine cones, some big and small cones too. 

I finally decided to work with the bag I found of pine cones. I took the vase, and tray and dismantled everything I had done the night before. More glitter being spread around again. I used some of the pine cones in the vase, and in the tray. I used those along with some of the ornaments I had previously used. I added some decorative items to the top of the vase. I feel better about it now, and I did have a compliment from husband's cousin when she seen a picture too. Below I am showing you pictures of how the vase looked by itself, and then the finishing results of it. 

  
Would have looked better if I pictured it on the table. Hope you can get the general idea from the chair I was using during my developing process. 

This week is Thanksgiving, and many of you will be traveling, having company, maybe attending an event some where, and so on. Please be safe with your travels everyone! Our plans changed, and we will be home. At least I will. Safe travels, and I hope everyone is able to enjoy the day in some way.

Thanks for visiting with LilacsNDreams! Happy Holidays to all, and see you again soon. 

Painting of Styrofoam Update

Welcome to LilacsNDreams! Painting of Styrofoam Update. This little post is in reference to a post I did about 2 postings ago about an issue I had, and learned from it too. To the right of here, and 2 pictures below you'll see pictures in reference to what is being shared. 

Styrofoam pumpkins that you can get from the Dollar Tree Store. Love getting things from there to craft with! I got all these pumpkins with intentions of painting some of them white. I generally use a spray paint, and have never had an issue like I did with these. As you can see with the 2 pictures below this I was showing an issue I had with spray painting them. I was bothered by it, and decided to google for some answers. Most of the time when you spray paint on styrofoam you are taking a chance of ruining it. The spray paint can make it rough looking due to some of the styrofoam will melt from this painting procedure. It doesn't happen with everyone. I have seen some people who use the 
spray painting method, and they get really nice results. It 
would be my luck to have an issue, right?   

As you can see from the 2 above pictures there are some really rough spots, it kind of melted there, etc. So, I put all the spray paint to the side....there will be other projects to use it with. After getting a few more supplies I then grabbed 2 pumpkins to try painting them again. I first did a clear coat with them. There are different things that can be used for this which is a recommended step to do before painting. I chose to use my mod podge. I used my sponge applicator, and applied the mod podge all over the pumpkins. I nicely let them dry. I then grabbed a brush, and used some white glossy acrylic paint to paint over the mod podge. The pictures below show my process of starting to paint them. I shot photos after I had put a coat on, and was letting them dry. So the paint does not pull away from the object I will let them dry nicely, and then add a second coat. 

I am more pleased with how they are looking now. Much smoother, and they look like little white mini pumpkins. I'll probably get them done to use with the intended project they are designated for which will probably only be shown for about a week, and then stored till next year. 

I don't know about you, but I am getting anxious for Christmas! I am slowly buying things to hang, things to craft with, etc. I checked the weather for this coming week so I could plan on at least getting some outside lights hung...not turned on yet, but get them hung up at least.

Thanks so much for visiting with LilacsNDreams! Great seeing you here, and hope to see you again soon. Remember, you are welcome to leave a comment, and share things about the topic at hand. Till the next time everyone. 

Halloween Thanksgiving Christmas Holiday Celebrations

Welcome to LilacsNDreams! Halloween Thanksgiving Christmas Holiday Celebrations. Yep! That time of year, it's the season, fastly approaching too. We have completed Halloween, and now move onto Thanksgiving along with Christmas. 

I have always enjoyed this time of year, the change of the season! I don't like the cold, but I adapt because of the different holidays that we get to enjoy. All the festivities, decorating, crafting, and etc. 

Halloween I always enjoyed with all the decorations outside the homes, how businesses would decorate, costumes for all who participated with different activities, all the gatherings to celebrate, some of the food, and so on. Halloween was always a fun time. Each year things are changing, and of coursing moving along faster. Really kind of hit me this year when Halloween was not here, and I seen in the stores with all the christmas trees being up, lights on them, christmas ornaments being hung, and Halloween was just there. Just another time. Hardly any home decorated outside like they use to. It's always questionable each year which night will they be trick-or-treating in town. 

Halloween is now over, and we should look forward to Thanksgiving now. Everyone gets some time off from school, work, government, military, etc for this holiday. Time to celebrate, and be thankful for sooo many things. Yet, this is one holiday that does not really seem to exist anymore. There is very few things that are done for Thanksgiving. Your decor can show colors for fall, maybe some pumpkins, few turkeys, and etc. Yet, there really isn't much anyone shares for this time. Again, this is sad. It's just another holiday. 

The biggest one is Christmas! Yes, I love Christmas time with all the music, the carolling, home decor, decorations outside the home, crafting decorations and purchasing decorations, services and programs at church, the hunt for gifts for different people, and it's a fun and special time of the year. I'm thinking of Thanksgiving, but I am also preparing for Christmas decorating, and what is needed for that.

Tradition for me growing up was always family being together for Thanksgiving, and Christmas. If you knew of someone who had no where to go they were too invited. Our doors were always open for people during these holiday celebrations. Big meals were planned, and made. Sometimes we would distribute food to others since we always had so much, or we would buy it for them too. Wrapping of gifts, hiding gifts till Christmas Eve and morning. Always being creative each year with hiding gifts...not that the kids or any adults would look for them, right?  LOL!  These were great times to celebrate, and to be together sharing the festivities with others too. These holidays were special, and always looked forward to them each year. Yes, things would get busy, money being spent, trying to budget during these times, but it was always fun and so much worth it too.

Sadly, things change, and what use to be so special and enjoyable is taking a different effect over time. Don't take me wrong, we still try to do what we were taught and learned growing up to celebrate. Trying to teach it to our kids, and grandkids. Yet, it seems like the spirit of things is not fully what it use to be. It isn't just me, our family, but it is all around us. Society, TV, schools, businesses, people, who got what, about receiving gifts, and not to much about giving. That special feeling, that special touch just does not seem to be there. 

So sorry to carry on about this issue with our holidays everyone, and I hope I have not offended anyone in anyway. One of those times where I wanted to share some thoughts I was having over the weekend. 

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! For some of us it has cooled off a bit..urgh! So, winter is working it's way in for some. I appreciate you stopping by, and hope to have you visit again! Remember you are always welcome to leave a comment, and share something if you wish to. 

Thanks for visiting with LilacsNDreams!  Take care!

    

Repurposed Upcycle Restore November Blog Website

 

Welcome to LilacsNDreams! Repurposed Upcycle Restore November Blog Website. I wanted to stop by, and give an update with some things happening right now. I finally got pictures put into my last posting I did about spray painting styrofoam pumpkins. If you haven’t already seen it, have a look to better see what I was explaining with this experience.

I apologize again deeply for how things are looking with this posting today.

Coloring for what I am sharing is not my usual. My computer is with the Computer Doctor having its tummy ache fixed. I got a call this afternoon it was done, so tomorrow I will be getting that home, and hooked up as fast as I can. Hopefully I can then get back to some kind of a normal schedule with things again. I had a list of things to do, and again I have been set back...darn computer!😊  The IPad is not quite letting me do all I want to. Unfortunately, we become accustomed to the technology of things, what we use, and etc. When it’s not there it’s hard to get along without. All the devices here, and I am accustomed to my way of doing things...LOL! It happens, right?

The next time I post here again it should be with the good old desktop computer.  Looking forward to it, and thanks for bearing with me everyone. Hope y’all had a wonderful Halloween holiday, and were able to enjoy it. 

Thanks for visiting with LilacsNDreams! See y’all again soon!

Spray Painting Crafting Styrofoam

Welcome to LilacsNDreams!  Spray Painting Crafting with Styrofoam is something I am sharing with you because of personal experience that I recently experienced, and learned from too. 

🎃 👻 Halloween, Holidays, Special Occasions, and etc. We like to decorate, and craft during these special times. Sadly, I think the holidays are rushed anymore. Some places don’t hardly celebrate with all the fun things. I still like to decorate, and especially create and craft things too. I created a few things for Halloween, and enjoyed it. I think I am the only person in town who has decorated. 

I wanted to put something together for fall decorating that can go with Halloween into Thanksgiving. Something a little versatile. The orange styrofoam 🎃 pumpkins from the Dollar Tree have a few different uses including crafting. So, I picked up a bunch of them to work with. With many things when crafting I like to spray paint. I’ve generally gotten the look I want, and things look really nice too. I wanted some white pumpkins with some added fall foliage too.  So, I grabbed a couple of pumpkins, and went outside to my designated painting area I set up.  I sprayed them with a paint I frequently use. Did a light coat, went over them again, and smiled because they were looking good. Walked  away for a bit while they dried. Went back later to view them, and get them flipped to paint the other side. I was not happy! They had bubbled, had bubble pops, and the paint appeared to not be settling right. So, I grabbed one more pumpkin, did a light coat of paint, and left it to dry. I came back to the same thing happening again. At this time I walked away to think about this. I thought about it, and then I googled it to get some answers. 

When I googled I learned spray paint was not recommended for styrofoam. The paint gets soaked in, does not take properly, can create rough areas, and can melt the product too. It is recommended to use some sort of a sealer/top coat, and then use an acrylic paint with a better result. I would like to note I have seen some of these pumpkins done by others with success using a kiltz spray, or a different brand of spray paint. Some also like the rough look that they can get too. I am sharing my experience, and my preference with this process. 

So, I have started again with painting the pumpkins. I grabbed 2, and put my first coat of mod podge on them. I will then be brushing an acrylic white paint on them. I wanted to share my experience with you of this crafting experience that  I had. So, pictures of how they looked before I started, different pictures with the process of what I experienced, and the last one shows how the paint has settled a couple of days later too.

***Ok, I apologize to everyone for this inconvenience. I’m very sorry, but I appear to be having a computer issue that I am not pleased with right now. My IPad is not letting me into my pictures either...urgh! As soon as I can get this technical issue resolved I will share those pictures here right away. Thanks so much for being patient with me. Again, I apologize for this mishap.

Thank You for visiting LilacsNDreams!