Christmas Decorating

My husband and I bought a house this year.  I've always loved Christmas and have taken pride in our seasonal decorating skills, but my neighbors -  they are serious decorators!  Time to step it up.  So we started with icicle lights.  Easy enough.

But then we needed something for the windows.  Honestly, I think most of the wreaths I see in stores are tacky.  Just too much flare for me.  I was able to find a handful of wreaths at Michaels and just added a little berry for color.  Easy windows done.  

I wanted something with a little oomph for the front door, so I decided to make this guy.  Back to Michaels for berries, spray paint and the letter "G."  Woah, popular letter.  Two Michaels and no G's!  Luckily I found one at AC Moore.  


Tangent: Compared to the crazy disheveled-ness that is Michaels at Christmas, AC Moore was a much less chaotic shopping experience.  The place didn't look it had been ransacked and the line was minimal.  I haven't done extensive price comparison, but it might be worth looking into.

Back to the wreath.  

1. If your letter is a light color, you'll probably want to spray-paint it black to avoid any color showing through. To prevent the letter from sticking to the paper, I propped it up on two disposable cups while painting.  I've seen people use push pins for the same purpose on smaller items.
 

2. While the paint is drying, start cutting small bunches of berries (not individuals) off of the larger bunch.
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3. Now it's time to glue. Picking out little sections of berries, manipulate them to fit the shape of your letter and then glue them down. If you haven't used a glue gun before, word to the wise: The heat is no joke. Be careful not to get it on your skin.

4. I ended up applying two layers of berries to the letter, which gave some additional height and texture to fill in the gaps.
 

And that's it!  My original plan was to hand the G from a ribbon on the door, but it looked a little empty to me.  Additionally, I discovered I have NO ribbon skills.  Looks like it's back to Pinterest for some tips.

So I added it to a wreath.  Much better!

Ultimately I decided it looked best on the side of the wreath.  I may add berries or a ribbon to it later, but for now, I can live with this.  It was honestly pretty easy - although I definitely underestimated both the heat and messiness of a glue gun.  Luckily dried glue peels off almost anything with minimal effort!

Here's how it looks at night:

Final addition - spiral Christmas tree.  Next post!

November 19th

The next Lowcountry Artist Market is less than a month away!  

If you haven't heard of the Market and are just stumbling upon our blog, the Artist Market is for all things handmade, vintage and local.  Forty local vendors will be selling a variety of goods - handmade jewelry, children's clothing and accessories, stationary, toys, home goods, printed art, vintage jewelry, purses, and much more!  The event is FREE to attend. 

I know all of the vendors are tirelessly working to create amazing items for you, so mark your calendars for November 19th.  Come ready to shop and enjoy lunch with The Magic Cheese Truck and/or King of Pops.  The Music Farm will have the bar open, so you can sip while you shop.

Lowcountry Artist Market

Saturday, November 19th

Music Farm

32 Ann St.
Charleston SC

10 am - 3 pm

Admission is FREE!

Bead Who You Are Jewelry

Thanks to Meg Trott-McConnell from Bead Who You Are Jewelry for this guest post.  

Meg started Bead Who You Are over five years ago and has been creating one-of-a-kind, handmade jewelry ever since.  Using sterling silver, semi-precious gemstones, pearls, wood and glass, Bead Who You Are is not to be missed!

 

Only a few weeks until the holiday Artist Market, and I can hardly wait! After seeing outstanding indie craft shows in NYC, Portland, and Raleigh, I was thrilled when Kristen started the Market in Charleston last year. It feels like we're finally on the map! It has been an amazing venue for artists to connect and for many of us to finally interact with our customers face-to-face. I love literally seeing Etsy come to life every few months and being able to put faces with each shop.

I've been making jewelry for over five years now, and am always looking for new inspiration. Sterling silver, gold, glass, and semi-precious stones are staples, but it's always fun coming up with ways to incorporate less traditional materials like applique, feathers, copper, and wood into a necklace or pair of earrings. I design pretty, unique, affordable pieces that reflect the individual's personality (hence the shop name "Bead Who You Are") and make great gifts. There's nothing cooler than seeing someone confidently wearing something I've made, whether it's a bride on her big day, or a returning customer at the Market. I hope you'll swing by and say hi next month at the show, or visit me online at www.BeadWhoYouAre.com to see more of my work. Thanks for shopping local!  
- Meg Trott-McConnell, Bead Who You Are

Don't miss Bead Who You Are at the Lowcountry Artist Market on November 19th!

Add Libb Designs

I've never been a girl that had to have 8000 things in her purse at any given time.  Maybe its because I don't have kids yet.  Or because I refuse to apply make up more than once a day ... in any case, it makes a clutch my favorite purse.  And local designed Libby Ganong of Add Libb Designs gives me MANY options.

      Charleston handmade gifts by Add libb Designs exhibit a unique combination of funky fabric, eye-catching leathers and vintage to modern appliques. 

           From conceiving our own signature patterns and design styles, to sourcing materials, and sewing seams, everything is done in house.

        Add Libb Designs offers a truly handmade 
and exclusive product that speaks to a signature perspective on artistic fashion accessories.

I'm not the only one who loves Add Libb though; they were featured in Southern Living Magazine's "Best of the South" section.   Be sure to look for Add Libb Designs at the Lowcountry Artist Market on November 19th at the Music Farm!

Neve Inspired

Meet Bob & Kris Galmarini, founders of Neve Inspired, who create handmade children's clothing in their home studio:

Neve Inspired is unique, handmade clothes for our little ladies and lads. We feel inspired to do this and have so much fun coming up with and executing the designs in our home. We think (hope!) this labor of love comes across in each piece, and that your kids will have as much fun wearing it as we have had making it. 

 They are a super cute family.  And the clothes are just as adorable.

Little Angel

The Sibling

We screen print all our super soft t-shirts by hand in a home studio converted from what used to be our master bedroom. Our process is collaborative: we come up with and execute the designs together. Bob does most of the screen printing, Kris sews, and our kids, Neve and Shep, hang out and provide inspiration.

Lonely Cardinal

The Charleston

Little Surfer

Super Hero

Oh, you should probably meet Neve:

Be on the lookout for a guest post from Kris soon, as Neve Inspired is making a few changes ...
and don't miss them at the Lowcountry Artist Market on Nov 19!

Guest Post from Le Papillon Vert

Evita Smith from Le Papillon Vert was nice enough to cover the Lowcountry Artist Market on her blog.  Check out her amazing accessories:

I am taking a Saturday off from the Farmers Market on November 19th to participate in the next Lowcountry Farmers Market at the Music Farm. You can like their Facebook page and RSVP for the event here. I’m looking forward to being with fellow Etsy artists.

I will have the accessories that I’ve been working on for a while now as well as introducing some new products. I am going keep those under wraps until closer to the show date. Speaking of new pieces, here are a few that I’ve uploaded to Etsy.

More will be showing up during the week as I work on images and descriptions!

Don't miss Le Papillon Vert at the Lowcountry Artist Market on November 19th!