10 DIY Christmas Ideas (It’s not too late!)

From my column at the Washington Times Communities

WASHINGTON DC, December 21, 2012- If you haven’t done it all for Christmas yet, don’t fret.  There’s still time to for that perfect gift or the perfect touch for your holiday party.  All of the links that follow lead to tutorials or pictures of easy crafts and inspiration for your perfect holiday.

1.  Wreaths:

Canvas Layers Holiday Wreath by Alisa Burke

It’s not too late to make your own holiday wreath from materials you may already have around the house.  There are several ideas to try, depending on what you may have on hand.  There are several wreath ideas with spare buttons.  You can also make a wreath with several kinds of plants other than the traditional pine.  These include magnolia leaves, rosemary, ferns, pepperberries, mistletoe, moss, pinecones, poinsettias, laurel leaves, and almost any other plant you can find.  There are also wreaths that you can make from small gift boxes, bells, ornament balls, cranberries, wine corks,  Christmas cards, gingerbread men, colored pencils, old dress ties, and cookie cutters.

2.  Ornaments

crochet garland from maryjane’sfarm

An ornament can be a nice personal addition to any tree.  They can even become a tradition, with a different theme every year.  You can give one out to each member of your family or make one for each one of your holiday guests.  Ornaments can be made from buttons; old comics, books, or newspapers; twigs; and twine.  Ornaments can also be made from old light bulbs, toilet paper rolls, and old tea cups and CDs.  If you can crochet or knit, there are beautiful ideas for ornaments and garlands.  Got an incomplete scrabble set?  Make beautiful ornaments with the tiles!

3.  Trees

Shelf Tree on buzzfeed.com

If you haven’t put up a tree or want to put up a second or third tree in another room, here are some fantastic ideas.  Family pictures can be cut into circles or stars and put on the wall in the shape of a Christmas tree with antlers or a star on top.  This can be an especially good way to include family that is far away during the holidays.  Trees of all sizes can be made from firewood, spare pieces of carpet, and paper plates.  For those who don’t mind a little sewing, you can make a tree with wire hangers and a little fabric.  For those interested in re-using materials, several websites have tutorials on making trees from recycled items.  You can get extremely creative with trees, making them out of a ladder, string, books, and even beer bottles .  There really is a tree for everyone, so why not put up a tree that really reflects who you are?

4.  Pinecones

Pinecone Trees by Recycleart

Pinecones are probably the most versatile holiday DIY material.  If you can collect some in your backyard or local park, there are tons of stylish and beautiful things you can do with a bag of pinecones.  You can make a pinecone wreath, garland, tree, and ornaments.  Beyond the more traditional, pinecones can also be used as place card holders, candle holder, and miniature Christmas trees.  Painted pinecones can also make beautiful and unique gift tags, candle holders, animals, and door hangers.   Pinecones can even be scented with cinnamon in the oven to fill a room with a fabulous holiday scent.

5.  Card display

Card Garland from MarthaStewart

There are several creative ways to display Christmas cards other than on a side table or on your mantle.  You can secure cards with wooden clothespins around an embroidery hoop to make a card wreath.  The frame and clothespins can be left natural, covered with fabric or paper, or painted bright colors.  Clothespins and string can also be used to hang cards horizontally along a wall, or in the shape of a christmas tree.  Clothespins can be covered with spare pieces of holiday wrapping or painted.  Cards can also be fastened to fancy ribbon and hung from a bannister or along a mantle.  Cards can also be pinned vertically to a piece or layered pieces of ribbon and hung from a door or wall.  Cards can also be displayed on a painted ladder.

6.  Beautiful Food

Antipasto Wreath by SweetPaulMag

If you want to bring food to a party or wow guests at you own party, the simplest but most beautiful idea that I found is the antipasto wreath, made with rosemary, olives and mini mozzarella balls arranged to look like a wreath.  Other great ideas include arranging a vegetable or cheese plate to resemble a Christmas tree.  For a sweet idea, dip fresh  or Amaretto soaked cherries in white chocolate.

7.  Candle holders

Christmas Candles from furniture.trendzona.com

Candles can put the finishing touch on a holiday room.  There are several ways in which you can personalize your decor with DIY candle holders using cranberries, a mason jar, and a floating candle, cinnamon sticks,  tree bark, and even small fish bowls.  Simple glass votive holders can be surrounded with aromatics like fresh lavender, rosemary, or eucalyptus.   Candles can be displayed inside birch logs, over an upside down wine glass, or in an arrangement of apples or oranges for a striking centerpiece.

8.  Clay pots

Reindeer Candy Pots by plaidkidscrafts.com

If you have any spare plant pots in the garage, you can turn these into charming Christmas decorations.  Pots of various sizes can be arranged on top of each other to look like a christmas tree.  These can be painted, or covered in paper, cloth or string.  This could be a fun activity for children.  Pots can also be made into snowmen, Santa, reindeer, and elves.  Pots can also be cleaned and painted to hold candies, cookies and other Christmas treats.  Old clay pots can also be used to hold candles surrounded by moss, cranberries, or mistletoe.

9.  Keeping the kids occupied at holiday parties: Kits

Superhero Kit by megandandymade

If you are attending or hosting a party with small children, you will be the hero of all the adults if you bring along one of these simple DIY kits.  Make sure that you know the ages of all the children that will be attending and that you bring age-appropriate and safe materials in your kits.  For young boys and girls, you can make your own “Deluxe Superhero Fort Kit” with a laundry bag, some old sheets, a flashlight, and a few more common household elements.  This will keep them occupied for hours.  You can also make a friendship bracelet kit for quieter entertainment.  There are several other ideas on how to keep kids entertained at TipJunkie.com.

10. Frame something

Framed Christmas Joy by cupofdelight at Blogspot

For a more subtle but stylish gift or decoration, dig up an old frame and print out a nice stencil, picture, or words of wisdom on good stock or photo paper.  There are several websites that offer free Christmas printables that you can frame as decoration or as a gift.  You can also frame old wrapping paper, fabric, or place letters inside an empty frame.  You can also run string or ribbon horizontally along an empty frame and hang holiday cards or family pictures attached with clothespins.

Go back to Old House

Tie Wreath on Goodhousekeeping.com photo by Michael Arnaud

Rosemary Wreath by Allaboutyou

Pinecone Garland from cakeeventsblog

Pinecone Candle Holder from Sheepy

Paper Garlands from thesweetestoccasion

Pencil wreath by Kellygolightly

penguin ornaments from boredpanda

picture tree from sayyestohoboken

Moss wreath by Aimee Weaver

Ladder tree on buzzfeed

Gift box Wreth by MarthaStewart

Floating Cranberry Candle Jar by botanicalpaperworks

cinamon candle on indulgy

Clothes Pin Garland from Realsimple

Cookie cutter wreath by goodhousekeeping.com photo by Michel Arnaud

Fern Wreath from MarthaStewart

Candle Holders from luluto at blogspot

Button ornaments by beneaththerowantree at Blogspot

Framed Christmas Joy by cupofdelight at Blogspot

Superhero Kit by megandandymade

Card Garland from MarthaStewart

Antipasto Wreath by SweetPaulMag

Christmas Candles from furniture.trendzona.com

Reindeer Candy Pots by plaidkidscrafts.com

Pinecone Trees by Recyclart

crochet garland from maryjane’sfarm

Canvas Layers Holiday Wreath by Alisa Burke

Shelf Tree on buzzfeed.com

Amaretto Cherries by formalfringe

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• A DIY attempt: Christmas Wreath Ornament (jesuslikespizza.wordpress.com)
• What Color Christmas Tree Should You Have? (darcsfalcon.wordpress.com)
• Tutorial: Make Your Own Wreath Form (talesoftwistedfibers.wordpress.com)
• A DIY Christmas Wreath, Made with Burlap, Ornaments and Ribbon (ext.homedepot.com)
• DIY Christmas ornaments: 4 reasons to make your own along with 14 free tutorials and printables (savings.com)

Decorating With DIY Sunburst Mirrors

Decorating with DIY Sunburst Mirrors (Photo via)

One of the most common types of home decor wall mirrors are sunburst mirrors. There are lots of designer sunburst mirrors, but DIY sunburst mirrors shine the most on the internet. And the reason for that is because theyíre fun to create!

In this post we will go over some fabulous examples of decorating with DIY sunburst mirrors.

Pencil Sunburst Mirror

If you have 54 pencils to spare and youíre looking to help your kids design a sunburst mirror for their teachers or their bedrooms, then this tutorial is perfect for you.

Spoon Sunburst Mirror!†(Photo via)

If you happen to have 105 plastic colored spoons lying around and an 18 inch round mirror, this Country Living DIY project will give you all of the steps needed to create this searing pink masterpiece. You may have 105 spoons, but a sunburst mirror is focal point number one.

Shim Sunburst Mirror

In this DIY sunburst mirror made of shims, all you need are two bundles of shims, a glue gun, floral craft rings, an 8î round mirror, and a picture hanging kit. This tutorial comes from 26-to-life. This looks more designer than DIY, but trust us, itís a DIY project waiting to happen.

Chopstick Sunburst Mirror

If you happen to be a collector of chopsticks from your local sushi restaurant, this DIY project is for you. Which by the way is exactly what the blogger who created this DIY mirror tutorial did: ì(FREE [chopsticks] from my local sushi place, since they love me there.)î

All you need are chopsticks, bamboo skewers, round mirror, glue gun; hereís the full list of supplies.

No matter the style of sunburst mirror you like the best, the possibilities are endless. All it takes is a mirror and a bit of creativity and your sunburst mirror will be opening up your room with a one of a kind design that will make everyone beg for YOUR tutorial!

About the Author

Shahab Shokouhi is a Writer at†Dulles Glass and Mirror†ñ a manufacturer of commercial and residential glass products including custom mirrors, glass top, and glass top desks.

We Thought We Were Spared Sandy’s Wrath…

Apparently not.

The damage

Last night, as Hurricane Sandy passed DC and we went to bed, I gave a sigh of relief that nothing had happened to our old house and that we were all safe.  I had heard a rip and a crash around 10 pm, but I thought it had been part of an old piece of insulation around a window that blew away…

This morning when we woke up, I felt like we had survived; it was still raining a bit, but the trees were no longer shaking and I even managed to get my dogs to take a relatively long walk (they HATE the rain).  I was getting on with my day when my husband came into my office and told me not to get alarmed.  I of course got alarmed.  Then he said, “It looks worse than it is.”  Now my blood pressure was through the roof.

When we made it to the top floor of the house, I finally saw what he meant.  About 20% of the ceiling in the guest room came down last night during the storm.

View from the attic

The rest of the day was taken up by  waiting on the phone with State Farm, our insurance company, and cleaning up.  State Farm never answered my call and I ended up filing a claim online.   Granted, my home is livable and there is no immediate need to fix the hole.  However, I was surprised that when my call was routed to the “Hurricane Sandy call center,” they did not offer an option to fast-track your call if you were facing an emergency.  I understand that a day after an unprecedented storm like this, all resources, public and private, are going to those who really need help (which we don’t), but it seemed like State Farm was just making you wait in line to answer your call, regardless of the severity or urgency of your claim…

water damage in room beside guest room

I completely understand and am willing to wait until those who need the most help get taken care of first- but there is a hole in my roof and nobody from State Farm has called me back or even sent me an email acknowledging my claim.  I’ve never filed an insurance claim in my life, and finally understand how it feels to be facing  thousands of dollars worth of repairs and loss with no assurance that my insurance will pay for it or when the repair process is even going to begin.  I’ve been paying home insurance for over 10 years…

the hole

I’m facing this problem on a small scale, writing this post from the safety of my warm couch.  My heart goes out to all of those who lost a lot more than we did and who today face the uncertainty we face, but on a much larger scale.  We lost very little compared to others.

I’ll post updates as we hear from our insurance company and the repairs begin…

Go back to Old House

Related articles

• Hurricane Sandy Unlikely to Trigger Payouts from Catastrophe Bonds (insurancejournal.com)
• A Minimum $10 Billion in Damages Is Estimated (nytimes.com)
• As The Hurricane Damage Tally Begins, Here Is Who Pays (zerohedge.com)
• The hidden costs of a hurricane (bbc.co.uk)
• In Sandy Aftermath, How To File An Insurance Claim For Damage (forbes.com)

Features I Love: Lighting

Lighting

As I’ve written before, I am a mere beginner, and know nothing about architecture and interior design.  This is why I’ve been so reluctant to touch anything in this house- I don’t want to remove or destroy something and then find out it was irreplaceable and significant in some way… We are really trying to do our best to be respectful of the house and its history.

Since the relationship with the former owner ended pretty roughly, we were unable to learn much about the house, except what was in the sales brochure.  Anyway, here is my question, it seems like the lighting fixtures are original to the house (built in 1912), but there are also oil burns on the dining room floor from what I was told were oil lamps.  I’m guessing that there was both electricity and oil and gas lighting(?), or the electrical wiring was put in shortly after the house was built.

My favorite lighting fixture in the house is the alabaster and crystal chandelier that hangs in the dining room.

Dining room chandelier

Dining Room Chandelier, detali

But most of the lighting fixtures in the house are beautiful, despite a little paint stains, repairs, etc.

2nd Floor Hall

Living Room

Entrance

3rd Floor Hall

Guest Bedroom

I don’t think the lights in the kitchen are quite as old as those in the rest of the house, but I love them anyway.

Kitchen

There are wall sconces throughout the house, in generally good condition.

Entrance

2nd Floor Hall

Pool Room

Pool Room, Detail

The lights on the living room mantle are not original.  I initially thought that they were, but I saw a picture of the living room in 1982, and the lamps are not there…

Living Room

The light switches are almost all original as well

Third Floor

Entrance

Go back to Old House

Related articles

• Arcadian Lighting on their favourite Georgian style rooms (georgianregencyinteriors.wordpress.com)
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History

The house was designed by Arthur B. Heaton (1875-1951) and built in 1912.  Somebody told me that the original architectural drawings of the house should be available at the Library Of Congress, but only by appointment.  I’ll post the drawings, should I find them.

Arthur B. Heaton (1875-1951)

Arthur B. Heaton

Heaton, a prolific architect and designer with over 1,000 commissions during his career, worked in the DC metropolitan area between 1897 and 1947.   His designs include commercial and apartment buildings, private homes, and theaters.  Heaton was supervising architect for the Washington Cathedral for between 1908 and 1928, and the Associate Architect for the plan of the George Washington Campus in the 1920s.

In all, Heaton designed 28 apartment buildings between 1900 and 1940, with the Altamont at 1901 Wyoming Avenue cited as his best example.  Among his commercial designs is the National Geographic Society on 16th and M Streets, NW; the Washington Loan and Trust Company (now demolished) on 17th and G Streets, NW in 1924; and the Park and Shop complex in Cleveland Park, considered the first planned neighborhood shopping center in the US.

The House

Front

The first owner of the house (1914-15) was Dr. Henry H. Hazen, a dermatologist and Georgetown University professor.  It is thought that the gas nozzles in the coatroom were part of Dr. Hazen’s home laboratory.

Natural gas nozzles, not working

The house was sold in 1915 to the Weaver-Fox family, who owned the house until 1981.  Edmund K. Fox (1875-1933), his wife, and two daughters occupied the house.  Fox was in real estate and owned the third automobile in Washington DC.  He was also the first American businessman to own and fly his own airplane.

Fox also wrote a book, In the Shadow of the Dome, which was made into a silent movie in 1920.   An interesting fact about Fox was his unusually large hat size, which earned him a free hat from the local haberdasher and a mention in the local newspaper (The previous owner took it with him when he left, and did not allow us to make a copy- I’m currently searching for the article).

Article about Fox’s unusual hat size- at least we got a picture when we could!

Upon Fox’s death, his widow, Florence lived in the house until her death in 1942.  Grace Fox, their eldest daughter and author and professor inherited the house and lived alone in it until 1981.   Before selling the house, she allowed it to be photographed for Washington: Houses of the Capital.

I’d rather not go into the details of the person who owned the house before we did.   It is sufficient to say that the purchasing process was not pleasant, and he took a lot of the sentimental and historic objects (original fixtures in several rooms, antique real estate signs from Fox firm built into the basement for storage, the newspaper article, etc.) that he promised would convey with the house, and have no value or meaning outside of it.  (Tip: always put everything in writing! Never trust a person’s word in a real estate deal.)

Antique real estate signs, taken as well

 For more information of Arthur B. Heaton:

• The House History Man
• The InTowner, Scenes From the Past 
• Heaton Architectural Drawings at The Library of Congress

Go back to OLD HOUSE

Go to Renovations 2010

*I originally posted this content as a page instead of a post, sorry for the duplicate!

Features I Love: Ceilings & Molding

Ceilings & Molding

The ceilings and molding in the house are also beautiful and remain largely untouched since the house was built.   The crown molding in the first floor is made of either wood or plaster (?), and is original to the house.

Entrance hall moulding

There are also chair rails on most of the walls.

Chair rails on main stairs

The ceiling in the pool room is copper, but has been painted over so many times, that the detail is difficult to make out.  I am thinking of stripping the paint off, but I’m sure there are several layers and the project may take days.  I looked up the procedure on how to remove paint from copper ceiling tiles, and it looks complicated and involved.  Not to mention I’m 5’3″ and will have to be on a ladder the whole time.  Its on my list, though…

Detail of pool room ceiling, notice the layers of paint obscuring the pattern

The kitchen also has copper tiles.  The design is much more intricate, but they are pretty dirty, probably due to our commercial 1965 Vulcan gas monster of a stove.  That is also on my list, but we are probably going to have to hire someone to do it because the ceiling is over 14′ high and I’m kind of afraid of heights…

Kitchen ceiling

The kitchen also has beautiful tiled back splashes.

Kitchen back splash

The beamed ceilings in the living room are truly beautiful and give the room a warm feeling.  The wood around the windows and mantle is tiger maple.

living room

Tiger maple (I think)

Go back to Old House

Related articles

• 100 Captivating Ceilings – From 5D Galaxy Ceilings to Beaver Dam Ceilings (TrendHunter.com) (trendhunter.com)
• Oh What a Feeling: Decals on the Ceiling (apartmenttherapy.com)
• How to Clean a Ceiling (answers.com)
• Preservation ABCs: C is for Ceiling (preservationinpink.wordpress.com)
• Features I Love: Floors (lasesana.wordpress.com)
• Crown Molding (szmusil.wordpress.com)

Features I Love: Floors

Floors

This house has great features that mostly have not been touched since it was built.

One of my favorite features is the floor in the entrance hall.  It is in amazing shape, considering it is over 100 years old.  I initially thought that it was just tile, but according to WASHINGTON, Houses of the Capital, where the house is featured, “[t]he inlaid border of the floors, which looks like mosaic tile, is in fact mahogany and other woods in a Greek key fret,” (190).

Entrance hall

Floors on the ground floor

The rest of the floors throughout the house are wood, the main floor has inlaid borders in the living room, landing, and dining room.

Before we moved in, main floor

The floors in the third floor are not as detailed, but still nice.

Master Bed, the furniture, etc. is the previous owners’

The floor in the pool room is pretty much done.

Water damage in the pool room

our (temporary) solution

The only bathroom that has been updated has been the master bath, sometime in the 1980s.  I’m sure everyone will agree- it needs a revamp!

master bath shower. The rest of the bathroom floor looks the same

Fourth floor bathroom

 

One small detail that I love and that speaks to the house’s long history are a few “blemishes” on the dining room floor.  They are hot oil burns from the lamps that hung here before the house had electricity.

Oil burns

 

Detail

 

The floor in the conservatory/ sunroom is heated and where I spend most of my time.

Sunroom floor detail

Go back to Old House

 

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• 1405 Forest Edge Court, Wexford PA (pittsburghnorthernhomes.wordpress.com)
• Virginia House (virginiaplantation.wordpress.com)
• Rennovations with Love (cemooney27.wordpress.com)
• Rennovations with Love (mrsmooney27.wordpress.com)