There'll be table-scapes for hosting, porches and decks for boasting, with two gift wrap ideas to be had.
Christmas mantels are glowing, and I will be showing three homemade woodsy gifts out in the snow.
All the links at the bottom, so you can click on 'em, more ideas than your brain can now stow. It's the most wonderful time of the year.......
It's ok if you're rolling your eyes at my song parody, I never claimed to be a lyricist, only that there would be occasional silliness.
And craftiness... I said there would be some of that along with the silliness and blissfulness, so here goes....
Mother nature was quite kind to offer me up some fresh powder for photos, and also keep the temperature mild enough to wander out for cutting supplies without wind. But if I would have waited one more day to do that, I'd be cursing that woman.
Homemade gifts are usually more frugal than store bought ones, but my reason to make gifts is that I enjoy it. Typically if we can build it, it will become a gift to someone. Some years Brawn has spent several weekends in his elf wood-shop cobbling up items for our friends or family, but I could never tell you what those are lest secrets be spilled before hand.
While he thinks about cobbling, I put together some woodsy arrangements I can gift to friends who don't have the pleasure of being surrounded by trees at this time of year.
Red dogwood branches, and three kinds of green trees with pine cones are a short walk down our driveway.
Those red berry conical things below are what's left after sumac drops it's leaves, and they are my very favorite woodsy thing to use with greens at this time of the year.
Daughter #2 and her niece gathered a pile of all those items on Thanksgiving for her to take home to use in her window boxes, and they hauled it all right up to the front yard so the leftovers could be cut up and used by me.
Many moons ago I picked up these crafting paint cans at a garage sale thinking someday I'd use them. Someday arrived. They have been taking up space empty or holding junk, and it was time to call them into service. I thought I only had two but found one more holding paint brushes.
Since the cans were already white, I was contemplating a holiday red and white palette. I had plenty of Fort York Red from Fusion Mineral Paint as well as Coal Black for accents, so I sat down to stencil with nothing more than a color scheme planned.
Old Sign Stencils Buffalo Check is a little tricky on a round surface, but with all the pattern if a mistake is made no one is the wiser. Not that I made any mistakes of course.
OK.... I made a mistake. I didn't line the stencil up correctly so maybe don't judge the back of that bucket that I'm not even gonna show you.
I may not have had a plan with the stencils, but apparently I really like the reindeer ones.
In the photo above, the handle on the can fit in the table groove nice and snug and I used that to hold the can in place while I stenciled as the sun went down. It was a fast process and I was anxious to fill them the next day.
The Christmas stencils are from the 2019 designs, and I love them! Very versatile and I mix and match them with the ones I already have. You can see them all for yourself at the "Quick Link" at the bottom.
I lined the three buckets up on the porch and started to fill them from the pile of cut greens daughter #2 left me.
While I was clipping pieces I noticed the dog off running and leaping in the former corn field having the time of his life. How wonderful he wasn't carrying off my supplies to chew on, and I whistled while I worked.
The neighboring farmer must have spread manure in a small part of his field, because there among the snow the dog found some fresh cow s#!t to play in. This really put a damper on my creativity when he came close to me and offended my nose.
As I filled the buckets and breathed in manure, I considered who's porch I would leave each on. Sort of like May Day Baskets, instead mine will be Christmas Buckets, and the recipient can enjoy the gift all season inside or out.
Here in December if you add some water to the bottom of anything it will freeze. In this case it freezes and adds weight to the buckets. The gathered branches are zip tied together, and I have to thank Amazon for my secret to holding the greens in place...........
Air packing. I tucked three in the sides of each bucket, and they held all the branches firmly in place.
The wild and woolly arrangements are tall, right about 30 inches in height. Before delivery I may trim them up some and add a few more dogwood.
When I finished taking photos I left the buckets on the snow covered patio table, wondering if a raccoon would stumble upon them and steal the candy canes. No raccoon showed up, but Mother Nature did, and she didn't run her weather plans by me.
I didn't know it was going to sleet and snow over night.... again, so today the buckets may be frozen in place, with an authentic wintry mix of
white adorning their branches, just like in the wild, minus the cute
buckets of course.
Are you ready for more ideas? Here are some great ones for your mantel, porch, table, plus handmade gift ideas and gift wrap ideas. Be sure to visit everyone to see all the details.
Mantels
Top Row : Worthing Court // Hearth & Vine
Porches & Decks
Top row: Postcards from the Ridge // Petticoat Junktion
Tablescape Ideas
Handmade Gift Ideas
Top row: Exquisitely Unremarkable // Domestically Speaking
Gift Wrap Ideas
Bliss Ranch Quick Links:
how fun are these cans. i imagine everything freezes in your neck of the woods.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! Love the buckets. :) I hope mama Nature sets them free from the porch so you can share them with their intended recipients. I'm glad I got to see them!! Great idea!
ReplyDeleteBliss, these are gorgeous. I want one! I always love your use of stencils. So pretty. And what a genius idea using Amazon air packets. I'm stealing that one.
ReplyDeleteOh wow I love it when Mother Nature shares her bounty. These turned out so lovely and your stencilling skills are waaaaaay better than mine ;-)
ReplyDeleteWow! Your arrangements look like they hopped right out of a Christmas card. How beautiful...and red. My favorite color anytime of the year. I love that you hung on to the paint cans. They're the perfect container for your rustic gift.
ReplyDeleteThese are fantastic! Wish I had some snow to top my greenery, but it's been warm so I'll enjoy yours. :)
ReplyDeleteI love these, Bliss!
ReplyDeleteWho wouldn't want to receive one of these beautiful woodsy gifts!?
What an adorable project! I love that stencil line and if I had those, I'd be stenciling all sorts of things. The recipients of these beautiful buckets are certain to be happy!
ReplyDeleteThese are adorable, Bliss! Your buckets look like my outdoor pots. We can never just get a pretty, light sprinkling can we? Just get those outdoor pots all arranged pretty and we get a dumping!I'm going to go shake some of that wet, heavy stuff off so I can enjoy the beauty! The recipients of these cuties will be so happy!
ReplyDeleteYour buckets are adorable! Even if you had to endure sh*t to make them!
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect gift Bliss! You could use those buckets for so many different things...they'd be cute with candy canes or filled with treats.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the inspirations.
Hugs,
Lynn
These turned out amazing.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh—I love these!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great gift idea!!! I love the stencils you used... brave girl stenciling on a curve!
ReplyDeleteAfter singing my way through your intro 😂😂 I have to say these are magical! I love the stencils and the paint buckets and all that greenery goodness that grows nowhere near me!! You are going to truly make someone's day by gifting these beauties!
ReplyDeleteBliss, Bliss, Bliss.....these are AMAZING! Please tell me one is coming my way... Seriously..I bet you could sell a gazillion of these on Etsy. Love them and the greenery and the snow... perfection.
ReplyDeleteThese are so gorgeous! And leave it to you to get a big huge dump of snow just in time for the shoot!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to use paint cans, and I have lots. Love this idea and they make a great gift.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea. Your stencils are so cute and the arrangements are a great gift. You can definitely leave one on my porch!
ReplyDeleteThese are PERFECT! I want them! The red and white contrast is gorgeous, these seriously are a high end gift!!!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness - these are so, so cute! Feel free to leave one on my front porch! winkwink
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great gift idea! I would love to receive this! 😀
ReplyDeleteDarn it! I just cut up a bunch of those filler packets. That idea is genius! I love your darling buckets for gifts and arrangements. The stencils look like they were made for them!
ReplyDeleteWell, your little pots jumped into my lap once again... and now I am featuring them in this weekend's DIY Salvaged Junk 505. Movie star pots I tell ya! I love them so....
ReplyDelete