First, I adhered some tan-colored Kunin felt to some Sizzix mat board using my Xyron 9″ Creative Station. (I stopped using spray adhesive months ago and only use my Xyron now, and my lungs have never been happier.) Then I ran the mat board through the basket die to get these pieces. (I ended up not using the two strips on the far right.)

I decided to remove the pieces of felt on the edge of the main body so it would be easier to glue, and there would be less bulk as well.

Then I hot glued the two sides to the middle section.

I cut the long strips with the holes at the end in half to create four legs, and I attached them to the body with brads, lining up the holes. How perfect was that? I adjusted them with scissors so the reindeer would stand up straight and not fall over. (I ended up gluing pieces of felt to the other sides of the legs too so they would be less “naked.”)

Then I ran some card stock through the Spring Leaves die to make the antlers and glued them to a cork, which I used for the reindeer head. I also glued some googly eyes and a pom pom for the nose. A red nose for Rudolph and a black nose for “Olive,” the other reindeer. And I glued on some felt ears by the antlers so this reindeer would be able to hear Santa’s “ho ho hos.” And then I glued the head to the front of the body. 

These reindeer were super fun and easy to make. I think they just may go down in his-to-ryyyyyy.

I made them with a variety of Sizzix dies by Eileen Hull.

I used the Button Jars & Labels die, the Leaves/Spring die, the 3-D Adirondack Chair, and the Make-it-3D Box.

First I covered some mat board with burlap, adhering it with Scotch Super 77 spray adhesive,  and made two jar die cuts, plus one of the flexible boxes from the Make-it-3D die.

Next I folded the box at its score markings, gluing this “box” to the jar pieces to make it three dimensional.

It doesn’t look like a turkey body yet, but it will when we add the feathers, which are actually leaves made from the spring leaves die and autumn-themed scrapbook paper.

I glued the leaves to the back of the jar, fanning them out. 

For the turkey head, I die cut the large slat of the adirondack chair die, and the smaller leaf from the spring leaves die.

I glued the turkey neck to the front of the jar, and glued the head to the top of the neck, flopping it over with the leaf stem in the back.

Add some googly eyes.

And for the finishing touch, the turkey wattle! I die cut it out of the label section of the button jar die and glued it under the head. It looked like a wattle!

Fill the jar with nuts or candy, and you’ve got a cute treat cup for Thanksgiving. Get ready to gobble up compliments.

Disclosure: 1) I received product in exchange for this post. 2) All opinions are my own. 3) I make my turkey gravy with Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup.

There’s something dramatic — and certainly unexpected — about ephemera cascading from the ceiling. For me, it’s really the final frontier in decorating. The walls and floors are already taken by furniture and art. But the airspace above our heads is valuable decorating real estate that is rarely utilized. So why not use it?

My method for hanging is pretty simple. I either glue or tie objects to thread or monofilament, also known as fishing line. (I use thread for lighter elements like rose petals and monofilament for heavier objects.) Then I attach the thread or monofilament to the ceiling. If what I’m hanging is feather-light, poster putty will do the trick. For anything that is medium-weight, I use a 3M Command Strip adhesive hook. And if I’m hanging something heavy that I want to make sure does not fall, I use ceiling eye-hook screws.

The following are some examples of ways that I’ve suspended objects in the air. My hope is that you will be inspired to have a few “hang-ups” of your own.

Floating flowers

I love to display flowers on the table, but there’s often not enough room for them during the meal, given the space needed for all the dishes of food. An alternative is to hang your flowers above the table. I chose calla lilies because their stems are thick enough to hold enough moisture for the flowers to stay fresh out of water for about two days. (Hopefully, your dinner party would be over by then.) Of course, you can also use artificial flowers. The calla lilies were hung with monofilament and attached to the ceiling with 3M Command Strip hooks.

Rose petal storm

Probably what I hang most often are silk rose petals. Suspended as if falling from the ceiling, they look like a camera snapped a picture while the petals were in midair, leaving them frozen in time. I’ve created this effect for romantic dinners for two, as well as for weddings and special events. To assemble strands of rose petals, I ran a needle and thread through three to six petals per strand, spacing the petals apart and gluing the point where the petals touch the thread. The strands of petals are light enough to attach to the ceiling with poster putty. To see how I suspended rose petals at my niece’s wedding, click here.

Whirly chandelier

I don’t have a chandelier above my dining room table, so I made a makeshift one that is much cooler using clear-glass globe candleholders from CB2. I secured them with monofilament and attached them to the ceiling with eye-hook screws. In each globe, I placed an LED battery-operated candle. I’ve also used the hanging globes as an ever-changing exhibit, placing various objects inside the globe depending on season.

Cascading pingpong balls

As if cooking Thanksgiving dinner wasn’t stressful enough, I got it into my head two weeks before the holiday to spray-paint 600 pingpong balls shiny gold and suspend them from the ceiling over our table. After four days of painstakingly painting each individual ball, I created strands of four to six pingpong balls by running a needle and thread through them and evenly spacing them out. Then I applied a dab of glue to the contact points where the balls touched the thread so the balls would stay in place. I attached them to the ceiling with 3M Command Strip hooks. They stayed up through December, and I’ve kept all the strands of pingpong balls so I can duplicate the look another time. For more pics of the gold ping pong ball decor, see my article here.

Halo of feathers

When I designed a bedroom for the Designer Showcase at Greystone Mansion several years ago, I thought the showpiece  would be an illuminated headboard I had built that featured a photograph of an angel sunning by the pool. After all, it cost about $3,000. But the first thing people said when they walked in was, “Look at the feathers hanging from the ceiling.” I had hung a halo of feathers from the ceiling using simple thread and poster putty, and it was this little unexpected decorating touch, which cost only $10, that got all the attention. For more pics of my room for the Greystone Mansion showcase, click here.

And here’s a one-minute video I put together on making them.

I can’t help it, I have been obsessed with Star Wars ever since the first trilogy. When Revenge of the Jedi came out, I waited in line on Hollywood Boulevard from 9 PM to 6 AM to catch a showing on opening morning. So to be able to merge Star Wars with crafting is just like mixing chocolate with peanut butter. Yes, I’ll have some of that!

To do this, I printed an image of the Millennium Falcon (and the Star Wars logo) on my trusty Craft Attitude film and then applied the image on the pendant with a glue stick. Instant Millennium Falcon Christmas ornament.

I still have more pieces from the Chandelier Pendant series, so who knows what I’ll come up with next. And May the Force Be With You this holiday season. 

Living succulent wreath

Lavender wreath

Holly wreath

Chili pepper wreath

Fresh rosemary wreath