30 Days of D.I.Y. Gifts and Decor: 7 Days-7 Ways to DIY a Christmas Tree

Hi All! Due to this being the week of Thanksgiving and I have family over, I have fallen behind on my 30 days. So Sorry! This week I decided to do seven different ways to D.I.Y. a Christmas Tree. I hope your holiday will be filled with family and friends, love and laughter, giving and receiving! I would love to hear if you try any of the projects and how they turned out. <3 Erika

7 Days-7 Ways to DIY a Christmas Tree

Day 1 ~ Layered Felt Trees 

Tutorial at Thistlewood Farms

Day 2 ~ A beautiful array of trees made with pearls, feathers and felt. Check out all the how-to tutorials by Mel at Bliss Bloom Blog. 

Day 3 ~ A rustic twig tree from countryhome.com.

Day 4 ~ Book Page Christmas Tree

Find how-to link HERE

Day 5 ~  For the wine lover in your life, a Wine Cork tree! Check out the full post, with the tutorial, at Ask Anna.

Day 6 ~ Don't forget the little ones! Here is a tree they can play with and decorate themselves!

By Sol and Rachel do a Blog

Day 7 ~ My most Favorite..... Magazine Christmas Trees!

So easy and lovely for those like me who always have magazines laying around. You can leave them plain, spray paint them or (my favorite way!) glitter them!

Check them out at Splish Splash Splatter.

The Last Day: All Wrapped Up

30 Days of D.I.Y. Gifts and Decor: Glitter Ball Ornaments

Welcome to day 22 of 

Hi All! I have switched my focus onto the up-coming holidays that will be filled with family and friends, love and laughter, giving and receiving! For me, some of the best memories and gifts have been what is handmade and from the heart. And, I love giving and receiving handmade and locally crafted gifts. So, I am going to share a new project every day for the month of November to get y'all (and myself) into the spirit of the holidays! I hope you enjoy the next thirty days with me! I would love to hear if you try any of the projects and how they turned out. <3 Erika

Glitter Ball Ornaments

I love this idea! It seems quick, fairly easy and inexpensive. I wonder if you could use these as outdoor tree ornaments....  Oh! I might just have to try that! : D

Check out the full post by Meg at Fresh Poppy Design. You can also find the link on my Pinterest board, DIY craftables.















Tomorrow: 7 Days-7 Ways to DIY a Christmas Tree

30 Days of D.I.Y. Gifts and Decor: Gifts for the Gardener

Welcome to day 21 of

Hi All! I have switched my focus onto the up-coming holidays that will be filled with family and friends, love and laughter, giving and receiving! For me, some of the best memories and gifts have been what is handmade and from the heart. And, I love giving and receiving handmade and locally crafted gifts. So, I am going to share a new project every day for the month of November to get y'all (and myself) into the spirit of the holidays! I hope you enjoy the next thirty days with me! I would love to hear if you try any of the projects and how they turned out. <3 Erika

Gifts for the Gardener

Here are just a few D.I.Y. gift ideas for the gardener in your life. You can find more ideas at my Pinterest account. 

Seed bombs from Everything Nothing Wonderful with label download.

What gardener wouldn't love a good hand, nourishing hand scrub by Elizabeth at The Nourished Life.

Are you kidding me!? These are awesome! I may have to make these for myself! Project by Ann at Our Garden Path.

These are so cute! From Martha Stewart.

Giant Allium's are one of my favorite blooms in the garden. These are made with spray painted chicken wire. Check them out HERE.

Tomorrow: Giant Glitter Ball Ornaments

30 Days of D.I.Y. Gifts and Decor: A 'Thankful' Tree

Welcome to Day 20 of 

Hi All! I have switched my focus onto the up-coming holidays that will be filled with family and friends, love and laughter, giving and receiving! For me, some of the best memories and gifts have been what is handmade and from the heart. And, I love giving and receiving handmade and locally crafted gifts. So, I am going to share a new project every day for the month of November to get y'all (and myself) into the spirit of the holidays! I hope you enjoy the next thirty days with me! I would love to hear if you try any of the projects and how they turned out. <3 Erika

A 'Thankful' Tree from Better Homes & Gardens

A friend of mine did a (better) version of this at a dinner we had together and I have to tell you, there is something so powerful in writing down what you are thankful for. Not just thinking about it but writing it down and then having it read out loud. It hits home more; sinks in more that, yeah, I really do have so much to be grateful for. And, what is even more lovely about this project is that it gets to whole family involved from the youngest to the oldest. What a great example to set for the littlest ones by having them participate along side the adults! To make it an even more lovely center piece to your Thanksgiving holiday, you could spray paint the branch(es) with chrome or glitter paint in fall colors!

Check out the full post for the Thankful tree at Better Homes and Gardens.

Or, you can find in on my Pinterest Board: Falling for Autumn. 

Tomorrow: Gifts for the Gardener

30 Days of D.I.Y. Gifts and Decor: Elegant Word Art Display

Welcome to day 19 of

Hi All! I have switched my focus onto the up-coming holidays that will be filled with family and friends, love and laughter, giving and receiving! For me, some of the best memories and gifts have been what is handmade and from the heart. And, I love giving and receiving handmade and locally crafted gifts. So, I am going to share a new project every day for the month of November to get y'all (and myself) into the spirit of the holidays! I hope you enjoy the next thirty days with me! I would love to hear if you try any of the projects and how they turned out. <3 Erika

Elegant 'Thanks' Word Art Display by Nike at thrive.

Nike (pronounced 'Neeka') has a great motto at her blog, Thrive. Her motto, 'Rock what ya got!' And that is exactly what this D.I.Y. decor project is all about. Well, besides being simple and elegant! She used empty bottles that she cleaned off and made her own letters. Stop by her blog, Thrive., to see the full tutorial and even more lovely display ideas. And please, tell her I sent you!

You can also find the link on my Pinterest board: Falling for Autumn.

Next: A 'Thankful' Tree

30 Days of D.I.Y. Gifts and Decor: Homemade Marshmallows

Welcome to Day 18 of 

Hi All! I have switched my focus onto the up-coming holidays that will be filled with family and friends, love and laughter, giving and receiving! For me, some of the best memories and gifts have been what is handmade and from the heart. And, I love giving and receiving handmade and locally crafted gifts. So, I am going to share a new project every day for the month of November to get y'all (and myself) into the spirit of the holidays! I hope you enjoy the next thirty days with me! I would love to hear if you try any of the projects and how they turned out. <3 Erika

Homemade Marshmallows

I made marshmallows a couple Christmas's ago after I watched how easy it was on a cooking show. Every non-homemade marshmallow I have had since just doesn't add up! And I love to see peoples reaction the first time they try one. I love this recipe from County Living because it also provides gourmet flavors to make like peppermint and coffee. 
(You can substitute vanilla for the peppermint extract if you would like to try vanilla like I made. I have also seen some peppermint marshmallows swirled with red food coloring to add a touch of festiveness!) 

Wrapped up neatly, these make a great little gift for holidays hosts or friends and neighbors.
Check out the full post with the recipe at County Living.
You can also find a link on my Pinterest board: 
Gift Ideas: Hand made or Hand picked.



Tomorrow: Elegant 'Thanks' Word Art Display

30 Days of D.I.Y. Gifts & Decor: Homemade Advent Calendars

Welcome to the weekend of the 16th & 17th of 

Hi All! I have switched my focus onto the up-coming holidays that will be filled with family and friends, love and laughter, giving and receiving! For me, some of the best memories and gifts have been what is handmade and from the heart. And, I love giving and receiving handmade and locally crafted gifts. So, I am going to share a new project every day for the month of November to get y'all (and myself) into the spirit of the holidays! I hope you enjoy the next thirty days with me! I would love to hear if you try any of the projects and how they turned out. <3 Erika

A collection of Handmade Advent Calendars

One of my favorite Christmas time family traditions growing up was the advent calendar. We always bought the chocolate piece filled ones from the store. And that is one of those family traditions I have wanted to pass on to my kids. Granted, I have not been good about it every year but when I saw some of these great ideas on Pinterest, I got motivated!

Stephanie Lynn has a great Pottery Barn inspired one filled with handmade ornaments for everyday. Check her post HERE.

A wrapped children's book for every night that you open and read together!

From Elle Keeps Moving

As a card maker, I really love this idea from Real Simple! Mostly because it would be so easy for me to make since I already have all the items needed!

Cute clothes pins on a simple board with small gifts and/or candies......

At The Life of Jennifer Dawn, you will find this advent calendar tutorial made with little tins that are filled with bible verses and manger pieces. 

This lovely and simple advent is filled with different family activities to do together. Check out the rest of the post by Lindsay at passionate homemaking. 

And, finally, the calendar we are going to make for this year! I love this idea by Erlend at Morning Creativity. I have been saving up our toilet paper rolls for a while now and I think the pile up is starting to bug my hubby. : / I am going to use red and green tissue paper to cover the ends. I think that will look more festive and be more fun for the kids. (But mostly because I have a BUNCH of it from over the years!) And, to go inside each day, along with the small prizes, I am going to put in a bible verse to read with the kids.

Here is the list of bible verses I am going to go by that I found on

Sassy Sawdust by Kim. 

What do you do for Advent? I would love to hear about your traditions! If you stop by an of the sites listed above, let them know you heard about them from Erika at MishMashedMe. Thanks!

You can find all these pins and more on my Pinterest board: 

The most Wonderful time of the Year

Tomorrow: Homemade Marshmallows

30 of D.I.Y. Gifts and Decor: Bath Salts

Welcome to day 15 of

Hi All! I have switched my focus onto the up-coming holidays that will be filled with family and friends, love and laughter, giving and receiving! For me, some of the best memories and gifts have been what is handmade and from the heart. And, I love giving and receiving handmade and locally crafted gifts. So, I am going to share a new project every day for the month of November to get y'all (and myself) into the spirit of the holidays! I hope you enjoy the next thirty days with me! I would love to hear if you try any of the projects and how they turned out. <3 Erika

Homemade Bath Salts from Martha Stewart

This project sounds quick and easy and, packaged just right, would make for a lovely gift. To see the easy step-by-step instructions, go to Martha Stewart.

For a great selection of essential oils to add to your bath salt project, check out Fit2B On Your Skin. 

This Weekend: Handmade Advent Calendars

30 Days of D.I.Y. Gifts and Decor: Scarves with a Purpose

Welcome to Day 14 of

Hi All! Now that Halloween is over, I am switching my focus onto the up-coming holidays that will be filled with family and friends, love and laughter, giving and receiving! For me, some of the best memories and gifts have been what is handmade and from the heart. And, I love giving and receiving handmade and locally crafted gifts. So, I am going to share a new project every day for the month of November to get y'all (and myself) into the spirit of the holidays! I hope you enjoy the next thirty days with me! I would love to hear if you try any of the projects and how they turned out. <3 Erika

Scarves with a Purpose

I literally just learned about this site a couple of hours ago as I was sitting in the laundry mat waiting for baby girls comforter to dry. I picked up the Woman's Day magazine and read a short write up on different charities you could donate to this holiday season. Scarves with a Purpose caught my attention especially because I love scarves. And I know many lovely ladies that are awesome at knitting beautiful scarves. I am not one of them but I have been blessed by them! Basically, Scarves with a Purpose collects handmade scarves to give out to whoever needs them. It stated in the Woman's Day article that they gave over 400 scarves to Hurricane Sandy victims last year! What a great D.I.Y. Gift idea! You are using your talents to make beautiful scarves that will give warmth to someone in need and bless not only them but you. No better gift! Stop by the Scarves with a Purpose page to learn more about getting involved! 
And please, help me spread the word about this great cause by sharing this post on Facebook and on Pinterest. Thank you!

Tomorrow: Bath Salts

30 Days of D.I.Y. Gifts and Decor: Our Thank 'Fall' Mantel

Welcome to day 13 of

Hi All! Now that Halloween is over, I am switching my focus onto the up-coming holidays that will be filled with family and friends, love and laughter, giving and receiving! For me, some of the best memories and gifts have been what is handmade and from the heart. And, I love giving and receiving handmade and locally crafted gifts. So, I am going to share a new project every day for the month of November to get y'all (and myself) into the spirit of the holidays! I hope you enjoy the next thirty days with me! I would love to hear if you try any of the projects and how they turned out. <3 Erika

Our Thank 'Fall' Mantel

This year for our Fall mantel, I thought it would be fun to do an Autumn-themed collage with the kids. We went to the dollar store and bought a foam poster board and some glue sticks. Then we stopped by the thrift store and bought some old magazines that were all published during the fall months. The kids and I sat down and all flipped through the magazines, tearing out the pages to put on our board. The kids had fun gluing the pages to the board. At the center, I put together this message, "Thank Fall for home, where life and love happens." Our handmade picture sits in-between the kids' pumpkins that we grew in our garden. And I filled my glass candle holders with leaves from our tree. Trimmed it off with beaded garland that I bought at a craft store's after-Christmas clearance. All in all I think our Thank 'Fall' mantel turned out quite nice and all for only a couple dollars and time with the kids. Do you like to make collages with your kids?  



Next: Scarves with a Purpose

30 Days of D.I.Y. Gifts and Decor: Send a {Thankful} Hug

Welcome to day 12 of 

Hi All! Now that Halloween is over, I am switching my focus onto the up-coming holidays that will be filled with family and friends, love and laughter, giving and receiving! For me, some of the best memories and gifts have been what is handmade and from the heart. And, I love giving and receiving handmade and locally crafted gifts. So, I am going to share a new project every day for the month of November to get y'all (and myself) into the spirit of the holidays! I hope you enjoy the next thirty days with me! I would love to hear if you try any of the projects and how they turned out. <3 Erika

Send a Hug from Bettijo at Paging Supermom!

Call me old-fashioned but I think we all should make sending handwritten letters and cards in the 'snail' mail more important. The joy it brings to see an envelope in a mail box with your name on it just can not be compared to email or anything else. Especially for a child!

And as the holiday of being thankful for the blessings in our lives approaches, how can we forget our loved ones that are not close by? I think this idea of sending a hug in the mail to those loved ones is great! To make it even more special, have each child write why they are thankful for and what they love about the recipient(s). 

Have you sent a hug before? Or received one?

To learn more about how you can send one, check out the full post at Paging Supermom!

You can also find it on my Pinterest board, Gift Ideas-Hand made or Hand picked. 






Tomorrow: Our Thank 'Fall' Mantel 

30 Days of D.I.Y. Gifts and Decor: D.I.Y. Wood Pencil Holder

Welcome to day 11 (a day late) of

Hi All! Now that Halloween is over, I am switching my focus onto the up-coming holidays that will be filled with family and friends, love and laughter, giving and receiving! For me, some of the best memories and gifts have been what is handmade and from the heart. And, I love giving and receiving handmade and locally crafted gifts. So, I am going to share a new project every day for the month of November to get y'all (and myself) into the spirit of the holidays! I hope you enjoy the next thirty days with me! I would love to hear if you try any of the projects and how they turned out. <3 Erika

D.I.Y. Wood Pencil Holder from Amy at Then She Made...

If you have kids that like to do art projects, you want to have one of these! This is one of those projects I will give to my husband to make for a Christmas present for our son. I love it and it is easily personalized by the pattern of paper you modpodge to it! Of course, as I am sitting here typing this, I am thinking this could also be a great gift idea for anyone that sits behind a desk. And, it could be fashioned to fit pens I will bet....

Check out the full project information and how-to pictures at Then She Made....

You can also find it pinned on my, Gift Ideas-Hand made or Hand picked, Pinterest board.








Tomorrow: Send a Hug

30 Days of D.I.Y. Gifts and Decor: Preserved Fall Leaves for Thanksgiving Name Cards

Welcome to day 10 of 

Hi All! Now that Halloween is over, I am switching my focus onto the up-coming holidays that will be filled with family and friends, love and laughter, giving and receiving! For me, some of the best memories and gifts have been what is handmade and from the heart. And, I love giving and receiving handmade and locally crafted gifts. So, I am going to share a new project every day for the month of November to get y'all (and myself) into the spirit of the holidays! I hope you enjoy the next thirty days with me! I would love to hear if you try any of the projects and how they turned out. <3 Erika

Preserved Fall Leaves for Thanksgiving Name Cards 

from Julia 

at Blissfully Content

I have been wanting to do this every fall but never got around to learning how. Then Julia posted this and my heart smiled! Preserved Fall leaves are great for name cards but OH think of all the possibilities! And look at that precious handmade cloth napkin the leaf is resting on! You could make some for your own table or you could make a set as a hostess gift for your Thanksgiving hostess. How else would you use preserved fall leaves in your Autumn decorating? 

Check out Julia's Preserving Fall Leaves tutorial post for the step-by-step instructions that are easy enough for the little ones to help make.

For a tutorial on making those beautiful cloth napkins, 

check out Julia's post HERE. 

You can also find this on my Pinterest board: Falling for Autumn.

Tomorrow: D.I.Y. Wood Pencil Holder

30 Days of D.I.Y. Gifts and Decor: Fall Table Setting

Welcome to day 9 of

Hi All! Now that Halloween is over, I am switching my focus onto the up-coming holidays that will be filled with family and friends, love and laughter, giving and receiving! For me, some of the best memories and gifts have been what is handmade and from the heart. And, I love giving and receiving handmade and locally crafted gifts. So, I am going to share a new project every day for the month of November to get y'all (and myself) into the spirit of the holidays! I hope you enjoy the next thirty days with me! I would love to hear if you try any of the projects and how they turned out. <3 Erika

Fall Table Setting with Robin at All Things Heart & Home

When I host a party my theory is throw one you would like to attend. One of the best ways to set a mood for a dinner party is a well set table. And that doesn't have to be expensive to do! Robin shows how to put together a lovely Fall table with natural elements. After reading this post, my mind wandered to what I may have laying around the house that I could use to set our Thanksgiving table. Beautiful maple leaves in all the fall colors, pine cones, berry sprigs, apples, plaid and velvet ribbons......
What do you have lying around?

Check out Robin's full post at 
All Things Heart & Home. 
You can also find it on my Pinterest board: Falling for Autumn.









Tomorrow: Preserved Fall Leaves for Thanksgiving Name Cards

30 Days of D.I.Y. Gifts and Decor: Pinecone Garland

Welcome to day 8 of

Hi All! Now that Halloween is over, I am switching my focus onto the up-coming holidays that will be filled with family and friends, love and laughter, giving and receiving! For me, some of the best memories and gifts have been what is handmade and from the heart. And, I love giving and receiving handmade and locally crafted gifts. So, I am going to share a new project every day for the month of November to get y'all (and myself) into the spirit of the holidays! I hope you enjoy the next thirty days with me! I would love to hear if you try any of the projects and how they turned out. <3 Erika

Pinecone Garland by Kristin at Ella Claire

I love all-natural holiday decorations! For one, you can find most of them outside, with your family on an adventure, and for free. And two, I love the simplicity and grace of them. They take me back to a simpler time; a less commercialized time, when the holidays were more about time with loved ones than the presents and such. I think that is why I am drawn to this D.I.Y. decor project. 

Go to Ella Claire and see the full tutorial post by Kristin. Great step-by-step instructions to have a beautiful, handmade Pinecone Garland that actually lays flat!

You can also find in on my Pinterest board: Falling for Autumn.

Tomorrow: Fall Table Setting