Family Chic

I cut the sleeve off of a thrift store sweater and sewed the bottom closed to create a gift bag to hold wine.

I am really fond of pins - I have a bowl full of them and reach for them often when putting the finishing touch on a gift.

You can use yarn or a ribbon to close the bag.

Thread a large needle with yarn and make wide stitches around the neck of the bag. Cut and knot the ends so yarn won't pull through. This creates a drawstring closure.

Small burlap bags are easily made - even if you aren't a sewer - you can do this.

4" cypress trees are available in the greenhouse department at Home Depot for a little under $5.00 each. They come in a small plastic planter that should go directly in the recycling bin!

Burlap is inexpensive and can be purchased at most fabric stores. A 7"x14" strip of burlap is folded in half, sewn along each side and turned inside out to create a small rustic bag. I took the trees out of the red plastic container - left the plastic pot that remained - slipped a plastic bag around that (to prevent leaking when watered) and dropped it into my burlap bag.

Fold edges of burlap bag in and tuck green moss into the to the top to give this a more finished look.

Create a winter garden in a cup.

To make this - take a 9 oz. paper cup and staple a 5"x6" page from a book (I cut my page down to this size) to the side of the cup.

Staple another page, of the same size, to the other side - so the two pages overlap on a slight angle.

Fill cup with glass stones or gravel and stick a twig in it.

Cover top of stones with green moss.

Wrap a strand of jute around cup and tie.

These look great grouped together on a tray - or lining a mantel.

5 tartan scarves, picked up at a resale shop, are tied and draped around my banister to create an easy holiday look.

White pine branches are tucked into the knots of the scarves. When they dry out, I can easily pull them out and tuck fresh greenery back in.

Cutting off the end of a wool scarf, I wrapped it around my wrist and closed it with a favorite pin to create a festive cuff for the holiday season.

I believe less is more - I prefer to wear one bigger, more unusual piece than lots of smaller ones.

To make this wreath - wrap ribbon around a grapevine wreath and attach pins - it is as easy as that.

Use pins that you own already or shop thrift stores and estate sales.

A plain bowl sits inside of a lunch bag and holds sugar for coffee.

Cut lunch bag in half, roll the top down and place bowl inside. Using a paper hole puncher, I made a hole in the bag and tied a tag onto the side. Decorate the tag with a rubber stamp and the look is complete.

Walnuts in their shells make a great party snack -kids love to crack them open. Here I have placed them in a festive footed bowl with a paper bowl beside to hold the shells.

Adding thoughtful details are an important part of entertaining.

What could be more appropriate than wine glass charms made from cork?

I used a Color Box pigment stamp pad (available at craft or paper stores) in magenta to monogram each cork.

Using a sharp knife and a cutting board - cut the cork into 1/2 inch discs. Stamp each cork slice with a letter rubber stamp.

Using a small eye screw - hold the cork disc flat on the table and screw it in from the side. Pull a strand of jute through this loop and tie it to the stem of your wine glass.

I try to reuse birthday and greeting cards as often as possible - here I used a die cut to punch out heart shapes from a group of old cards. I attached these to the wine glass stems with glitter stick metallic pipe cleaners. Simply cut pipe cleaners into about 2 inch pieces, slip card on and twist to close.

Foil alphabet stickers attach well to the foot of a wine glass - yet come off easily. I purchased these stickers in the stationary department of Target - a package of 59 letters costs only $0.99.

Small birthday arrangements add charm to a table setting. Carnations are the perfect flower for a child - so bright and airy - they look good enough to eat. To make these - place a small plastic cup of water inside bag and fill will flowers of your choice. Adding floral foam to the cup will help with stability. I placed a small letter sticker on each bag to add a personal touch.