Christmas Decor: Bits and Pieces

I added some "new" Christmas decor this year that I want to remember for next year. "New" has nothing to do with purchasing and everything to do with found items and a bit of creativity.

Shutter card display.
So this came about because we finally had our broken shutters replaced, and this was the one unbroken shutter. So obviously I thought I should save it and do something with it. I imagined sticking Christmas cards in the slats; however, the slats on this shutter are connected and cards wouldn't stay. So, twine and tiny clothespins worked perfectly.

This was incredibly adorable. Eventually, the whole shutter was filled with strings of cards, and I love it. But there were two problems. First, I couldn't figure out a spot that could accommodate a 5' shutter that was very visible, so this work of art ended up tucked in a rarely seen corner. I'll have to work on that for next year. Second, the kitty discovered that she could torture me by playing with the twine and knocking the cards off. Hopefully she'll be a lazy cat next year.

Burlap poinsettia covers. 
I love poinsettias but I hate those shiny foil bottoms they are packaged in. I took some squares of burlap and a red ribbon and just covered up the shiny foil. I have no patience for measuring or cutting straight, and this was a very forgiving project. LOVE this one.

White lights and ivy.
We had our living room painted right before Thanksgiving, and I never got around to figuring out the window treatments. They were taken down during the painting and were so old and bedraggled that I knew I couldn't put them back up. So... I was inspired to just twist white lights and ivy (we have plenty of that growing in our yard) around the curtain rod. I love the way this looks! In fact, I'd gladly keep this look all year 'round, except that the ivy is now getting rather crispy and, well, dead. I guess I'll have to ponder window treatments again now.

The backdoor wreath.
My mom used to cut grapevine and make actual wreaths, but I don't have the patience for that. When we did the Christmas in the Smokies hike in early December, this was one of the crafts people were doing. Basically, you just go out in your yard and gather any greenery or other foliage and tie it up with ribbon. I love this, and 4 weeks after I made it, it still looks great. (The red berries are from the nandina shrubs we have all around the yard.)

Four projects that cost absolutely nothing and looked fantastic. These will definitely appear next year at our house!

Linked up on Wordless Wednesday and 5 Minutes for Mom