Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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How To Make A Holiday Window Banner From Felt Ornaments

There are a few more holiday projects going on (aka: getting crossed off the list – woot!) so let’s get right into it. Last year I grabbed four of these 3-packs of white felt tree ornaments from Target. I picked them up about a week after Christmas when they were marked down to ten cents per set instead of a dollar, which meant that in total I had 12 mini felt trees for 40 cents. They seemed kinda perfect to make a casual little banner that looks like hand-cut paper but is actually felt that I didn’t have to cut (which is win/win). Sidenote: this is my hand but it looks so much like John’s that it’s scary. Are we becoming one person? Can that happen? Should the person that we’re morphing into be called Shon or Jerry?

Banner1

Anyway, next I grabbed a random ribbon remnant from the box of leftover ribbon in the closet that I recycle for gift wrapping and laid it out on the floor with my little trees under it to see the spacing. You can see that they had little gold strings around the top of them for hanging, so I just clipped those off.

Banner2

Then I grabbed 12 paperclips from the office supply drawer. Bada bing, bada boom. Sure, I could’ve sewed them each in place or used smaller/cuter clips (like mini clothespins or something) but I didn’t want to be fussy about it and just wanted to make the window look festive using things we already had around the house. Call me crazy but there’s something deliciously casual and sweet about white felt trees, navy ribbon, and little silver paperclips. But if you’re feeling fancy you could get cute binder clips or teeny tiny clothespins instead.

Banner3

Behold… another mini tree!

Tree Far Away

Yup, our tabletop tree is ba-aaack! You can check out last year’s mini tree here (and the 38 homemade ornaments that I whipped up for last year’s Pinterest Challenge). Or you can just feast your eyes on this year’s beauty. Oh but don’t mind that mangled little gray pashmina I tossed under it for the time being (I think using some sort of silver faux fur could be awesome).

Tree Closer

As for the ornaments the only theme is: meaningful, sweet, handmade, and treasured. Basically in the words of Clara, it’s full of our “special special favorites.”

Tree Closer Again Again

We piled on a ton of ornaments that we love love love – whether they were from a local craft fair – like the Virginia ornament below – or even from a few amazingly crafty readers at book tour stops, like this sweet one with Clara’s baby silhouette…

Ornament Detail

Look at this fun felt YHL one that someone else made for us at another book tour stop. So cute, right? And in the background above it you can see John’s bike ornament that I got him last year and an old disco ball from Target over five years ago (along with a small brass french horn, which is what John played in high school band – mah man).

Yhl Ornament

This odd little moose-related ornament might be our favorite. It’s two freshly wedded moose snuggling up to each other. We picked it up on Alaska on our honeymoon. Cue the collective moose aww.

Wedding Detail

Another favorite is this burger one that we bought in honor of none other than the Burg-meister a few years back. And check out that cute felt owl above it (another reader-made ornament from one of our tour stops- have I mentioned how crafty you guys are?!).

Burger Ornament

Basically it’s a tree full of awesomely mismatched and meaningful treasures. You can see that our homemade antlers, spray painted animals, & glass bulbs full of brightly colored paint still have a spot up there, they just get to be surrounded by everything from preserved gingerbread cookies to an old empire state building ornament that reminds us of our time spent in NY where we met back in 2005.

Ornament Detail1

And of course we had to bring our new DIYed chalkboard into the festivities, so John faced his chalk-is-screechy fears and made a little Starbucks-ish drawing, complete with a snowman (he dipped the chalk in water before writing, which you guys suggested for vibrant colors and less chill-inducing screechiness – which seemed to work well, especially with the colored chalk). You might have seen it on instagram last week. I added some snowflakes and then Clara got to work drawing “a pretty rainbow for Santa.” The family that chalks together stays together.

Chalkboard1

Now this formerly un-festive corner makes me straight up jolly.

Chalkboard Tree

Oh and in the spirit of holiday updates, here’s how the little ornaments that I glued to magnets are now faring with three holidays cards up there to keep them company. I’m happy to report that they still look just as cute as they did without cards. And since we snapped this pic yesterday afternoon three more cards came. Woot! I love finding them in the mailbox. #cardnerd

Kitchen Magnets

Oh and check out this amaaazing advent calendar we got from our friends the Pohls in Germany (their three year old daughter named Clara is our Clara’s penpal – more on that here). They sent this traditional German advent calendar where you unwrap each envelope or box to find little treats like a tiny doll, candy, stickers, even a small package of colorful tissues. So far Clara has been having a blast opening one thing per day.

Advent

So there you have our holiday updates.

  • set up the big tree (gradient, baby!)
  • get a live tabletop tree again (like we did last year)
  • decorate the mantel, the built-ins, and the entryway console
  • hang our outside lights & decorate the front porch
  • shoot a Christmas picture of Clara & Burger for our annual holiday card 
  • make an advent calendar for Clara? Ahh I’m behind already!
  • shop for slash make all the gifts on our Christmas list (I’m about 90% done, can’t wait to cross this sucker off!)

We still haven’t hung any lights out front (ack!) or finished all of our Christmas shopping/wrapping, but maybe this weekend we’ll get there. What’s left on your Christmas to-do list? What have you euphorically crossed off already? Is it not amazing to drag a pen across things that you’ve completed? Maybe I need List-Crossers Anonymous. Anyone else having fun with a tabletop tree, homemade banners, or anything else that feels sweetly handmade? Spill the holiday beans.

Update: You can check out all of our favorite holiday decor finds here – many of which are under $15! 

Comments

  1. Andrea says

    Did those chairs around the table come from target? I’m debating buying them for my kitchen table but I hate to do without trying them out..

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      They were actually from eBay nearly ten years ago! I got them for my apartment in NYC fresh out of college! They were orangy-wood but I painted them white. Very comfy!

      xo
      s

    • Margaret @ This Sold House says

      I have those chairs, Andrea. I got them on Craigslist, but they’re basically the same as the Target ones. Shop around – you can find them really cheap (I got 8 used-like-new ones for $75). I think they are comfortable as dining chairs, but you wouldn’t find me lounging on them for more than a couple hours. I also like that they stack.

  2. Rose says

    Hi Sherry, where did you get those white chairs by your tabletop tree? I’ve been considering getting chairs similar to those, but I’m not sure if they’re comfortable enough to sit in for several hours. Your Christmas decorations are beautiful, by the way!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, Jesley = awesome. John and I crack up that both options of merging our names sounds like a real name that already exists. What we wouldn’t give for something funny like Melisjamin.

      xo
      s

  5. Nicole says

    Hi sherry & John. I was trying to find out where your table and chairs are from. I tried looking at your list under your new house and i couldn’t find it. I have a similar one from Ikea but the base is different, and i’m looking for cute, inexpensive chairs for my eat in kitchen.
    Thanks!;)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      The table is from a thrift store (we added a round top since it came with a weird too-small square one) and the chairs are from ebay nearly a decade ago (they were ornagey-wood but I painted them white). Hope it helps!

      xo
      s

  9. Melissa says

    Did I miss it or did you post some ideas for DIY gifts this year? I can only imagine the stuff you guys come up with for your loved ones!!

    Love the chalkboard in this post – have just added it to my basement playroom list!

    Thanks!

    Reply

  10. Roxine says

    My mini-tree is a nativity tree. I bought a ceramic nativity set after Christmas one year and wired it into the tree. I use a gold star as the topper, a mini-gold star garland, and a little bit of raffia throughout. The “skirt” is cream fabric with a gold mesh overlay. Also, I did a mini-tree for my sister that is navy and white and Frosty the Snowman themed. Love the mini’s! And I love all your special special treasures. Lots of good memories. Merry, merry Christmas!

    Reply

  12. Gina says

    What is it about that list crossing that feels so darn good? I’m a list maker too and crossing stuff off just makes my whole day!

    I ALWAYS say that I’m going to buy Christmas stuff when it’s half off the day after Christmas, yet I NEVER do. Maybe I should write that on a list …. for motivation.

    Reply

  13. Amy says

    The German advent calendar is neat!

    I still haven’t put up my little mini tree on the mantle. I bought a little one from Trader Joe’s that came in a little wooden cube-shaped planter. So far I have painted the planter with Benajmin Moore’s citron paint (same color as my front door), but I haven’t decorated it yet. Need to get on it!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Isn’t it?! We’re having so much fun with it! She has so much style -it’s full of pretty papers and tags and tape and other decorative elements that make me say “um, this is amazing, even for moms” – haha!

      xo
      s

  16. Donna Jean says

    i’m thinking about trying to make a paper chain garland w/ my 2 1/2 year old son. i figure that i’ll use my handy dandy paper cutter to cut strips and have him help me tape them together? am i crazy? i’m thinking about figuring out a way to hang Christmas cards from it, too.
    love those felt trees – so cute!

    Reply

  17. Alex - Old Town Home says

    We have a little tree in our house that I love. Our first apartment was very small, so we had a very small tree with very small ornaments. This little tree has given way to a bigger tree with bigger ornaments, but I’ve always loved the tiny ornaments. So we have a little artificial tree with all of those little special ornaments from our first Christmas spent together. It sits in our upstairs back bay window and lights the back room quite nicely. It’s always fun to see it greeting us as we walk in the back yard.

    Good job on your holiday list. We’re working through our list too, but it has far more items in the “not checked off” state than your list does.

    Reply

  18. Karen T says

    I love Christmas trees filled with treasures only known to the people that live there. We stopped using the pretty—but to us—not as special matching ornaments long ago on our tree (they have homes elsewhere!). Every year the girls love finding all of “their” ornaments…ones they’ve made, or were given. And each year we can’t wait to find out if our now 7-year old gingerbread man has made it to another Christmas. He’s had a few repairs over the years (his red-hot candy buttons have fallen off more than once), but so far he’s only missing one arm. He’s our fave. :)

    Cheers to your memory tree!

    Reply

  21. Emily says

    Dude, can you give me your brain? You guys are so crafty!! I’m always reading and catch myself thinking: “Why didn’t I think of that?!” I’m proud to say I am D.O.N.E. with my Christmas shopping (which is a huge accomplishment considering I did all of mine on the 23rd last year) and most of the decorations are up. I wanted to make a wreath for the door, but we’ll save it for next year. My boyfriend and I are still on the hunt for a special ornament to mark our first Christmas together!! Eeeek, and that advent calendar makes me jealous. I wish I had one for myself! :)

    Reply

  23. Michele says

    OK what is wrong with me and my fridge? Stainless steel = magnets don’t stick (in my house). I want to do cute bulb ornaments too!!!

    Reply

  24. Courtney Downey says

    Super cute mini-trees! You’re so creative! I wanted to share my DIY ornament idea that I just completed. My brother got married in September and I saved their invitation and other inserts that came with (i.e. travel guide, brunch info, even the tag they put at the table). I bought a clear glass bobble (pack of 4 at Hobby Lobby), then took the invites and such and cut them into strips. Then curled the strips around a pen and put them into the bobble. I topped it with a cute bow of their wedding colors and attached a tag they put at the table with their names and wedding date. IT IS SO STINKIN’ CUTE (if I do say so myself). Happy to send you pics of the final product.

    Love your site by the way and as we get ready to buy our first home, I plan on putting some projects from your book into play. Thanks for a good read always! Merry Christmas!

    Reply

  26. Carol N. says

    Man hands???

    Seinfeld reference.

    Just kidding! I do not have long fingernails at all and my hands look masculine, especially since I inherited my dads large knuckles.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, I have really short fingers and John has really long ones so our hands never look the same- that’s why it’s so funny that somehow this shot is merging the two!

      xo
      s

  27. Amy says

    I also got the tree ornaments last year on mega clearance. My son hung them on our large tree. They are so adorable. I am hoping to get more discounted ornaments this year.

    Reply

  28. Angie says

    I picked up those same trees last year (in green, red, and white) and hot glued them into a table runner. I’m NOT using it as table runner this year, as I think my 2 year old will try to pull it off, so for now it is hanging like a banner on a door. I love how these trees look. I like your version as a garland, but I have a garland problem. There are 5 Christmas garlands hanging various places in my apartment and I keep wanting to buy more! In need an intervention!

    Reply

  29. Meghan says

    I have that same moose ornament- it was the cake topper at my husbands and I’s wedding. Now it is front and center on our moose themed christmas tree thats in our bedroom.

    Reply

  30. Dana says

    ah! 1, i don’t know what i love more – the picturesque quality of a mini-tree (is there anything that’s not adorable when it’s tiny?) in front of the chalkboard, or all of those handmade felt ornaments! maybe one day you’ll have enough that felt ornaments will be your main tree’s theme! (perfect if there’s another little new babe running around)
    2, i’ve been trying to get in touch with my german heritage a little and have really enjoyed the dear clara series (so weird/awesome how they’re “every day” is so different/similar to ours in the states) but since you posted their last names, i’m wondering if i may be distantly related to your pen-pals! my last name is puhl, which was apparently altered from pohl during immigration. i’ve NEVER met any other pohl’s or puhl’s until one day i was getting something engraved with my intitials.. the girl who was engraving said hers were the same. her name was Dana Pohl! (so weird) and we were able to figure out we were in fact related. i love how small the world is and how connected we all really are. anyway, there was no real point to that second comment except to thank you for going beyond inspiring us to be crafty, but to also inspire us to think of our families and where we came from. i will now make my german family proud by making a german advent calender :)

    Reply

  32. Brenda says

    I love that your little tree is full of the special ornaments! I love my big, decorated tree, but once I have my own family (especially kids) I want a separate tree for all the handmade stuff. I helped my mom decorate their tree, and it was so much fun seeing ornaments from my childhood. One of my favorites is seeing a pretty ornament, then seeing my attempt when I was younger, like in this example: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=591529429225&set=a.569514043235.2038930.110400015&type=3&theater

    Reply

  33. Megan @ Rappsody in Rooms says

    So fun! I love the mini tree. I am also giggling a little bit about how many questions you are getting in the comment section about your table and chairs the mini-tree is on. I guess even glitzy Christmas trees can’t take your mind off some good looking furniture! I just posted about my Christmas decorations…and I think I need to cross off putting up Christmas trees sooner. We have FOUR!

    Reply

  35. Leah says

    Hi Jerry!
    I have those same white ornaments on my tree (along with red felt hearts and green felt trees) because my insane 1 year old cat insists on climbing the tree and I’m afraid she will knock the whole thing over and break my special ornaments. Yay Target for having cute, cheap, non-smashable ornaments! And fingers crossed that Olive will be mature enough to ignore the tree, like my sweet 13 year old cat and well behaved chihuahua, next year.

    Reply

  36. Karol says

    Super cute idea with the tree garland. I bought the same little trees for 10 cents last year and I just (today!) added them to teacher gifts for my girls’ extra teachers (PE, Art, Music, etc.). Love opening up all of my fun bargain finds from the previous years’ sales.

    Reply

  38. Suzy B says

    Love the cute banner and mini tree. The ornament collection is so special as it represents each member of the fam.
    I have a quick question – getting ready to use chalk board paint in my daughter’s room. Unfortunately, it is carpeted. Do you know what I can place on the carpet under that large wall to catch all the chalk and keep from getting it all over the carpet? I was thinking of trying the stuff movers use to protect carpet.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Hmm, that’s a great question! Does anyone have suggestions for Suzy? Maybe a long runner you can place there in a dark color to catch the dust and then be tossed into the wash?

      xo
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Those look awesome except beware of them leaving marks (we hear if you don’t erase them regularly they can “ghost” and leave lines on your board permanently. That’s why we’re afraid to try them :)

      xo
      s

  41. melissa says

    Oh my gosh I grabbed a TON of those trees last year, I have them in several colors and was trying to decide what to do with them. This will be perfect for our cookie swap Saturday!!! Thank you.

    All our ornaments are unique, lots of glass, even one that was my great, great, great grandma’s and is real mercury glass, to hand made from our daughter. Do you have a pickle ornament on your tree? That’s always been fun, who can find the pickle first. Mom had a big one and a tiny one.

    Reply

  42. Erika says

    How sweet that Clara sent Clara an advent calendar!! Any chance you could share with us what she gets each day? I love stuff like that!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Let’s see, so far she has gotten an iron on shirt decal, a lollypop, a pack of tissues, a tiny fairy doll, a chocolate egg, oh man I’m forgetting! They’re so sweet! Clara loves it!!

      xo
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yesterday she got a pair of socks that she loved and the day before it was a tiny toy penguin! They’re just sweet little trinkets and a few functional things (like socks, a packet of tissues, etc).

      xo
      s

  43. Courtney says

    Oh yay! Bonding moment! I bought 10 packs of those mini-trees from Tar-jay last year. I’m attaching them to goody boxes and gifts, but the garland is a great idea! I think I have enough… ahem…

    Love the mini tree- what a fun idea.

    Reply

  46. Lina says

    Hi, love the mini tree. I’m thinking of getting one for my one year old to play with…hope it will distract from the real big tree!

    I was just looking at your to do list up there and was wondering if you posted about your christmas cards this year? If so, I guess I missed it!

    Reply

  47. Jaime says

    I love your little tree. My favourite trees are ones where almost every ornament has a memory or meaning. Whenever we go on vacation, we always pick up an ornament to remember the trip. Also, growing up, my Mom gave us each an ornament every year so that when we moved out and got a tree of our own, we’d have a collection of ornaments to start out with. Needless to say, our tree has no colour scheme, rhyme or reason but is chalk full of memories! And I LOVE iT!!

    Reply

  48. Katie says

    I gotta say…I love when you write “behold” in your blog posts.

    I’m trying to figure out a way to incorporate it naturally into everyday speech…harder than it sounds, especially in the office!

    Reply

  49. Danielle says

    Is anyone else having issues with pictures loading? Sorry if this has already been addressed. Half the pictures load fine, and the other half, te top fifth of the picture loads and the rest is just a grey colour. I’ve cleared my history, cookies, etc. and it still hasn’t solved the problem. Help! I want to see the pictures!!

    Reply

    • mp says

      I updated Firefox to a beta version and it’s been giving me some fits like picture-loading problems and pages looking more text than HTML-y. Maybe your browser is whacking out?

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