A Little Christmas Cheer in July

How I made a simple DIY Christmas Cheer Canvas in July!

I am not going to lie...Christmas is usually the last thing on my mind this time of year.  Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and all of it's joy and cheerfulness.  I love the spirit of giving and the get-togethers with family and friends.  All the treats people share aren't bad either.  Most of all I love the meaning behind Christmas.

But I also love Summertime and this time of year my thoughts are more likely on hanging at the pool on a sunny day, or having a picnic at the beach, or getting into a water fight with the family.  So when Claire from A Little Claireification asked if I wanted to be a part of a 'Christmas in July' series my first reaction was to tell her NO WAY.  I've got summertime going on full swing!  Why would I want to stop doing all of that fun summer stuff to work on something Christmas related?  

Well, here's the reason why....

When Summer ends then it's time for the back-to-school rush...and then it's Halloween...and Thanksgiving.   Before I can even blink it's THE CHRISTMAS SEASON and I'm counting down the days I have left to finish my shopping.  Yikes!  The weekends quickly fill up with parties and there are houses and trees to decorate and out of town visits to make and...well...you get the picture, right?  Christmas sneaks up on me and takes me by surprise every. single. year. How does that happen?  (Tell me I'm not the only one this happens to?)  And there will be that inevitable moment when I'm looking at somebody else's beautiful handmade Christmas decor and thinking to myself...why didn't I take the time to make some Christmas decor for our home when I had the time???

Well, not this year!

STEPS:

1.  Discount canvas (12"x12")

2.  Die-Cut Letters (mine came from a big stack I bought at Joann's)

3.  Glue Letters to canvas

4.  Create the word "Cheer" (or whatever Christmas themed word you prefer)

5.  Paint canvas edges with silver or gold craft paint

6.  Cover entire surface with acrylic glazing liquid

7.  Hang a glitter coated star "ornament" from a string and hot glue over the edge of the canvas 

And now I think I'll help myself to a little "Christmas Cheer" since I'm hanging at the mini bar already!

THANKS Claire!  At least I will have one handmade Christmas decoration that I did in time for Christmas!  ;)

And now for the best part!  Here's your chance to win $100 gift card that could be used for getting a head start on Christmas this year!  Good Luck and Merry Christmas...I mean Happy Christmas in July ;)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Make sure you don't miss any of the other Christmas in July posts by these ladies who really seem to know how to celebrate Christmas:

Claire @ A Little Clairification 
Cindy @ Little Miss Celebration 
Jamie @ C.R.A.F.T.
Sharon @ Mrs Hines Class 
Karon @ Dogs Don't Eat Pizza 
Kristi @ I Should Be Mopping the Floor 

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Christmas Card Wall Art by Silo Hill Farm

Today I have a special treat for all of my visitors!  Danni is sharing an awesome Christmas project with all of us!  Do you know Danni already?  If you don't, you're going to love her!  

Meet Danni:

Season's greetings to all of you Pondered Primed Perfected readers!  I'm Danni from Silo Hill Farm and it is my privilege  to be posting for my very good friend Sherry here today!  

 I'm delighted to share this cute, easy and inexpensive framed vintage photo project with you.

 The whole project came in at less than $2.00!  Gotta love that, right?
Here's how I did it.  The supplies are.........

Hinged double photo frame (Dollar Tree...guess how much? Yep $1!)  Photo mat (Dollar Tree....4/$1.00....that makes it 25 cents!)  Black and white photo from a Christmas card (free).  You can find a lot of very cool vintage Christmas photos for free at The Graphics Fairy though.
You can ignore the little package of gems, because in the end, I felt like I didn't need to use them.
Let me give you a close up of that Christmas card print because it's absolutely adorable, which is why I saved it for several years!

Seriously, do you not want to just hug that little girl??!!!  

I put the oval mat over the photo and slipped it into the large half of the frame.  

I wanted to put some cute saying or something in the small frame.  I made this on PicMonkey.  (I love PicMonkey!)  

It just seemed appropriate for the picture.  I printed it out, trimmed it to fit and put it in the small side of the frame.  It was at this point I decided not to add the little gems.  It somehow took away from the vintage feel of it.  

   It may be my favorite Christmas project this year.  Easy and inexpensive, yet simple and precious.  Come to think of it....that's just how I like my Christmas to be!  I hope yours is the way you want it to be as well!

Thanks for sharing this darling project Danni!  I love it!  That little girl with the Christmas tree is just a doll.  
Sherry

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Cabinet Door Makeovers at P3

As I was creating an updated Project Gallery, I noticed how many cabinet door makeovers I've finished.   I thought I would pull them all together here in one post and let you take a look.  I have some ideas for a few more...I'll add them when they are done.

My Handyman scored a stack of these unfinished doors at a cabinet shop that was shutting it's doors for good.  We got these doors for about 30 cents a piece.  Great price for a DIY project, if you ask me!

Click on the photos below to be taken directly to each post:

Time Zone Wall Art

Decorative Serving Tray

Rustic Chalkboard with Family Name

Cheese and Wine Pairing Tray

Hot Chocolate Station & Tray Tutorial

Weekly Menu & Shopping List Chalkboard

And if you haven't stopped by Inspiration Cafe today you should go meet our Guest Poster, Marci from Stone Cottage Adventures.  She's sharing some pretty and very unique jewelry making techniques.

Sharing with:

http://www.soyouthinkyourecrafty.com/im-crafty-no-49-upcycling/

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Multi Time Zone Clock & Wall Art on Inspiration Cafe

I'm posting at Inspiration Cafe today.  Come by Inspiration Cafe and check out the wall art that I've created in honor of my friends across the country and across oceans.

Click on photo to go to Inspiration Cafe!

Anais Nin put it best when she said, "Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.”

As I ponder the friends that I've been blessed with, I marvel at how fate somehow brings us together with the most unlikely of people, who turn out to be irreplaceable friends.

Meet me at The Cafe :)

Sherry ~ Contributor @ Inspiration Cafe

             Author @ Pondered Primed Perfected

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