Winter Wonderland! by Shellye McDaniel

Who doesn't love a tiered tray! They're all the rage right now in home decor, so why not make one from scratch and fill with Christmas-gifting goodies.

I started by painting two 3/8"X12" wooden dowels a cream color. Next, I covered three 5lb. disposable, paper food trays with patterned papers. I find it best to deconstruct the tray, cover with paper and then reassemble into more of a box shape (rather than a "boat" shape). To hold the dowels to the trays, I cut two 2.5"X1.5" paper tabs for each tray. The tabs were glued around the dowel and to the tray using hot glue. To finish off the trays, I attached cream-colored pom trim.

To the top tray I added a baggie of candy with a handmade tag attached. The tag was quickly put together using Winter Cottage die-cuts, chipboard and foam stickers! Next is a wooden mason jar decoration that I purchased from Dollar General. I simply traced the shape onto a piece of the 6X8 Paper Pad paper and then added a journal card, stickers and another sweet tag!

So after constructing the trays and tags, I had some leftover paper strips. I cut them into various lengths and then stitched them together to create a fun paper garland! I would the garland around a vintage spool and topped with a disc of embellishments :)

I love the shaped glittered ornaments from either Wal Mart or Dollar Tree. They're mostly flat, very inexpensive and come in a large pack. Because they're flat, it's easy to add a tag or embellishment to the fronts. I chose one of the chipboard frames and cut it apart. I layered on puffy stickers and some of the gorgeous gold foam stickers. After punching a hole in the top of the chipboard, I tied it onto the glittered ornament. I love that these can be used as package tie-ons, tree decorations or in a tiered tray!

Lastly is a set of faux candle luminaries that I made using chipboard frames and pieces of the 6X6 Snowflakes Stencil! I have a very brief YOUTUBE video of how I constructed the little luminaries. Basically, I created a backdrop box that was attached to the back of the frame. The battery operated tea lights fit neatly inside.

As with any DIY project, make adjustments to best suit your own personal design :)

Thanks for joining and Merry Christmas!

Shellye