Saw this Jingle Bell Swag on the PB website for $59 (red ribbon not included!).
I didn’t even need Cheapy Cheaperson to tell me I could make one of those! I had just seen silver bells in the Christmas section of Dollar Tree the day before!
To make a Jingle Bell Swag, you will need:
2 packages of dollar store bells
floral wire
wired ribbon
First I pulled the silver ribbon and twist ties off each bell. If you have a little girl in the house or on your Christmas list, you might want to save the silver bows for cute homemade hair ribbons.
Next, I took a long piece of floral wire and wrapped it through the hole at the top of one of the bells. This will make sure all the bells don’t just go sliding off the end of the wire. Please don’t take that as an admission that I know this from personal experience. 😛
String the rest of the bells onto the wire. You can occasionally loop the wire through a bell twice to hold it in place. This will make sure that the bells don’t just clump down at the bottom of the wire.
When you have your bells strung, make a large loop of wire and twist to make a hanger for your doorknob. Tie a pretty Christmas bow around the wire at the top of the bells and hang on your front door! You just saved $57. Whatcha gonna buy?
Remember how I told you that I had found placemats at the dollar store that matched my Christmas ribbon? The plan was to sew them together to make a festive table runner. I did that today. This is what it looks like.
Not exactly what I was going for. Not only did the plaids on the placemats not match up, the placemats weren’t all the same size. Not so good.
I think the runner can be salvaged though. If I edge the placemats with some red ribbon, I think I can hide the wonkiness of the jagged edges. I don’t have an idea of how to hide the misaligned (is that a word?) plaids other than to just plonk a whole bunch of candles and schtuff on the table to distract the eye. Oh well.
Yeah, I have noticed that the linens vary drastically in size at Dollar Tree! Guess that's what you get for a buck!
Before adding the edge, cover the seams with first a 1" wide green grosgrain ribbon, then on top of that, 1/2" red grosgrain ribbon. Then edge it in ribbon. That way, the misaligned edges and mismatched seams will all be covered for a dollar or two worth of ribbon!Heathertheherberfamily.blogspot.com
Well I have been to the dollar store three times last week. Made my Christmas ornament wreath. LOVE IT! Also made my vase with bells in it with the flowers. LOVE IT! So now off to buy bells i guess.
Pottery Barn is ridiculous! Yours is even cuter than the original 😛
Just discovered your blog – thanks for sharing your creativity!
I was thinking the same thing as Heather – add a piece of ribbon over the seam so it will cover up the fact that the plaids don't match.Great idea with the bells. You're making me want to start decorating.
Couldn't find bells at the dollar store but I got a pack of 24 at Hobby Lobby in the wedding aisle for $5! Not too far off your price and I can make two!
Erin, thanks for the tip! I've checked three dollar stores and haven't been able to find them yet. I will check HL.Jessica, love your blog & ideas!