Holiday

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Coca-Cola® and Dollar General.  All opinions are 100% mine.

If you’ve visited my blog before, chances are that you know I have a deep, deep love for Coca-Cola® and Diet Coke®.  In fact, I refer to Diet Coke® as the nectar of the Gods.  It’s pretty much my favorite.

In addition to loving that delicious, bubbly beverage, I also love decorating my Christmas tree with ornaments that have some meaning or special connection to me and/or my family members.  No generic ornaments for our tree!  So when I heard that Dollar General has a special Bottle Cap Topper that turns the Coca-Cola® limited edition holiday bottle into an actual ornament, I knew it would be a great addition for this Diet Coke® lover’s Christmas tree!  And the best part (in my opinion), is that the Bottle Cap Topper and the limited edition holiday Coca-Cola® bottle are FREE with any purchase of two 20 oz. Sprite products at Dollar General!  

Friends, it could NOT be easier to turn this adorable bottle into an ornament!  Literally all you do is press the Bottle Cap Topper onto the bottle cap!  (If you don’t believe me, visit Dollar General’s website to see a video on how to use the Bottle Cap Topper!)

That is super cute on its own . . . but . . . well, you know me.  I kind of like to do things up a bit.  So while I was roaming the aisles of Dollar General, I picked up some extra Christmas decorations to add a little flair to my Coca-Cola® bottle ornaments.  Tinsel ribbon, jingle bells, and sparkly snowflakes . . . perfection.

And then these totally cheesy (but perfectly appropriate for these ornaments) sayings started popping into my head, and I decided to make some cute tags to hang on the ornaments as well.  

These little gift tags are super cute on the Coca-Cola® bottle ornaments if you’re giving them as a gift!  If you’d like a set for yourself, you can download them for free RIGHT HERE!

Once I had all of my supplies ready, I decked out my Coca-Cola® bottle ornaments!  I added tinsel ribbon, a jingle bell, and a gift tag to one, and tinsel ribbon, a snowflake, and a gift tag to the other.  

They’re so cute!  

And they’re even cuter on the tree!  

This Coca-Cola® lover is happy to have one of her favorite things hanging on the tree – right there for all to see.  

Think about picking some of these up during your next trip to Dollar General.  How cute would they be as part of a teacher’s gift or a neighbor gift?  Any Coca-Cola® connoisseur would appreciate one!  And please “pin” this post to help share this idea!

Wishing you all a Christmas that’s “soda-lightful!”

-Bre

Make meaningful Christmas ornaments for departed loved ones using old shirts and a sample of their handwriting.

Usually posts are easy for me to write.  The words flow out of my mind and into the computer with no problem.  But this is not one of those posts.  

This is a hard post.  A sad post.  A missing my dad post.

Last year my dad passed away after a long battle with brain cancer.  I miss him every single day.  

When I had to help my mom and sister clean out his closet earlier this year, I couldn’t bear to give away all of his things.  So I packed up some of his favorite shirts and brought them home with me.  

I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do with them, but I knew I’d think of something.  And a few months later, in the middle of the night, I did.  

I decided to use some of my dad’s old shirts and his handwriting to make Christmas memorial ornaments for myself and my family.  

I didn’t think that I’d share this project on my blog, but when I saw how much these ornaments meant to my family members, I decided to post the project.  

I know there are others of you out there, just like me, who are missing loved ones every day and especially at the holidays.  So I wanted to share my idea of how you can honor them and remember them with special DIY Memorial Ornaments that you will cherish for the rest of your life.

Supplies Needed to Make DIY Memorial Ornaments

This post contains affiliate links.  Please read my disclosure policy for more information.

• Clear glass ornaments or clear plastic ornaments
• Fabric scissors (regular fabric shears or pinking shears)
• Card stock
• Scanner or copier
• Hole punch
• Metallic tinsel cord

How to Make Memorial Ornaments

First, gather your loved one’s shirts.  You’ll have a good cry at this point.  I guarantee it.  

Once you’ve calmed down and wiped away your tears, cut the shirts into strips.  I cut my dad’s shirts into strips about 1″ wide and about 4 or 5″ long.  

Next, put the strips of fabric into a clear glass or plastic ornament.  Alternate the patterns or colors as you place them inside so that you get a good variety once the ornament is complete.  

Now, if you have a card or note from your loved one, this step will help make the ornament even more special.  

I had a note from my dad that he wrote right before he went into surgery.  (I cherish this note!)  

Scan the note or take a picture of it. Then, crop the photo in photo editing software (like the photo software pre-installed on your computer or phone, or the online service PicMonkey), to be the person’s signature, and then save that signature as a new photo.  

Once you have that new photo, print it onto card stock.

Cut out your loved one’s note, punch a hole in it, and tie it onto the ornament with pretty ribbon or string.  

And with that, you’ll have a beautiful and personalized ornament to honor your loved one at Christmas and always.  

If you don’t have a note from your loved one to include their handwriting on the tag, you could make a tag of your own with their name or something else that is meaningful to them and you.  

I would give anything to have my dad back with me for another Christmas, but at least I have a little something of his with me this holiday.  

Christmas was always so special with my dad, because every year he was the one who turned on the Christmas music for present opening, handed out the gifts, and maintained the all-important gift wrap trash bag.  

He was the best.  (Here he is with my family on Christmas 1994 or so.). And OK – at least we can all have a good laugh at the clothes and decor now – ohmygosh.

So for those reasons, and countless others, I can tell you that this ornament hangs in a place of honor on my Christmas tree.  It is front and center, and that’s where it always will be.  

I hope that you’re not missing anyone special this Christmas, but if you are, I hope you know that you’re not alone.  You will get through it.  Peace and love to you at Christmas and always.

One of my favorite things is finding a way to make seasonal decor items multi-season or multi-purpose.  My house doesn’t have a lot of storage space, so I like to try and get as much use out of seasonal decor as I can.  That’s why this painted wood sign that I made, which reverses from Christmas to winter, is so great!  Display the “BELIEVE” side at Christmas . . . 

and then reverse to “LET IT SNOW” come January!  

You can make one for your own home with any scrap wood you have in your stash, or with a piece of precut plywood from the home improvement or craft store.  Easy!

Supplies Needed to Make a Reversible Painted Wood Sign

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission at no added cost to you if you purchase through them.  To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.  Thank you to DecoArt for giving me the paint I used in this project.

• Wood scrap or unfinished wood sign
• Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint in Carbon, Everlasting, Inheritance, Legacy, and Rouge
• Americana Decor Creme Waxes in Clear and Dark Brown
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Foam Roller
• Small artist paintbrushes
• Electronic cutting machine* (If you don’t have a cutting machine, you could use stencils or large letter stickers to achieve this look)
• Adhesive vinyl* (If you are using the cutting machine you need this)
• Plastic snowflakes (I got them at Dollar Tree)
• Hot glue and glue gun

How to Make a Reversible Painted Wood Sign

Using a foam roller, paint a large rectangle in white paint in the middle of the wooden board.  

Next, use the electronic cutting machine to cut the word “BELIEVE” in a font of your choice. Affix the vinyl stencil to the portion of the painted wooden board and press down firmly along the edges.  If you don’t have a cutting machine, you could use large letter stickers from the craft store for this step, or you could use a stencil.  

Paint over the entire surface with two coats of red paint and let the sign dry.  Once it is totally dry, remove the vinyl letters (or stickers) to reveal the word BELIEVE.

Using a pencil, lightly freehand a belt buckle in the middle of the letter “I” and a Santa hat on top of the same letter.  

Fill in the belt buckle and hat with black, white, and yellow paint.  

Once dry, flip the wooden board over and paint the entire surface with two coats of blue paint.  

Using the electronic cutting machine, cut out the phrase “Let it Snow.”  Affix to the wooden board and press down firmly along the edges.  Alternatively, place large letter stickers on the sign to write the phrase.  

Cover the entire surface in white paint, allowing some of the blue paint underneath to show through. Let dry. Once dry, remove the vinyl to reveal the phrase.  

Seal both sides of the sign with Creme Wax.  

Create a faux distressed finish with Creme Wax in Dark brown, if desired.  You can also use the sandpaper to further distress the finish, if desired.

Once dry, hot glue the snowflakes to the “Let it Snow” side of the sign.  

This project is really easy but takes a little longer than my typical projects, simply because of the drying time involved!  If you’re short on time, you could always use a hairdryer to speed up the process.  

It’s worth it to spend a little extra time to get some longevity out of this project though!

If you agree and like this sign, I’d love for you to PIN IT!  Thanks!

Happy holiday decorating!

-Bre

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