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Check out the latest addition to BrittanyBowerDesigns.com, and just in time for Christmas! A straw wreath is wrapped in Christmas ribbons and then adorned with red and white glitter accented poinsettias. Green leaves create the traditional colors and silver pines add the final touches.
Anyone who truly knows me knows that Christmas is my favorite holiday! And while I wanted to jump on the band wagon with everyone else who has already started decorating, my husband and I have an agreement to get through one holiday before focusing on the next. I’m not judging anyone getting a head start, (especially since I’ve been ready for Christmas since July!) this is just what we do. But, those who enjoy decorating know that it takes time to get everything ready, and if you wait until Thanksgiving to start decorating, you may miss your chance to pick up any of the decorations you may not have already thought of. And this is an even bigger ordeal if there’s anything that needs to be replaced or customized, which is the case for us this year.
When we moved into our house, I had a color scheme in mind for our living room, but it still took me two years to bring it to life. I wanted a pattern for the curtains, but trying to find one to fit the color scheme and that wasn’t too crazy for traditional me proved challenging. Now that I have them, I have no intention of replacing them anytime soon, but they just don’t go with our Christmas décor and it started to wear on me last Christmas.
So I picked out new ones for the holiday season at the beginning of November and then took the rest of November to alter. Where does the time go!
I didn’t like any options I found for an alternative valance, but Chris suggested a garland, and I think it was a brilliant idea!
Can’t forget the picture window
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission at no cost to you! When you purchase through the links provided, you will be supporting Brittany Bower and helping to bring new content to the site!
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission at no cost to you! When you purchase through the links provided, you will be supporting Brittany Bower and helping to bring new content to the site!
If “one picture is worth a thousand words” as expressed by the Advertising Executive, Fred R. Barnard, then you could write a book on the difference that one Ring Light from Amazon has made in the photos for my website!
Just a little background… when I first started my website, BrittanyBowerDesigns.com 2 years ago, my friend Kat’s biggest critique was about the photos. I need more – something to be able to judge the size of the wreath against, more details, and better lighting. Well, at the time, I had done the best I could with had – settings and tools. I used our more professional camera, a Sony A6000 which Chris always was able to take amazing pictures with! Since they weren’t working out as well for me, I figured lighting was probably my biggest challenge since I was shooting inside and he always shoots outside. When I renovated the Craft Room, I installed the brightest lighting I could thinking it would give me the best advantage, and it has in many other ways, but it still wasn’t enough.
Fast-forward some time with Kat learning different marketing strategies and playing with her own business ventures, she discovered the ring light and insisted I buy one. Fast-forward another year and a half after taking time away from my site to focus on planning and executing a wedding, the recovery from it (which is no joke if you do it mostly by yourself and with a bunch of DIY) and other work-related changes and adventures, and I am back at it with the suggested light! And while I usually leave product reviews to my husband, JCBower, the difference is so significant, I had to do my own 😜.
Below are some of the before and after’s. The new pictures are lighter and brighter, and the glitter on the Jesus is the Reason for the Season wreath finally POPS like it should!
But I have to say the wreath I had the most frustrating time photographing was the Merry Christmas Deco Mesh Wreath. No matter what I tried, and how much color correction I did afterwards, it either came out super dark or it looked washed out and was clearly given away by the sign in the middle (bottom right).
Now, the greens look green, the reds look red and the sign can stay its true colors, and it’s not even the main focus of this picture!
While the ring light does have 5 color temperatures and is dimmable, so far the whitest and brightest setting has worked the best for me…but I do like the other options in case I end up needing them later. With the new pictures, all I have to do now is simply straighten and crop. Definitely worth the investment, and while I already knew Kat was brilliant, this is just further proof that I should take any and all advice she is willing to share when it comes to marketing!
Hey everyone! I have some exciting news. As you know, I started a new crafting project making wreaths back during the summer as a way of mentally escaping the craziness of the world around us. This has been amazing therapy for me and (according to my amazingly supportive friends and family) I have finally achieved the “WOW” factor that I always craved with my crafts, and have decided to make them public for y’all to see and share in. The wreaths I have shared throughout the year are there with a few others. Go check them out at BrittanyBowerDesigns.com.
While the Let It Snow Wreath was the first one to get me really excited and think that I might be onto something, this candy cane wreath is my favorite! You could clearly see the theme even before I added the additional decorations and it seemed to build itself. It is the fullest and largest of the wreaths I have made to date.
Now that Christmas is almost upon us, I will be shifting gears shortly. If there is a specific theme you would like to see (holiday related or not) please let me know, either on here with a comment or at brittany@brittanybowerdesigns.com.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission at no cost to you! When you purchase through the links provided, you will be supporting Brittany Bower and helping to bring new content to the site!
Okay, okay, so it’s not real snow. But a girl can wish, although the only time I miss the snow is on Christmas Eve and Christmas day.
Finished Merry Christmas Wood Letter Sign
I wrote before about using the acrylic paint with a thinner consistency on the wooden Merry Christmas sign and how happy I was about it. Now, I have taken it a step further. For an ever Christmas-ier feel, I have added a snow effect using Aleene’s Glitter Snow from Amazon.
Chris had suggested the spray type, like the Santa Snow Spray that you can also find on Amazon or in the craft stores. However, after reading more about it, I found out that it is not suitable for the outdoors and comes off surfaces fairly easy. It’s better suited for inside windows and trees. If my tree wasn’t already white, I’d get it to add the snow effect. Since the sign is intended for a wreath, I needed more versatility and durability.
Using the same paint brushes I had already bought for the acrylic paint, I was easily able to build up the Glitter Snow to the thickness I was looking for by allowing it to dry overnight in between session. And for a first try, I’m pretty happy with how it came out and cannot wait for the holiday season to officially begin!
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission at no cost to you! When you purchase through the links provided, you will be supporting Brittany Bower and helping to bring new content to the site!
I am so excited about my newest wreath!!!! Every time my friend and I go craft shopping, we have talked about wanting to make a mermaid wreath – it’s the theme for her daughter’s nursery, and with both of us having grown up mostly in the Florida Keys, the love of all things sea related is simply instilled in our DNA.
I had thought about finally making one for her daughter’s birthday last month in August, but I wasn’t able to get the concept to come together in time or decide on a style. Buying Little Mermaid fabric was the farthest I got with the project 😕
Going shopping on my own, colors are always the biggest question, so I used the Little Mermaid as inspiration, sticking to purples and greens….and green just so happens to be her favorite color 😉. Christmas themed items being in some of the stores in town since July has been amazing and helped with this project, giving me idea of a mermaid ornament and also made possible the coral fan branch. Passing the Mermaid Crossing sign in the nautical section and the ombre scale ribbons in the sewing section just brought the whole idea together!
Mermaid Crossing Deco Mesh Wreath
This is the newest favorite amongst my girlfriends and I. Chris thinks it needs more embellishments…maybe Pearls next time. What do you think?
Brittany Bower 