November Decorating

Ah, November.

How’s it working out for you so far?

It doesn’t have much going for it that is happy or fun.

October has the beautiful fall leaves, the mild cool weather, Canadian Thanksgiving and the days leading up to Halloween.

And of course, December is full of happiness with the snow falls brightening up the grounds and trees, and the preparation and anticipation of Christmas.

But November, I’m not a big fan. Montreal is wet and cold, and with the clocks changed it’s dark faster…I think the best way to describe it is gloomy. Even the special observances for the month are sad; to name a few, Remembrance Day, Prematurity Awareness, Movember, Stomach Cancer Awereness, Lung Cancer Awareness, Alzheimer Disease Awareness, it just pulls at your heart strings for a solid 30 days.

So how can you get your spirits up? Read on.

Last year was the first year I decorated my home for the holidays the first week of December. It was great! But I’m not doing it earlier than that. So I decided to find an alternative form of decorating for the gloomy month of November.

What do we love about fall? The warm, rich colours, the coziness of sweaters, the comfort of decadent dishes, and the companionship of a warm coffee or hot chocolate while you go about your day.

So in order to feel that surrounding me each day of this month, I decorated my home with little touches of fall. I tried to bring the fall that we love inside.

My children and I collected pinecones in early fall and kept them aside in a basket, I collected thin fallen branches when we had the big windy storm at the end of last month, and we also tried to collect some leaves as well.  That, combined with the Michaels Store and I was ready to go!

From L-R: washi tape decorated mini pumpkins, pinecone garland from Michaels Store, cornucopia, natural and artificial supplies, paints and stencils from Michaels Store, fall tree decoration with painted leaves, more supplies from Michaels, twig and burlap decorated vase project, felt roses!

I am one of five women that have formed a group to connect once every month or two for some great conversation, recipes and homemaking ideas for women to enjoy with their family. We lovingly call it Home Essentials, after the yearly full-day event we go to at Le Manoir de Beaujeu in Coteau-du Lac, Quebec.

This month, we focused on ways to keep the family home warm and comforting for fall. We had two members teach us family recipes for easy, fast and delicious cakes, and I was in charge of presenting DIY ideas for decorating the home. I did a quick Pinterest-inspired presentation, and then I presented all the amazing treasures I found at the Michaels Store near me. And the best part? One lucky lady got to leave with a $25 gift card. Thank you, Michaels!

One of my best friends, Elisa, helped me show our group how to make the perfect bow for any wreath. She explained it’s all in the twist! Here are pictures of the step-by-step:

Great news! Elisa will now be a regular Ask Mama MOE contributor in the DIY and Crafts section! Get excited, friends, she is awesome!

And can you get over this gorgeous ribbon? It was hard to decide on just one!

With the bow made, just a few silk flowers and leaves were added, and the wreath was stunning. Here is another look at the final result:

Fall wreath created by Elisa Lachapelle for Ask Mama MOE. All supplies from Michaels Store Canada.

All the crafts we did were family-friendly. But when it comes to gluing everything together, mama is in charge! That glue gun is strictly an adult tool.

Most of my crafts for the night were inspired by Micheline Petit’s crafting for Michaels. Incidentally, Michaels has some great how-to videos for more inspiration. They are worth checking out. For the how-to on the sweet felt roses, click here.

If you are from Montreal, you might already know that the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts offers art classes for families over the weekend, free of charge. Well now, in celebration of their one year anniversary in Quebec, Michaels Stores is providing funding and supplies for the artistic activities held in the MMFA’s Michel de la Chenelière Art and Education Studios. There is even a virtual gallery of what has been created, where you can upload your own creations!

Michaels invited my children to participate in a workshop and we had a blast! They now know how to make those beautiful felt roses. I know we’ll be going back soon to create more beautiful things at the museum.

GIVEAWAY!

So now that you have all this inspiration, wouldn’t it be nice to go shopping at a Michaels Store? I thought so! Michaels is kindly giving one lucky reader a $25 gift card!

To enter, simply leave me a comment below telling me your all time favourite craft supply. One comment will be randomly selected. This giveaway is open to Canadian residents only. Deadline to enter is November 30^th, 2013, at midnight.

Good luck to all!

** Please note this giveaway has ended.