EDDIE ROSS

Spray-Painted Lace Wrapping Paper

I love beautiful, handmade wrapping paper. Problem is—it's the price tag that's not so pretty. So this year, I made my own! Armed with a few cans of spray paint and inexpensive lace from Jo-Ann's, here's what I came up with.

Take lace in a pattern you love, lay it down flat over a roll of white kraft paper, spray evenly across and voilà! The openwork of the lace acts as a stencil for the paper. Just be sure to use regular, not water-based paint, so it dries properly. And don't worry about blurry imperfections. They're part of the charm! In fact, they remind me of block-printed papers made by hand. My favorites are the ones with batik-like patterns or dots like delicate snowflakes. Best of all, they're not just for wrapping gifts! For example, how great would a paper runner be going down the table for a little boy or girl's birthday party? It's easy, inexpensive, and one-of-a-kind!  

So much so that I decided to do a demo on it as part of my presentation last month at R•Home for the Holidays, sponsored by Richmond Magazine. Here I am with Jaithan outside the local CBS station before my segment promoting the event.   

Anchors Cheryl and Greg with the morning show were very sweet.   

And here I am on the big stage at the Virginia Historical Society later that night before a crowd of 300, including new friend and fellow blogger Chris Cox with Easy & Elegant Life.   

Click to watch the demo, and thank you to master videographer Rob Collins for the clip!  

Thank you also to Patsy Arnett, Matt Earle with West End Antiques, along with Susan Winiecki and Brandon Fox with Richmond Magazine for a fantastic event. There's a special place in our hearts for Richmond, thanks to them. In fact, we're heading back there in February for the Home Show, so mark your calendars!

Now that all your packages are wrapped, have you ever oohed and aahed over boxes tied so beautifully, the ribbon simply falls off with one glorious pull? To view the video tutorial I did last year, click here.

Even Cheryl and Greg at the morning show were getting the hang—or should I say pull?—of it! 

Finally, with your gifts all wrapped and your ribbons tied, don't discard the extra strips of paper! Use them to cover inexpensive cylinder vases for candles or flowers on a mantle or dining table. They make great handmade hostess gifts for all those holiday parties as well.

Happy lace-hunting and spray-painting, everyone!

Plaid Shirt Ornaments

On the subject of ornaments, do you remember the ones we made for the foyer in Kathie Lee's house?

Like the Halloween special, HGTV allotted me the least amount of money out of the designers. But I'm all for a challenge, especially when it comes to delivering beautiful, budget-friendly holiday decor that looks more expensive than it is. Inspired by the water views from Kathie Lee's house, together with the tartan plaid covering walls, ceiling, and upholstery in the room just off the foyer, I headed to—where else?—my favorite Goodwill in Wappingers Falls, New York.

There, I found an assemblage of pretty plaid shirts in watery blue hues, along with those in a more traditional holiday pairing of red and green. Grouped together, I thought they looked eclectic but harmonious. Just remember: pure cotton works better than polyester. Fewer threads to snip.   

To start, I cut away all the seams and buttons until I was left with only large planes of fabric.   

Next came the strips, their length and width varying according to the size of the Styrofoam ball. Each strip should be long enough to wrap entirely around the ball with enough overlap to pin securely. The width is more of an issue of scale. Larger balls require wider widths.

Holding the strip in place, pin twice at one end, wrap tightly around the ball, then pin again. Repeat in a crisscrossing fashion, as though forming an asterisk around the ornament. 

To round out the mix for Kathie Lee, we filled in with ornaments made from inexpensive cotton in coordinating green and white solids.  

Here I am showing her on camera how we made them! 

And here they are all finished in the foyer. On the tabletop tree, we tied each ornament with a pretty blue ribbon, then grouped the ornaments in clusters going up the handrail.        

The boxwood garland was tailored and clean, while the plaid shirt ornaments gave it a more sophisticated, nautical feel. Best of all, Kathie Lee liked what we did so much, she kept every ornament we made!  

So what are you waiting for? Fill in the gaps in your holiday decor by turning forgotten shirts into beautiful, memorable ornaments!  

Celebrity Holiday Homes online

Great news! Celebrity Holiday Homes, the HGTV special I did with Kathie Lee Gifford, is now online! So if you missed it the first the time around, click here to watch.

 

You decide

To everyone who entered our ornament wreath challenge—thank you for your enthusiasm, your inventiveness, and your inspiring willingness to create! Last year, when I first posted the wreath, I definitely thought it was doable but had no idea how many of you would actually do it! And so, due to the number of entries we received (over 100!), Jaithan and I felt compelled to narrow down the field based on a few highly personal and altogether unscientific criteria. Things like shape, symmetry, styling, coloration, and craftsmanship. Of course, we wish everyone could have been included, but for now, here are the final eight. Now it's up to you! Voting ends Thursday, December 17th at 8 pm ET. Good luck!   

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Which wreath is your favorite? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 view results

Ornament Wreath Challenge

Do you remember the ornament wreath I made last year?

Here it is in last week's Chicago Tribune, along with a few other beautiful, budget-friendly ideas for the holidays. (Click twice to enlarge.)  

In fact, judging from my Google Alerts, there's more than a few of you out there stringing wire hangers with ornaments this season. So here it is: email Jaithan (jaithan@eddieross.com) your inspired version, and we'll do a friendly little contest. Note: Wreaths must be done using a hanger, not a form. Readers will then vote which is their favorite, and I'll send her (or him!) something from our butler's pantry. Good luck, everyone! Now let's see those wreaths!