by Missy Allaire


The cooler weather in Texas is the first indicator that Christmas is just around the corner. The front porch is usually the first thing I decorate, and yes, I do it before Thanksgiving. While I am far from a professional, let me share with you my front porch for the upcoming holiday season.

 

Garland
The first step in hanging the pre-lit garland is to string heavy-duty wire around the doorframe.  I accomplish this by drilling about 8 screws evenly spaced around the frame.  The wire serves as a solid base to which to attach the garland.  After the garland is hung, I weave the mesh around the garland.  All that is left is to attach ornaments to the garland using floral wire.

 

 

Elf Legs
Last year I made these elf legs to hang from the mantle.  My son loved them so much that I decided to use them again this year but outside.  I plan on making three more sets for the inside of my house to represent Dad, Mom and Son.

 

 

 

 

Santa Stop
The ‘Santa stop here’ sign was a quick and easy addition to my decorations this year.  I like to make a sign each year to keep the decorations new and interesting for family and friends.  My dad cut the wood for me this past summer.  I simply painted the sign red and used my vinyl-cutting machine to make the letters.  After I adhered the vinyl, I applied glue and glitter to add some sparkle.  The lollipops are for yard decorations and I got them at my local craft store.  I simply put them in silver buckets and secured with styrofoam in the bucket, covered with snow and hot glued the ribbon around the buckets.

Wreath
My wreath is just that with a little extra embellishing and Christmas lights.  I have owned this same wreath for years.  Each year I change the decoration a bit to freshen things up.  Last year, I had colored ornaments all over it.  This year, I decided to take my metal ‘Merry Christmas’ tag and secure it with wire!

I hope you have enjoyed looking around my front porch.  I hope it inspires you to create something special for your guests.  Decorating does not have to be expensive if you just use a little creativity.

Thanks for stopping by and from my family to yours…. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas.

 

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About Missy: Missy is a stay at home mom who resides with her family in Keller. In her spare time, she enjoys crafting, sewing, decorating and scrapbooking. After numerous suggestions from her friends and family she decided to pursue her passion and created a blog called lookiewhatidid.blogspot.com. The blog is six months old and receives over 20,000 hits each month. Originally from Arkansas, she has made Texas her home for the last 14 years.