DIY Poinsettia Holiday Decor

Hi again everyone! I'm so excited to be back for another fun day of sharing here on the SEI Lifestyle blog! If you all are anything like me, you're probably a little bit shocked by how quickly the holidays are approaching. In just two short days, many of us will be sitting down to a Thanksgiving Day feast with our loved ones, and right after that.....it's time to get ready for Christmas. Starting this weekend, I'll be busy bringing home our tree and breaking out the trimmings, ornaments, and decor. It's a whirlwind time of year, but decorating my home for the holidays is one of my most favorite parts of our Christmas celebration.

It's a bit embarrassing to admit to how many tubs of holiday decorations I actually have packed away in my downstairs storage area, but every year, I seem to add a few more things to my ever-growing collection. I love to mix and match a hodgepodge of family heirlooms and vintage pieces with modern seasonal decorations. And I always throw in hand-crafted items for a homey touch that's unique just to us. This year, I made a beautiful poinsettia bloom from SEI's gorgeous Blaze Velvet Paper to dress up my entryway table.

I absolutely LOVE the rich texture of the velvet papers, and this beautiful red immediately reminded me of the lovely poinsettias that are so reminiscent of this time of year. I'm not so good with the live versions, so this paper blossom is just perfect for us. And although this flower may look fancy, it's really quite simple to create. Start by free-hand drawing two sizes of leaf templates onto chipboard or thick cardstock. If you look closely at my leaves, you will see that I didn't take any special care in drawing my shapes, so don't worry about what they look like. I figured the more willy-wonky the leaves were, the more realistic they would appear. Trace your leaf patterns onto the velvet paper and trim out. Adhere each leaf to Pinkberry Song patterned paper, and machine stitch around the edges and down the center. I cut and adhered an entire 12x12 sheet of velvet leaves and stitched them all at once, trimming each finished leaf out afterwards. Once you have all your leaves cut out, bend them slightly along their center line to create some depth and dimension. Then ink the edges with Bordeaux Chalk Ink and add a light sugar-coating with clear glitter.

To assemble your blossom, cut a 3" circle from chipboard or cardstock for the base. Working in a circular motion, adhere each petal to the base, overlapping the leaves as you go. Continue adding leaves until you have the desired fullness. I used a strong tacky glue at the base of each petal, which allowed me time to shift and manipulate each petal until I was happy with the final shape. Add some glittered floral berries to the center and a big pretty bow, and finish things off with a sweet die cut sentiment from the Songbird Wishes Die Cut Accents.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Hope to see you all back here tomorrow for more Berry Holiday fun!

Audrey

Supplies:
SEI Blaze Velvet Paper
SEI Pinkberry Song 12x12 Patterned Paper
SEI Songbird Wishes Die Cut Accents
SEI Bordeaux Chalk Ink
Trim: May Arts, Webster's Pages
Glitter: Martha Stewart
Berries: Craft Supply