Rounding out our series on the talented bloggers who participated in Cricut and Balsam Hill’s A Handmade Holiday is Lindsay of Artsy-Fartsy Mama.
Lindsay is the creative force behind Artsy-Fartsy Mama, which is home to posts about crafting, recipes, free printables, jewelry-making, and much more. A self-professed glitter enthusiast, she is also a graphic designer running her business, AFM Designs, where you can find embroidery patterns, invitations, and more of what Lindsay loves. This wife and mom can be found home schooling, reading, and working on various projects during her free time. Learn more about Lindsay and her personal decorating style in our exclusive Q&A.
1. Tell us a little bit more about your decorating style in general, and what the story is behind your passion for decorating.
I would say my decorating style is a bit of traditional, modern and a whole lot handmade. I’ve always loved putting room decor together, but my passion for handmade decorating came after my daughter was born. We had little money to work with, so I had to get creative to make our home a place of our own.
2. What’s your source for design inspiration?
Besides browsing Pinterest, I love to go to home decor and craft stores where they have designs set up. I get inspired with new ideas and how I can bring those same design aspects into my own home.
3. For A Handmade Holiday, did you find it difficult to integrate any of the colors into your design? How did you tackle it?
I used the traditional red, green, white and silver color scheme, and it was simple to find additional details for my wreath. I wanted to try to make my wreath a bit different by adding handmade ornaments and other glittery additions, but do it in a way that can inspire others to recreate it in any other color palette.
4. Do you have any tips on how to go about incorporating new colors into an existing holiday color scheme, or coming up with a new holiday color scheme?
I would recommend sticking with up to four different colors, and then finding decor in shades of those colors. A few years ago, I actually decided to change my holiday decor to bright colors like pinks, purples, blues and greens! It was a big change from the traditional red and green, but it has been a lot of fun coming up with new ideas for the holidays using different colors.
5. What’s your favorite way to personalize your holiday décor?
I absolutely love using vinyl (both adhesive and iron-on) and creating one-of-a-kind designs for my decor. I get inspired by things I might see in stores and then come home and put my own twist on it!
6. What’s your current favorite project to do with your Cricut machine? Any advice for new Cricut users?
Right now, I am having so much fun personalizing everything with iron-on vinyl! I’ve made stockings, fashion accessories and aprons that are by far some of my favorite projects! My advice for new Cricut users is to not be scared of the machine and jump right in getting creative. The only limit is really your imagination.
7. What was it like decorating with Balsam Hill products? What did you like most about them?
The Balsam Hill products are some of the best I’ve worked with, and the quality is by far the best.
8. Was there a Balsam Hill product by which you were particularly delighted? Why?
The Fraser Fir wreath was an absolute dream! I love that it was pre-lit and that it looked so realistic. Of course, the glitter jingle bell picks were a lot of fun to work with as well, and they look amazing on my wreath!
9. What’s your favorite part of the scene you created? Is there something different that you did this year that you particularly like?
I think my favorite part of the wreath is the glittered peppermint ornaments. I had so much fun creating them for the wreath, and they add a fun, sparkly element that screams Christmas! This is the biggest wreath I have ever made, so it was fun to give it a try this year.
10. If there’s one piece of advice you can pass on from all your years of decorating, what would it be?
If inspiration strikes, go for it! The worst that can happen is you scrap it and try again (which sometimes turns out better than the first try!).
For A Handmade Holiday, Lindsay decorated our pre-lit Fraser Fir wreath. Exuding holiday cheer, her finished product is cheery, and features classic Christmas colors. Shimmering Glitter Jingle Bell Picks added charm to the display.
Lindsay then took some glass ornaments and customized them using her Cricut machine. Vinyl appliques in swirl, stripes and peppermint designs gave the ornaments a fun look.
Check out Lindsay’s post for more details on how achieve this look. Visit us soon for updates on A Handmade Holiday!
