Today is the first of July and also is the first day of my series Christmas In July 2011. Today I am looking at Christmas themes for 2011. Through out July I will be posting:
- Very simple handmade Christmas gift ideas
- Presents for you! Weekly Giveaways that will be drawn at the end of the month to make it really feel like Christmas in July.
Some of you maybe thinking “why on earth are you thinking about Christmas themes when Christmas is still six months away?” Well the answer is so I can plan of course! To see why I choose a theme for Christmas each year, check out my post from last year Christmas Themes For 2010.
Knowing what the theme for Christmas is earlier in the year means I can be on the look out for bargains and also hand make items in the lead up without putting myself under to much pressure.
Until I put this post together I had no idea what the theme for this year was going to be. Check out these options and I will tell you what I have decided at the end!
Black and White Christmas Theme
For those of you who follow Australian Rules Football, you would know that Black and White are the colours of Collingwood. Everyone but me in our house barracks for Collingwood so there was enormous pressure for this colour theme to get up!
This gorgeous black and white table setting comes from Better Homes and Gardens Australia. Check out the link to see instructions on how to make
the silver candlesticks and place-card holders.
Simple decorations made out of newspaper fit the black and white theme perfectly. This post from Better Homes and Gardens USA will give you more inspiratation.
Martha Stewart has a range of black and white designs you can download and print for wrapping paper. She even has a template for place card holders you can download!
Peppermint Candy Christmas Theme
Simple but sweet place card holders from Martha Stewart.
Love these peppermint candy hand made Christmas baubles from Good Housekeeping.
This Peppermint Bark from Martha Stewart could be served as a sweet on Christmas Day or you could make it to be a hand made theme inspired gift in the lead up.
Eco Friendly Theme
We picked up solar powered fairy lights a few years ago on sale at Aldi in the lead up to Christmas. Prior to having these we didn’t have nay lighting outside our house as I was wary about the environmental impact they would have. Dick Smith Electronics has them on sale via their online store for a reasonable price.
Check out the tutorial from Bobbi’s Art to learn how to make this gorgeous garland out of old Christmas cards.
You could make these angel decorations out of recycled materials or you could buy them from biome. These hand made angels are pretty special:
The angels are crafted by a group of teenage students who live in an area of Northern Zululand, many of whom are orphans from the AIDS epidemic.
Each angel comes with a story about who made them.
For more inspiration on Christmas themes you can see my previous posts:
- Christmas Theme Ideas 2010 – Natural, Blue and Silver, Red and White themes.
- Christmas Theme Ideas 2009 – Non Traditional Bright Colours, Natural, Red, Green and Silver themes.
Have you chosen your Christmas Theme for 2011? It is an eco friendly theme for Planning With Kids this year!
EDIT: And if you are looking for ideas for what to serve this Christmas, you might like to check out my post on Christmas Menu Ideas.