customize your holiday decor

from Area Woman Magazine Dec'19/Jan'20

by Lake & Home Magazine | Area Woman Magazine

December january

Turn Your Favorite

CHRISTMAS PHOTOS INTO PIECES YOU’LL LOVE FOR A LIFETIME

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY : CORI JENSEN Follow Cori on INSTAGRAM: @corijensen00 and her backyard adventures: @mysunrisehill

Have you ever read “The 5 Love Languages” by Gary Chapman? The premise is that there are five basic love languages, and these are ways to express love emotionally. I joke to my husband that I’ve added a few more to my primary love languages of quality time and acts of service … flowers and pictures. It’s a joke. Kinda.

Oh, how my heart sings when I get to document pictures of my kids and family. Let’s chat about next steps with your pictures. Most of us upload them to social media and that’s the end of the story. I’m one of those nutty ladies who likes to experiment with pictures.

I believe that making statement pieces that are personalized to decorate for the holidays is a fabulous way to do something new or different with your favorite family pictures, Christmas carols and recipes. Here are some that I’ve done in my home and continue to use year after year.

Ornaments

I’ve been doing annual picture ornaments for 15 plus years. I believe they are timeless.

Christmas Pillows

Oh for the love of throw pillows! Where my girls at? Raise your hand if your pillows have a higher rotation than your wardrobe? Both of my hands are raised. There are several outlets that will make them with your own images. I’ve created some were my two oldest are giving each other a kiss at ages 2 and 4 years old. When my two youngest were 2 and 4 we did a recreate.

Large Wall Art

This can be done by printing pictures onto engineer prints. A big office supply store will do it in a low quality print at a low cost. I love to use magnetic wood poster holders to create a hanging piece of art. If you want large scale Christmas artwork that doesn't break the bank, here it is. One of my favorite pieces to bring out every year is the image of my four kiddos in the snow in pj’s.

Prints On Wood

A trendy way to display your favorite images and the quality is high. You can print them with or without frames and in different shapes. I really love the texture it gives and the look of no glass in the frame. One of my favorite new prints is one with the big pines in our back yard covered in snow. I made that one into a 44x22 inch framed piece.