It’s a Winter Wonderland… in our Hallway

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Woot woot!!  The hallway is ready for the holidays!!
I tackled this area of our house last night, and I’m REALLY happy with how it turned out!!  I’d bought this deer head a while back when Target’s “Stag Head” collection came out, and while he’s been living on our bookshelves for the last month or so, he’s made himself right at home in this little winter wonderland scene!
We (sadly) don’t have a mantle in our apartment, so I like to decorate this area the same way I’d decorate a holiday mantle.  This year, it’s a snowy woodland scene…

This table has actually been in our living room for the last year or so, acting as the drop spot for keys, mail, etc, but since we had to make space in the living room for our Christmas tree, this table had to move back into the hallway.
Initially, I wasn’t a huge fan of having the table in the hallway – our apartment is pretty small, so to me it felt more cramped when you walked down the hallway.  The table is narrow so it doesn’t actually take up much space – it was more “visually” cramped than anything else, but now that it’s decked out for Christmas, I absolutely love it!
Well hello there Mr. Deer…
I can’t tell if he’s totally creepy or totally cute.
That blank stare looks totally “zombie killer deer” up close, but it’s much less creepy in person.  I kind of love him – although I think he’d be even more dapper with a bow around his neck…

And the trees!!  I picked these up at Target for like $8 each, and I had a coupon for 30% off, so I think my mini forest only cost around $18 in the end.  I didn’t love that they were all the same height though, so I got creative.

I still had some fake cobwebs from Halloween, so I just fluffed those up and stuffed them in the bottom of a clear vase to re-purpose them as “snow”.

I then propped the other two trees up on whatever planters I had laying around – you can kind of see in the above picture that the “tallest” tree is actually on a candle votive stacked on top of a planter than I quickly painted gold (for continuity). You can hardly see them, so it looks just fine to me!

I also love how the “mercury glass” frames look all frosty here.  Originally when I had hung all the frames on this wall, they were empty, but I saw some mirror spray paint, and in a moment of curiosity decided to try it out.

I’d read that it doesn’t come out as shiny as a normal mirror, so I decided to make it more like mercury glass – you just fill a spray bottle with water and vinegar, spray down the glass, and spray the paint, then wipe it off.  The water / vinegar mixture creates these cool splotches making it look A LOT like mercury glass…

The ornament garland was a DIY project that I worked on last year – click here to read the tutorial on that… super simple and inexpensive, and it has really held up!!

I was playing with the different settings on the camera and really like how crisp and clear the forefront of this shot came out.  
Despite taking these photos in the early morning light, its nice and bright…
And this next photo was a really proud moment for me… 
I was able to play with the aperture on my camera settings to get the background really blurred out, and the foreground really focused.  I’m still a total photography novice, but I’m always so proud when I manage to get a really great picture…

So that’s our little hallway turned winter wonderland.  The rest of our place is STILL a hot mess, but we’re getting there slowly but surely.  My goal is to have everything decorated and cleaned up by the weekend.

How is your holiday decorating coming along??  As slowly as mine??

Christmas Spirit = Christmas Mess

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Whelp it’s been a rude awakening being back at work so far… I was just getting used to the life of leisure, and then 7:30 came around this morning VERY early.  Despite my ongoing depression of being back at work this week, we’ve started decorating for the holidays which is very fun… and by fun… I mean hard work.  For the most part our house is a HUGE mess – boxes everywhere, tissue paper galore, and a very fragrant, very busy bare tree in the middle of it.

I’m still in the process of tracking down all the boxes of ornaments, lights, and garlands, so for now, the only thing that isn’t a complete mess is this little shelf in our dining room…

Just one – the rest of them have been cleared off, and the dining room table is a mis-mash of it’s former contents as I contemplate what I want to put up for the holidays.
I don’t dare show you what the rest of our living room and dining room look like right now… it’s bad.
Better photos and more information on how to make those cute little paper trees is on it’s way once the shelves are Christmas-ified.
For now… 
Happy Monday!

Living Room Envy and Tartan

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I am crazy in love with Erin Gates of Elements of Style.  She has great style – what I wouldn’t do for 5 minutes to paw through her closet – but her home is what I’m most obsessed with.  They bought this home roughly a year ago, and have been renovating pretty much ever since.

While we’ve had a few small glimpses into the new spaces (the kitchen for instance, and her fabulous stairs), she just posted a few first images into her newly remodeled (and styled) living room – it’s A-MA-ZING.  It’s been all done up for the holidays and it’s TOO GOOD not to re-post!!

Right?!?!?!

The neutrals, those custom draperies (with the taupe greek key trim)… and that brass rod??  So SOOO good.  The layered rugs (if you look closely you can see a sneak peek of a zebra print cow hide), the hammered brass and glass coffee table, the pops of green… oh my gosh, the antique buffet is so beautiful, and of course, that chair.  That chair is (in the words of Rachel Zoe) “everything”.  It is absolutely the crown jewel of this room (aside from her sweet little puppy).

Let’s have a closer look at it, shall we??

I mean…. stop it.  That chair is SOOOO GOOD.
But you know what subtle little accent I loved??  The tartan throw, draped over the arm of this awesome chair.
My sister and I had these adorable tartan holiday dresses when we were little girls, and I’ve always loved the classic look of this pattern.  
While it might be a little much to dress up in an adult sized tartan dress for the holidays, I love the idea of cozying up a formal feeling living room with a tartan throw.  You still get to wrap yourself up in the classic pattern, and its 100% acceptable…
I’ve gone ahead and rounded up a few of my favorites – some more affordable than others *cough* Williams Sonoma *cough* and all have distinctly different patterns.
Love!!
Sierra Trading Post
Doesn’t the camel version kind of look a bit “Burberry”??  There were a few other color-ways, but these were my favorites from Sierra Trading Post.

Williams Sonoma is WAY overpriced for their throw – double the price of any other option here, but it is an easy one-stop-shop, so if you’re running around for a last minute gift, it might be worth the premium…

Always a classic – and they come with a cute leather strap for toting this around on picnics… so cute.  Do I even need to say more??
This is actually a kid’s blanket, but who cares????!  You could totally make it work for a grown up’s living room, and it’s the least expensive version on this list.  It’s a win-win!
What is your take on Tartan??
Love it?  Hate it??  Is it something you’re planning to incorporate for the holidays??

Give Thanks

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With all the planning that goes into the production of today, it’s so easy to forget what Thanksgiving is all about – it’s about giving thanks.

Simple.

There are so many blessings in my life to be thankful for, but at the top of that list is family, friends, and our good health.  To another healthful, happy year.

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving.
xoxo

DIY Art: Gold Leaf Arrows

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Happy Wednesday!!  It’s the day before Thanksgiving, and I thought I’d continue the DIY Art posts again this week…

We’re sticking with a simple concept (simple is best for us budding artists) – this week, gold arrows on a dark background…

Gorgeous, right??

And the DIY could not be more simple!!

What you’ll need:
  – Black Cardstock
  – Gold Leaf
  – Adhesive Pen
  – Ikea Ribba Frames (with mattes)

Next steps… just free-hand multiple arrows with the adhesive pen, and then apply the gold leaf (according to package instructions).

Easy, right??

Take it another step MORE easy, and instead of using gold leaf, use a gold paint pen.  Takes out the messy part, so you could whip these up fairly quickly.

Could be a great project to tackle over the long weekend…

Splurge or Save: Louis XIV Side Chair

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Louis XIV… the other week we were talking all about his taste in mirrors… this week it’s the chairs.  I swear I’m not obsessed with Marie Antoinette or anything… it just worked out this way!

I happen to be a huge fan of Louis XIV Chairs.  They have classic clean lines, feminine curves, but when done simply like the above, they don’t look fussy or girly AT ALL.

I love them when they are upholstered…

I love them with their caned backs…

I love them painted…

But I also love them with their natural wood…

And one day, I would REALLY love to see a set of them in my house!  If you’re looking to make that happen sooner than later, I rounded up a few for comparison sake… the “splurge” and the “save”.

Were you able to guess which was which??

I’m not going to lie… Kathy Kuo knows her stuff… check out her site if you’re looking for some (pricey) inspiration.  She has AMAZING things, but for those of you looking to save a few (thousand) dollars, check out World Market.

Now I realize that the “save” price might still seem a bit steep.  These aren’t impulse purchase chairs, but for two chairs, $400 is a fair deal when we’re talking those turned legs, the aged finish on the solid wood frame, and the linen upholstery.  I’ve also seen World Market sell them separately, so if you just needed one for a lonely corner, or as a desk chair it’s not bad.  Also, considering they are running a special for 25% off furniture right now, it’s actually $300 for both chairs.

Even without the 25% off, you could still buy 6 chairs for your dining room, for the price of the Kathy Kuo stunners (although that cane backing is so drool worthy)…  If you’re looking to buy, links are below:
Save a few bucks: World Market Linen Louis XIV Chair
Play Diddy for a day: Kathy Kuo Home Louis XIV Chair

What do you think??  Is it worth the splurge or would you rather save??

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Neither World Market nor Kathy Kuo has paid me to post their products – all opinions are my own

We’re calling it "Pre-Christmas" Decor

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Let me preface this post by saying, yes, I am fully aware that we haven’t celebrated Thanksgiving yet… 
But let me also just say, Thanksgiving is the latest it’s ever been… EVER… so since Thanksgiving is so excruciatingly late, I figured it couldn’t hurt anyone to hang a few harmless wreaths in our living room over the weekend….

I LOVE boxwood wreaths. Possibly more than any other wreath.  They are fresh and simple, and need no adornment, which around the holiday season – when the motto is “the more lights, tinsel, and general bedazzlement, the better” – a simple wreath is subtly festive.

In my case, I went with four subtly festive boxwood wreaths… for $10 each, how could I say no?!

I decided to hang them in each of the windows of our living room…

I absolutely LOVE LOOVVEEE LOOOVVVVVEEEEEE them.

The best part about boxwoods is that they dry so well.  These windows get direct sunlight all day long – pretty much from about 9am until 4pm, but boxwoods keep the bright green color even after they’ve dried!  Last year, I kept our wreath from the holidays, and hung it on our front door through the summer.

Now, I never normally take photographs at night in low light like this, but, with the wreaths in the window, I found it nearly impossible to photograph them during the day.  They were completely blacked out with the sun behind them in every shot , but I guess it’s nice to document our house with the cozy lamp light too… this is actually how I like our house the best, even though it doesn’t turn out in photographs so well.

God… we really need to do something about the coffee table – the bane of my existence.  Its SO scratched up on top, and the storage below is just not attractive.  Functional… yes, but I’m sure we could get rid of half that crap and not miss a thing.

Perhaps that’s something tackle next weekend… the decrapification of our coffee table… and then the selling of the coffee table and buying of a new one……….

Anyway… enough talk of my hoarding ways… let’s get back to my pretty wreaths.  Don’t you just love how they get a little up-lighting from the side lamps?
And notice my new lampshades… $5 on clearance!  Woot woot!!

Gotta love a good deal – ok last glamour shot of the wreath….

Hope you all had a lovely, productive weekend too!!

xoxo

Foolproof Fall Flower Arrangement

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Do you like the alliteration of this blog post??
Me too… but what I like even more was how simple (and inexpensive) it was to pull together this flower arrangement.
I went to the supermarket and picked up three small bundles of flowers:
One bundle of berries, one bundle of mums, and one bundle of astroemerias… not sure what those look like??  It’s these:
I spent less than $10 and I think that the arrangement turned out really pretty – WAY better than any of the pre-made bouquets in the store.
Not to toot my own horn, but I think I kind of have a knack for flower arranging… one of the things I’ve learned is that keeping the flowers in the same color family REALLY helps you keep it pretty and elegant.
In this case, I stuck with deep reds, maroons, and raspberry shades.  I absolutely LOVE how the astroemerias have green in them that fades into a deep red… it really brings a lot more dimension into the arrangement.
In general I think that sticking to a single color family works so well, because when you pick different flowers in different colors, there are a lot of different textures going on, so it confuses the eye and can easily look messy..  Having different flowers in the same color family is less “confusing” to the eye, so it ends up looking planned, while still being “interesting”.  
In this case, it’s autumnal reds. My old faithful is white, but blue’s and purples (with hydrangeas and iris) would be really pretty, and orange hues would also be amazing – and especially seasonal right now for Thanksgiving (with roses, tulips, branches, leaves, berries…. the list is pretty broad).
One of my other secrets to more professional looking floral arrangements is to cut the stems short.
It takes .2 seconds to plop your supermarket flowers in a vase with their long stems… and it shows.  It ends up looking cheap, but taking the extra two minutes to cut them down and arrange them in a shorter, wider vase, and it ends up looking like something you picked up from a florist.

Finally, I like to stick with flowers that all look fairly different from one another – if you have too many ruffly flowers, you can’t tell that they are different (which there’s nothing wrong with that) but by picking berries in this arrangement, its more unique, and dresses up these otherwise really cheap looking flowers (I mean mums??  Just ask my mom how much she likes mums on their own)

I’m thinking of wrapping the vase in burlap for Thanksgiving week, since it’s really the last few days our home will be decorated for fall.  After that, it’s going to be a Holiday bonanza around here!!

Happy Thursday 🙂

Glitter Guide: Holiday Decor

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Gold is in, in a big way – gold jewelery, watches, brass hardware, and gilded picture frames – it’s everywhere!  Gold is the perfect transitional color for the holidays, and can take you from Thanksgiving seamlessly into Christmas (and beyond if you ask me).

I’m a big fan of transitional decor – things that feel like the season… not specifically the holiday, so I’ve pulled together some of my favorite gold accessories to incorporate into your seasonal decor, for a little glitz and glam that doesn’t scream “Santa Claus”

Enjoy!

Stag Head: Ok… so he’s not gold… but I couldn’t resist!!  How cute would he be with a boxwood wreath around his neck… OR… a gold ornament wreath (in keeping with the gold theme here)… post holidays he could transition into a jaunty scarf…  Right?!

Jewelry Box: I need this.  My jewelry has taken over an entire dresser drawer and it’s just mayhem.  I can never find anything, so this jewelry box (or a set of several) would be amazing… and simply gorgeous to keep out on a dresser or nightstand to hold the pieces I wear the most.

Honeycomb Ice Bucket: A super stylish way to keep drinks chilled at a holiday party…

Confetti Martini Shaker:  Um… I love this.  It’s a party even before the drinks get poured!!

Gold Ikat Coasters: Another favorite of mine on here – to jazz up a coffee table and protect your furniture!  So cute, people will actually WANT to use them!

Gold Swirl Art: This is seasonally agnostic if you ask me!  I mean… this would look equally great in the summer as it would next to the glinting lights of the Christmas tree.

Cheers Bitches Banner: And…. perhaps my favorite item on the list.  How funny and awesome is this little banner??  Hanging over the drink table??  Love.