WHY IT WORKS - More Christmas!

Ok, for all of you who found my post last week inspiring, you will be even more inspired this week!  Melanie, over at My Sweet Savannah, has taken Christmas decorating to a whole nother level!  Melanie's home was the one that inspired my striped entry way.  When I first saw her holiday decorating post, all I could say was, "wow!"  Her home is GORgeous!  She has a hot chocolate making station!  Nuff said!  I've posted some of my favorite pics, but go over to her blog to see more photos.  Well done Melanie!  Thanks for inspiring me to kick it up a notch! 


WHY IT WORKS:

• In my opinion, there are a few key reasons Melanie's decor works so well.  First is color.  Even with her holiday decor, Melanie stays true to the creamy color palette of her home, so everything flows seamlessly.  The best way to acheive this is with careful editing.
• Natural elements.  Adding natural elements is fool proof.  It adds life and texture to any space.  I love how the natural elements she used still ties into her color palette, using creams and whites.
• Mixing old and new.  Her home is so interesting to look at because so many of the pieces look like they could tell a story.  Whether truly aged or aged looking, mixing old and new is a great way to add interest.



(Hot chocolate making station!  It doesn't get much more welcoming than this!)




(Christmas balls in an urn.  Simple and beautiful.)




(White poinsettia, beautiful)




(Paperwhites and reindeer moss.  Nice)




(An understated, yet festive mantle)

 INSPIRATION

• Be a careful editor.  Remember, you don't have to display everything, all at once.  What feel do you want to convey this year?  What's your color palette?  Red/Green?  Metallics?  Creams?  Commit to it.
• Add natural elements.  There are so many options for holiday decorating!  They all look great!  Branches, greenery, holly, poinsettias, paperwhites, and amaryllis, even cyclamen.  I also love miniature lemon cypress trees like these.

• In the end, anything that brings you joy and peace this season goes!  The holidays are about traditions and family.  So, if you really love your singing reindeers and snowmen... GO FOR IT and HAVE FUN!  :D

IKEA FRIDAYS - Meet RAMVIK

This is the time of year where many of us will be entertaining and having guests at our home.  This also means that we're going to be looking for places to hide the junk and clutter of everyday life.  :)  I'm always looking for furniture pieces to do double duty. 

This week, meet RAMVIK.  You can have this guy at your home for only $139, and boy is he a workhorse!  This  coffee table has been such a great purchase for us.  I bought this 3 years ago when we moved into our current home.

I actually hadn't done a whole lot of research on different coffee tables but when I saw this one at IKEA, I knew this would work. The drawers pull out on each side, and we have hidden our share of toys, diapers, wipes, coloring books in there!  We actually bought 2 of these and put them together, so that it made one big square coffee table.  Double the storage and I thought it looked great.  It easily looked like one unit.  We're only using 1 right now so that our kids have a little more room to run around. 

Here's RAMVIK at our house. 

(Handsome right?)



(if only you could see inside)  :)


I think they look just as good as the Sliding Coffee Table from West Elm for $399, don't you?



(images from westelm.com)



Have a wonderful weekend!  See you Monday!

Craft Fair Favorites

Well, here's my post about some of my favorites from the Craft Fair this past weekend.  It seems like these fairs are getting more and more popular, because boy, was it crowded!  Good thing I got there early, but it was not a place for strollers, let alone a jogging stroller!  Unfortunately, I couldn't meander around too long.

But it is always good to get inspired and see what cool ideas are brewing out there.  Here are a few that I saw!

First, Maluhia Designs had some adorable stuff!  She had all sorts of bags, wallets, pouches made with these ADORABLE fabrics!  I think my favorite were these dresses!  TOO CUTE!  Check out her site here.

I also loved these prints from Jill Bliss.  The colors and designs were gorgeous!  Obviously the pictures don't them just justice.  This is a GREAT source for beautiful and original artwork for any room!  I love that her prints are made to fit a 16 x 20" IKEA Ribba Frame too.  Visit her @ http://www.jillbliss.com/

Another great find was Moufelt!  They create some amazing stuff with felt!  They were so busy, I could only snag this one picture.  I particularly loved these runners and they had great trivets too!  These would look awesome on a table or I was thinking about framing them!  The runner would look great in a simple frame.  Imagine in it a dining room!  The trivets would be great framed as a set of 4 too!  This is the type of stuff that make people say, "Where did you get that?" Check them out @ http://www.moufelt.com/

I also loved the prints from Matthew Porter Art.  His monkey prints are very popular, but this year his bird prints really caught my eye!  I love how graphic they are!  Beautiful colors!  I can't choose just one!  Check him out @ http://www.matthewporterart.com/.

Before I left, I got a snack at Sweet Dahlia Baking!  YUMMY!!  I tried a couple of her goodies and they were all good!  My favorite was her Macadamia Nut Butterscotch Brownies.  LOVED IT!  Crunchy, sweet, and salty!  Check her out @  http://www.sweetdahlliabaking.blogspot.com/. 

And there you go!  :) 

Christmas cards!

I LOVE Christmas!  I've been playing Christmas music since Thanksgiving!  One of my favorite parts is sending and receiving Christmas cards!  I hope it's a tradition that never goes out of style.  Last week, I was so excited when this box arrived at our doorstep!  Our Christmas cards!  Woohoo!

I have to admit, I spent way too many hours in the last couple of weeks browsing online card sites.  There is just soo much good stuff out there!  My kind of eye candy!  :)  Plus, the way I make decisions,  I have to look at every possible design before I'm sure I've picked the right one.  Anyone else?

This year, I ordered from Tiny Prints.  They are great, and for some reason, their prices seem better this year.  Wonderful customer service, quick proofs and delivered earlier than expected!

I also really like minted.  They are a little pricier, but have GORGEOUS, fresh designs. 









I've also ordered through Pear Tree Greetings.  They have beautiful, simple, classic cards and probably have the best prices of all 3. 

I also recently came across a Shutterfly catalog and their cards have come a LONG way!  This is a great choice if you are already sharing your photos on shutterfly.

Lastly, Etsy, is another GREAT choice for cards.  Just search for holiday photo cards and you'll get a tons of options.  A lot of these, you pay for the jpeg image and you can save money and time,  by printing them yourself!

So many options!  Have fun!  And don't be stressed!  New Years cards are fabulous too!  :)

WHY IT WORKS - Christmas!

I have to admit, I feel a little hesitant posting my own photos as inspiration photos this week.  As with many people, I feel like my spaces are always a work in process and they get better and better with time.  But, many of you have also commented how you really enjoy seeing my own personal projects and rooms.  So... here goes!

WHY IT WORKS:

Our garland going up our staircase



For our tree this year, I tied glass ornaments in 3s
with lime green ribbon



Faux branches covered in snow and tied with
the same lime green ribbon





One of my favorite things! 


 

Another one of my favorites!  I carted these 2 back from Italy!



INSPIRATION

• EDIT!  You don't have to put EVERYTHING out!  This is something I'm working on too.  Especially with holiday decor that you only get to put out once a year, we have a tendency to want to display everything!  So display prudently and selectively.  It will make what you do put out that much more special and there's always next year.
• Color palette.  Things look more cohesive if they relate to each other.  This year, I really wanted to highlight lime/moss green, one of my favorite colors.  An easy way to do this is with ribbon.  You can incorporate ribbon in so many ways and you only need to invest in one bolt.  Use it as a garland on your tree and mantle, tie bows on a wreath, and hang your ornaments with the same ribbon.  It really makes everything look put together.  
• Find inspiration NOW and shop LATER.  Again, good design does not have to cost a lot of money.  I'd say 90% of my Christmas decorations were purchased after Christmas, marked down at least 50% off.  So start looking at things that you love and get ready to go out there after Christmas!
• Buy basics.  I love great design, but I want to be practical too.  When I'm buying ornaments or other decorative objects, I try to stick with silver or gold.  I love mercuy glass too!  Silver and gold will never go out of style and you can easily use them throughout the year.  One year, when I was starting to build my collection, everything I bought was gold, silver or lime green.  For example, get basic candle holders and you can change the color of the candles each year, basic ornaments and change the ribbons each year, basic pots and vases and change the color of the flowers or greenery each year. 

In the midst of all the projects and running around that comes during this season, I hope you're able to slow down and enjoy all the beauty around you.  It truly is a magical time of year.

IKEA FRIDAYS - Meet MJOD and friends

Many of you will be entertaining for the holidays.  I know glassware is such an everyday item.  Many people problem wouldn't give a second thought to them.  For me, these are exactly the types of things that I spend time researching.  Remember, it's not the fancy stuff that I'm most interested in... it's the everyday!  :)  Here are a few of my favorite glassware pieces from IKEA!

First, meet MJOD.  I love how versatile these can be!  Fancy enough for special occasions, but not too delicate for everyday use.  The stem at the bottom is great for attaching wine charms or even making personal tags of your own for each guest.  These are great for wine, punch, champagne, juice, even water.  6 for $9.99!  Not bad!  



(MJOD)





Next up, I love these POKAL glasses for everyday use!  So reminiscent of glasses used in french bistros.  Places like Crate and Barrel and Williams Sonoma both carry similiar versions of this glass.  You can't beat $.59 each though! 



(POKAL)


SLOM - Everything looks better served in a glass bottle.  I love going to restaurants where they serve  ice water in one of these.  So... I copied them and do the same thing at home.  I love leaving a couple of these out, prechilled, for ice water.  So fancy... so everyday!  :)  $2.99 each!

(SLOM)

Lastly, meet LEENDE.  Wouldn't this be great for juice?   Tons more attractive than the plastic carton!  $9.99.  And when you're not using it for juice... it's perfect for fresh flowers!



(LEENDE)



There you have it!  Simple items that really do elevate the everyday! 
Off to the craft fair!  See you Monday!



A Craft Fair

I'm excited to be checking out this craft fair this weekend.  If you're in the Seattle area, this is a great one to check out!  I love how crafting has become a bit "cooler" in recent years... either that or I'm just getting older.  :P  Seriously though... you'll find really cool pieces of artwork, home decor, clothing, jewelery, food and all sorts of real cool stuff for your home.  All of it is handmade locally.  I love the idea of supporting local artists pursuing their passion!  And this is the kind of fair that has items all price points.  I really don't like going to art shows where everything is out of my price range.  No fun!  :P 

So...  if you have time this weekend, check it out.  Most of the artists there also have etsy sites, so next week I'll be sure to post some of my favorites!