One of my favorite things about the holidays and winter in general is the transformation of the outdoors. Â Sleigh rides and skating outdoors amidst pine trees, snow and barren branches makes warming up next to a fireplace all the more appealing. Â Adding rustic traditional elements to your decor can take your interiors through the holidays and into the abyss of winter. Â Pops of red, lots of textural elements and plenty of candles aglow will warm your spirits!
See below for inspiration photos and a few of my favorite things to buy for this season!
I love this new collection of lit twig animals! Â The polar bear is by far the cutest!
Lit Twig Polar Bear from Pottery Barn
Who doesn’t need a sleigh that has no function other than to look pretty?
Red Metal Sleigh from Pottery Barn
I love burlap and red plaid and together they make a festive combo!
Burlap & Red Plaid Stockings from Ballard Designs
I had a cocker spaniel growing up and one of their signature features are their eyes. Â PB captured the essence of them plus a few other breeds in these quirky ornaments!
Bottlebrush Cocker Spaniel Ornament from Pottery Barn
I love this handwritten effect of the sentiment on this platter; perfect for a hostess or holiday gift. Â Also, the warm color makes it ideal for fall and winter entertaining!
Shanna Murray Platter from West Elm
With the upswing in craft breweries, these would make a great gift for your favorite beer drinker this season!
Hoppy Holidays Beer Glasses from Crate & Barrel
With its traditional font, this festive runner feels as much at home on your dining room table as in your kitchen!
I’ve always loved the soft swags of pine roping I see in magazine photos. Â I finally got the perfect opportunity at my client’s house last year! Â See below for the process and the finished product!
Here’s our concept photo!
So, the concept photo shows Mixed Greens roping which costs 3 times as much as the traditional White Pine roping and my client and I decided to go with the less expensive option, especially since it was our first time attempting this!
(1) 75 ft bundle of White Pine Roping – is it enough?!?
I had my handyman meet me at my client’s house while she was out running errands. Â I kind of wanted to play with this a bit without her feeling like we didn’t know what we were doing! Â Plus I wanted the “wow” reaction when she came home!
Laying out the bundle of roping…
When we started to lay out the bundle, it was a like a clown car that just kept growing and I really began to get a sense for 75 feet of pine roping! Â At that point I was much more confident that we had enough to get the job done.
The pine only goes one direction on the swag and we decided it was easiest to start at the top of the stairs…
While Joe was draping, I started making bows out of the burlap so we could see how long to cut each ribbon. Â In order to secure the roping, we used plastic zip ties which wouldn’t scratch the wood railing and would hold the roping in place.
1 row draped doesn’t make enough of an impact…2 rows draped and then we started adding bows!Loving how it is turning out!Burlap Ribbon from Pottery Barn – looks beautiful!Finished product! Couldn’t be happier!
My client and I were very happy with how it turned out and it added such a simple festive element to her entry. Â Not to mention the smell of the live pine roping was amazing! Â It didn’t cost that much for roping and the ribbon we saved which makes this something she can do every year.
If you have a concept for holiday decor that you need help executing, let me know!
Who doesn’t love a little (or a lot) of sparkle? I am kind of obsessed with things that sparkle this year, in fashion as well as home decor! What’s fun about the shimmery elements is that they work in almost every holiday theme as well as for other occasions like New Year’s Eve and year round cocktail parties. Here’s my shortlist of fave baubles in holiday decor this year!
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Can you hear Perry Como’s rendition in your ears? I love the traditional holiday songs and I love a bit of “traditional” elements in my decor, as well. It’s really easy to add a little burlap, jewel tones and a dash of classic elements in order to make your holiday reminiscent of days gone by.  Here are a few of my favorite things this year!
Pottery Barn Jeweled Mercury Votive HoldersPB Jewel Cut Martini GlassesPB Embroidered PillowsCrate & Barrel OrnamentsWest Elm Felt MistletoePottery Barn Tree TopperWest Elm Felt DecorWisteria Dove DoormatBallard Designs Vintage Glass Bead GarlandWest Elm Paper Flower WreathBallard Designs Burlap Bird Ornaments
Stay tuned for the 3rd installment – Holiday 101: Sparkle!!!
How to do the holidays with a modern twist? Well, the answer is bright colors and funky spins on traditional holiday shapes. Get creative, go retro, be original! Here’s some inspiration for you!
I have more in store for the holiday season…stay tuned!!
Bubble Glass Orbs from CB2Ornament Assortment from CB2Holiday cards from Kate Spade!CB2 Crackle GlasswareSpace Vases from CB2!!Banded Glassware from West ElmKate Spade Holiday CardsGlass Trees from WisteriaGlass Trees from CB2Glass Trees from CB2“Cougar” Ornaments from CB2Feather Ball Ornament from West ElmTwig Snow Wreath from C&BCB2 Crackle Glassware
