December Decorating Ideas

"I'll have a blue Christmas without you." Decorations have a lot more color choices this year. Notice the blue glass ornaments. They are surrounding a candle that is in a glass container. Take out the hanging hooks on the end so they look less like ornaments. Threes always work even if they are not the same. They are unified on the silver platter and by the glass vases and bowls. Add some holiday filler and crystal floral picks and your done.





You can also unify by color, or in this case a metallic, silver. Pull out your always useful Apothecary Jars and fill them with different sizes of ornaments. Add some other silver objects like the oversized tree topper, platter, floral picks, and a mirrored package. Classy.






If you are looking for something in the natural country flavor, take a look at the red, cream, and brown combination. You can use woods, and berries of any type to get this look. Consider using other items from the kitchen such as red pears, cinnamon sticks, and whole nutmeg. The combinations are endless. You can add some red votives or pine boughs and pinecones run down the center of the table.

Here is another take on the red theme.

December Decor Project

Here is a quick and inexpensive holiday design idea. All you need is a candle (LED pictured), some bead garland, and glue. Secure the garland at the bottom with a dot of glue and wrap tightly while winding up. It can't hurt to add some glue as you go up. End with the a final dab of glue at the top end of garland. Couldn't be simpler.

You could also use cord or trim of any color on any form including tree forms or wreaths. Have fun. Send some pictures of your craft projects.

November - Fall Decor

Here are a few fall decor ideas that should cost $10 to $25 and take 5 to 10 minutes to put together. The items can be found near by at your grocery store, craft store, or local discount retailer.

If you already have your versatile Apothocary Jars, like everyone should, you just need some large rustic potpourri ($10) to evoke the fall feeling. Or make your own with mixed nuts with the shells on and cinnamon sticks. The small gourds were $1 each.

Here is one Table three ways. This table shows natural, muted tones for an elegant, subtle effect. The runner is white linen finger tip towels that I owned lined end to end. You could use white napkins or fabric remnant. I added votives in their own glass holders ($5) a beaded garland ($5) glass pumpkin ($5 on sale after Halloween) the flowers, gourds, and artichokes averaged $1-2 each. For flowers I recommend choosing larger blossoms in colors that coordinate with your decor. Orchid blossoms are also a nice sophisticated touch.

Here is the same table with a more colorful theme. The runner is topped with glass containers filled with a pillar candle surrounded by mixed nuts with shells on. Glass containers can be found at the $1 store  and the nuts cost $2.50. The cake stand I owned is topped with a candle surrounded by pears and faux leaf floral picks ($1 ea.). You could also use an upside down bowl or pot with a plate on top. The mini pumpkins were $1 each.

Here is a third option that is quick and painless. Take your fruit bowl(s) set them on the table ($8 for fruit). Add fall leaf floral picks ($1 each), candle ($4) surrounded by nuts ($2.50)in glass, and mini gourds ($1) and your done. There are multiple variations on this theme. You could mix fruit and nuts in a large low bowl with the candle in the middle. You could surround the candle in glass with one type of nut in a shell (i.e. only walnuts), tie a ribbon around glass, use three in a row.

Please comment if you are interested in any resources for these items or other decor ideas.

How to Recycle Items Into Home Decor - wikiHow

How to Recycle Items Into Home Decor - wikiHow

Here is an interesting article on recycling and (almost) free decor. My favorites are the Soda Bottle Vase and the Vinyl Record Bowls.

Bargin of the week (or month)

I have decided I have to share with someone/everyone some of the bargins I come across while on my regular shopping excursions. These will be things that I think are too good to be passed up and if I can't buy them then someone I know should. I will attempt to do this at least once a month or as soon as I see something so you can go ASAP to check it out. Some items may be related to interior design but some may not.

So today I was in Tuesday Morning in Broomfield,CO (so I can't vouch for the other Tuesday Mornings) and I saw a slew of BUILT brand laptop cases. You may have seen them touted recently in several trade magazines as being stylish and affordable at $40 a case. These were priced from $10-$15. They are very contemporary with fat zippers, hip shades of neoprene- like paded material, and cool pouches for accessories.

 I tried to quickly calculate how many teachers, students, and family members I know have laptops. I shallowly realized how I could impress a few 20-somethings with such a gift and grabbed a handful. There were also other BUILT products at Tuesday Morning you might like for amazing prices. Let me know what you think or if you have an amazing bargin of your own to share.

Color for 2011

Are you ready to think about the color palettes for 2011?

Benjamin Moore is. They just rolled out their 2011 forecast and I am passing it on to you. You have seen these colors before but the tones and combinations have been given a modern mix with contemporary patterns and materials.

There are four categories or color themes; The Farm, Order, Escape and Tribe.

The Farm embodies eco-chic, colors found in fields and barn yards. Patterns for the farm include cow prints (known as bovine design), fat knits, quilt styles, gingham, and tea stained fabrics. Textures include feathers, leather, egg cartons, hemp, and weathered wood. Color for the farm includes vegetable brights (think corn, peas, carrots, and tomatoes) combined with grays and browns and tans. Pumpkin orange and salmon are thrown into the mix.


Order looks at less as more, a modern approach with an organic twist. The colors are black, white, grey-scale, with red and the other primary colors. A pink taupe is added as a balancing neutral. Patterns of the Order theme include cubes, stacked cubes, faceted-fractal webs, outlines, stripes, dots, and geometrics The textures are lacy, plastics, and wire and wood.


Escape idealizes the stylized feminine looks of the 50s. The colors are chalky, pearlized pinks, pale & iced green, rosy pink, lavender, dark camel, and carbon black for contrast. The patterns are gauzy, cloud-like, round, and puffy shapes, graded color, watercolors. The textures are pearl, glycerin, steam-like, shimmery metallic’s, and include the use of embedded electronics.


Tribe evokes local and tribal traditions, the idea of interconnectedness and the communal table. The colors for Tribe are camel, saffron, cinnamon, paprika, dark berry, tangerine, amber, honey, bronze liquid gold, and teal. The patterns include figures, pod shapes, African, Bedouin, and Animal prints. Textures in Tribe are tortoise, snake, and alligator, animal hide prints, beading, and embroidery.


You will see these color stories and themes over the next two years, first in fashion and then they will trickle into home furnishings. Cutting edge furniture and fabric designers have incorporated these trends already but the average consumer will not see all of these palettes realized in their local retail stores for several more months.

LED Candles at Gordmans

I have a new resource for LED candles (my new favorite thing). Check your area for a Gordmans store. (Primarily in the Midwest.) They have candles and other great accessories at amazing prices. A large 6" pillar was $10, which would be $20 or more anywhere else. Now let's just keep this our little secret.

My new favorite thing

For those of you who attended the Stage to Live presentation, you already know that I have a new favorite accessory - LED battery operated candles. They don't blow out in the wind. They won't burn the house down if you leave them on. They are relatively safe around kids and pets and they can last up to 120 hours. They usually have a real wax exterior with small bulbs that flicker like a real flame. They look best when they are at or above eye level since the bulbs look like bulbs, or put them in a lantern. Expect to pay $10 to $35 depending on size.

September Design Tip

Accessories
Scale and proportion are important in interior design. Is the furniture scaled to the size of the room? Are the pictures or art proportionally sized to the size of the wall?
One area of design were you can break those rules is with your accessories. One or two large pieces in a small room can make a dramatic statement. This is one case of “bigger is better”. Even in a large room, big accent pieces always work.
One of my favorite accessories is a big platter or plate on end in a stand. It can be a back drop for a beautiful orchid and fill in blank space in one fell swoop. Lay it flat on a counter or coffee table with candles or ornamental balls and you have another dramatic focal point. (Just make sure it doesn’t teeter on the edge or take an entire surface.) You can also use a beautiful large platter as an outdoor table top. Just take a large, good looking pot and turn it up-side-down and place the platter on top.

Another of my favorite multifunctional accessories is Apothecary Jars. The large, clear, decorative jars are easy to find these days’ at most accessory shops like Pier One, Target, and TJ Maxx. They look great in the kitchen with dry goods, the bathroom with soaps and sponges, and the living room with decorative filler. You can use them as seasonal displays filling them with fall leaves or mini pumpkins or pine cones.