WEDDING DESIGN: I COULDN'T RESIST. . .

I know I thought I wouldn't post again until after the wedding, but I couldn't resist showing you a few more items for the wedding and getting your opinion!

The little flower girls basket.  You have to picture it full of flowers!

Medallions for the Popcorn jars

The leaf covered cones - also try to imagine these full of flowers. ..

A fun crystal tasseled medallion...

The sparkling rhinestone cake topper

And I'm finally done .... well almost....

Now to ship to Dallas.

CHRISTMAS DECOR: Blue and Brown - Traditional - Nativity Display

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. . .

except for the drive to Riverside for a client - which proceeded at an amazing 5 mph.

the bird's eye view was moving no faster

but, with Christmas carols on the radio it was still a pleasant, albeit long, drive.

The week was full of decorating - both regular and holiday.

Each client's home unique in its own way.  Blue and brown for Lisa.

 

Accents of red in a blue and white bedroom

Little details for fun

or sparkle

Non traditional colors

or traditional...

a few greens can make an impressive centerpiece

A little Charlie Brown skinny tree becomes a showpiece by setting it into an urn and adding handpicked beautiful ornaments, collected over the years.

Candy stripe ribbon finishes off a staircase newel post.

In between decorating for clients, there was artwork to finish for the Sing Noel program

Decorating for the community event - "Follow the Star"

a live nativity

with an amazing creche exhibit, featuring creches from all over the world

Rwanda

Africa

Germany

Peru

one created entirely from ghourds

and one from Iceland - home of my ancestors. 

Over 300 different creches in all!

THE HUNT FOR WEDDING RHINESTONES

required a trip to L.A.  in the rain. . .

but rhinestones we found!

and then rewarded ourselves by a dash in the rain to the flower mart

to find the exact perfect roses for the wedding

and pick up a fresh green wreath for my front door

The rain was inconvenient, but did not stop us from getting our delicious hot dogs from the street vendor

So good

Worth the trip!

CHRISTMAS DECOR: JINGLE JINGLE JINGLE

Running around for the wedding is hard when there are so many distractions.  I'm also decorating some clients homes for the season, and so I've been eyeing the Christmas decor.  I was pleasantly surprised at Pier 1 - some well priced and cute items. 

SPARKLY ORNAMENTS,  CUTE FELT STOCKINGS

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GREAT GLASS CANDY CANES!

GREAT PAINTED SIGNS

On the disappointing side was JoAnn's and Tall Mouse - both severly lacking the fabulous picks and faux Christmas greens they had last year. 

Tai Pan had so many cute Christmas items it was a challenge NOT to bring things home for myself - and so I did.  Help, I need to have a garage sale...
As I left I crossed the street for a bite to eat and peeked inside Ross - and found a vintage Santa  about 2 feet tall and fabulous - for $12.00. 

I planned on decorating my own home early this year.  With the Dallas wedding at the end of the year, I decided it was logical to decorate in November.  However, tradition dictates we wait until James is home before we pick out the tree - so I will probably still be decorating on Christmas Eve!

With holiday decorating in mind, here are a few holiday tips:

Deck your tree with a MINIMUM of 100 lights per foot.  7 foot tree = 700 lights, etc.  Don't connect more than 3 strands together - for safety's sake.  I use a multi-outlet power strip to plug them into.  When putting lights on your tree, place them inside the tree, clear up to the trunk, as well as on the outside branches.  This will make your tree glow from within and look amazing.

If you use ribbon garland, this goes on next - I weave it in and out of the branches, and inside and outside of the tree as well, letting it disappear into the greenery and reappear at strategic points.  A nice wide ribbon will also hide some of those holes if you are using a fresh tree.

Place your largest ornaments first, distributing them evenly around the tree.  Fill in with medium and small ornaments, and any garland goes on last.  When placing ornaments, hang some deeper into the tree and not only on the branch ends.  This gives your decorations depth and allows you to add sparkle and shine inside and out.

I like to elevate my tree and put it up on a chest or table - depending on tree size.  Elevating the tree makes it more dramatic and allows  room for gifts beneath. 

Changing the color of ribbon you use can change your whole look without changing your ornaments. 

Tree toppers - what to put at the top of the tree?    Angels and stars can look a little lonely on the top of a Christmas tree with nothing around them.  Try adding branches of glittered twigs, frosted florals, silver stems or fabulous ribbon.  Whatever goes with the rest of your decorations will look great at the top of your tree.  A little green wire will secure that wobbly angel or star and the branches as well.

What do you put at the top of your tree?  Leave a comment and let us know!

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season. 

Claudine

CHRISTMAS DECOR: BRING ON THE RED

BRING ON THE RED!

Today it officially felt like the Christmas season as I decked out the home of a client.  I first supervised the installation of the outdoor lights and after that was complete, started decorating in the formal living room.

This elegant space has dark woods, deep golds and vibrant reds.  The decorations echo that color scheme.

My clients are travelling over the holidays, and so we'll put up just this small 'family' tree and add some festive touches for their enjoyment over the season.  This petite lighted tree is decked out in sugared and shiny fruit and tiny photos of children, pets and grandkids in beautiful little frames.

The red and gold theme transfers easily to the base of the tree and the wonderful fabric tucked around (which also hides the cords)

This elegant little package is actually the switch to turn the tree lights on and off.

The smiling faces of children and grandchildren make this little tree one of their favorite decorations each year.  I love the elegant little frames and the tiny jingle bell garland.

On the piano, a new nativity adds a beautiful accent.

I love to add little touches of Christmas throughout the house.  Here a tiny accent lamp is made festive with a sprig of sugared fruit.

A glass hurricane with red and gold ornaments is added to the coffee table

In the entry is a dramatic curving staircase.  The garland gets a custom look in stages.  First, a plain garland (this one has snowy tips) is draped on the bannister.

I added evergreen picks at the bottom of the staircase, full of pinecones and frosty accents.

Red berries add a color punch.  The client is getting some ribbon for me to add to this at a later date.

I added a swag of green (cut from a larger pinecone laden garland)  to the living room sconces.

Adding the red berries here adds a pop of color and ties this room in with the entry.

You don't need a lot of decorations to make a holiday impact in a beautiful room.

A similar treatment is used in the formal dining room - this swag is bedecked with sugared fruit.

A centerpiece of red peonies and mums with frosty pine and snowy berries accents the table.

A close up of the beautiful dining room curtains reveals the red and gold color scheme.

The kitchen gets a festive apple wreath for the bay window over the sink.

The family room mantle is decorated with snow tipped garland, festive lights and our familiar red berries.

Family photos are the main decoration for the mantle.  Usually, the family room holds the large family Christmas tree and the mantle is bedecked with her collection of snowmen.  But, we are doing 'light' decorating this year, so we have left the snowmen to sleep in their boxes for another year.

We couldn't resist pulling this charming Snowman out to decorate the top of the entertainment unit. 

Just a few more touches - and we're done...  I'll post more on the finishing touches later.

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR OPINIONS AND QUESTIONS - PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT FOR ME!  HAPPY HOLIDAYS!