Easy Christmas Projects

Somehow we've arrived at December 24th (again!) so I have a couple very simple Christmas decor projects that can be pulled together at the last minute - or saved until next year. Let's get started!

Inspired by this post I decided to make these as gifts for our very special neighbors this year. I started with a trip to Joann's for small terra cotta pots, moss, and tree forms. 

I sprayed the pots with chalkboard paint but that step is entirely optional. You could leave the pots as is, add some gold or silver leaf, paint a design with acrylic paint, etc. Then I used my trusty hot glue gun to adhere the moss to the tree form and then to glue the finished "tree" into the pot. It was messy but not very complicated.

Tie a pretty bow around the whole thing and you're done!

Next up was a very quick and easy centerpiece. My mom uses an amazing local florist to do the flowers for her parties but she wanted another simpler piece for one of the tables for her Christmas Eve fete. I was enlisted to help with something involving pinecones. Back to Joann's for pinecones, both small-medium and mini sized.

Next up was a stop at Trader Joe's for some seasonal greens. Of course these and the pinecones could easily be gathered from your yard if you have access to such natural wonders. Then I grabbed a pretty glass bowl and got to work.

I started by filling the bowl with the larger pinecones, then scattered some of the smaller ones around on top, and then trimmed a few branches of the greens and tucked them in around the bowl. It took about 10-15 minutes and I think it turned out pretty well.

(I took the finished product outside to photograph because the light was better and the tables inside were not yet put together. Don't mind the brick.)

Merry Christmas! Hope everyone has a great holiday!

What I've Been Up To

Hello there! I realize that most people out there are currently in the thick of holiday craziness but I am finally coming up for air. We celebrate Chanukah so we had a very full and fun week last week followed by my husband's 40th birthday and now things are calming down. We will gear up for a Christmas eve dinner at my mom's followed by a lazy (and present filled) Christmas morning but I am done hosting events for a little while at least. Here is a peak at what we've been up to:

And the biggest surprise birthday present ever (for the best guy I know)...

Cardboard Frames

I was in my local Anthropologie recently and, as always, found myself ogling part of their display. Here's what caught my eye:

Those frames are made out of cardboard! It's such a creative idea. I may have to attempt this as a way to frame some of my kids' artwork.

Modern Toile

Flipping through Elle Decor I saw a small blurb about modern toile that caught my eye. Turns out a number of designers have updated the uber-traditional toile, giving it an urban edge. This newer version has replaced the images of old-fashioned upper class enjoying the out of doors with skateboarders, cell phone users, and the homeless. How fun and unexpected. This would be perfect in a powder room. Give your guests something to laugh about while using the facilities and the perfect conversation starter.

Here's a New York Toile:

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A closer look at some of the scenes...

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And a close-up of this London Toile

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But this one is my favorite. It was created by Mike D from the Beastie Boys (with Help from Revolver New York and Flavor Paper)

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Fantastic, no?

Rue Magazine Gift Guide

Every blog, magazine, and website seem to be putting out their gift guides for the holidays. Most of these don't do it for me but I was impressed with the guide Rue Magazine put together. It strikes me as creative and well curated and possibly, well, useful. You can check out the full issue here. Bonus: articles on Nate Berkus and Tom Delavan. Not bad for one little issue. Go read it. 

Here are a few of the gift guide pages:

Thanksgiving 2012

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I love that the kids get the whole week off now. It really lets us enjoy time together as a family which is what I am always most thankful for when it comes down to it. We hosted at our house this year but outsourced most of the cooking so I got to focus  my (minimal) efforts on making things pretty.

Our hydrangea turned this deep red color just in time for Thanksgiving. Perfect!

My daughter made the painting for the mantel. (It reads "Happy Thanksgiving Everyone" and that's a turkey painted in the middle.)

We also set up a craft table in the kitchen to keep the kids - and grandpa - occupied during cocktail hour. I used branches I found in the park to create our "Thankfulness Tree" and the kids added tags throughout the week noting things that they are thankful for.

And yet another idea I stole from the Internet, we made apple turkeys using toothpicks and candy. Unfortunately I forgot to snap photos of our finished products. You'll have to use your imagination for that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Robyn Mizrach McClelland

I was just reading the current issue of Matchbook and was impressed with the style of Robyn Mizrach McClelland. And she isn't even a decorator! She's a writer with wonderful, interesting taste. I'm smitten.

(All images via November 2012 issue of Matchbook Magazine)

Isn't it all so gorgeous? Feminine and luxe with plenty of personality and quirk. Hats off to you, Robyn!

Litographs

I just discovered a very cool art source. Litographs makes prints using the text of classic books and reverses out an image representing that book. Take a look-see:

Moby Dick

Peter Pan

Wizard of Oz

Alice in Wonderland

Aren't they cool? I think they would make an amazing gallery wall in a child's room.

Litographs also has more adult fare that could work alone or as an addition to a mixed media gallery wall.

Walden

And they also come in black and white.

Ulysses

AND, for every print purchased a book is donated to a community in need. So you get to do a good deed while decorating your walls. All images from the Litographs site. Go check it out.

Modern White Kitchen

I'm working with a client who has very modern tastes. Lots of white, black, and grey with glossy finishes. It's a more pop-art modern though, with hits of red or other bright colors, art deco influences, a white baby grand piano - and absolutely no wood tones, which are a fixture of most modern settings these days to bring in warmth.

She is renovating the whole place with grey concrete floors downstairs, a new metal and concrete stairway - you get the idea. We're trying to plan out the kitchen and I have been pulling inspiration photos for her. Take a look:

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This is going to be fun! You can follow me on Pinterest to see more photos.