We’ve had a flocked tree for three years now and I’m totally hooked on them!  It’s the one way we can have a white Christmas in our home since we don’t get snow here.  I loved the idea of using blues and greens to complement the mantel garland, and this year the stand sits inside a gray Colonial Mills braided woven basket.  It’s our blue and white Christmas tree all decked out for 2012!

I found this beautiful peacock blue ribbon with gold trim for half price at Michaels and couldn’t resist crimping and weaving it through the tree like party streamers.

I also opted for two strings of white globe lights instead of twinkle lights… I think I’ll string them outside when Christmas is over… I ordered them from Novelty Lights a few months ago and they come with real glass bulbs so you have to be careful with them but I love them!

Read the rest of this entry »

Hello hello, how are you?  Busy busy with the holiday season right?  It’s flying by!  I was going through some pictures from last year and realized I never shared a few pictures featured in Emily Henderson’s Holiday Guide in 2011.  Emily asked me to come up with something creative for the guide and I was loving the idea of decorating with lace.  I had no idea lace would be so big  in 2012 when I saw all the fall fashion on display in NYC earlier this year!

Lace is appearing everywhere in fashion again and in so many bold colors.  Here’s a peek at the four creative ways to use lace that I shared in the guide last year when decorating during the holidays.

Long strips of larger lace make a great stencil! I secured long pieces to plain wrapping paper with painter’s tape, then dusted it with two light coats of green spray paint to make unique wrapping paper.

Attach it to the base of cake stand to dress up a holiday dessert.

Read the rest of this entry »

I was in the mood for modern, simple, and unexpected this year.  I’m back to my old favorites using blue and green on the front porch instead of traditional red like last year’s poinsettia porch.  Here is our porch all decked out for the season in navy and white with some emerald green thrown in for fun.

I moved the outdoor rug and pillows from the rear balcony to the covered front porch where we could enjoy them for a few months more in a different spot.  Two white trees in urns and a preserved boxwood wreath on the door complete the scene.

Read the rest of this entry »

So you’ve seen the kids’ candy colored Christmas tree, it’s time for the quick tutorial on how to make a scalloped felt tree skirt!  I chose felt because it’s a cozy fabric used so often during this season.  I used small pieces of 9”x 12” felt found at Michaels stores in bold teal and crisp white for contrast.

Here’s the quick step-by-step on how to make a felt scalloped tree skirt!

What you’ll need:  small sheets of felt (I used the inexpensive 9” x 12” ones from Michaels) in varying colors, 34 of first color, 25 of second color; scissors, thread, small bowl for measuring your first scallop template, sewing machine, 54” piece of cotton fabric (not shown).

Fold the felt in quarters and use a small bowl (no more than 4 ½ inches in diameter) to form the shape.   Allow extra room above the midway point for layering scallops on the skirt.  Hello favorite crème brûlée ramekin – you are perfect for this project!

Read the rest of this entry »