I felt a little distant, absent, disconnected from all of you last week, but for a good reason.  You see, someone special had contacted me several weeks ago, requesting a holiday photo shoot at my house, and if you saw my tweets on Thursday and Friday, then you know it was Matthew Mead.  When Matthew Mead calls, well, everything else gets dropped to accommodate.

I’ve been a fan of his work for so many years and seeing how he makes everything so beautiful, I was feeling the pressure to recreate the magic at his level.  I didn’t sleep for a week, I might have showered once.  I was running around getting everything ready, pulling out Christmas décor, ordering last minute greenery (thank you Lynch Creek Farm!) and making other nervous gestures.  Sleep and basic grooming took a backseat to recreating the holidays in July.  Yes, I stunk and looked like a hag for a week, and I owe my husband a huge thank you for understanding my craziness and for the wisdom to not mention my appearance.   

Matthew arrived on Thursday after landing in San Francisco and texted he would be at my house shortly.  I was biting my nails.  Would it all be OK?  The door bell rang, and there he was, on my doorstep.  He entered, he saw it all, and he smiled, and eased my troubled and weary mind. 

I said nervously, “Should we start prepping now?”  He replied in his rather relaxed demeanor, “No, let’s work tomorrow.  Let’s go antiquing instead.”  So we did.  Yes, it’s true, I spent an afternoon antiquing with Matthew and having dinner with him too.  I can honestly say, he’s the kindest professional I’ve ever met in this business. 

Matthew is one of those people that reminds me of this Mark Twain quote, the latter half of course. “Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions, small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.”  I shared my visions, ideas, and dreams for the future and he was so encouraging of them all.  And he taught me a trick or two while I watched him work.  Thank you Matthew for being who you are, for filling our world with inspiration, and for being such a supportive and talented fellow.  

Matthew and I were so pleased with the success of the shoot, and I know you’ll love it too.  Look for it in October on newsstands, and follow Matthew’s Holiday Magazine blog to get the latest on its release, and also his new product line. 

Now it’s back to business as usual today with a tiling project in our dining room, I can’t wait to show you!  Oh, and the cabinets are finally installed at our Alma House, just a few more touch ups and some hardware and I’ll have a new laundry room to show you there too. 

xoxo,

.

Season’s greetings friends!  I simply can’t believe Christmas is two days away, there is still so much to do!  Presents to wrap, family to visit, and cookies to bake for Santa.  Here are a few lovely images that will get you in the mood to enjoy the weekend!

Read the rest of this entry »

“Oh there’s no place like home for the holidays . . .”   Are you humming all of those tunes these days?   We are!  We’re also getting the house ready to welcome (gulp, 70 to 80) guests for our annual Christmas party next weekend. 

Thankfully, all the inside decorating is done! 

Nester is hosting her annual holiday tour of homes today, so naturally it was the perfect time to snap some photos and join in the fun! 

The new staircase is decked out with a garland of mixed greens (faux + real), topped with lights, silver beads, some flocked branches clipped from my Christmas tree and plenty of snowflakes. 

Read the rest of this entry »

Season’s Greetings, Ho Ho Ho, Happy Festivus, Happy Hanukkah and Merry Merry Merry Christmas friends !  ‘Tis the season for sparkle and shine, homemade treats, crafting, baking, decorating, and holiday cheer!  We’ve been busy around here with all of those delights, and I have just a few to share today.

The first is this little ‘Love Stitched’ ornament I made for my stepdaughter who is off at her first semester of college this year.  Living in a dorm, she needs something to keep it smelling fresh, so I stitched a sweet sentiment with red embroidery thread on linen, cut out a heart shape, filled it with a lavender and rice mixture, and sewed it all together.  I slipped it in her stocking, and I can’t wait till she finds it!

Next, my littlest ones helped paint and glitter up some very merry MDF letters found at a craft store.

I stapled ribbon to the back and suspended them in our dining room area, how fun!  You can’t quite tell in the photo, but the white glitter adds more sparkle in the light.

Read the rest of this entry »