Christmas Candles

During this holiday season, there is nothing more that I love than to come home from a long day of work, light some candles, grab a cup of tea and relax. 

The holidays are the perfect time to create beautiful candle displays in your home.  Whether you place your candles on the mantle, dining room table, coffee table or somewhere else in your home, be creative and make a statement.

Here are a few of my favorite holiday candle displays to inspire you.

 BHG

Simply Beautiful. This mercury glass cake stand is dressed up with cedar sprigs, miniature ornaments and a simple pillar candle.  Decorating doesn’t get easier than this.

 BHG

I love the mix of candle shapes combined with the metal branch candle holders.  During the holidays, white candles are a great way to bring a bit of airiness into rooms decorated with lots of bold Christmas colors.

 BHG

I’ve become obsessed with vintage tea cups of late.  I love the idea of using them as candle holders.  These would be pretty perched along the mantle, dressing up a bathroom vanity, or an individual place setting piece on the dining table.  Have fun and mix and match the patterns for a really festive look.

 BHG

How creative is this?  Turn a few of your dressiest wine and water goblets on their head and use them as candle holders.  I love the mix of crystal and silver.  A touch of glitter has been added to the candles for added sparkle.

 Martha Stewart

These beautiful holiday luminaries, created by Martha Stewart are not only inexpensive (brown paper bags and paper dollies), but they ar also easy to make.  These candleholders will look beautiful inside your home, and I also think they would be stunning placed along an outside walkway.  Get how-to instructions, here!

via Pinterest

Here’s another take on candle holders adorned with paper.  Here, decorative scrapbook paper and gift wrap are used to line the outside of clear candle hurricanes.  The silvery gray color is just so elegant and unexpected.

 BHG

Berry rings sit atop ceramic planters, and create a beautiful frame for tall pillar candles.

source unknown

Easy as one, two, three.       1)  Glass Jar, 2) A little sand, and 3) A grouping of taper candles!

Southern Living

What a fun way to dress up a side table, by grouping different size glass jars, some evergreen branches and a bold star.  I also love the miniature Christmas trees in paper wrapped pots below the table. 

Southern Living

This is one of my favorite images–one that I have shared in many of my holiday decorating workshops.  Want to create this look, follow the steps below!

1.  Purchase an inexpensive wall dressing mirror from your local discount store.  Paint the frame gold or silver, and then place the mirror in the center of your dining table.

2.  Gather a grouping of glass and crystal candle holders, making sure you have a variety of sizes and styles. Arrange the candle holders along the surface of the mirror.

3.  Add a few flower bunches, placed in decorative vases, along the mirror surface.

And you’re done!

 BHG

Here, a decorative ribbon has been taped (double-sided tape) around the candle.  Not only do I love these candles for decorating, but I love the idea of creating a few of these for gift giving.  And, you are really make them your own by using ribbons that coordinate with your Christmas decor or gift wrap.

 Southern Living

Here’s another take on embellished candles.  Ribbons and initial sticker labels give these candle character, and grouping them altogether really makes a statement. 

source unknown

via my home ideas
Southern Living

What a great ideas for an arrangement on your covered porch or deck. 

  

Many of the candle arrangements above utilize unscented candles, which is great when you have multiple candles grouped together. But, I always like to have at least one scented candle in my home during the holidays, to really give me that feeling of Christmas.  Here are my top holiday scented candles. 

 

Thymes Frasier Fur

If you haven’t tried the Thymes Frasier Fur candle, you’re missing out.  The scent is incredible and really smells like a fresh-cut Christmas tree.  This is my all-time favorite holiday candle.

Diptyque Fireside

If you don’t have a fireplace in your home, but want the smell of a crackling fire, this is the candle for your.  And, after the holidays, make sure to try some of the other fabulous Diptyque scents!

 

Illume Balsam & Cedar

I’ve carried this candle in my store for years and it is always a top seller.  One of the things I like most about Illume, is that their candle scents come in a variety of packaging options, so there is a look for every decor style.  The Balsam and Cedar is a great holiday scent that will even work well in your home, into the new year.

The Nouvelle Candle Company makes great candles!  During the holidays, I love to burn Savannah Holly and other times of the year, my favorite scent is Crepe Myrtle.  You can buy Nouvelle candles at Monarchesheaven.com.

If you don’t already have holiday candles in your home, it’s not too late.  Stop by your favorite gift store, and pick up a few for yourself and for last-minute gift giving!

Do you have a favorite holiday scented candle?

 

ULTIMATE HOLIDAY GIFT GIVING

Neiman Marcus

 

As a little girl, I believed that you could ask Santa for anything and if you had been good all year, he’d bring you what was on your list. 

As an adult, I still dream big during the holidays, and anxiously await the arrival of Neiman Marcus Christmas Book to see what I might wish for, from Santa!

Here are a couple “over-the-top” gifts I’ve emailed Santa about… 

Neiman Marcus Edition Camaro Convertible–$75,000.  My brother had a Camaro when he was in high school and never let me drive it.  I might let him drive this beauty just once.

I love to swim and what better way to do it than in a pool with a Dale Chihuly Pool Sculpture–$1,500,000.  This beautiful pool art will be privately commissioned by Mr. Chihuly and installed in a 22′ x 12″ swimming pool, indoors or out.

This has to be my favorite “ultimate” gift, and just want a girl who loves design and entertaining needs.  A private party hosted by Colin Cowie and Tequila Avion–$125,000.  Me and 75 of my closest friends will be treated to an exclusive party, hosted in my home, by the ever-talented Colin Cowie.  I might need to get some new cocktail glasses if Santa brings me this gift.

For more fabulous gift ideas, check out the 2010 Neiman Marcus Catalog here!

 

Gift Giving Ideas!

It’s official…the holiday shopping season is here!  As someone who shops (practices retail therapy), and has spent endless hours looking for that perfect gift, I wanted to share a few of my gift ideas with you.   These gift ideas will really come in handy when you have some hard-to-buy for people on your list.  I have used these gift ideas when shopping for my brother, “the techie”, or my darling husband, “the whatever guy”, and have seen some pretty big smiles on their faces.  

 

 FAVORITE THINGS GIFT

As one of  Oprah’s all-time fans, I took her favorite things ideas and purchased a selection of small gifts, all “favorite things” of the gift recipient.  My husband loves to play tennis, so one year I got him gifts that were all tennis related.  I wrapped everything and placed all the gifts in a tennis racket case.  The gift tag simply said, “Geno’s Favorite Things.”

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GIFT CARD GLEE

Last year, when I really wanted to watch my pennies, but still wanted unique gifts for my family, I purchased a selection of gift cards for everyone on my list.  Most of the gift cards were $5.00 or $10.00, and all were from stores I knew they loved to shop.  I placed all the gift cards in burlap stockings that I handmade.

 

 

TOWER OF POWER

I love to give gifts that have a theme to them and place the items in a tower of boxes.  One year, I gave a friend a “dress-to-impress” gift. One box contained a necklace, another box contained a pair of earrings, and a third box contained a bracelet.   I made the jewelry myself so that was an added little gift. 

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A PERSONAL TOUCH

I love personalized items, and this year, I plan to give gifts that are all personalized.  For the men on my list, I plan to have wallets embossed with an initial.  Other personalized  items I’m looking at are monogrammed throw blankets and embroidered initial pillows.  I really like gifting with personalized items because there are so many options to choose from.  And, I  plan to even personalized my gift wrap.

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If you’re looking for a creative gift this holiday, you might give one of my gift ideas a try!

Do you have a favorite holiday gift you love to give?

CRAZY IN LOVE WITH PAPER

Beyond the world of Interior Design and Fashion, is my love (crazy love) for beautiful gift wrap and ribbon.  I don’t know when it all started, but sometime during my teen years, I developed this passion for wrapping gifts in pretty paper and tying the box with a nice cotton ribbon.  Over the years, as more and more gorgeous papers and ribbons have become available, I have labeled myself a true paper and ribbon fanatic!  It’s official, I am addicted.

Since I am always on the hunt for beautiful wrapping, elegant ribbons and creative ways to wrap a gift, I was thrilled when I stumbled across the website A Gift Wrapped Life.  Sande Chase began the company after spending 20 years in the interior design business.  Her love for “the art of gifting” led her to develop this business, which not only offers the materials for creating beautifully wrapped gifts, but also provides how-to instructions for creatively wrapping your gifts. The papers and ribbon she sells are “decidedly feminine, uniquely special and over-the-top luxurious!”

 

 

 Sande Chase–Founder of A Gift Wrapped Life

 

Many of the gift wrap packages offered at A Gift Wrapped Life include some type of embellishment to make you gift presentation even more special. I just love these little birds and how they work so well with the French Birds Nest paper.

So feminine and pretty!

All of the gift packages include multiple rolls of wrapping paper and the ribbon needed to create beautifully wrapped presents!  I guarantee that you will spend endless hours coming up with unique paper and ribbon combinations.

In addition to the wrapping materials, A Gift Wrapped Life also sells a wonderful selection of gift items.

 Isn’t this Paris Salon paper too cute for words!

Just when I though it couldn’t get any better, Sande has created her own blog , filled to loads of inspiring and creative gift wrapping ideas, interior design inspiration and great stories about her life and family.  Sande, thanks for fueling my passion!

And, for those of you who like to make the most of your obsessions, below are two of my favorite books on gift wrapping and ribbons.

Carolyne Roehm

Nicholas Kniel

 If you have any unique gift wrapping ideas or sources for paper, I’d love to hear about it.

XoxO

all gift wrap images via A Gift Wrapped Life/ book images via Amazon

PRETTY PLATES

Have you ever come across an item(s) and the only thing that comes to mind is WOW! We’ll, my latest wow moment came when I opened the June issue of House Beautiful and saw the beautiful collection of melamine plates.  Besides WOW, my only thought was, boy have plastic plates come a long way! 

french bull

 

french bull

La Plates

 

Target

French Bull

La Plates

 

Photo source:  French Bull, La Plates, Target,

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