Creating The Perfect Holiday Gift Basket

November 26, 2016

Hi friends! I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving and survived all of the Black Friday madness. I woke up with the chickens yesterday morning and popped into a few stores. I’m happy to say that I was able to snag a couple of really great deals (for the hubby) but sadly I didn’t get anything crossed off my Christmas gift list 🙁 Oh well, I still have 28 more days to get my shopping done, right?!

Yesterday I mentioned my 30 Days of Holiday series. I’ve been doing this series for a couple of years and I’m excited to bring it to you again this year. From now until Christmas Eve I’ll be sharing loads of holiday inspiration with you including the 2016 Merry & Bright Holiday Home Tour. This is the second year for the tour and over next 3 weeks I’ll be joining an awesome group of bloggers to share our fun and festive holiday homes with you. Stay tuned because the tour starts Wednesday, Dec. 30th.

Today I’ve got a fun post, all about holiday gift baskets. During the holidays, gift baskets can be a fun gift to give especially for that hard-to-buy-for person. I also thing gift baskets are great for family gifts too. If you’re looking for a creative gift, follow these tips that will help you create the perfect holiday gift basket.

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CREATE A THEMED BASKET

It’s easy to build a themed gift basket if you think about the hobbies and activities someone loves. Fill a basket with art supplies for someone who love to draw or paint. Or create a book lovers basket filled with new books, a throw blanket and a pretty tea-cup. A holiday themed gift basket can be just about anything you can think of so let your imagination soar.

via Style Me Pretty

USE A FUN & FUNCTIONAL CONTAINER

One of the things I love most when creating a gift basket is finding a unique container. Any item that can hold things is an option for a container. How about a vintage urn filled with a candle, design magazines and small decorative tray for someone who loves design? Or stuff a pair of cozy slippers with beauty products as a ‘pamper yourself’ gift basket. When I’m building a basket, I always find my container first and then find items to fill it.

via Vitamin-Ha

FILL YOUR BASKET WITH FUNCTIONAL and FUN ITEMS

What you put in a gift basket is key to making it great. Fill your container with a mix of functional items, fun items and something unexpected. If I were creating a gift basket for a man I might use a leather tray as the container and fill it with socks, beer and a collection of movies or video games. And if my basket was for someone who loves fashion, I’d fill a cute tote bag with jewelry, a scarf and fashion magazines.

via Style Me Pretty

USE A DECORATIVE FILLER TO FILL YOUR BASKET

Once you have your container use a fun filler to prop your gift items up. Mix metallic and plain shredded paper or use fabric and linens in a food or drink basket. And I love using wrapped candy like peppermints to fill a basket at Christmas.

tip: create your own shred by running colored paper through your home paper shredder

via One Kings Lane

ADD A SWEET TREAT

Don’t forget to add a sweet treat to your gift basket. Put candy canes in a cocktail themed basket (they can be used as drink stirs) or add a jar of holiday chocolates to a baking themed basket.

via Style Me Pretty

PUT A BOW ON IT

Naturally if you want to hide the contents of your basket you’ll need to wrap it in a decorative bag or paper. If not, tie a bow around some of the items or on the container to make it festive. And don’t get a fun gift tag to finish it off.

via Craftberry Bush

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Better Home and Gardens

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I hope these gift basket tips and ideas will be helpful with your holiday gift shopping. As always, thanks for stopping by… & happy gift-giving!

Favorite Posts, Pins and Products (of the week)!

November 19, 2016

Enjoy your weekend and my favorites from the week.

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FAVORITE POSTS

If I do life all over again, I’d live in New York for a few years and my apartment would look something like Emmy Rossum’s Manhattan home.

Here’s a fun and inspiring interview with designer Christiane Lemieux.

Loved this easy idea to glam up holiday garland.

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FAVORITE PINS

With Thanksgiving just a few days away and Christmas right around the corner, I’ve been thinking a lot about holiday table settings.

Here’s a really fresh take on a holiday tablescape. You’ll definitely want to click here to see the other elements that were used on the table.

I’m loving this black and white table setting and those turquoise candles are a perfect unexpected pop of color.

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FAVORITE PRODUCTS

These initial stickers are such an easy way to UpStyle a tote, handbag or just about anything else you can think of.

This is just one of the great holiday prints available from this Etsy shop. And they are all between $2.00 and $5.00!

I spotted the adorable Pineapple Tumblers in Bed Bath and Beyond the other day and immediately added them to my wish list. Set of 2 for $19.99!

Enjoy your weekend friends. I’ll be back tomorrow with a fun and easy DIY hostess gift idea.

Product + Inspiration: Decor Meets Christmas Tree

November 15, 2016

When I teach a holiday decorating workshop, the question always comes up about whether your tree decor needs to match your room decor. My response is NO but for a truly cohesive look its best if your everyday decor inspires your tree decor.

Take a cue from the tips you use to decorate a room in your home. You start with one or two key elements (art, rug, curtains) and use those as the building blocks to create the overall design. When it comes to decorating your Christmas tree, find inspiration within your decor and use that to build the theme for your tree.

Here are 3 holiday tree designs and the accessory and furniture pieces that could have inspired them…

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This is the Christmas tree I’d create if my inspiration was colorful and bohemian inspired space. The gold accents play off of the gold finish on the furniture and the bold mix of colors tie back to the textiles within the room. During the holidays, sparkly details are a must and a grouping of beautiful mercury glass candle holders would inspired the ornaments, ribbon and giftwrap I’d use.

Shop these items: Embroidered Floral Bouquet Throw Pillow // Gold Cole 3-Tier Rolling Bar Cart

Sabyasachi Print Round Tray // Mercury Glass Candle Holders //Tufted Ottoman

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If I were decorating a Christmas tree based on decor that included classic holiday colors like red, white and green, it would look like this. The varying shades green found in the jars and artwork, along with whimsical details like the fur pillow would inspire the ornaments and ribbon used on the tree.

Shop these items: Charlotte 3-Drawer Campaign Chest // Red Rhododendron Framed Prints // Oversized Wine Bottle

Reese Velvet Ottoman // Mongolian Faux Fur Pillow

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A neutral color palette relies on texture, a variety of finishes and a subtle graduation of color to bring it to life. This elegant and glam Christmas tree would be inspired by a mix of gold and silver decorative elements, antique surfaces, lots of visual texture and shimmery finishes.

Shop these items: Carys Hurricane Table Lamp // Diana Accent Table // Moravia Wall Mirror

Holston Area Rug // Baylee Aluminum Accent Table

So the question still remains–which comes first, the chicken or the egg. In the case of holiday decor, take a look around your home and let the pieces you live with everyday inspire you!

Preparing For The Holidays (and reducing holiday stress)

November 14, 2016

Can you believe that there are only 41 days until Christmas? This weekend the magnitude of my holiday to-do list set in and I began to panic about everything I need to get done. When that panic set in I knew I need to sit down and strategize my holiday season. With pen and paper in hand, I outlined a strategy to take the stress out of the holidays and put the joy back in.

I know many of you can relate so today I’m sharing my tips for a Stress-Free Holiday Season.

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PLAN YOUR HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

Planning is key to getting things done this holiday and finding time to enjoy the season. The first thing to do is pull out your calendar and jot down all the activities you want and need to participate in. Plan time to enjoy holiday traditions with family and friends and block out time to just relax.

tip: pull out your favorite board games and put them in a basket where they are accessible and will encourage play time.

CREATE A DETAILED GIFT LIST

If you haven’t started your gift list yet , it’s time to sit down and create one. Spend time online looking for the perfect gift and do some price comparisons. Plan to shop on Small Business Saturday (Sat., Nov. 26th) to support your favorite local businesses. When planning your gift lists, gather store coupons so they will be handy when you head out to shop.

tip: many stores have already started offering Black Friday Deals so shopping early can reduce stress and save you some money.

And to make things even easier, I created a fun Gift List printable below for you to use.

Download Christmas Gift List

GET THE GUEST ROOM READY

Hosting guests during the holidays doesn’t have to be overwhelming if you plan ahead. Stock up on petite size toiletries and snack food for your guest to use and enjoy. Wash sheets and towels and placed them in a linen closet or accessible storage area. Create an essential list for your guest including phone numbers, house alarm code, wi-fi password and local points of interest.

tip: place a basket in your guest bedroom to hold extra blankets and pillows so guest don’t have to come asking for them.

STOCK UP ON NECESSARY COOKING SUPPLIES/FOOD ITEMS

Don’t take the chance that your grocery store will have everything you need days before Thanksgiving and Christmas. Plan your holiday menus and shop now for all the necessary supplies. Stock up on items like beverages, frozen food and spices so you have enough to last through the season.

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DECORATE YOUR OWN WAY

Decorating during the holidays can sometimes feel like a challenge–who can make their home the merriest. One way to take the stress out of the season is to decorate your way. Decorate as little or as much as you want and don’t feel bad if you don’t get it all done. This is the time of year when the focus should be on spending time with family and friends and remembering all that we have to be grateful for.

tip: if the idea of decorating a tree has you cringing, don’t do it. Hang a few garlands and wreaths, put out a few Christmas pillows and call it a day.

PLAY MUSIC

Music is proven to have a calming effect so during the busy holiday season turn on some tunes and enjoy the season through music. Create a holiday playlist in iTunes that includes your favorite Christmas songs and make it a point to enjoy at least 30 minutes of music each day.

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KEEP YOU HOME CLUTTER FREE AND ORGANIZED

It’s easy to let clutter and chaos take over during the holidays. Create storage areas of holiday wrapping paper, supplies and cards so you have a designated place to store things. And spend 10 minutes every day walking through the house so that task of doing major cleaning is more manageable.

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Preparing For The Holidays…RELAX & ENJOY

The most important tip I can share for reducing stress this holiday is to relax and enjoy the season.

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Best of ConfettiStyle–Tablescapes

September 8, 2016

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Creating beautiful tablescapes is something I really enjoy doing. It’s always a challenge to see how I can mix and match my china, glassware and linens to create a new look. After years of decorating tables, I’ve learned that one of the best way to invest in table decor is purchasing decorative salad plates instead of dinner plates. If you own a set of white dinnerware, you’ll be able use your decorative salad plates to easily change the look from season to season. I hope you enjoy a few of the table settings I’ve shared here on the blog.

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Blue & White Tablescape

It’s not secret that I love blue and white chinoiserie decor so of course I had to create a tablescape inspired by blue and white. Its one of my favorite table settings to date. This pretty table also included two DIY projects, my easy monogram napkins and paint pen bowls which I just realized I never shared the tutorial on.