How To Incorporate Black Into Your Decor

March 6, 2018

I’ve shared on the blog before that I’m pretty flexible when it comes to design. For the most part I believe that if you love something and it feels right then it’s right for your decor. On the flip side, there are some tried-and-true design rules that whole-heartedly believe in and feel should be a part of every good room design.

One of those design rules is Every Room Needs A Touch Of Black. In 2016 I created a Design Guide all about this rule and even shared my favorite black paint colors. As a follow-up to that design guide, today I want to share a few tips on the best ways to incorporate this color into your decor.

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♦ Black is a classic color that will never go out of style. And because black is made up of all colors, it’s a universal color that pairs beautifully with any color hue. There is simply not a color scheme that doesn’t benefit from the presence of black.♦

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How To Incorporate Black Into Your Decor

♦ Accessorize With Black–Even though the color has a lot of depth, it is considered a ‘neutral’ so don’t be afraid to use it as an accent in a room that has little color.

A black decorative accessory or one with a black detail is the easiest way to subtly infuse the color into your decor. Think bookends, pillows, a chandelier or a sculptural object.
Dark picture frames against a light-colored wall will draw the eye in while allowing the artwork within the frame to stand out.
A black lampshade instantly upgrades the elegance of a table or floor lamp.
For a dramatic statement in your living room or foyer, consider a black rug which will visually anchor the space.

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Elle Decor

♦ Decorate Around Black–Incorporating a black furniture piece into a living space adds substance, depth and helps to ground the entire furniture grouping.

An armoire, side table or an accent chair are three great black furniture options to consider.
Painting your interior doors black is a quick and inexpensive way to add a bold statement of black within your decor. Go with a semi-gloss finish so the doors with have a reflective nature and any details will stand out.

tip: if the contrast of deep, rich black Is too much, look for a piece of furniture with an ebony stain (darkest brown with a hint of black undertones)–the impact will be the same.

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♦ Accent With Black-A black accent wall or painted ceiling is not only dramatic but one of the best ways to make a small space appear larger. Forget what you might have heard about painting a small room in a light shade. In actuality, dark rooms feel larger because the room lines disappear. Black also makes details come to life, colors more vibrant and patterns pop.

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Now that you know how to add black within your decor its time to go shopping. Here are a few budget-friendly accessories that I’m currently loving.

SHOP MY FAVORITE BLACK DECOR PIECES

Garden stools are a good accent piece next to a chair or sofa and look great tucked under a console table. I love this style and glossy finish on this shaped ceramic garden stool. {affiliate link}

This black and cream rug would look great in a bedroom, foyer or as a runner down a hallway.

I can just envision a lush green plant or beautiful orchid in this gold banded leather vase.

I love the lines and classic shape of this white lamp from Target. A pair of these would look great in a bedroom or on a buffet in a dining room.

Isn’t this botanical art from Minted just beautiful? The bold color against the dark background give it a little bit of an edgy feel.

Buffalo checks seem to be a big trend in home decor right now. This plaid armchair would be a fun accent in a living space or bedroom.

You can never go wrong adding a decorative box to your decor. I love this decorative box with agate stone as part of a coffee table arrangement.

I hope the tips and inspiration I shared today gives you some ideas on how to use black to enhance your decor.

Christmas Gift Wrap | Creative Ideas & Tips

December 24, 2017

Hi friends. The last few days have been a struggle. I’ve been working on this gift wrap post up for days but my photos weren’t loading so I haven’t been able to publish this post. I think I’ve got the bugs fixed now so here’s the long-awaited post, just in time for a weekend gift wrapping marathon.

**disclaimer: Reliant Ribbon sent me some amazing ribbons to use for my holiday gift wrap post, but all words, opinions and gift wrap inspiration is mine.

I’ve had a passion for wrapping gifts for years and love to go the extra mile when creating beautiful packages. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I have somewhat of an obsession with pretty wrapping paper and ribbon. And a fun embellishment is usually part of my gift wrap formula too.

Today I’m going to share a few Christmas gifts that I wrapped along with some tips to help you give your holiday wrap a little extra pizzazz!

May no gift be too small to give, nor too simple to receive,
which is wrapped in thoughtfulness and tied with love. ~ L.O. Baird

When I started planning my Christmas theme earlier this year, I knew I wanted to keep my holiday gift wrap simple. This year it was going to be all about the ribbon, paper and fun accents.

FYI–I use my DIY Gift Wrap Crate to keep all of my holiday wrapping supplies organized and in one place. And after the holidays I’ll switch out the paper and ribbon for spring and summer gift giving. ***Need a last minute Christmas gift? The gift wrap crate is a simple project that would be great for someone who loves to wraps.

Ok, let’s get into the details of my wrap…

All of the wrapping paper that I used this year is from HomeGoods. They have an awesome selection of holiday wrapping paper and you can’t beat the price. When I’m shopping for gift wrap, especially at Christmas, I like to buy patterns and colors that can be used year-round. Polka Dots, stripes, plaids and subtle patterns are what I shop for. With non-seasonal wrapping paper, I use inexpensive embellishments to reflect the season or gift-giving occasion.

My ribbon this year is from one of my favorite ribbon sources, Reliant Ribbon. Reliant Ribbon is a family owned wholesale ribbon company that sells a wide range of craft and floral ribbon. They have over 15,000 different ribbon styles so there is literally something for every gift wrap and decorating need.

♦ CREATIVE HOLIDAY GIFT WRAP INSPIRATION ♦

One of my favorite gift wrapping tricks is to combine two or more ribbons to create a layered look. Here I layered a narrow red and white striped ribbon on top of a wide solid red ribbon. The embellishments are mini red and green mercury glass ornaments I bought at Steve McKenzie’s. These ornaments are great as a package topper but can also be used to decorate a small tree or wreath. p.s. all holiday product at Steve McKenzie’s is 50% off through 12/31 with code: MERRY50 so it’s a great time to stock up for next year!

free printable gift tags

Another fun way I like to jazz up my holiday gift wrap is by tying a double bow with pretty satin ribbon. To do this you will want to cut the ribbon extra long. Wrap the ribbon around your box, tie the first bow then know the ribbon on top of that bow to secure it. Now you can tie a second bow and add an embellishment.

I love using unexpected materials to wrap gifts. This year I had the idea of using faux fur as a ribbon substitute. I headed to JoAnn Fabric and found this gorgeous white faux fur trim which was sold by the yard. I cut a piece long enough to wrap around my box and secured it with a satin ribbon bow. tip: a brown or black faux fur is a great ribbon alternative for a men’s gift.

Did you know that a lot of woven ribbons can be curled using the blade of your scissors. #oldschooltrick Curls are a great way to make your gift wrap more festive. And don’t be afraid to combine and curl multiple ribbons together which can create a really fun topper.

faux boxwood garland from Target Dollar Spot // Merry Christmas gift tags

When it comes to holiday gift tags, I use traditional Christmas tags as well as items I find in the craft aisle at Michaels. The JOY tag below is part of a 60 piece Holiday Chipboard Quote Set used for scrapbooking. The tiny tags are perfect for adding a little whimsy to your gift wrap.

holly leaf embellishment from Hobby Lobby

Using ornaments as an embellishment is not a new idea but how you use them can be. Instead of tying this wreath ornament to the ribbon, I tied a knot in the ribbon and bunched the ends in the center of the wreath. I love the way this looks on a round gift box.

free printable gift tags

One of the tips I share when I teach my gift wrap workshops is to to never throw away scrap pieces of wrapping paper or ribbon. Scrap ribbon can be used to wrap a small box or combined with another ribbon for layering. On the box below, I used a piece of scrap ribbon along with a left over Christmas card to decorate the box.

Creative gift wrapping is equal parts the items you wrap with and how you use those items. All it takes to create beautifully wrapped gifts is thinking outside the box (pun intended).

I hope you found these wrapping tips and my Christmas gift wrap inspirational. Be sure to stop by my Instagram feed tomorrow because I’ll be sharing a few last-minute wrapping ideas.

Ornaments On A Stick | An Easy Christmas Craft

December 14, 2017

Happy Thursday friends. I’ve got a super easy Christmas craft to share with you today and I think you’re going to love it. These are what I call Ornaments On A Stick!

Years ago when my home decor store was open, I carried a similar item and they were a top seller. Since I haven’t at market in the last 5 or 6 years, I decided I was going to make my own.

I’m almost embarrassed to share the easy DIY steps to make these but here goes. You only need a few supplies:

Shatter Proof Ornaments–Wal-Mart, At Home and Hobby Lobby are my go to sources for shatter-proof ornaments in different color, shapes and sizes. I used an assortment of mini and large styles from At Home to make mine. (note: this craft will also work with glass ornaments)

Wood Skewers–you can find these at Hobby Lobby and even at the grocery store. I used long skewers for my ornaments but you can also use short cocktail size sticks as well.

Hot Glue Gun–a glue gun is a great tool for everyone to own even if you’re not a crafter. I have this cordless glue gun on my Christmas wish list.

And now the hard part….

Using your skewer, punch a hole into the cap of the ornament and insert the skewer into the hole a couple of inches. Add a few dots of hot glue around the hole and skewer to secure it in place and let it dry. Ta da, you’ve got a fun holiday decor piece to decorate with.

Ornaments On A Stick are great to add to a Christmas tree or mantel garland. And if you use a short skewer, they will also work on a wreath.

Another fun idea is to add them to a flower bouquet or plant that you’re giving as a holiday hostess gift.

Or you can make a holiday door cone like I did and insert a few sticks to dress it up.

And if you really want to go all out, make a super sized version of Ornaments On A Stick to use in your outdoor planters. Just use oversized ornaments and replace the skewers with wood dowels.

P.S. This is a fun craft to do with kids.

♦ Ornaments On A Stick ♦

Happy holiday crafting!

2017 Merry & Bright Holiday Home Tour–Part 1

November 29, 2017

Welcome to the Merry & Bright Holiday Home Tour. I’m so excited for this year’s home tour and all of the fabulous bloggers that are participating. Plus we have two awesome brand sponsors for this year’s tour, Amara and SmithHonig. I’ll share more about these great brands throughout the home tour series.

p.s. You’ll find links to all of the participating bloggers holiday home tours at the bottom of the blog post.

If you’re coming over from M. Jones Style, welcome! My friend Marsha is a southern girl at heart so entertaining comes naturally to her. Her holiday drink station is beautiful and makes me want to sit down and have a hot toddy. I can’t wait to see more of her holiday decor in the coming weeks.

Every year I start my holiday home tour by sharing the inspiration for my decor. If you recall, my theme this year was using my favorite colors, pink and red along with touches of white and green. I wanted our decor to be classic and playful at the same time and my original vision came to life just as I imagined.

Here’s a look at the inspiration boards I created earlier this year.

And here’s how it all turned out…

My Holiday Home

The foundation of my Christmas decor is always our tree and if I must say so myself, she’s a beauty.

I’ve been so busy these days that when my friend Don offered to help decorate my tree, I squealed with joy. Don worked for me when I had my store and is one of the most creative people I know. He came over one afternoon and we got to work adding honeycomb balls, deco mesh and close to 400 ornaments to the tree.

I topped the tree with a big silver star that I purchased over 25 years ago on a buying trip to San Francisco when I worked for Eddie Bauer.

I used a variety of ornaments on the tree including some beautiful blush pink ones from Amara. Amara is a UK-based home and interiors brand. The company sells a variety of decor and gift items from over 300 of the world’s more luxurious home fashion brands. And while based in the UK, Amara ships all across the globe making their product available to everyone.

Amara has a great selection of Christmas ornaments and decor and the blush pink set was perfect for my theme. The set includes 4 styles of round ornaments– shiny solid, solid matt and two glitter styles. I love the quality of the ornaments, and the variety of styles added to the whimsy of my tree.

My Favorite Colors: Hot Pink & Red

In addition to ornaments, I used a red and pink striped deco mesh instead of ribbon and love the wow factor it gave the tree.

decor mesh

And for even more WOW, check out these paper honeycomb balls that are nestled at the top and throughout the tree. How fun!

med & large paper honeycomb balls // small honeycomb ball from Ikea

red mercury glass trees from HomeGoods

Now let’s move over to the fireplace. Since we haven’t had our mantel installed yet, I draped my garland around the fireplace using Command Hooks to hold it in place. I hug a small wreath in the center and added clusters of ornaments to each corner of the garland. holiday decorating tip: clustering ornaments in groups of three is a great way to add impact on a tree or garland.

I also embellished the corners with bows made of pink and red ribbon from PaperMart.

1 1/2″ wide red ribbon // 7/8″ wide pink ribbon

I didn’t do much decorating on the bookshelves that flank the fireplace. I filled a couple of vintage bowls with ornaments and added a small mercury glass tree to one shelf.

You can learn how I made my rolling holiday giftwrap crate here.

blush pink ornaments from Amara

I absolutely love my Christmas decor and wish I could keep it up year round. It’s definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas at my house but there’s still more to see. Come back next Wednesday, 12/6 for part 2 of the Merry & Bright Holiday Home tour. I’ll be sharing my dining room along with more of my holiday decor throughout the house.

Next on the tour is Love Your Abode. I had the pleasure of finally meeting Yuni a few weeks ago and she is such a doll. You all are going to love her holiday home…it so fun and festive. Hop over to Love Your Abode and show Yuni some love.

And be sure to stop by the other bloggers in the tour for more holiday decor and inspiration.

Merry & Bright Holiday Home Tour Participants:

Yuni @ Love Your Abode

Kate @ Chic On A Shoestring Decorating

Melanie @ Rover At Home

Tamyra @ Positively Southern

Meg @ Green With Decor

Marsha @ M. Jones Style

disclosure: I received products from Amara to use in my Christmas Decor. I am a big fan of the company and only share products and brands that I love. All opinions are my own.

Free Printable Merry & Bright Gift Tags

November 27, 2017

Happy Holidays friends! Did you have a great Thanksgiving and first official weekend of the Christmas season? We sure did.

I know many of you were out and about this weekend, taking advantage of the Black Friday deals. I was right there with you and I’m happy to say I now have most of my gift list checked off. Now it is time to start thinking about gift wrapping. . . one of my favorite things!

If you have wrapping gifts on your to-do list, I’ve got a special gift just for you. I created a fun gift tag collection that I’m calling Merry & Bright for you to download and print for FREE. The set of tags includes classic and bright colors in a variety of designs to work with just about any holiday decor theme. These can be printed onto a white card stock and trimmed. Add narrow ribbon or twine to the holes and use that to tie them onto my gifts. Click here to download FREE Printable Merry & Bright Christmas Gift Tags. Enjoy!

Click here to download FREE Printable Merry & Bright Christmas Gift Tags

♦♦♦

For those of you living in the Atlanta area and needing some gift wrap inspiration, be sure to join me this Saturday, Dec. 2nd from 10:00-11:00 am at Steve McKenzie’s for my holiday gift wrap workshop. It’s going to be a fun morning and there will be giveaways too! All workshop attendees are invited to bring 1 small boxed gift to wrap in a creative way. Paper and wrapping supplies will be provided.

Click the Eventbrite link to register and reserve your spot today. I hope to see you there.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for another holiday gift guide. This weeks gift guide includes some really awesome items for the men in your life. Shopping for men’s gifts can be challenging but my gift guide will make it a little easier this year. You can view my previous gift guides here:

Gift Guide: For The Fashionista

Gift Guide: Hostess Gifts

Holiday Gift Wrapping Workshop with Steve McKenzie’s

November 10, 2017

It’s no secret that one of my passions is gift wrapping. What you may not know is that I also love to share my passion by teaching others how to wrap gifts with style and flair!

Creative Holiday Gift Wrapping–Beyond The Basics!

I’m excited to be partnering with Steve McKenzie’s for another holiday workshop on Saturday, Dec. 2nd. Creative Gift Wrapping–Beyond The Basics is back by popular demand and is going to be bigger and better than ever. Join me where you’ll learn new ways to give your holiday gifts a little extra pizzazz. In addition to sharing essential gift wrapping tips, I’ll demonstrate some fun ideas you can incorporate into all your holiday gift giving. Workshop attendees are invited to bring 1 small boxed gift to wrap in a fun and creative way.

I hope to see you at Steve McKenzie’s for a morning of holiday cheer and inspiration. Click the Eventbrite link to register and reserve your spot today!

Book Review: Fabulous! The Dazzling Interiors of Tom Britt

November 8, 2017

One of the legendary interior designers that I admire most is Tom Britt. He is a master of designing rooms with bold color palettes, strong graphic style contrasts and stylish innovations. When asked to describe his own design aesthetic and he uses words like brilliant, confident and sexy.

Fabulous! The Dazzling Interiors of Tom Britt written by Mitchell Owens and published by Rizzoli chronicles this legendary designers’ work over the past 50 years. From Exotic and Modern to Historical and Classic, each chapter in the book showcases his portfolio of work from around the globe. Take a peek at a few of my favorite images.

“Pretty rooms are pretty boring. My preference has always been something totally different: bold, brilliant, even monumental.”

Book Review: Fabulous! The Dazzling Interiors Of Tom Britt

“Ask yourself: Do you really want your house to look like somebody else’s? Do you really want to play it safe? I don’t think you do. Who would? Why not be fabulous? “

As one of the countries most recognized and awarded interior designers, the design advice that Thomas Britt has shared over the years is worthy of a mention…

If you’re a design enthusiast, you’ll definitely want to pick up a copy of this book to add to your collection.

How I Develop My Christmas Theme {and my theme for 2017}

November 2, 2017

I suspect that I am not the average person when it comes to decorating for Christmas. There are people who decorate the same way year after year because of tradition or they have their look down pat. And then there are people like me who like to change their decor every year which requires some thoughtful planning.

Before I tell you about my process for planning my Christmas decor, let me share one thing. Changing my decor every year doesn’t mean that I go out and buy all new stuff. It means that I decorate with items I already own but use them in a different way.

For instance, last year I combined solid colored ornaments with ribbons to create a simple and colorful Christmas tree. The only new item I purchased for the tree was the ribbon.

plaid ribbon // red & green ribbon from Costco

In 2015 I used only my red ornaments, some handmade garland and framed photos to decorate the tree. The only new items on this tree were some monogrammed ornaments I purchased at an after-Christmas sale.

harlequin ribbon // black and white ribbon

Planning my Christmas theme starts early every year. It actually helps to flush out ideas for the coming year when I take down my decorations and store them away after Christmas.

Here are a few things I think about when developing my Christmas theme:

What will my color statement be? I love traditional Christmas colors but I’m also a fan of non-traditional holiday decor. It’s fun to mix classic colors like red and green with modern colors like royal blue or pink.
What items do I already own? I take stock of what I already own and use that to guide my decor plan and create a shopping list for of any new items I want to purchase. Every year I buy a few new things like ornaments, ribbon or tabletop items like plates or linens. When I’m purchasing ornaments, I like to buy solid colors because they give me the most flexibility year after year.
What areas of my home will I be decorating? I like to have a touch of Christmas in every room so I think about each space and how I can add Christmas decor to make it festive.
What impact statements do I want to make? In addition to my tree, I want a few spots around the house to stand out. It could be the fireplace, stairs or a special touch in the kitchen. Identifying these statement areas helps me create my overall decorating plan.
What will my gift wrapping look like? I love wrapping gifts and always coordinate my gift wrap with my Christmas decor. In some cases a special wrapping paper might even inspire my theme like it did last year.
And finally, I think about how my decorating theme will work with the other decor in my house. I want my Christmas decor to reflect the same style and spirit as my everyday decor.

Now that you know my process for developing my Christmas theme, here’s what I have planned for 2017.

Christmas 2017 is going to be bright and bold!

This year I’m using three of my favorite colors as the theme for my Christmas decor–red, hot pink and bright emerald green. The tree will be decorated with red and hot pink ornaments plus a few white and light pink pieces thrown into the mix.

I have some fun embellishments planned for the garland that will be draped along the stairs and fireplace.

And I’m keeping my gift wrap pretty simple this year with solid colored paper, satin ribbons and fun package toppers and tags.

And of course I’ll be creating a pretty holiday tablescape to share with you!

As we count down to Christmas, I have lots of holiday posts to share with you, including my first gift guide next week.

And don’t forget to mark your calendars for the 2017 Merry & Bright Holiday Home Tour. Like last year, all of the participating bloggers will be sharing their holiday home tours over a 3 week period starting November 29th.

For more holiday decor inspiration, check out these holiday decor posts:

Merry & Bright Holiday Home–2016

Merry & Bright Holiday Home-2015

Seven Last Minute Christmas Decor Ideas

Christmas Decor 2012