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

Inspiration Notebook | November 2017

November 1, 2017

Wow, it’s hard to believe that were closing in on the end of 2017. The year has flown by and it seems like yesterday that we were celebrating the arrival of spring.

Today I’m sharing another chapter from my Inspiration Notebook with you. I started creating my notebook in 2015 as a way to capture in pictures and words the things that are inspiring me at the moment. It’s been so fulfilling taking time each month to create a visual record of what’s going on in my life.

Let’s take a look at what’s on my mind and has me inspired for November…

INSPIRATION NOTEBOOK

NOVEMBER 2017

Have you picked up a copy of Oprah’s new book, The Wisdom of Sundays? {affiliate link} I’m just a few pages in and boy is it a great reminder and motivator on how to live your best life. This is definitely a book you want to add to your Christmas list.

Speaking of living your best life, I’m going to start decorating my house for Christmas this weekend. I’ve got some fun things planned and can’t wait to share them with you. Plus I’m hosting the Merry & Bright Holiday Home Tour again this year with a group of great blogging friends . The tour of homes kicks off on November 29th so stay tuned for loads of holiday inspiration. And if you want to check out my Christmas decor from last year, you can see it here.

During fall and winter, one of the little things that brings me joy each morning is relaxing with a cup of tea. I start my mornings sipping from a pretty teacup and easing into my day. (in case you were wondering, Twinings Green Tea is my favorite and this is my go to store for pretty teacups).

When it comes to my nighttime rituals, I’m striving for less time in front of the tv and more time whittling down my stack of magazines. Theres a stack of Christmas magazines on my nightstand just waiting to be read.

Finally, now that the weather is cooler, I’m shopping for a couple of new scarves to add to my wardrobe. I have this geometric print and this floral scarf in my shopping cart and both of them are a great price.

Well friends, that’s a brief look at the month ahead from the pages of my Inspiration Notebook.

Thanks for stopping by today. Be sure and come back tomorrow because I’ll be sharing my 2017 Christmas decor theme. It’s a fun one!

Happy Halloween!!

October 31, 2017

Hi friends. I just wanted to pop in today and share a few photos of the Halloween decor our friends Suenette and Dan put up each year.It’s hard to put into words just how amazing their decor is so I’ll let these photos speak for themselves.

Enjoy & Happy Halloween!

Holiday Workshops With Steve McKenzie’s

October 9, 2017

Holiday Workshops with Steve McKenzie’s

One of the things I love to do is conduct decorating workshops. So, I’m thrilled to be partnering with Steve McKenzie’s again this year to conduct two fun & creative holiday workshops. In each workshop I’ll be sharing unique and stylish holiday decorating ideas that you can use in your own home.

The first workshop will take place on Saturday, November 4th from 10:00-11:00 am where I’ll be sharing 20 dynamic ways to add holiday touches all around your house.

Head over to Eventbrite to get your tickets and reserve your spot today.

And make sure to save the date for the second workshop which will take place on Saturday, December 2nd from 10:00-11:00 am. Back by popular demand, this workshop is all about creative holiday gift wrapping, from the basics and beyond. Registration for this workshop will open on November 1st and I’ll be sharing more details soon!

I hope you’ll join me at Steve McKenzie’s as we celebrate the holiday season!

Fall Tablescape Design–Autumn Elegance

October 2, 2017

Hi friends. You might have noticed that I’ve been challenged with keeping a regular blogging routine that past couple of months. Life has been a whirlwind of activity lately with the move to our new house, work demands and an extended vacation thrown into the mix. I’ve wanted to be here with you everyday but as I struggled to keep up with life’s demands, I made the decision to give myself a break. My blog is a bright spot in my life and I want to share and inspire you but I can’t do that if I’m not feeling like I’m giving you my best. Sometimes in life you just have to stop and take a breath and that’s what I’ve allowed myself to do.

Even though life continues to be busy I’m slowing easing back into a routine and getting back on track. Thanks for hanging in there with me and continuing to follow and support the blog.

Ok, enough about my busy life, its time to get to some fun fall decorating.

Today I’m sharing my Fall Tablescape with you. I’m calling it Autumn Elegance because it a fun combination of chic and rustic.

p.s. there’s a full source list at the end of the post to make shopping easy for you

Fall Tablescape: Autumn Elegance

The color theme I choose is a twist on a traditional fall color palette. The mix of terra-cotta orange with blue & white and shades of green give the table the feeling of fall but with a lighter edge. And the wood elements add the rustic touch.

For the centerpiece, I used a vintage dough bowl and filled it with faux pumpkins, hydrangea and ornamental cabbage. I love the look of real cabbage in an arrangement and was excited to find faux stems at the craft store.

Since my bowl is deep, I placed a few pieces of dollar store floral form in the bottom and nestled the flowers between the foam. The foam also helps to elevate the pumpkins and keep everything in place.

The place setting is where the mix of chic and rustic elements come together. I mixed my elegant Blue Willow china with casual Fiestaware plates and the wood charger. I found the Bird of Paradise bread plates last week at an antique store and they are perfect for my color theme. And to add another rustic touch, I used my favorite faux bamboo flatware to complete the place setting.

I’m all about layers when it comes to creating tablescapes so I also mixed in several different accent plates.

Our dining space is not fully decorated yet but I did add a few fall touches to the buffet. I kept the arrangement eclectic and used a pair of tortoise hurricanes, ceramic pumpkins and brass pineapples. The tortoise hurricanes I snagged at Pottery Barn on super sale but these from Amara are similar.

I just love how lush and layered the centerpiece is. It really is the star of the show and sets the tone for the entire table.

I love how this tablescape came out! I think it’s so warm & inviting and just the look to get me in the spirit of the season.

How do you decorate your table for Fall? Do you go with neutrals or traditional Fall colors?

Fall Tablescape Design Tips:

* Find one item that can serve as the jumping off point for your table decor. Use it to pull your color story together and to decide the style of your table.

* Create a focal point with your centerpiece. If you’re creating a larger floral arrangement as your centerpiece, pay attention the height. You want to make sure and keep the arrangement low so conversation can easily flow across the table.

* Make sure your tablescape has depth vertically and horizontally…layer from the bottom up and from side to side. My centerpiece provided horizontal impact on the table and the layered place settings gave the table visual interest.

* Candles are a must…Candles could be tall candlesticks or small tea lights depending one your table decor.

* Personalize your place settings. Use place cards, napkins or decorative element within your tablescape to add the personality to your table.

* Mix and Match to make the table come to life. Combine different china patterns, linen textures and materials to add personality and interest to your table. I love mixing refined china and cauual dinnerware and using a combination of silver and gold finishes. The perfect mix of rough luxe!

and finally,

* Layer, Layer, Layer! I’ve mentioned this before but can’t stress enough how much layering will enhance your tablescape.

♦♦♦♦♦

Fall Tablescape Source List:

Orange Tablecloth (similar here)

Blue and Orange Dinner Napkins (Pier 1 on clearance. Etsy is a great source for custom embroidered napkins)

Bamboo Flatware (purchased at Neiman Marcus but also available here)

Wood Charger Plate (thrifted–similar here)

Blue Willow Dinnerware (lots of vintage options here)

White China

Orange Fiestaware Plates (available in every color under the rainbow)

Small White Cake Stand (Target dollar spot last year but you can get them here for under $4.00)

Blue and White Coasters–vintage/thrifted

Large Dough Bowl–Lakewood Antiques Market 15 years ago–great vintage source here)

Pumpkins–Target (dollar spot) and Hobby Lobby

Faux Cabbage (looks like the real thing)

Silk Hydrangea

For more entertaining and table design inspiration, check out some of the other tablescapes I’ve created:

Bohemian Inspired Table

Autumn 2016 Tablescape

Fall in Natural and Gold

Thanksgiving Table for Two

Affiliate links used for your shopping convenience. I may earn a small commission through these links at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting ConfettiStyle to keep great content coming!

Inspiration Notebook | September 2017

September 4, 2017

September–A Season Of Change

September is a magical time of year! Summer is winding down and the pace of life seems to slow a bit. Vacation getaways are replaced by lazy Saturday mornings and weekend road trips. The days are still warm but there is a recognizable chill in the morning air because fall is fast approaching.

This is my favorite time of year to go thrifting, visit the farmers market and take walks in the park. I’m hoping to do all of these things in abundance and enjoy each day as it comes. We still have a lot to do to get settled into your new house into our new house but my focus this month will be to get my office together. I’ll be sharing my design plan for this space later this week so stay tuned.

While I’m enjoying the beauty of September and the coming of fall, I also have the holidays on my mind. I’ve starting flushing out my holiday decorating plans and a sneak peek of my color theme is included in the images below.

It’s going to be a busy month but I plan on making the most of the glorious month.

While we’re easing into a new month, here are some fun facts about September that I thought you might enjoy. Cheers to the month ahead and the adventures that await.

Fun Facts About September

♦ The 9th month of the year marks the beginning of autumn in the Northern hemisphere and the start of spring in the Southern hemisphere.

♦ September starts on the same day of the week as December each year, but does not end on the same day of the week as any other month in the year.

♦ This month has three birth flowers: the forget-me-not, the morning-glory and the aster. Forget-me-nots represent love and memories, asters represent love as well, and the morning-glory represents unrequited love. These are all very passionate flowers.

♦ In the northern hemisphere, the Autumn Equinox occurs and fall begins. This takes place on September 22nd or 23rd, depending on the year.

♦ Fun days to celebrate this month: 9/5: National Cheese Pizza Day, 9/9: National Teddy Bear Day, 9/16: National Play-Doh Day, 9/19: International “Talk Like A Pirate Day”.

Entertaining Style–Summer Solstice Tablescape

July 11, 2017

I love creating pretty tablescapes so I’m excited to share my summer inspiration with you as part of the Summertime Tablescape Blog Hop.

The talented Chloe of Celebrate & Decorate pulled together a great group of bloggers for this fun blog hop. Starting today through the end of the week, the group will be sharing table settings to get inspired for summer entertaining. I’ve included a list of all the bloggers at the end of this post so make sure to check out the beautiful tables everyone has created. Now let me show you my summer table…

SUMMER SOLSTICE TABLESCAPE

I was brainstorming a concepts for my summer table and the idea of a summer solstice theme came to mind. Fire and Sun are two elements that represent summer solstice and they are what inspired the colors for my tablescape.

Orange and pink are two of my favorite colors and combined with blue and white equals perfection in my book.

A secret weapon I have for an inexpensive table runner is to use wrapping paper instead of a cloth runner. I found this plaid wrapping paper in the dollar section at Michaels and the colors were perfect for my summer solstice theme. And when I went looking for dinnerware to work with the paper colors, I was thrilled that I had just what I needed in my kitchen.

The Fiesta dinnerware was a wedding gift from my mom 25 years ago. I still love it as much today as I did back then and know I’ll have it for years to come. I purchased the blue melamine plates are from Hobby Lobby last year and the floral bread plates (no longer available) and bowl (below) are from World Market.

Orange Placemats (similar here) // Fiesta Dinnerware // Blue Melamine Plates (similar here) // Floral Plates (similar here)

Nomad Flower Bowl (pattern also available in mugs and dinner plates)

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times…layering is one of the most important elements of any tablescape. I always layer my dinnerware starting with a placemat or charger. These round placemats from HomeGoods added texture to my table and the color was spot on with the paper runner.

entertaining tip: combine solid colors with plaid and floral patterns to give your tablescape loads of visual interest

My favorite faux bamboo flatware added more texture and the dark handles popped again the colorful dinnerware. p.s. If you haven’t picked up a set or two of this flatware you should because you can’t beat the price.

I purchased the napkins at Pier 1 a few months ago and can’t believe how great they work with my table theme.

entertaining tip: If you come across pretty napkins at a great price, buy them. You can use them as a placemat or down the center of a table as a runner.

I used a pair of vintage brass candlesticks to add height and a shiny accent to the table. The light green taper candles were in my stash and are the same color as the hydrangea. #connectingthedots

I used a grouping of three vintage blue and white jars to complete the centerpiece.

entertaining tip: here’s an easy way to remember which side your flatware goes on: Fork has 4 letters and so it goes on the left which has 4 letters AND spoon and knife have 5 letters so they go on the right which also has 5 letters.

Collenette Dinner Candles (one of my favorite taper candles) // Glasses from HomeGoods

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed my Summertime Tablescape and feel inspired to do some entertaining of your own.

And be sure to stop by the other bloggers on the tour for more entertaining inspiration.

Tuesday, 7/11

ConfettiStyle | Celebrate & Decorate | Everyday Living

Wednesday, 7/12

Charleston Crafted | Hunt & Host | Bluesky Kitchen

Thursday, 7/13

PMQ for Two | Rosemary & Thyme | A Casa Di Bianca

Friday, 7/14

Supper Table Talk | Panoply | Living with Thanksgiving

Affiliate links used for your shopping convenience. I may earn a small commission through these links at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting ConfettiStyle to keep great content coming!

Stylish Summer Bags For Every Budget

June 26, 2017

Hi friends. I skipped out on you last week because I needed to devote every waking minute to design work. I’ve gotten over the hump and I back today with a post to usher in summer.

Now that summer is here I’m looking forward to wearing summer dresses and switching my leather handbag for a more casual style. My collection of straw bags includes everything from a classic tote and oversized shopper to a simple woven clutch. My newest bag is this black and tan shopper that my brother gave me for my birthday. It’s the perfect size to accommodate all my stuff and I love the drawstring liner that keeps my contents secure.

When it comes to summer fashions, a straw bag (or two) is one wardrobe essential I think every woman needs to own. Whether you’re carrying it to the beach or out to dinner, a straw bag is perfect for any summer outfit. Here’s a round-up of my favorite straw bags to fit every budget and every style need.

♦♦♦

SUMMER BAGS FOR EVERY BUDGET

1 // 2 // 3 //4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12

Under $25: All three of these bags are great options for everyday use but I especially love the round tote. The only thing missing is a cute bag charm but you can add this tassel charm and still be under $ 40.

Under $50: The floral clutch is perfect to add a pop of color to a little black dress. And I love the size and shape of the black and tan tote.

Under $100: Isn’t that pom pom trimmed bag the cutest thing ever? I love the size and how colorful it is. And it has a drawstring liner to keep your contents under wrap. p.s. it’s should actually be in the under $50 group because this cutie is only $32.

Splurge: I’ve been known to splurge on a handbag every now and then and I’m tempted to pull the trigger on #11. I love the slim shape and leather handles and the tassels are pretty cute too.

So if you had to pick a favorite, which bag would it be?

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