Dare I say it??? It's beginning to look a lot like... New Years. I know you were thinking “Christmas”, but I am too late for that…this year was a bit different with the decorations as I had a new floor plan to work with.
When planning the remodel I purposely included built-in shelves next to the fireplace, AND ordered extra shelves to display my 30-some Department 56 North Pole collection houses and figurines. I also included electrical plug-ins to light them or any other lighted decoration. My mantel is not quite as deep as the old one so it too, had to have a new decoration plan. It was definitely fun to re-do things…I tried not to buy much, just “re-place”(kinda like reduce reuse recycle).
I do try to tie the color of the Christmas decorations in with the rest of the home décor. I added blue/aqua to my palette this year.
Now is the time to watch for clearance items for next year..and I don’t just mean decorations, I mean timers, LED lights, remote controls, etc. the convenience products that will make your life easier. But it is a good time to stock up on a new style of decorations, gift wrap, ribbon, etc. for next year.
This year I received a thank you gift of a set of LED candles that run on a battery, flicker, and have a remote control! (My husband loves them because no worries about burning anything down and I can stand in one place to “light” them all!)
Other items I cannot live without are remote controls and lighting that don't need to be plugged in...and how about the timers that will automatically turn lights on and off at specified times. They can also turn on at dusk and turn off at dawn if you want them too! Be sure to watch that you only use them for their intended purpose such as the interior or exterior. *** I actually use timers all year around to light the lamps inside the house if we are gone. Another fun thing to do for the whole year is wrap lights on garden accessories for the summer. These timers and remotes can be purchased at Target, Home Depot, Ace Hardware or most anywhere that sells Christmas decorations.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season with many happy memories and decorations.
Design Quote of the week: "Fill your house with flowers. Once a week, I head to the flower market and get lots of freesias, hydrangeas, lilacs, forsythia, tulips, or whatever's in season. Using tin cans and Mason jars for vases, my husband and I make arrangements for every room." Kristen Brant, Interior Designer
Inspiration of the week: I found a wonderful furniture company called Maine Cottage- they make a rainbow of solid fabrics (indoor/outdoor) upholstery as well as bright beautiful prints. These fabrics never cease to lift my mood! (Check them out at http://www.mainecottage.com/) On one of the flash sale websites that I frequent, called Haute(http://www.hautelook.com/) , some of Maine Cottages fabric was offered at about 1/2 price and of course, I couldn't pass it up, and bought 4 shades of blues and greens to slipcover the 4 of the dining chairs. The remaining chairs may be covered in a natural linen. (We don't have grandkids yet, so no worries about stains. And when there are grandkids I will coat the fabric with protectant.)
Remodel update: All door trim is finished, the mantel is assembled, stained and decorated, closet and entry doors are painted a wonderful shade called SUITABLE BROWN. The color is a brown with green and gray tones. I recently spent an entire week of free time filling nail holes, sanding and painting the trim. The 4 dining chairs are slipcovered...and I will change these slipcovers seasonally. Yet to be decided are the window coverings: natural woven blinds vs. my own hand-sewn roman shades...
When planning the remodel I purposely included built-in shelves next to the fireplace, AND ordered extra shelves to display my 30-some Department 56 North Pole collection houses and figurines. I also included electrical plug-ins to light them or any other lighted decoration. My mantel is not quite as deep as the old one so it too, had to have a new decoration plan. It was definitely fun to re-do things…I tried not to buy much, just “re-place”(kinda like reduce reuse recycle).
I do try to tie the color of the Christmas decorations in with the rest of the home décor. I added blue/aqua to my palette this year.
Now is the time to watch for clearance items for next year..and I don’t just mean decorations, I mean timers, LED lights, remote controls, etc. the convenience products that will make your life easier. But it is a good time to stock up on a new style of decorations, gift wrap, ribbon, etc. for next year.
This year I received a thank you gift of a set of LED candles that run on a battery, flicker, and have a remote control! (My husband loves them because no worries about burning anything down and I can stand in one place to “light” them all!)
Other items I cannot live without are remote controls and lighting that don't need to be plugged in...and how about the timers that will automatically turn lights on and off at specified times. They can also turn on at dusk and turn off at dawn if you want them too! Be sure to watch that you only use them for their intended purpose such as the interior or exterior. *** I actually use timers all year around to light the lamps inside the house if we are gone. Another fun thing to do for the whole year is wrap lights on garden accessories for the summer. These timers and remotes can be purchased at Target, Home Depot, Ace Hardware or most anywhere that sells Christmas decorations.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season with many happy memories and decorations.
Design Quote of the week: "Fill your house with flowers. Once a week, I head to the flower market and get lots of freesias, hydrangeas, lilacs, forsythia, tulips, or whatever's in season. Using tin cans and Mason jars for vases, my husband and I make arrangements for every room." Kristen Brant, Interior Designer
Inspiration of the week: I found a wonderful furniture company called Maine Cottage- they make a rainbow of solid fabrics (indoor/outdoor) upholstery as well as bright beautiful prints. These fabrics never cease to lift my mood! (Check them out at http://www.mainecottage.com/) On one of the flash sale websites that I frequent, called Haute(http://www.hautelook.com/) , some of Maine Cottages fabric was offered at about 1/2 price and of course, I couldn't pass it up, and bought 4 shades of blues and greens to slipcover the 4 of the dining chairs. The remaining chairs may be covered in a natural linen. (We don't have grandkids yet, so no worries about stains. And when there are grandkids I will coat the fabric with protectant.)
Remodel update: All door trim is finished, the mantel is assembled, stained and decorated, closet and entry doors are painted a wonderful shade called SUITABLE BROWN. The color is a brown with green and gray tones. I recently spent an entire week of free time filling nail holes, sanding and painting the trim. The 4 dining chairs are slipcovered...and I will change these slipcovers seasonally. Yet to be decided are the window coverings: natural woven blinds vs. my own hand-sewn roman shades...
See you in 2011!
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