Dessert Table

I am so excited to share this new embellishing opportunity with you.  Today's post features a dessert table I styled for the Community of Charlottesville Wedding and Event Professionals  holiday party.   I am so fortunate to have such talented friends in Anita Gupta of Maliha Creations and Jen Maton of If So Inklined Calligraphy and Illustration.  I can't say enough about Anita or her fabulous confections and Jen's designs are just gorgeous. 

Using a dramatic aubergine, brown and silver palette, we created a delicious tablescape.  Wrapping paper in a metallic acanthus design provides the backdrop for these fabulous treats.  

Detail view of a few delicacies: Eggnog Cupcakes with Brandy Buttercream Icing

Pearlized White Chocolate Covered Truffles

 

The gorgeous cake.

Beautiful tags by Jen.

By creating a cohesive color scheme, varying heights of beautiful vessels and artfully arranging the foods, this table becomes the star of the event! 

Needing to beautify your event? I'd love to help!

Fireplace Facelift

This cute little home was already full of character and unique furniture pieces when we began our transformation.  The living room lacked lighting and the fireplace was nondescript.

 

We started by painting the brick to lighten the area and added a more substantial mantle in crisp white.  A paneled overmantle with crown moulding detail was custom created by Wade Craig and wired to house bird sconces chosen by the homeowner.  This created both a focal point for the room as well as adding needed lighting.  The new mirror above the fireplace is a better scale than the original one, which was relocated in the home. 

 

Beautiful embroidered silk drapes add width and height to the widows and voluminous balloon shades with beaded trim add privacy and glamorous detail.

 

A beautiful rug in lavendar raisin and peach tones warms the wood floor.

What a beautiful feature to warm up those wintry nights!

Do you have a room in need of a makeover?  Give me a call.........
Maybe your home will be a Makeover Monday feature!

More Holiday Decorating

While I truly love modern decor, for me, the holidays are a time to throw all minimalism out the window.  Today's post features unusual places I've found to add holiday embellishments in my home.

Finally, I am getting around to posting a photo of the console I wrote about receiving!!  Here it is in my dining room:

 

I absolutely love it, but I am absolutely not a photographer and those mirrors make taking photos without my reflection really difficult!

More apothecary jars with holiday contents adorn the top.  A mirror hung in the window provides a focal point with a beaded wreath hung inside. 

(A gift from friends - thanks Eddy family!)

 A simple stick with mirrored ornaments adds festive flair to the sideboard.

 Poinsettias and greenery in a metal entertaining bucket spruce up yet another mirror in the dining room. 

The kitchen is the heart of holiday entertaining, so why not give it a Christmas makeover too?

 

Fun holiday plates in a glass fronted cabinet 

(Thanks, Laura and Barbara!).

 

Garland accents on the pendant lights and more holiday plates above the cabinets.

More greenery draped along a curtain rod gives a holiday glow.

 

Simple sprays of Christmas greens in mercury glass urns give a cheerful accent to the piano.

 

Here's a fun way to display holiday cards:

Disclaimer:  This photo was taken early in the season; please do not be offended if you do not see your card pictured.  I have put them all on display, I promise!!

 This is just another garland with added greenery.  I used the wired branches to hold the cards.

And don't forget the Christmas tree!

We have a very traditional tree with lots of sentimental and handmade ornaments with fun glittery accents.

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

Looking to freshen up your holiday decor for next year?  Right after the holidays is the perfect time to snag great deals and get a new perspective. 

Don't know where to start?  Give me a call!

Reclaiming the Family Room

This before shot was not staged;  the homeowner's two boys were really taking over the family room space. 

Luckily for this family, a new playroom was constructed in the basement to allow for relocation of the majority of the toys.  With the toys downstairs, we introduced this gorgeous driftwood console table and leather reclining club chairs.  A natural basket holds and conceals edited children's playthings.

This one-of-a-kind artisan driftwood console table replaces the busy shelves.  Pepperberries in a glass vase and lanterns give visual interest, but keep the space uncluttered.

We wanted to incorporate the homeowner's love of the ocean in the design.  Coral colored accents and beach accessories were used to create the feel of the room without being too theme-y.

A very adult zebra print rug and cream leather storage cubes complete this new grown-up space.

Do you have a space in need of a makeover?  Give me a call......maybe your home will be a Monday Makeover feature!

Embellishing with bows

Thought I'd pass along a few tips for making bows to use during your holiday decorating.  I recommend using ribbon with a wire edge.  It holds its shape and will look better when re-used in years to come.  I am going to show bow-making using two types of ribbon; a printed one and one without a "right" side. 

For beginners, I think a ribbon that looks good on either side is easiest.  To make this bow for decorating, you will need wire-edged ribbon, thin wire, scissors and wire cutters.

Begin by cutting a piece of wire.  I like to use this piece to attach my bow, so keep that in mind when cutting;  to go around a wreath, you'll need maybe 12" , to go around a post (like on my porch), you'll need around 24".  To start the bow, make a loop with your ribbon. 

Holding the middle in one hand, make another loop on the other side. 

Keep looping until you have 3-4 loops on either side. 

Pinch the center of the loops together with one hand and wrap the wire around it, pulling as tight as you can.  Wrap the wire around itself a few times to secure it.  The side with the wire coming out is the back of your bow. 

Cut another piece of ribbon (for this bow, I used about 24") and tie it in a knot around the wire in the center of your loops to cover your wire and create a center for your bow. 

Take a moment and fluff out your loops, turning them a bit from the middle away from one another to give the bow dimension. 

Ta-da!

The same principle applies with a one-sided ribbon, only when making your loops, you have to twist the ribbon to make the right side face outward.

Pinch all of your loops together in the center and secure it with your wire.

Wrap the center with a smaller piece of ribbon and twist the loops.  My table is a glittery mess, but the bow is adorable!!

Is this too much for you to handle?  I'd love to help!  Let me put together a beautiful holiday display for you!

Wedding Staging? Yes, Please!

I'm gearing up for my next Festive Friday Post, but I can't go without mentioning the terrific time I had at the Community of Charlottesville Wedding and Event Professionals Christmas Party this week.  So many friendly and talented individuals in one place!  I am so thrilled to have had the opportunity to collaborate with my amazing friends, Anita Gupta of Maliha Creations and Jen Maton from If So Inklined on a beautiful dessert buffet display.  It's not hard to make Anita's delicacies look beautiful and Jen's calligraphy is completely gorgeous.  I can't wait to share the photos.  I think I may have found a great place to put my merchandising skills to work!   Stay tuned.........

Brilliant Pallette

The rooms in this home makeover got lots of furniture shuffling.  Look for the bed in this guest room's before shot in another post!  The homeowner already had these gorgeous chandeliers and gave us a floral tapestry as our starting off point (see it at the foot of the bed?).  The fabrics become the feature in this bedroom with a custom crown moulding cornice and pom pom fringed panels above the bed. 

More panels flank the windows with extravagant boldly striped silk balloon shades.

Muted turquoise damask wallpaper serves as a backdrop for the bright fabrics.

Custom throw pillows on the bed, a pink leather chair and bold artwork on the walls finish the beautiful, brilliant transformation.
Do you have a room in need of a makeover?  Give me a call........
Maybe your home will be a Makeover Monday feature! 

Exterior Holiday Decorating

True to my embellishing nature, I just love holiday decorating.  Not only is it a great justification for rearranging and creating, many of my favorite changes are free or bargain finds.  Today, I want to feature some exterior decor that's incredibly easy and inexpensive.

The smell of fresh pine epitomizes the season for me.  Fresh greens are easily accessible at most places where Christmas trees are sold - many vendors actually encourage people to take the scraps branches cut from the bottom of their trees.  I used to take these home and painstakingly wrap them with wire to create garlands.  While they were beautiful (and wonderfully fragrant), in my lazier adult days, I realized the same effect can be achieved using faux garland as a base.

 Here's a before photo of my faux garland.  
I bought 2 of these after the season a few years ago and strung them together.  It's........ok this way, but needs more embellishing!  The branches are basically just a wire.   

I used outdoor red ornaments and wired them directly onto the garland.  I also wrapped the garland with lights. 

I use garden trimmers to cut smaller sections of pine from the branches.   Bending the wire from the faux pine over the real pine secures it.

It takes very little time, smells great and looks beautiful, if I do say so myself!

To add more texture, I like to incorporate different kinds of pine needles as well as holly and red berries, just snipped from the yard.  They are fastened the same way.

The front door gets the same treatment.

And the wreaths on the windows (hung with suction hooks).

A little fresher and fuller.

Making use of the scraps, I fill planters with the trimmings and add a few ornaments.

A Holiday Makeover for the Front Porch

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
  
Needing help sprucing up for the holidays?  I'd love to embellish your home!
Check out my contact information via the contact tab at the top of my blog.