Christmas Fluff

The last couple of weeks I've been spending a lot of my time focusing on Christmas decorations for clients.  I know there are lots of interior designers who "don't do Christmas decorations" which is totally fine.  But I adore it!  I think it is such a fun creative way to style a home, and it only happens this time of year.  

I've done some bigger jobs (still have one to go) with the whole shebang from the outside garland with lights to all the mantels and entryways.  I love being able to create a feel for the entire home.  But, I've also been doing a few in the "Christmas Fluff"(totally made this term up) category.  It's sort of like going to have your hair blown out and styled (rather than a full on cut/color/highlight/straightner - and NO I don't do all those things to my hair!)  

For a Christmas fluff, the client will put up their decorations, and I will come in and zhush it up a bit with fresh greenery, ribbon, etc.  I will also put together arrangements and centerpieces for areas where they just want something new and different.

Here are a few pictures I took of a fluff I did for this super great family who were having a dinner party this past week.    For starters, they have an amazing home.  It's simply beautiful.  

We started by meeting last week and brainstorming on what she might like for her table.  She pulled out these crowns and the deal was sealed.

I thought they were the perfect solution for a low centerpiece that allows your guests to see each other while giving you some major impact.

Two of the crowns are different while the third type is a set of three in decreasing size.

I used my tried and true trick of three different types of greenery and she happened to have these dried white berries from another project, so I incorporated them to give the arrangements some contrast. 

I think they are simple yet still very elegant in keeping with her gorgeous dining room.

As for other rooms, I added some greenery to this bowl of Christmas ornaments in her family room - just a little zhush.

I thought the table needed something fresh to finish it off. 

Then in her breakfast room, we did some fun things with more color.  Sorry the picture has such a glare.  It was a very sunny, and the light was not cooperating with me!  

This sitting area is to the left of the breakfast room table.  So we put together this little container.  I think she picked up the cup on a trip to Scott's in Atlanta.  It's so simple to put an arrangement like this together if you are clever with the container you use. 

In this container we started with some floral foam covered with moss (this is a trick to help you use less greenery and flowers).  Then we added gerber daisies cut at three different heights along with some rosemary and holly from the yard.  super simple.

Have any of you finished your Christmas shopping yet?  If so, please don't say as I am far far from finished!  I only want to hear from those of you who have been procrastinating or have been too busy to pull it all together - I need to feel better about my delay! M.

Entryway Arrangement Tutorial

As many of you know, I grew up in Mississippi on a large piece of property outside the city of Laurel. Every Christmas (even before Martha Stewart made it cool), my family would go out on our property and cut fresh greenery to decorate with during the holidays -  wild magnolia and bay leaf, holly, cedar and other evergreens, wild pyracantha and even chestnuts.  I grew up watching my mother create some of the most stunning arrangements you can imagine.  We used all different kinds of containers from large french baskets to galvanized oval shaped tubs.  So, decorating for Christmas brings back lots of wonderful memories for me, and I just love the process. 

I mentioned last week I would show you how to put together a large arrangement for your home like the one I did for Christmas Count Down.  Here's the final arrangement I made for the night.

And, here it is on my buffet in my dining room.  I changed out the branches for sandblasted manzanita branches to give me the look I wanted for my dining room, but it's the same arrangement.

Large arrangements are much easier to make than you think.
In general, remember "the rule of 3's."  There are three types of greenery, three types of ribbon,  three types of ornaments and the entire arrangement is laid out in a triangle.


Create a base layer by bunching up some burlap.  I bought mine on a random trip to Hobby Lobby.  It's just cut yardage, so I folded the cut edges under.

Select a container with some height.  I've had this container for years, and I use it for lots of different occasions.  It was an investment at the time, but I'm so glad I have it.

For a wire container, line it with moss and then place a water tight container in the center filled with floral foam that's been soaked in water.  As an aside, when soaking your floral foam, fill up a basin with fresh clean water and drop the foam in - that's it - do NOT push it down to submerge in the water, let gravity fill the foam properly)

Use floral stick tape to secure the foam to the bowl.

Every well designed arrangement includes something tall, fullness in the middle and something draping.  (another rule of three).  I like to start with the tall, I placed three large branches in the center making sure they're angled out a bit to provide space for the ornaments.

I added the draping element - these branches were from a very sun deprived scotch pine in my mother-in-laws yard!  It's a little difficult to see (b/c I'm not a great photographer), but I have grouped these draping branches to form a triangle.

Then I filled in around the base of the branches with large magnolias to cover the bowl, foam etc.  The shiny leaves are a nice contrast.   Again, I grouped them in three clusters to form another triangle.

Then, I filled in with some cedar just to draw your eye up to the the ornaments on the branches

Almost finished!  I added some ribbon to create a contrast in color with the greenery.  I used three different ribbons with three different textures.  I think when you cut all the greenery out of your yard (or a friend's yard!) you can splurge a bit on the ribbon.

Final step, I placed ornaments on the branches in a sparse way - three different kinds.  Don't over do it or it begins to looks like a hot mess!

Lastly, I added something special to the table - packages of Christmas cards from years past.  I've been collecting Christmas cards from each year since I got married.

During the season, John and I will pick a night to sit down with a glass of wine and go through some of the bundles.  It's always fun to see how people change and families grow.

I hope this encourages you to try an arrangement of your own! Have a great week.  M.

Are you in the Spirit Yet?

I have hit the ground running this week.  In addition to my design projects, I am helping a few clients style their homes for the holidays.  We are working on fresh greenery for their entryways, mantels and even outside on their front doors.  Some are simple additions for their family's enjoyment while others are more elaborate decorations for hosting Christmas parties during the season.
For me, this type of thing is simply another form of styling the home, and I LOVE it. 

First up for the season, I was invited to participate in Christmas Count Down.  This is held every year at Covenant Presbyterian Church where lots of very talented people create Christmas displays for a ladies night full of ideas on how to decorate your home for the season.  My display was entitled "Entryways and Side boards" and was intended to give you ideas on how to make a great first impression as visitors enter your home during the holidays.  Here's the finished arrangement.

I took pictures of the entire process, and my plan is to show you step by step how to create one for your entryway. So stay tuned . . . I'll try to post it next week.

In the meantime, here are lots of the other displays at the event.
This cute table was entitled, "A few of our favorite things," and it included all kinds of handmade gifts (AND not a single cookie, which is just my thing!).  

This was such a cute idea - handmade mulling spices to make your home smell wonderful!

Yes, that is a daffodil bulb in a tin can!  Amazing how something that simple looks so great with the burlap, boxwood, and holly.  

Here's a spice rub for grilled meats.  Also love the wooden spoon on the container.

You could even take it a bit farther and put together a basket for the griller of the family.  This is really a simple gift in that all the items are easily available these days.

This is a basket for a "Game Night."  This would make a really cute Teacher's gift.  Sometimes this is just the thing to help someone pause and enjoy the season.

This was my favorite of the entire night.  It's entitled "12 days Ring & Run" and each gift is a "tongue & cheek" take on the 12 days of Christmas.   The idea here is to pick a special friend and each night starting on December 13th you drop off your gift without getting caught!  Here are few of the days.

The tag reads: "On the Fifth Day of Christmas, your true love gave to you . . .five golden rings, but sorry, we're too poor for golden rings, but will some golden pineapple rings do?"  

Some Ben Gay for the Lords of Leaping - they'll need it!

For an entire list, click here or use your imagination to come up with takes of your own.

This is the perfect gift for your children to give their classmates!  Simple red M&M's, in case, Rudolph needs an extra.  

Here are few others . . .

The entire night was very inspiring and the totally put me in the spirit (ok, I was already there, but it was still a ton of fun).

If you are still not quite in the spirit and live in the Birmingham area, here are two really special events to totally put you in the mood - Birmingham Home and Garden Inspiration Home and IPC Holiday House Tour.  We are so fortunate here in Birmingham to have such talented decorators and floral designers and both of these events are simply a feast for the eyes.  Grab a girl friend and make a date to check them out!!  Happy Weekend. M.

Happy Friday

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It's been a very productive week for me.  I am working on a couple of projects I want to share with you very soon!  I will working on them over the weekend.  So, until next week . . . have a wonderful weekend.  M.  

Find of the Day - Flower Artisan & New On Line Magazine

Usually, my finds of the day tend to be objects - an affordable accessory, a piece of furniture that I think is smokin' hot, or a really neat website.  Well today, I am revealing a person - Sarah Winward of Salt Lake City, Utah. 

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I stumbled upon Sarah on Pinterest and found her incredible little flower shop Honey of A Thousand Flowers to be simply delightful.  

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Her site is ultra hip, and she has some very interesting links to photography and food blogs BOTH of which will melt in your mouth.

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  While exploring her site, I saw a post she did on a new online magazine - Kinfolk Magazine "A Guide for Small Gatherings" which was totally new to me.  Sarah was actually featured in the magazine.

And suffice it to say, I am totally smitten with it.

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 This magazine has such a sophisticated home grown feel to it.  I know that sounds contradictory, but trust me, it is not!! You will just have to see it for yourself - Kinfolk Magazine.  When you have some time today, click over and check it out.

I hope you make the most of your day.
It's Wednesday, and we are on the downhill to the weekend!  M.