Outdoor Decor

This year I made some wreaths and filled some urns with fresh greenery, magnolia branches, clippings from my nandina bush, and nandina berries.

On my front porch I placed some magnolia leaves in an old bottle and draped burlap and a gold garland.  I used burlap to suspend the wreaths in the window and placed an orange ornament in each one.

I made a fresh wreath for my chimney.

And another fresh wreath for the side of the garage.

I couldn't forget the new garage since it can be seen from the street.

I filled a pair of urns with greenery and had them flank the doors.  I couldn't pass up the tinsel wreaths that were only $8 each at target.  Aren't they fun. 

A close up of one of the fresh arrangements.

I even had enough to make an arrangement on the trellis.

What have you done outside for holiday decor?

Kathy

Target also had an unbelievable selection of wrapping paper.  

I bought several of the retro-inspired designs.

Gotta get wrapin'

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL


P

Column to Christmas Tree

This summer I purchased a column that had been cut in half.  As usual, I had nothing in mind.  It was just my uncontrollable fascination with all things architectural kicking in again.  Luckily, everyone in my family is trained not to ask what I was going to do with it.

Of course I came up with something.  It was going to be the base for one of the Christmas trees in my house.  Before I used it I made sure to give it a coat of clear poly to seal what I assumed is lead paint.  Here she is, ready to be re-purposed.

I am very lucky in that it seems that most of the branches that fall in my back yard are pretty interesting.  I selected some and placed them into the column.  I then sprayed them with white primer and for some bling sprayed with Glitter Blast.  I also used the clear poly to seal the glitter.  I hope I don't have glitter falling all over the house.  We'll see.  Also, if you ever use Glitter Blast, wear a mask.  I felt like I glittered the inside of my nose and throat too.

Now I need to get this into the house and decorated.

Here it is in place in the family room next to the mantel.  I wanted to do a combination of orange and pink. My color inspiration was my scarf which I draped over the mantel.  I first wove through the branches with a pink glass garland and pink and orange ribbon.  I added orange sequin ornaments and vintage pink glass ornaments.  For some bling I placed some silver bird's nests, a clip-on silver bird, and a silver garland at the base.


Very  Dr. Seussy, don't you think?

Here's a closer look.

I also added some orange and pink faux gift boxes under my "tree".
Yes, they're recycled from last year.  I just added some pink ribbon.

Hope you're having fun with your holiday decor.

Kathy

To see the mantel in this room go here.

Tory Burch Inspired Mantel

I have another mantel in my family room.  Last year I went with leopard and bling.  I actually used vintage rhinestone belts, necklaces, bracelets and earrings as accents.

Leopard and Sparkle

This year I used my orange and pink Tory Burch scarf as my color inspiration.  I draped the scarf across the mantel and went from there.

Orange and Pink Scarf

I hung a pair of silver sunburst mirrors above the mantel, filled jars with orange ornaments (recycled from last year), added fresh magnolia , a sequined reindeer, and intertwined pink garlands and ribbon throughout.

To the left of the mantle is a tree I created with some very interesting branches that I found in my back yard.  I have a separate post about how I did it.

Tree Branches with Holiday Decor

Detail of Ornaments in a Glass Container

Sequined Deer and Mercury Glass Candlestick

I even added fresh magnolia to my fireplace screen.

You know how I love my horse head.  He usually sits alone on my design books.  For the holiday though I added a feather tree with pink and orange ribbon.

My next post will be how I changed the architectural column into a Christmas tree.

Are you ready for the holidays?

To see my Happy Chic Christmas Tree go here.
To see my Chinoiserie Mantel go here.


Kathy

My Happy Chic Tree

Last year I thought I was really out there with my orange tree.

My 2010 Orange Tree

But this year, I really took a leap in the use of color.  I love all things Jonathan Adler.  So when I saw this colorful garland, I immediately thought of Jonathan Adler and his Happy Chic color palate.

The glittery background is a piece of lime green vintage fabric which I'll drape around the tree base.
These are a sampling of the ornaments I'll use to complement my colorful garland.

I also had some vintage in just the right colors.

Happy Chic Tree

Details:

I think it goes perfectly with my Chinoiserie Mantel in the same room.

I have more holiday posts.  I've done another mantel in my family room, inspired by a pink and orange scarf, and I've created a Christmas tree from an architectural column.  Please come back and see my future posts.

Kathy

Chinoiserie Mantel

Every holiday I try some new look on my mantels.  Last year I called the mantel in my sun room a Florentine mantel since I incorporated many of my florentine boxes and icons. 

My 2010 Florentine Mantel

This year I went in a completely different direction.  I added peacock feathers, foo dogs, and vintage ornaments in apothecary jars.  I especially love the turquoise/lime/hot pink color combo.

 Some detail shots.

 

What d'ya think?

Kathy

BTY, the reflections you see in the mirror are my bamboo chandelier and my  vintage classroom shell reference map.


To see my Happy Chic Tree go here.

Chair Obsession Part Two

Previously I posted about my obsessions that I was aware of and realized that I have another, chairs.  If you missed chair obsession part one, go here.

You know that the chairs I love most are this pair of leopard covered chairs.  If you've been following you've seen these already.  They speak for themselves.

I have another pair of chairs in my dining room.  You probably recognize the P. Kaufmann geometric fabric from some photo shoots where I used it as a back drop.
These chairs have a caned back which I decided would look good slip covered.
The seats and arms are upholstered and I also added nail head trim.
Here they are in place in my dining room.

If you saw my first post about my chairs you know that I love adding details to my upholstered pieces.  This pair was no exception.
In this side view you can see the ties on the slip covered top and the nail head trim.

I loved the carved piece on the chair back and didn't want to cover it up.
I decided to let it peek out of a cut out.

What do you think about adding details to upholstery pieces?

Kathy

BTY
I just wanted to thank everyone who came to our second sale and all of you who contacted me to see how I did.  I have to say that I was thrilled with the second sale.  It was even better than the first one.  When I left on Sunday my booth looked depleted.  Yea!

Now I need to focus on getting my home ready for the holidays.  So far all I have is a tree in a stand and many ideas spinning around in my head.

Empire Library Table Before and After

One of my recent projects was this double pedestal oval Empire table.  It is mahogany, but was painted black when I got started on it.

===

I decided to paint it what I call a Swedish gray.  It's a subtle gray with a hint of blue.

It looked good, but I thought it needed something else.  I decided to add a vintage glass knob to the drawer.  What do you think?

It's a perfect size for a foyer--a place to put keys and mail.  It could also be a bed side table or a lamp table in a living room.

Kathy

Yes, that's the same table I shared in the barn sale post.  I really wanted to show the transformation.