a little evergreen

So I'm in love...I mean, serious-head-over-heels-in-love with the Atlantis Home/Sea of Shoes home.  Rue magazine did a feature of this home here, and I just love it the glam and warmth of this place, but my love affair is not really the point of this post...

The point is that so many of my favorite rooms, including this one, are accenting with a super deep green color...I won't say it's hunter green {shudder), so we will refer to this rich shade as evergreen:)

Yes, that antique day bed is covered in evergreen mohair!

 Green accent pillows are also used on the built-in bench seating.

Another evergreen daybed...what?!?

I am always referencing this Nate Berkus room. I love the neutral color palette with that touch of leopard and the graphic rug, but I had never really noticed that the chair was green?!?

Evergreen with other jewel tones...

Speaking of evergreen beauties...what about this stunner...I'll take two!

~the blonde

Fa La La Friday: Alterna-Trees

Remember that scene in "Skipping Christmas" when they find out Blair is coming home for Christmas and Luther Krank goes to buy a tree from the boyscouts and all they have left is a twig they sell him for $75, then he gets home and the tree is bare so he has to "borrow" his neighbor's tree???

That's just about the point we're to this year - the stores and christmas tree lots are pretty sparse by now.  If you haven't gotten your tree, you've probably missed the boat.

Or maybe you live in a small apartment and simply don't have room for a tree.

Here are a few ideas for "alterna-trees"

I love Scandinavian style, so these next two images are so cute to me...

If Luther Krank had only a little vision, his twig could've looked festive!  :o)

Don't those look like they go in the same house with this cute mantle I posted last week??

But back to the "trees"....

There are two that catch my eye in this image - the twig tree, and also a baby tree on the wall made out of scrap wood trim...

I love them both.

This one is another made from scrap wood trim, but has a more rustic/country look...

One person painted a canvas with chalkboard paint and drew herself a tree.  You could change the "colors" of your tree ornaments daily with this kind of tree!  ;o)

Who doesn't have a ladder sitting around in the way somewhere??  Of course my aluminum ladder somehow isn't nearly as charming as this old white wooden one...

I've seen several people getting creative with books this year.  This one leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion (but I must give props for ingenuity)...

This one is pretty cute to me though.  And the fake snow is just icing on the tree.  :o)

Encyclopedia's are pretty much dust collectors with the invention of the internet, but only a library has this many on-hand...

Another clever "tree" made from Christmas cards.  I don't know about you all, but I'm always looking for fun ways to display Christmas cards!

The blonde has a card tree that is super cute.  Similar to this "idea" - but way cuter.

My favorite part of the tree is the lights, so I like these lighted twigs in a vase (kind of want them anyway) - I saw some at a home accessories store last week and they're really cute.  :o)

I could also settle for a "candle " tree because this is so pretty to me...

and also Scandinavian style, I would say  :o)

I still love my "real", fake purple tree, but I think several of these would be cute supplements in other rooms!  

Have a great weekend!

~ the brunette

(for image sources, view our pinboard)

A Holiday (un)Craft!

Aren't crafts fun around the holidays??

I mean we're stuck inside anyway because of the cold, so why not do something fun while you're watching "Elf" for the 20th time?

I'm calling this an (un)Craft because it's for those of us who have no special skills whatsoever.  :o)

Aren't these fun??

I don't know about you, but I always end up with scrap ribbon around the holidays - why not recycle it??

Here's how we did it:

For supplies, you need a canvas, a brush, acrylic paint, glitter, ribbon, glue and something for "ornaments".

1. Paint your canvas:

2. Acrylic paint dries really fast, so we sprayed a clear seal coat on the canvas and sprinkled the glitter on the canvas while it was still wet.

My mom used a regular black glitter first, then "dusted" over it with Martha Stewart glitter in silver, which is a smaller, finer glitter.

3. Start by glueing your middle ribbon (to determine the height of the tree)

4.  This is where my mom and I went separate directions.  She carefully planned which Christmas ribbons to stick where.  I just glued stuff on randomly.  I didn't use Christmas ribbon.  :o)

Then we took some little glitter pieces and glued them on top as "ornaments"

My tree:

(my glitter was crappy - it was a learning curve - and I do want to point out the glue "dots" at the bottom of the ribbon did dry eventually so you don't see those now)

My mom's first tree:

(she went back and added to hers, which you see at the top of the post)

We had so much fun with these, my mom and a friend of hers decided to make several more as gifts!

Happy (un)Crafting!

~ the brunette

Dreaming of a White Christmas...

Well, the blonde left for her New York trip with Hot Husband early this morning! 

(sometimes we call him "hot husband" - he is)

She had to modify her wardrobe selections slightly after hearing it had snowed a little bit yesterday, which really got me thinking about a white christmas! 

They are pretty rare here in Arkansas,

but we can still dream!  :o)

Remember "the doily isn't dead post?"

I definitely count silver as "white"...

I love collections of little trees - like a tiny magical forest!  :o)

This is a little bit of a "cheat" on the white decor - they threw in some evergreen - but I love the paperwhites.  Flowers in winter are such a pretty addition to the home. 

Another "cheater" - but I love how creative people are with chalkboards these days!

Chanel Paris went with the all white theme in their window display this season.

Wonder how long those ornaments will last?  haha

I love these little crafts - I don't know what they're called but I see them all over the internet. 

How easy and cute?!

And of course, St. Nick's favorite Christmas decor is white too!

I hope my friends are enjoying their trip so far and staying warm!

Here's hoping for a White Christmas!!

~ the brunette

(all images and sources can be found on our "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" pinboard!)

Barking Mad for this Lamp!

It's no secret that I love dogs more than the average person.

It's also no secret that I have a major design crush on Ms. Abigail Ahern.

When you put those two together, it results in these beautiful lamps designed by Ms. (or Mrs. - I dunno) Ahern herself!

I know they are quite - odd - but I am seriously in love with these lamps!!

I love how these look a little like "grandma" with the over-the-top shades, but I think that just makes these even better!  I mean, a bulldog with a huge lace shade on his head?  Preposterous!!

This is 100% my design style - I love pieces that make you do a double-take.

A greyhound on a table with a lampshade on his head?  Now that's a conversation piece.

Whether you like these or not, you must agree - they are conversation starters.  :o)

I happen to know someone traveling to London next year and I am definitely going to start saving my dollars for one of these lamps! 

(wish I had a clue how much they cost)

What do you think?  Horribly atrocious, or kind of cute?

~ the brunette