November 14, 2014

Felt Ornaments, Holiday Decor Steals and A Nursery DIY

November 14, 2014/ Mallory

It's the most wonderful time of the year!...well close, anyway. I usually wait until after Thanksgiving to start decorating the house for Christmas, but this year I already have the itch. Maybe it's because I have more time this year (last year we had a brand new baby that took all of our attention and I was lucky to have any decorations up). Or possibly it's because we won't be spending Thanksgiving at our home, so I'm all "Out the pumpkins, in with the pine!" Having a little one to enjoy all of the lights and sparkle is a incentive too...although it might make decorating a challenge with her little hands wanting to touch/pull on everything. Whatever the case may be, I'm ready for holly!

I was looking at Crate & Barrel's holiday outlet sale online the other day and found some really cute ornaments for really cheap... and y'all know I love a good deal! Specifically they had a good bit of felt ornaments (great for kids!) on sale. Felt ornaments are great for many reasons:

Family tree decor- With these you don't need a bare bottom tree in worry that the kids will break something
Mini trees in your kids' rooms- Again with them not being fragile, the kids can even play with them and even decorate the tree themselves
Gift wrapping- Finish off that cute wrapping job with a keepsake. Some of these are cheaper than the cost of a bow!
Nursery decor- Before you call me crazy, let me explain. How many of you have seen really cute felt/wool mobiles on Etsy that you loved but didn't like their price tag? Well with a simple embroidery hoop or dowels, string/twine and ornaments, you can make your own!

Here are a few felt ornament favorites as well as some other great steals I had to share!

Felt Pigs- .57 (orig. 3.95) // Loopy Owls-$1.97 (orig. 8.95) // Polar Bears-$2.47 (orig. 9.95) // Felt Garland-$2.47 (orig. 9.95) // Mercury Glass Polar Bears- .97 (orig. 4.95) // Set of 12 Red and Green Heirloom Ornaments-$9.95 (orig. 39.95) // Carved Wood Horse and Donkey- .57 each (orig. 3.95) // Set of 3 Neighborhood House Ornaments-$2.57 (orig. 9.95) // Linen Scallop Stocking-$4.97 (orig. 19.95)

If you weren't already in the mood for Christmas decor, I hope these adorable deals have you there now!

November 12, 2014

Hotel San Jose, Austin TX

November 12, 2014/ Jessica Nguyen

My family and I just got back from a beautiful wedding celebration in Austin. It was my first time visiting the area and quickly became enamored. The people were friendly, the city was clean, the food was delicious, great architecture, and the Hill Country was quite beautiful.

One morning we had a few hours of free time so I decided to take a walk down Congress Street. I was SO excited when I stumbled upon the Hotel San Jose.

I'm such a nerd. I had to get a picture with the sign and take a tour of the hotel. By the way, Austin has some of the coolest landscaping.

A couple years ago I read an article on the hotel owner, Liz Lambert, and was inspired by her story and her beautiful hotels.

To give you a little background on the owner, in 1994 Liz left her job in New York as a prosecutor for the district attorney office to return to her hometown of Austin. At the time South Congress Street was a rough part of town and the hotel was rundown and a common place for drugs and crime. However, she had a vision for it and ran it as a low rent residential hotel until she had enough funds to renovate.

Today the Hotel San Jose sits as a hip hotel with Texan minimalist flair.

Walking into the courtyard from the Congress Street gate entrance was a bit of a surprise. It was so quiet and serene.

It is not your typical hotel. All the rooms have concrete floors, custom sheets, hand made saddle leather chairs, kimono robes, and Malin + Goetz bath amenities.

Located in the hotel's parking lot sits Lambert's famed Jo's Coffee. You may recognize the "I love you so much" graffiti on the side of the building.

Lambert owns three other equally cool hotels which you can check out here. I enjoyed my short stay in Austin and hope to be back to discover more of it.

Need help designing a room that reflects you? We can help. Drop us a line or scroll to the top of the page for a list of services.

* All images are via Hotel San Jose unless otherwise stated.

November 10, 2014

Yarn Art Wall Hangings

November 10, 2014/ Dana Portillo

Have you seen these?

I'm pretty into them, especially for hanging above the bed in my guest room. It needs a little something and I can't quite find the right thing to put there.

I love that they're totally customizable, based on what you hang the yarn from, how you hang it, the lengths, any adornments/weaving, and colors. Some are very simple, and some probably require the work of a pro (easily found on Etsy).

Take a look at some of these:

{click on image for source, some more DIYs in there!}

I think I'm going to try and make one.

Obviously all of these above are way more advanced than my yarn skills (I mean I'm pretty good at tying a knot). I'm going to try one similar to this:

I'll probably use a found limb for my hanging, and some brighter colors, but all-in-all I think it should be an inexpensive and fun project.

If you're thinking about doing one for yourself, a simple Pinterest search lends itself to a ton of DIYs. Just search "yarn art wall hanging" and there's plenty to select from.

I'll let y'all know how it turns out!

Until next time!

November 07, 2014

DIY Balloon Fringe Tassels

November 07, 2014/ Mallory

I am currently immersed in first birthday party planning for my little girl. Last minute crafting, getting bedrooms ready for out of town guests, wrapping up all of the finishing touches. I feel like the first birthday is such a milestone, and I want to make it a memorable one. I know she won't really remember it now, but I hope one day she can look back on the pictures and see all of the hard work that went into celebrating her first year of life.

We're having a very intimate gathering at our home with some of our closest family and friends. While it is a small affair, I absolutely love planning parties and all of the personal touches that go into them. So naturally, I've exhausted my frugal, perfectionist, DIY self into making almost everything myself (with the exception of the cakes--although I am adding my own decoration to them). Pinterest, of course, has been a great inspiration. What did we do before that little site came along?

One of the ideas I got from Pinterest was making fringe tassels for the oversized balloons I purchased. I love those guys. Anyway, I wanted to create some tassels to go on them for Auden's first birthday pictures and her party. Luckily, I found this tutorial by Firefly Events that described how to do just that.

I followed her steps using some shirts I found at a local thrift store and some lace ribbon I had from a previous project. The total cost (minus the balloons) was $4 ($2 per shirt). You could obviously go to a fabric store to select your choice of fabric as well, but the closest one to me is across town. And I'm sure I would have spent more there anyway (plus the cost of gas to get there). So the thrift store it was. Win, win. Whatever fabric you end up using remember to take its weight into consideration. Something too heavy will weigh the balloon down. Which is also why using tissue paper is a good option. If you're using more than one balloon, you can obviously have more weight.

Here is my finished product from afar. It's all I have to show for now, but I'll be back with more photos and party details later. I absolutely love how it turned out and am sure I will be making many more in the future!

Wish me luck for a smashing party (no pun intended)!... but I can't wait to see what she does with her smash cake :)

November 03, 2014

holiday wreath time

November 03, 2014/ Dana Portillo

Halloween is officially over.

You know what that means....

Christmas explosion in every store that sells things. And this exceptionally chilly fall weather really gets you in the mood to start the early decoration (unless this is your official time of year to decorate, anyway).

So let's talk about another design pet peeve of mine (how many are there?--I may never know):

Tacky Wreaths...

Front doors are your home's first impression. How you decorate them takes it a step further. So let's keep it classy. Timeless. No sparkles, no loopy monograms, no chevron bows. Let's get serious, people.

Wreaths are one of those things that bites a little in the beginning. They're not cheap, but they're a good investment. If they're preserved correctly, they will last you several years. And a good one won't go out of style quickly. The reason they cost what they do (for a good one) is because someone put a lot of work into it. I made wreaths once for Christmas gifts and it took FOR. EV. ER. I don't really wanna talk about it...

Instead, let's take a look at some good-looking front doors, shall we? So you know what I mean when I say a GOOD wreath...

{click on images for source}

Classic boxwood with a nice ribbon (which could be changed out seasonally)

This one has a lot of elements to it (that normally I wouldn't like), but the wreath-maker kept it monochromatic, with an interesting pop of color in the green apples.

Love thinking outside of the box! A basket with greenery!

A nice evergreen wreath with a few small pinecones. Loving the color of that door, too!

Grapevine is popular because it's easily found at craft stores. However it quickly becomes the poor target of a Pinterest DIY and it's simple beauty gets lost. Here is a great way to mix in a bit of greenery that's not overdone.

I'm not against a yarn wreath. They can be elegant, and they speak to my quirky/artsy side. But you've gotta be careful with these too. They can get too elementary or too busy really fast.

Side note: I love the wire basket planter idea!

I mean, if I had chickens, I'd give them a coop wreath, too.

Not a front door, but if you have a lot of windows, you may want to decorate those, as well!

Ok, so, now maybe you want to know how to stray away from a tacky wreath. Here's a few guidelines to help you out:

1. Less is more. When in doubt, go with something simple. Weed out the snowflakes and the fake woodland creatures and the ribbons and the sparkle pears. You can still have a lot of detail and interest by just using one or two elements.

2. Stick with natural materials when possible. If you don't think you can pull off a crafty ribbon, yarn, or felt wreath, then don't. Natural ones are more classy and timeless. And you have a ton of options in this department: evergreens, olive leaf, bay leaf, twigs, grapevine, holly, flowers, pinecones...

3. Choose faux materials wisely. Make sure they aren't too fakey--that's a given. No one says you have to go with real greenery, but keep an eye on them. Groom them, dust them, and if it fades in the sun, replace it. Don't be that person with the grayish-teal wreath that used to be a nice evergreen color.

4. Go with the pros. Unless you're REALLY good at crafting, don't follow a Pinterest DIY (trust me on this one...just trust me), and don't buy your wreath from some festival crafty booth that seems to be drawing in all the college students. If you are not a college student, don't dress your front door like a dorm room. The same goes for cutesy knick-knack stores. You know the ones. Buy your gifts there if it suits you--not your wreaths.

Need help finding a good wreath? Gotcha covered there, too. Check it out.

Most of these aren't too bad cost-wise, considering you should get a lot of good use out of them. And some of them are preserved natural materials--even better!

If you're into shopping local (which I always recommend), many of the florists around town should have good natural wreaths. And if you have a great farmers market, I bet around this time a few vendors will have out bay leaf, olive leaf, or evergreen wreaths.

Spot any good wreaths out while doing your holiday decor shopping? Leave a comment and tell us where!

Until next time...

October 31, 2014

Bar Carts and How to Style Them

October 31, 2014/ Mallory

Now is the time of year when everyone is entertaining in their home. Aside from having a beautiful dinner table (you can purchase our table setting packages here if you haven't already), I love a nicely done bar cart. If your space and budget allow, I think these are a great investment for entertaining--they are fun, stylish and portable...what's not to like? I've compiled a list of a few of my favorites below. For smaller budgets, tray tables are a great option.

1 ($499) // 2 ($249) // 3 ($349) // 4 ($399, also in polished nickel) // 5 ($299) // 6 ($129)

Once you have your cart, you need to set it up right. This can be easily done with these essentials. So grab the necessities and interject your personal style for a cart that you and your guests will enjoy.

How to style a bar cart:

Small decorative bowl(s): For snacks or drink garnishes
Straws: Paper straws are my favorite, and they come in every style/color you can think of these days.
Florals/greenery: A great way to add color and life to your cart. You can keep everything else on the cart the same and simply change out the flowers for an entirely different look.
Glassware: Forgo the plastics and get a set or two of essential glassware. West Elm is one of my favorite places to find these, and they just so happen to have their glassware on sale (with free shipping!) right now.
Ice bucket (and tongs): Because no one wants a hot drink.
Cocktail shaker: Another no-brainer.
Bar tools: Purchase a jigger, stirrer and bottle opener if nothing else. You can often find these tools sold in a set.
Mixers: Have your favorite mixers on hand for quick pouring. Swap juice containers for glass carafes and cohesive look.
Alcohol: Unless you prefer the virgin variety of course. Serving liquors from decanters instead of cheap looking store-bought packaging is optimal (especially for style points).
Decanters: See above.
Coasters: Protect your furniture and add your style with a personal monogram. I love these options from Mark & Graham.
Tray: They are a great way to corral your glasses and alcohol and keep your cart looking organized even when full.

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How to style a bar cart: