Tips to keep your garland looking fresh

Like many, Christmas is my FAVORITE time of year! I find it to be magical. The lights, the music, the smell of burning logs, getting together with friends and family, the food!

The Christmas decorations have started to go up in the Nguyen casa. This year I thought it would be nice to try using real garland.  I plan to purchase them a little closer to Christmas so they don't dry out before hand.  While researching how to keep real garland fresh I found a few tips.

If you are wanting something with a little less maintenance, Kelly from A View Along the Way has a trick where she adds fresh cuttings to fake garland.

Here is an image of her dollar store garland.

She then collected clippings from around her house and from the clippings bin at her local garden store.

Then tucked the real clippings into the fake garland.

TA-DA! Clever, huh?

A word of caution for those with small children and pets. Popular berry-producing plants such as Hollies, yews, mistletoe, ivy, Jerusalem cherry, bittersweet and crown of thorns all produce poisonous berries. Keep them out of reach from children and pets and be sure to discard any berries that may fall.

If you have some additional tips to keeping your garland looking fresh, please share them with us.

P.S. Today is the last day to take advantage of our 50% off EDesign promo! Don't miss this great opportunity. We won't be running this special again.

5 Clever Places to Hang Stockings Without a Mantel

Our house doesn't have a fireplace. I think (besides apartment living) this is the first time that has happened! I didn't mind it too much until Christmas rolled around. 

So I had to get a little creative.

Turns out there are a lot of ways you can display those Christmas stockings just as nicely without a fireplace mantel. Here are some of my favorites:

{click on images for sourcing}

1. On the Stairs

This is pretty classic, next to mantels. My mom does this (even with a fireplace) and it looks great!

If you live in a split level home that has a short railing, you can take advantage of that as well!

2. On the bed. 

I love this for kids' rooms. It brings in some personal seasonal decor to their space!

3. On a door or from a cased opening

This is beautiful when there's garland included. And really I saw some great examples of beautiful garland in doorways, but not as many people have thought to put stockings there...guess there are not so many clever people out there ; ) 

A great surprise when kids come from their room in the morning!

4. From furniture.

A sideboard, console, chairs, china cabinet...get creative!

Great for your own home or a Christmas gathering

5. On a makeshift mantel.

Another creatively broad option. Here's a few great examples:

Coat hooks

From a sturdy branch

On an old ladder

From a floating shelf--I love this one because you can create a mantel effect. So pretty!

So fear not, fellow flameless dwellers. Surely you have one of these options in your home that will work wonderfully. 

I hope you're all enjoying decorating for the season. All the chilly weather had me itching to get started right away. Not to rush Thanksgiving out the door, but we had also just moved into our home 2 weeks before Christmas last year. And then I came down with an awful virus, and then we had to travel all over the place. It left very little room for decoration. We had a tree with lights. That's it! We probably looked like the scrooges of the neighborhood. So this year we're making sure not to leave anything out! Plus my daughter is nearly two and is really starting to enjoy things like this. Every morning she says "heyyyy chreee!" to our Christmas tree, which we've appropriately decked with toddler-proof ornaments ;)

I'll make sure to share some snippets with you.

ANNNNNDDDDD, don't forget about our Cyber Monday Deal! HALF OFF E-Design! It's a steal. Really. We must be crazy. But we have so much fun in the process that we don't mind :) 

Until next time, folks!

5 tips to a stylish Thanksgiving Buffet

The past couple years my husband and I have taken over the role of hosting both of our families for Thanksgiving. Because our family is too large to seat down at a formally set table, we lay all the food buffet style and it's get in where you fit in.

If you plan to have a buffet style Thanksgiving too, here are a few tips on putting together a stylish one.

1. START WITH A THEME

Putting together a stylish buffet table doesn't have to be expensive. Take stock of what you have already that you may want to use as a starting point: a table runner, a pretty serving dish, left over pumpkins from Halloween. Look around your yard. Perhaps there are some pretty branches, clippings from a rosemary bush, leaves, acorns, or pine cones.

2. ADD VARYING HEIGHTS

As seen in the image below, it is visually more interesting to have items laid out at different levels. If you do not have decorative items that can be used for elevation, stack books and cover them with linens.

Via

3. LABEL DISHES

Food labels can be an easy and inexpensive way to add a personal touch to your buffet. Pinterest has several labels that you can download or you can get creative and make your own.

This walnut used as a charity card holder could also work as a label holder.

Via

4. DRESS UP YOUR PROTEIN

Typically, the protein tends to be the star of the table. Dress it up! Use items that you used to cook with such as fresh herbs, greens, fruits, vegetables.

Via

5. DISPLAY THE SILVERWARE STYLISHLY

The silverware offers another opportunity to be creative. Instead of laying them in a pile on the table, tie together individual sets with twine or place them collectively in a decorative container. *Tip- Place the silverware at the end of the buffet, rather at the beginning. By doing so, it prevents juggling of the utensils while trying to serve yourself.

Via

With a little resourcefulness, a stylish buffet can be achieved with little to no cost. As an added bonus, here is a free download of these adorable left over labels designed by Bloom Designs. Just print them out and stick them on your guests' take home container.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

E-Design Made Easy

Happy Friday everyone!  Are you all getting ready for the holidays?  Will you be hosting a gathering at your home?  Do you have some spaces that just aren't quite right?  If you answered yes to these questions, we can help you get your home ready!  

Our E-Design process is simple, fast and easy!  We have a whole page dedicated to telling you all about the process here.  But we also wanted to show you just how quickly you can be on your way to having a room (and home) you love.  Big or small, we can tackle any of your design problems! Here's how it works:

Pretty simple right?  And everything you need gets sent right to your inbox in a pretty little package.

The best thing about our process is that you can implement the design as your time and budget allow.  You are in control!  Our packages make great gifts too: Christmas, birthday, housewarming gift... who wouldn't love a brand new space designed just for them?  

As Jessica mentioned, we have a promotion starting on Cyber Monday (and it's a good one!).  So stay tuned and start thinking about what room(s) in your home need us.  We can't wait to give you a space you'll love all year!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us here.

Top Picks from H&M

Have you seen H&M's current home collection? There are so many great pieces! They have several stylish storage container options (say that 5 times), a rad kids line and some fun bath towels, just to name a few. This green sequin pillow is pretty sexy too.

Here are my current top picks.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9

Don't you just love the hammered copper knobs? They come in silver too and at $3.95, they are a steal!

Can we take a moment to discuss the pink cockatoo towels? L-O-V-E! How fun would those be in a guest or kids bathroom? White subway tile, gray grout, matte black faucet. I can see it now. Somebody, please let me design a bathroom around them.

Speaking of which, be on the look out for details on our awesome Cyber Monday deal.

Snuggle Up! Throw Blanket Favorites

Y'all.

It's getting COLD down here on the Gulf Coast. It's supposed to be in the TWENTIES tonight. What?! My poor veggie garden got a late start and now my poor tomatoes are hanging on for dear life. 

{On a related note, if you are a fan of green tomatoes--aka frying green tomatoes--I'm your girl. We may have dozens!}

We've been doing a lot of snuggling and movie watching since the outdoors haven't been so friendly. So I decided to do a throw blanket round-up. 

Somehow, I've never actually purchased a throw for myself before. I am always given one as a gift. But even still I always find myself lingering around the throw section at stores, putting my tactile senses to good use. 

Hey, they make good accessories! An easy and useful dose of color and texture.

Typically, if I were buying myself (or someone else I suppose) a throw, I'd pick a natural material. Because, well, it's natural, and most of the time renewable. Unless it's just a really good deal or really good looking...or both. And then sometimes I'll go with synthetics. But down in the south, I like a throw to snuggle up with even during the summer, so I typically like a natural material that breathes a little better, so I'm not turning the a/c down to winter temps just so I can be comfortable with a blanket. Because that would just be silly.

So here are some good ones:

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 

They range in price from $15 upwards to close to $100 (like I said, you pay for the good stuff.)

But, I'm going to make Mallory very proud of me right now and let you in on a secret. If you want a great deal on a throw (they make great gifts--I should know!), I see them ALL the time for great prices at TJMaxx, Tuesday Morning, and stores of the like. And they're usually under $30. 

Also if you know someone that's handy with a knitting or crochet needle, consider offering to pay them for a commissioned throw blanket. A lot of people I know that knit or crochet love to do it. I sure wish I had the time to learn...and then more time to make something...

Hopefully this gives you some good ideas. And if you see any good deals around, you know we love to hear about them!

Happy snuggling!