Mallory's Christmas Traditions

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  Yes, I truly believe that.  Christmas is a great time for making memories and remembering old traditions.  We thought we spend this week sharing a few of our favorites, including the recipes for our favorite dishes we look forward to each Christmas!   

Favorite childhood Christmas tradition(s):

We went to a Christmas tree farm and cut down our own tree.  The hunt for the tree and the hayride were fun, but the best part was getting it home and decorating it as a family.  We'd turn the lights down and turn up the Christmas music, and it was like my own little heaven.  I also loved having a mini tree of my own to decorate in my room.  I'd fall asleep each night just staring at the lights.  I can't wait for my girls to get to do the same.

Me (left) and my sister in our matching PJs.

Favorite new tradition:

We attend the candlelight service on Christmas Eve and go driving around looking at lights and listening to Christmas music as a family afterward.  It's truly a night of lights!  There's not much more beautiful than being in a room full of candlelight with everyone around lifting their voices to the King.  I also want to start hosting a Wrapping Party for me and my friends to get together and enjoy food, drinks and making our family's presents look beautiful. 

Image via Inspired By This

Favorite Christmas movie:

Prancer, circa 1989.  I still like to watch it every year.  The small town living, childhood love of Christmas that Jessica has, the cleaning up of the old lady's attic (weird I know, but I seriously LOVE cleaning out and organizing other people's spaces), restoring Christmas joy to so many and of course a sweet reindeer---ahhh what's not to love?  

Favorite decorating tip:

Pick a color or theme and run with it, from the ornaments to the wrapping--keeping a similar palette helps everything be cohesive for a well-thought-out look.  Also, incorporate lights in indoor decor wherever you can.  Everything looks more magical when it's glowing :)

Favorite Dish:

Christmas morning we always had a yummy breakfast on my mom's Christmas china consisting of cinnamon rolls, bacon, grits and and breakfast casserole to name a few.  I now make the breakfast casserole for my family as well, and I love that it can be made the day before and just popped in the oven the next morning.  There's enough going on Christmas morning to worry about any major baking!  

BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
Ingredients
1 pound sausage (I use Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage)
6 eggs
2 cups milks
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground mustard (optional)
8 slices white bread, cut off crust and cut into 1/2 cubes-scissors or a pizza cutter work great
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Black pepper, to taste

Directions
In a skillet, brown and crumble sausage; drain and set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs; add milk, salt and mustard. Place bread cubes in bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Add cheese and then cooked sausage. Pour egg mixture on top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Client Glam-Pham

It has been a while since we shared any of our projects. Thought I would share today some work we recently completed for our client Glam-Pham.

Client Glam-Pham was in the process of building a new home in Houston, Texas and reached out to us. She needed help with putting together a design for her master bedroom and office, as well as paint color suggestions for the entire house.  She wanted a soft glam aesthetic for both rooms. Our color palette consisted of soft blues, grays, and ivories. We mixed in a few metallics, along with luxurious textiles and a couple chandies of course! Here is what we came up with.

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom and Bath Wall Color Suggestions

Office

Office Paint Color Suggestions

We can't wait to see progress pics and promise to share. In the mean time, we are really excited to be working on a design for her living room. It is going to be fabulous! A navy sofa may make its way into the room. Here is the color pallete we will be working with.

We will keep you posted. 

Have a great weekend!

If you are building a home, let us help you. We can help pick out finishes, as well as put together a design that you can implement once you move in. Drop us a line here to start the conversation.

A Christmas List- for Kids

It's that time of year!.. When everyone goes crazy trying to find the perfect gift for those in their life.  I love Christmas and all that it entails.  The twinkling lights, Christmas music, candlelight services and gift giving. 

Now that I have two little ones of my own (still hard to believe sometimes), I try to look for gifts that offer both fun and function.  I have no desire for a ton of little toys, that they will quickly tire of, to litter my floors.  Instead, I like to look for items they can use for a long time--things well-made, that will get much use!

Here are a few of my favorites I've found this year: 

View fullsize

one // two // three // four // five // six

one- This wall organizer is a great way to free up floor space and encourage little ones to help clean up at the end of the day.  Plus, kids LOVE pockets.  This allows them to sort their goodies any way they please.
two- This whale rocker is not only adorable and fun, but it also has storage in the back for books and toys.  Win-win.

three- This kid-size acrylic desk is a great place to let your little ones' imaginations run wild.  Its sleek design doesn't take up much visual space in a room (great for already crowded playrooms or bedrooms) and has a little slot for holding extra books and notepads. Can you tell I like storage? ;)

four- You may have seen this one on our Instagram feed a few weeks ago.  Auden got this tee pee for her birthday last month, and it's been a big hit--so much so, that my nephews will be getting one for Christmas!  I love that it's a simple canvas so we can change out the look and embellish with colored garland and pendants as we please.  And the window is just an added bonus!  Plus, this particular tee pee is much less expensive than many others I sourced.

five- These mini tolix-inspired chairs come in 4 colors and will be sure to add a little design flare to your playroom.  Honestly, how cute are they?

six- This vintage kitchen will be one of Auden's gifts this Christmas.  It too is offered in a variety of colors, many of which that won't clash with your own decor if you plan on having it in the living room like us. It's stylish and well-made, and I can't wait to see my girls spending many hours "cooking" at it!

That's it!  I hope I've brought you some new ideas or at least made you think of gift giving in a different way :)  

Eight Essentials to Creating an Inviting Guest Room

With the holiday season upon us, many of you will have out of town guest staying the night. To help your visitors feel comfortable, here are a eight essentials to creating an inviting guest room.

The White Company

1. A Comfortable Bed

Ensure that the pillows and mattress are comfortable. You do not want your guest getting up the next day soar from a poor night's sleep. A memory foam mattress pad can make the stiffest of beds more comfortable. If possible offer two types of pillows. One soft and the other slightly firmer, since everyone has different preferences.

Helen Green

2. Crisp Clean Sheets

You would think this goes with out saying but I have experienced staying in a guest room that had remains from the previous guest on the sheets. It was gross and uncomfortable to say the least. Everyone appreciates crawling into a clean bed at the end of the day.

Martin Patrick 3

3. A Room Free of Clutter and Personal Photos

Otherwise, your guests will feel like they are intruding on your personal space.

DTM Interiors

4. Storage

Have a few hangers in the closet for your guest to hang their clothes.  A couple of empty  drawers is nice too. Especially, for those that are staying multiple nights.

If you have decorative pillows on the bed, have a place for your guest to store them; such as a bench at the foot of the bed or a basket. This will prevent the pillows from ending up on the floor. A bench can also double as a luggage rack.

Helen Green

5. Side Table

A side table will provide a place for your guest to charge their phones and place their jewelry and other small items.

6. Hooks

Consider a couple hooks on the wall or back of the door to hang items such as their purse, coat, and towel.

BHG

7. Personal Touches

Personal touches are thoughtful gestures that make your guest feel welcomed. Here are a few to consider. Fresh flowers, a welcome basket with toiletries and/or favorite snacks, reading material. A couple water bottles, so your guest do not have to walk to the kitchen in the middle of the night if they get thirsty.

8. Fluffy Towels

It is also helpful to place towels in the room for your guests so that they do not have to rummage for them or come find you when they are ready to shower.

With these eight essentials you are sure to have an inviting guest room.

Thanks for stopping by!

Easy Centerpiece for your Thanksgiving Table

With Thanksgiving in just a couple days I thought I would share an easy, DIY centerpiece to dress up your table.  This centerpiece can be done with little cost. With the exception of the flowers that cost me $20, I used what I had at the house or could find outside. 

Here is what I used:

• decorative runner I had purchased last year from World Market
• flowers
• pine cones
• small pumpkins- left over from Halloween
• variety of tree branches from local park- Magnolia, Oak (i believe) and Holly
• a few naval oranges
• two green vases I purchased a few years back from Target
• a couple decorative brass bowls and candlesticks

First decide on the color palette you want. I wanted to add a bit more color than what you would normally associate Thanksgiving with. I found a couple bouquets at the grocery store that had a combination of orange, yellows, pinks and purples. Next, decide how many arrangements you want. Since my table is pretty long I decided to do two.  Place the runner down and position your vases. I then started laying the branches, starting from left to right. I flipped some of the Magnolia branches face down so more of the brown underside would show. Once my "garland" was complete, I moved on to the vases.

I divided up the flower bouquets to make two similar arrangements. Working in a circular pattern, I started with the taller leafy pieces in the back and the brighter pink flowers upfront. Once I was happy with the arrangements, I added my filler (pumpkins, oranges, pinecones, and brass accents) to my garland.

There you have it! Easy-peasy and with little cost.

I encourage you to take inventory of what you already have at home.  For filler alternatives, you can use a variety of produce- apples, grapes, lemons, artichokes, pretty purple cabbage. Anything really that has some contrast to your clippings.

Here I added candlesticks but I think I prefer it without them.

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Sherwin Williams Color of the Year 2016

Yesterday, Sherwin Williams announced their color of the year for 2016. Are you ready for it? 

Ta da! Alabaster (SW 7008) 

A bit underwhelmed? You are not alone. I get from a marketing stand point, many people are painting their walls white these days (me included) but as the Color of the Year I was hoping for something with more pigmentation.  A color that inspires, like last years Coral Reef.

Sherwin Williams 2015 Color of the year- SW Coral Reef

Okay, so I never thought once to use Coral Reef but it is a saturated with COLOR and worthy of the title- in my humble opinion.

Sherwin Williams' announcement comes after Benjamin Moore and Glidden selected a white as their color of the year too (Simply White and Cappuccino White, respectively).

Well, Alabaster, you are a pretty shade of white. Enjoy your reign as Sherwin Williams' Color of the Year 2016!