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6 Easy-To-Make Holiday Centerpieces
Need some inspiration for your holiday table? Here are some ideas you can do yourself, or take to your florist.
A bark basket is filled with pine greens, twigs from a craft store, pine cones and berries. Buy large pine cones and use florist wire to wrap floral sticks to them. Place into oasis to create this beautiful centerpiece for a table or your coffee table.
This is a photo of my sister-in-law’s dining room. She lives in Verbier, Switzerland. You can’t see it, but a beautiful waterfall tumbles behind the window. Here, she’s get a beautiful basket, wrapped with leaves and tied with twine. The basket it filled with hydrangeas. Simple and lovely. If you can’t find hydrangeas, use another full flower.
I made this simple centerpiece using a wood, leaf-shaped basket from Scout, a home store in Royal Oak ($54.00). I used pine cuttings from the yard and layered large pine cones on top. Another cutting from a tree, tied with a satin ribbon, finishes the look.
This is another simple idea you can do yourself. Square, decorative boxes are lined with votives filled with water and a litte oasis. Pine cuttings and wild flowers are placed to create small, simple centerpieces. Make several and line them along the table, alternating votives candles.
I like this more abstract idea. You can use just about any sort of vase you have and fill them will a variety of roses and other flowers to create a colorful setting that matches your dishes. You can spray paint leaves to create even more bling factor.
This lovely idea using paperwhites is from My Sweet Savannah. Check out her blog for even more ideas.
DH Giveaway: Enter To Win “The Vintage Table”
I think The Vintage Table is a book a lot of you will be interested in adding to your library. Or, perhaps you know someone else who would. Now you have a change to be one of the first to own a copy – before its official release on December 29th.
The publisher of The Vintage Table, by Jacqueline DeMontravel, sent me an advance copy to review. It’s very difficult to give this book away. It’s right up my alley. French, vintage and tabletop. If you also collect vintage textiles, you will adore this book. I also love the fact that it covers more than just place settings. You’ll find inspirational ideas for dressing up all kinds of things from end tables to shelves. There are lots of beautiful photos along the way.
Jacqueline discusses collections as well. It’s all decidedly French, so you know I love that. My apartment in Paris is waiting for me. I’ll be there one of these days!
How To Enter
To win this book, simply leave a comment under any of this week’s giveaway posts. I’d like to see if I can get a discussion going about how you like to “decorate” your tables. Do you place photos on the mantle, or do you think that’s boring? Do you have a style secret you’d like to offer us? Decorating tabletops is my weak point, so I need your tips! If you’re feeling shy, just say hello and you’re still entered to win.
The winner will be drawn, at random, on Saturday, December 12th. The contest is open to everyone living in the US and Canada. If you’ve won a giveaway in the last months, please let everyone else have a chance.
Good luck and let’s have some fun!
Erin Ruth Gift Wrap
I’m taking the day off to catch up on some personal stuff. Be back tomorrow! Don’t forget to enter by giveaways!
In the meantime, take a peek at Erin Ruth’s beautifully tasteful gift wrap. It’s now on sale at her Etsy shop.
See everyone tomorrow!
DH Giveaways!
Have you entered to win one of the two giveaways I’m running this week? Why not?
Speaking of Christmas ornaments, (see earlier post) Grosse Pointe’s own Village Palm has donated this top drawer set of Lilly Pulitzer photo frame Christmas ornaments. To enter, simply leave a comment and let me know your secret preppy name. Mine is Tucky. Is yours Biff?
And, if you’re taking the week off between Christmas and New Years, why not use the time to spruce up a room in your home? Benjamin Moore’s Paint Style book will give you lots of ideas and tips on how to paint a room and create a new look instantly. Don’t forget to send me the Before and After photos! To enter, leave a comment and let me know you want the book.
You can certainly enter to win both. There will be two winners, chosen at random. The contest runs through Friday and is open to everyone living in the US and Canada. I’ll announce the winner on Saturday.
Enter now!
4 Beautiful Holiday Place Setting Ideas
How do you set the perfect table for the holidays? Here are four ideas I dreamed up to help and inspire you. Plus, a few of my usual tips so you can create your own special table.
Traditional Christmas
Owning a set of Christmas dishes is a wonderful thing. It adds to the traditional atmosphere of the day. A special set, like Grenadiers (Bernardaud, $67.00 dinner plate) becomes a family heirloom.
For this place setting I started with a cotton place mat with holiday embroidery (C&W Imports, $7.00). To show off the dinner plate I placed a burgundy charger underneath to create contrast (Picard, $99.00). The salad plate (Decor Or from JL Coquet Limoges, $124.00) in a style that complements the plate. I’m not a master napkin folder, I made a simple fold using a matching embroidered napkin (C&W Imports, $7.00) to finish the setting.
For accents, keep things traditional with cut crystal stemware. Candles candles should match the plates. Different heights are nice.
Vintage Simplicity
Sometimes the best things in life come from garage sales. That’s where I found these napkins. They make great placemats. Because they’re not a traditional size, I’d start with a white tablecloth with the placemats on top. The dishes are vintage Lenox – the Cretin pattern from the 1960’s.
I kept this simple, with stainless flatware and a vintage, handmade wine glass I bought on a trip to Venice. The “focal point” is a handmade Christmas ornament.
A Sophisticated Table
I wrote about the nxt two place setting last week, but decided to put them all together in one post. Hope you don’t mind! I wanted to show how you can dress a place setting by creating a focal point. A small dish in the center of the dinner plate focuses the eye on the center. I added a matching glass ornament, tied with a satin ribbon to finish the look.
The dishes are a charger (Anciennes Manufacture Royale, $150) topped with one of the most beautiful dishes in the world – Herend’s Elizabeth ($250.00). The focal point dish is Gold Leaf by Bernardaud, $79.00. I used a contrasting napkin at set it above the plate just to be different. A snowflake napkin ring is a nice touch.
Casual Christmas
IF you own a nice set of everyday dishes, you can dress them up for the holidays with linens. At yet another estate sale I found this handmade lace tablecloth. That adds some nice texture. Christmas colors set the holiday mood. I used a green placemat (Bodrum, $15.00) with a country-style red and white napkin (Williamsburg, $5.50). The beautiful dishes are from Juliska. I centered the look with a cutting from the garden, tied with a red satin ribbon.
Jennifer’s Tips
- Use natural fibers. All cotton, linen and satin are the key to a perfect table setting. Synthetic fabrics don’t have the same look or feel. Satin or grosgrain ribbon are good choices because they don’t look like gift wrap.
- Create a focal point with a small dish and a napkin or Christmas ornament. A dreidel is another perfect choice.
- Buy a set of matching wine glasses. You can find stemware at the grocery store!
I’d like the thank The League Shop for lending me all the pieces for my place settings. They sell things both contemporary and traditional. If you live in Detroit, pay them a visit. We all need to buy locally. If you live elsewhere, you can still call the shop – they’ll be happy to place an order over the phone.
Do you have a favorite place setting idea?
DH Giveaway: Lilly Pulitzer Christmas
Everyone here in Grosse Pointe, including Binky and Wellington Triplet, III (actual real name), knows that the proper Christmas colors are pink and green. That’s why this giveaway is so spot on. This lovely set of Lilly Pulitzer photo frame Christmas ornaments is courtesy of The Village Palm – Grosse Pointe’s social hub for all things Lilly.
You can divide up the set, fill them with photos of you and Tucky at the tennis club, and give them as stocking stuffers. Or, keep them all for yourself. Your tree will look top drawer! And thanks to my pal, Sarah, for sponsoring this giveaway. If you live in or near The Pointes, be sure to stop by The Village Palm to stock up on all your pink and green supplies.
As usual, the contest runs all week and I’ll announce the winner (drawn at random) on Saturday. To enter, let me know your favorite Prepster name. Missy, Worth, Trip are just a few suggestions.
Don’t forget this week’s other giveaway – a copy of Benjamin Moore’s Paint Style. It’s filled with lots of tips on how to make your mansion look its best. Follow this link to read the details.
How To Set A Beautiful Holiday Table
You don’t need a special set of holiday china to set a table that also sets the mood. Any color china can be embellished to do the job nicely.
Here some more tips (see yesterday’s post) on how to take what you have and make the most of it.
Start with your everyday china. What color is it? I’m using Herend’s spectacular Elizabeth pattern. It’s super pricey ($250 per dinner plate), but it’s too beautiful not to play with. Really, any plate will do. Work with the main color and choose colors that will match, or coordinate. Gold and silver are usually good choices for holidays. There’s no law that says you can’t use any color you like because we’re going to make it say “Holiday” with a focal point.
Since the color I’m working is raspberry with gold accents, I’ve set a matching charger underneath. This gold banded style is from Ancienne Manufacture Royale ($150.00). Ouch?! I agree. Just scoot over to Target where you’ll find a wide variety of choices for about $15.00 each. Just make sure your charger complements the plate. Gold or silver are festive choices.
Now we need a plate for our focal point. I’m continuing with my raspberry and gold color palette by using a gold butter dish ($79.00 from Bernardaud). You can use gold, silver or a color than matches your dish. A small butter dish is nice because its size focuses the eye on the center. Here is another example, using a larger plate from the same Gold Leaf pattern, which makes the point that smaller is better.
Top the small dish with an ornament of the season. Keep in mind that you want to use something that complements your color palette. Here are some ideas.
- Christmas: an ornament tied with a satin ribbon
- Thanksgiving: a leaf, pine cone, berries, gourd. Tie a satin ribbon at the stem.
- Hanukkah: A dreidel, a little box tied with ribbon
Now that we have our focal point, we’re going to round out the place setting with stainless, flatware from Waterford ($89.00 5 piece setting). A little gold accent is nice with our setting. For a less expensive option, try this one from Target.
I’m not one for fancy napkin folding, so I used a simple snowflake ring and a jewel-toned green napkin. Jewel tones go together. Blue goes with red, silver, orange. Not everything has to match.
Finally, make sure you have enough wine glasses. Drinking glasses are not allowed! If you use proper wine glasses you can buy less expensive wine and it will taste better. These are from Juliska and Simon Pearce.
My centerpiece are simple flowers in a coordinating color. Actually, these flowers were awful – sprayed! The stuff got all over everything. They look pretty, though.
Jennifer’s Tips
1. Use your regular china and choose a matching or coordinating color palette. Gold and silver are good holiday choices
2. Create a focal point by using a small plate topped with an ornament of the season.
3. Use real wine glasses
4. Linens should be natural fibers and ribbons should be satin or grosgrain – no giftwrap.
Thanks to The League Shop, Grosse Pointe’s best tabletop shop, for allowing me to borrow their beautiful dishes and tableware. They will be happy to take orders over the phone and ship the Herend china directly to my door (LOL)!
Do you have some holiday tips? Share!
Bright Color for Christmas Decoration
I enjoyed reading this trend story over at Color for Your Home. It focuses on using bright colors for Christmas decoration.
It’s nice to see choices that aren’t the typical red and green. To read the post and see all the fun images, follow this link.
DH Giveaway! Handmade Christmas Stocking
This week’s giveaway is a beautiful, handmade Christmas stocking, designed, machine embroidered, and sewn together by me! Say nice things about it!
This giveaway is like the others. It last all week and I’ll draw the winner at random on Saturday. Leave a comment under any of the posts and you’re in. I ship to the US and Canada.
I’ll run reminder posts, with the final one on Wednesday. Then I’m off for Thanksgiving. But you’ll hear from me on Saturday when I announce the winner. And don’t forget that starting next week I’ll be running two giveaways each week until Christmas.
Lettepress from Paper Source
This letterpress kit from Paper Source is something I could really get into. I’m a fan of the dying art of letter writing. Never underestimate the power of a hand-written thank-you note.
Now you can make your own handprinted stationary with this letterpress kit from Paper Source. Make your own monogrammed stationary, Christmas cards, thank-you notes – a thousand and one uses. Yay! Become the most popular craftster on your block – everyone will want to be your best friend in exchange for their own stationary made by you. Better than a pork chop any day.
The letterpress kit (comes with a bunch of stuff) sells for $149.99. The wedding, alphabet (not shown) Christmas kits sell for $24.99 each.
I’d like to see more kits and Paper Source should add a link to extra paper. Other than that, I love it. How about you?
DH Gift Guide: 5 Great Gifts For Guitar Players
My gift guides this year aren’t just about interior design. I thought I’d spread the subject out. After all, we like interior design. But it’s not necessarily the thing for those we love. Plus, it gives me a chance to visit life outside the box for a bit and work on my own shopping list. wink, wink.
Do you know a guitar player? How about a wanna-be guitar player? Here are some ideas from my favorite musician, misterarthur.
1. Personalized Picks
All the big rock stars have them. Here, for example, a front and back of one of Eric Clapton’s picks: There’s no reason you can’t do the same for the guitar player in your life. Lots of places sell them, but Pickworld (100 picks for $30) is a good place to start.
Before you buy, check your player’s preferences. Picks are made of various materials and thicknesses. Your guitarist may prefer one over another. Even if you don’t get them exactly right, your player will be thrilled.
2. Vintage Rock Poster
How about a ‘vintage’ rock poster? Real antique posters are pricey pricey pricey. Consider getting one from one of the originators of “psychedelic art”, Detroit’s own Gary Grimshaw. He’s re-printed some faves we can all afford. Here’s Jimi Hendrix at Detroit’s Masonic Temple Auditorium ($15.00)
If you’re into more modern music, here’s one for the White Stripes ($30.00)
3. Guitar Strings
You can never have enough of ‘em, and getting a whole bunch at once would be very cool. They also make a great small gift at around $12.00 a pack. Musician’s Friend sells all kinds of strings – separately and in bulk sets, which are fun. Be sure to look through his or her guitar case to see what brand he or she likes. (And remember, electric and acoustic guitars use different kinds of strings). Ok, so they don’t have swanky packaging – you’ll think of something to make them look more attractive.
4. Guitar Case
Lugging a hard case around gets to be kind of a drag. But most soft cases don’t do a real good job protecting the instrument. This one does. It’s made by Mono ($189.99).
5. A Guitar!
If you have a tween-ager or an older daughter who’d like to play the guitar, there are a bunch of great choices. Daisy Rock makes guitars just for girls. The acoustic Wildwood model ($419) comes in funky colors.
If your daughter is more of an electric rocker chick, try one of these. The Squier Hello Kitty Stratocaster ($199.99) is sized for a younger girl. So is the Daisy Rock Debutante series. The pink guitar on the left is sells for $169.00.
Finding the groupies are up to you!
DH Gift Guide: 10 Great Gifts for iPods
Yay! My first gift guide is here at last. I know you’ve been counting the days. I’m starting things off with add-on suggestions for one of my favorite, can’t-live-without things – the iPhone. Actually, these gifts are great for an iPod, cell phone, etc…
1. Gelaskin Covers
I like Gelaskins because they protect your iPhone without making it bulky. They’ve got zillions of styles to choose from ($14.95). Here is a blogosphere favorite.
2. Vers Wooden iPhone Cover
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Vers makes this hip wooden cover. The iWhatever slides in. You’ll find this at my favorite gadget shop, Think Geek ($39.95).
3. Fallout Custom Headphones
I styled these myself. I think the pink fur on Fallout’s custom headphones ($34.99) is so classy, yes? You can find these at iFrogz.