Wednesday, December 14, 2011

MacKenzie-Childs Christmas Ornaments: These are a few of my favorite things

One of my favorite things about Christmas is being able to unpack & display my collection of MacKenzie-Childs ornaments.  I love the company’s whimsical, hand-painted products & gifts and I’m especially drawn to their black and white patterned items.

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It was love at first sight when I first encountered MacKenzie-Childs products more than 15 years ago at my neighbor’s house.  She owned several pieces of their tableware and pottery and her huge Christmas tree was entirely decorated with MC ornaments.  I was in complete awe - and so my love affair began.

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When I lived on the East coast, I would travel into NYC several times a year and make a beeline for their shop in Manhattan.  Their products and displays always sparked my imagination and I would leave feeling completely inspired.  In fact, that inspiration motivated me to design and hand-paint several furniture pieces that I then sold in the shop I owned (a furniture, home accessories & antiques shop in Pennsylvania.) Several years later, I even visited the MacKenzie-Childs Victorian Farm in Aurora, New York and toured their production studio, shop, beautiful farm buildings & surroundings. It’s an amazing spot overlooking Cayuga Lake.  I especially loved the gorgeous chicken coop (actually, they call it the Chicken Palace) that would give Martha Stewart a run for her money.
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Over the years I have managed to collect some MacKenzie-Childs items: canisters,  tableware, dog bowls, decorative vases, and fun knobs. But my favorite items remain their ornaments.  Since they are a bit pricey, my collection is growing slowly. However, I have learned that if you can wait until after the holidays, you can find some good values during their after Christmas sale. A couple of years ago, I got several ornaments and a tree topper at ½ price – Score!

If you love creativity, whimsy and unique, funky items, then you’ll enjoy perusing the Mackenzie-Childs website.  Who knows, you may even be inspired to create a few of your own handmade treasures.


Saturday, December 3, 2011

Tis the Season... for Holiday Decorating Malfunctions

Yup, it’s that time of year again for crawling around in the attic and basement, trying to find all those boxes of holiday “magic.”  Last weekend I decided to get my holiday cheer on and I unpacked all of the lights and decorations to trim the tree. After the holidays last year, we had packed everything neatly away for easy access and decorating the next time around - each ornament wrapped in tissue, the strings of garland packed in their own individual bags, and each set of lights were tested, wrapped, and carefully placed in their own storage container.

So why, when I unpacked the lights this year, did more than half of the light sets, several of which were new last year, have many burned out bulbs and/or only partially worked or were completely dead? It was an extremely annoying discovery but at least I tested them BEFORE putting them on the tree - a hard lesson learned from past experience (my definition of holiday madness: to have a fully decorated tree that took hours to finish only to find out there are entire sections of lights that aren’t working!)

Instead of giving in and driving to the store to purchase new lights, I wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery. I'm someone who just likes to know why things happen and how to fix them - plus I’m not keen on contributing to our “throw away” society.  I thought I’d share my findings with those of you who have also had this problem or those who find themselves trimming the tree at midnight and have no other options except DIY.

So off to the Internet I went in search of answers.  I was able to find these websites that gave me some great insights:

Holiday Decorating:  Half the lights in a string are out
How to Troubleshoot Christmas lights:  Half of the string is out
Storing Christmas Lights

After reading the advice, I spent a couple of hours checking every single bulb on each light set, fixing or replacing bulbs, CAREFULLY removing, reusing & storing for future use the old light bulbs from sets that were not useable.  I was eventually able to piece together about 3 sets out of 8 that were broken.  I'm not sure all that work was worth it for $2.99 light sets - but I just had to try.  And after all of that, I read on the Storing Christmas Lights webpage:  "Christmas lights generally are only meant to be used for no more than 90 days.  Chances are if your lights are more than three seasons old, they may need to be replaced next year anyway."  So you’ll have to decide for yourself if all the extra work is worth the effort but hopefully you’ll gain 1 or 2 more seasonal uses from them and therefore delay their trip to the landfill.

Regardless, I felt empowered by taking on those pesky lights, showing them who was boss, and, eventually, creating a little holiday magic  :)
Here is the tree with the lights finally completed – I love lots of lights on a tree and feel it’s the most important part of the decorating process.  This tree we “rescued” from a tree farm where it was marked as “trash,” destined to be cut up into pieces for wreaths.  After looking at every tree on the farm (my annual obsession), I decided that I wanted this tree to fulfill its Christmas tree destiny.  I love trees that aren’t perfect – i.e. a crooked trunk, double top, large spaces between branches and my favorite thing but the hardest to find: one that’s untrimmed and natural.  I don’t enjoy having the stereotypical “perfect tree” since most people just assume it’s artificial anyway but more importantly, I think there’s beauty in so-called imperfection.

  
Finally the “bling” was added.  I use as many glass balls/ornaments as possible because I love the way they bounce the light around.  I try to collect at least one ornament every year that represents something memorable from that year.  I also date them and try to write a little history somewhere on the ornament.  It becomes a walk down memory lane every year when decorating.  I’m also not into “themed trees” because I love the eclectic uniqueness of telling my own story through my ornaments.  However, it does take me HOURS to organize & decorate the tree – by color, ornament size, placement & the spacing done to my liking.  But regardless of your holiday decorating style, in the end, if it makes you happy, then that’s real holiday magic.








Finding Color Inspiration From Artwork


Let's face it, sometimes we're just stuck or even afraid when it comes to choosing color - sometimes, it even paralyzes us so much that we end up doing nothing - for years.  One possible solution to help you get "unstuck" is to look around your home and see if you have a piece of artwork that you enjoy.  Think about what inspires you about the art: is it the subject matter, the memories it invokes, the color - or maybe all of the above?  If you love the color or even the feeling you get from the color palate, then you have a starting point.  Below are examples of how to take a piece of artwork and use it for color inspiration.

Once you've found your own color inspiration, then you can start small with a throw pillow or accessory or maybe go big and paint the walls.  Remember, if you don't like it - you can always change it.  But wait a week or so - it just may grow on you.



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Friday, November 18, 2011

The Marble Countertop Debate

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I love the look of marble countertops in kitchens.  I desperately wanted them for my own kitchen when I was replacing the countertops but after all my research, I decided to go with granite.  Ultimately, I didn't want to be obsessed with worry over stains & etching but to this day, I still pine for them.  For those of you who are interested in the marble debate, I found this post on Simplified Bee - solutions in home organization & design:  "Yes or No to Carrara Marble Countertops in the Kitchen?" I found the comments section very informative - there was no clear consensus but I thought there was good "food for thought" for those of you who are considering marble.

I also found "Good Questions:  Why Not Do White Marble Kitchen Countertops?" at Apartment Therapy (I really enjoy their website - great ideas for small spaces).

If any of my readers have considered marble countertops or actually have them, I'd love to hear your opinion.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Decorating with Moss

 
Over the weekend, I saw a simple table centerpiece at a local store and I couldn't get it out of my mind:  It was a large cylindrical glass vase filled with large chunks of mood moss.  It was so simple yet it made a stunning decoration.

I decided today, since temps were in the 50’s and snow is expected tomorrow, that I would go out in the woods and hunt for some moss of my own.  I was able to find some gorgeous pieces of mood moss and lots of sphagnum moss.  Now all I have to do is find the right container (TJMaxx or HomeGoods would be great sources) and I’ll be ready to go.  In the mean time, I found several inspirational examples for how to use moss to create unique organic displays.

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This site had step-by-step
directions for making this moss letter.
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Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween!





Just to clarify, these are NOT my dogs (and I'm sure that Bailey is very grateful that I never got into the whole dress-up thing) but I thought these were too cute & funny not to share.  Most of the dogs I've seen don't seem to be to thrilled wearing their costumes but I do get a chuckle at how incredibly creative people can be. Happy Halloween, especially to all those good natured pups!  But remember, they know where you sleep!

This Year’s Fall/Winter Window Box Display



Happy Halloween Everyone!  As fall turns to late fall and with winter around the corner, I decided it was time to redesign the window boxes that hang on our Garden Shed.  The new display was made entirely from items I found in the garden and woods around the house. In the new window box, items from front to back are: white pine branches, old dried blue/purple/pink hydrangeas, boxwood branches, hydrangea tree blossoms, arborvitae branches, branches of rust/burgundy oak leaves, and branches from a Japanese maple patio plant.
I don’t know how long the arrangement will hold up but I did push each stem down into the well-watered soil in the box, hoping it would help their longevity.  Time will tell, but as long as we can keep heavy snow from doing damage, I’m hoping the materials will last through the winter season.



The "Before."  The cascading bridal veil plant was all that remained of the summer flowering plants. Since it wouldn’t be long before the freezing temps turned it brown, I decided to start from scratch.  I gave the bridal veil a drastic “haircut” and then began covering it with pine branches.  I continued to add and rearrange the natural elements until I was satisfied.







Natural elements that flourish during the summer season and then change in color and texture in the fall can be reincarnated in useful decorative ways and given a new look.  Other items that could be incorporated into your planters include:  pine cones, mini pumpkins and squash, twigs for height or added texture, curly willow branches, birch branches, mums, dried grasses, moss or wicker balls/spheres.  I even considered adding some beautiful, light green Christmas balls for a little sparkle but I think I’ll wait another month or so for that addition.


Repurpose, reuse, & recycle - even with natural materials. I’m extremely pleased with how my window boxes turned out this fall.  Thank you Mother Nature! 

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Winter Window Box Debate


Last year's Fall window box
A hard frost/freeze finally fell upon the area last night so it's now time to change out my window box display for the winter.  In the past few years, I've used ornamental cabbages in the fall because even after they freeze & die, they still have an interesting shape that lasts throughout the winter.  Note: I've also learned that you don't want the old dead cabbages near your entry/exit doors because the smell can be quite unpleasant.  Unfortunately this year, my cabbages got "leggy," grew strangely, and had to be put out of their (my) misery, so now I need a different window box filler.  It's not really necessary to fill a planter for the winter but I hate seeing them look so sad & empty and it's actually a bit depressing.

As I contemplate my next design, here are some photos that I'm using as inspiration:



At the moment, I’m leaning towards trying a design using sticks, dried hydrangea, & evergreen and boxwood branches.  Stay tuned….

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Need Color Inspiration? Look to Nature!

Ever notice how the colors in nature are perfectly harmonious?  You can look at a forest, a sandy beach leading down to the shore, a pile of rocks, a field of flowers or any natural scene and find millions of colors that beautifully complement each other.  Mother Nature is the ultimate colorist.

If you need color inspiration and just don’t know where to start, or if you aren’t sure what colors really work together: look out the window.  You could visit a local park, go down to a nearby lake, take a drive in the country or just step outside and look around you.  Use the colors you see in nature as a jumping off point to help guide you in choosing a color palette that speaks to you.  Then, use your color inspiration to guide you in bringing new colors into your existing rooms by choosing new decorative accents, new paint colors, or, if you’re ready for a completely new look, redecorate an entire space.






Note: I used Adobe Photoshop (eyedropper tool) to isolate colors in my photos. The color combinations you can find in any photo (or in nature) are limitless.

The following photos show how adding small or large infusions of color can have an impact in a room and also by using warmer or cooler tones it can change the mood.





Photo: Better Homes and Gardens


Photo: HGTV
Photo: Better Homes and Gardens

Photo: Better Homes and Gardens

Photo: House Beautiful