Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Talking About Christmas in July


Most of us have heard of Christmas in July and usually associate it with summer sales. I have Christmas is July on my mind for other reasons. Christmas is coming and God willing, I’ll be here to enjoy it. As I think ahead to this Christmas, I immediately think about my newfound love of what I  call NTC (Non-traditional Christmas) decorations. I have shared with you my NTC trees that were orange /pink (2011) and the turquoise, lime green and chocolate brown (2012). Last year I went back to Detroit at Christmas and had a chance to see some really great decorations that fit right in with my NTC love. I was so taken with them that I took pictures and planned to share them on my blog.  My mothers’ neighbor and her son both do some truly amazing trees and garland. I hope you can get a sense of just how great they are. When I looked back at the pics I realized that the mom, Mrs. Thompson, wasn’t so NTC, just very glamorous. And you know I love glam, shiny, sparkles, etc.  Mrs. T had multiple trees that included an all green tree, a white tree with all red birds ( not all the same red birds either) a large flocked tree with gold and crystal ornaments and her most NTC tree , a black tree with silver, white  and crystal decorations.

 I love that she has definite NTC toppers on all of her trees. I was wowed by her use of black and silver pillows under this tree. How fun and unique.

 

                                                             Love the black and silver pillows!


 

 
                                 While a black tree isn't for everyone, this was High Glam !!




                                         Mrs. T used lots of birds , they were all stunning.


                                                          Beautiful tree topper using roses!!

My pictures really do not do these decorations justice but I hope you get a feel for how great there were. Both Mrs. T and Kevin made some of the most opulent garland I have ever seen. The ornament garlands are all over the internet, but I haven’t seen any like theirs.  Here’s the best pic I had of Mrs. Thompson’s garland that is hung around a mirror. A shiny , lighted garland hung around a mirror, can you say amateur photo nightmare!!

  This garland is amazing it had a top row that was light and had lots of lights then the red and silver ornament swags.

Now on to Kevin's  place. It’s in a wonderful building along the Detroit River with a fantastic view of the river from all the rooms on that side of the building. He made some really wonderful garland using ornaments.

 
                                         This garland was suspended from the diningroom ceiling!

 

There were a couple of these in his place. Another garland was done in matte black and shiny gold ornaments in honor of his Alma Mater, Grambling State but unfortunately the room was too dark and the pic couldn't be saved ( at least not by the amatuer photographer, me.) The great thing about his garland is that he makes them so that he can reuse the balls for different color combinations if he changes colors the next year. Come on, I know he changes colors each year!

His most NTC tree is in his dining room, it is a Yellow/gold tree with Hot pink and orange ornaments. WOW.




The hot pink that's peeking out is actually a large pink ball ornament covered in pink lights!
You can really see it in the next picture.

 
With the  light coming through the window you can see that this tree is yellow with very vibrant colored ornaments.

Another very NTC  tree in Kevin's home was a blue tree with lime green, pops of pink

 


 

 

I have seen colored trees before and was never a fan. However, Kevin has changed my mind. They add an element of  FUN when I look at his trees. They really reflect the creative use of colors that remind me of one of the reasons I love Christmas decorations.


 
This tree was in the room done in black and gold. Yep, another black tree!
 
Not all of Kevin's trees were super coloful he actually had 2 trees that were a Champagne color. Very stunning, understated and elegant.
 
 
While I won't be going home this Christmas, I will certainly try to get the Thompson duo to send me pictures of their decorations, and I promise to share.
 Are you planning on maybe a little NTC this Christmas. Tell me about it or better yet send me pics.
 


 

Monday, July 22, 2013

Outdoor Chandelier

I have been looking for one of these brass chandeliers to hang in a tree in my backyard for most of the spring and summer. I recently went to a great garage sale held by some awesome bloggers/designers here in the Atlanta area and...Score for $3. Here is the chandelier in its "before" state...





I set to work cutting all the electrical wires and removing them. Just to make sure the paint had half a chance at staying put, I gave her a good rub down with some steel wool. I decided to skip the primer and went straight for the Rustoleum Spray paint in Lagoon. Because I don't want to repaint her next summer, I finished up with a couple of coats of clear gloss. Here are a couple of pictures of her in the middle of her encore..









My next move was to take apart 6 solar lights from the Dollar tree. I even bought a bunch for my front walk. They fit inside the individual "sockets" pretty well. I added some hot glue to the bottom of each light and placed it into the ends of each "arm" of the chandelier.



Here she is hanging in the tree.








I was so excited to stand at my kitchen sink and look out that evening and see her shining in all her encore glory. Now if it would just stop raining so I could enjoy my patio!





Friday, July 19, 2013

Ballard Inspired Hurricanes My Way

Here's a quick and easy little project that was inspired by the Southern Living Seagrass Hurricane as seen in the Ballard Designs catalog. Currently on sale from $45-$75.




I'm not the first person to create their own version of this wonderful vase/container.. Jennifer Schmitz over at decoratedchaos.blogspot.com created this version.


                                                                 via


I liked the ones in the Ballards catalog, and I liked Jennifer's version.  I was going for a little something different. I decided I wanted a little more color.







        I found these 3 glass containers at Ross, HomeGoods and The Goodwill for a total of $16.00.

Next I headed to the Dollar Tree and picked up this wooden place mat.



I carefully cut this into multiple 2.5" strips using a pair of scissors.



The last step is to simply use a hot glue gun and attach a strip around the base of each vases.
Done!!






Super easy and loads of possibilities.







This was a very, inexpensive easy project. My version cost $ 17 for all three!! Give it a try.




Monday, July 1, 2013

Turquoise; My Kind of Color

Hi all,

Turquoise is one of my favorite colors. Some days, it just lifts my spirits to look at gorgeous rooms and all things turquoise.

Today is one of those days. I have a couple of go to sites for a quick fix of turquoise. Of course Pinterest is one site, and yes I have a board dedicated to turquoise, doesn't everyone! House of Turquoise.com.
Another is

Here are a few pics that sent my spirits soaring today.

                                                                       via Pinterest


If that chair isn't awesome enough, here's another...


                                                                    via Pinterest

Two totally different styles, same gorgeous color.

And then there are always the brave souls who dare to drench their rooms in turquouise, and somehow it isn't overdone or too much... it's just enough to make you gasp at it's beauty...



and again!


                                                            both via Pinterest


And who doesn't want to wake up to all this turquoise goodness...



 This mix of tuquoise and silver glam is my favorite.



And sometimes you only need a little....
 
via source
 
 
 
 
 
Of course turquoise isn't just for your home anymore...



Now that's a statement bag. 

What do you think about turqouise, does it make you smile?  Let me know what you think.