Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

December 23, 2016 By

From my home to yours, I wish you the most merriest of Christmases and a very Happy and Healthy New Year!

Just a quick little note, have you guys seen the Artisto app? My friend, Donna discovered it and I’ve been a little obsessed lately with it.  Take a peek at what it did to some of my photos.

LOG HOME COUNTRY URN WITH SNOWFLAKES

ARTISTO COUNTRY CHRISTMAS TREE

COUNTRY RUSTIC FIREPLACE WITH CAT

And I’m in love with this one of my two cats.

LOG HOME CAT There are different filters so you can different effects and colours.  So fun and quite addictive! Enjoy your holidays!

Lisa

Filed Under: Cottage, decor, design professional, Haven, inspiration, nature, Seasonal Decorating Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Two mantels, two different looks

December 22, 2016 By

Mantels are one of the best places to decorate for the holidays and if you are like me, you love looking at different ones and different styles to get some ideas for your own.

I’m lucky enough to get to do two totally different ones every year, just for me.  Here’s my cottage mantel that I keep pretty minimal and rustic, totally appropriate for the country setting that it is in.

RUSTIC COUNTRY CHRISTMAS FIREPLACE

 

Photo credit: Justin Frost

RUSTIC COUNTRY CHRISTMAS MANTEL RUSTIC COUNTRY CHRISTMAS MANTEL RUSTIC COUNTRY CHRISTMAS MANTEL

 

I used lots of fresh local greenery, some pinecones in a vintage apothecary jar, some antique encyclopedias (which I have sprinkled around the entire place), some sparkly grapevine balls, a birdcage and of course some candleholders. Honestly, this mantel took me all of half an hour to do. Quick, simple and rustic, just the way I like my country Christmas mantels.

Now for my city house, I went with a more sophisticated style.

CHIC AND CLASSIC, GREEN, BLACK AND WHITE CHRISTMAS MANTEL

CHIC AND CLASSIC, GREEN, BLACK AND WHITE CHRISTMAS MANTEL

CHIC AND CLASSIC, GREEN, BLACK AND WHITE CHRISTMAS MANTEL

Some similar elements here, fresh greenery and some dried magnolia leaves (they do last a few years, if you are careful when you store them), some fairy lights and of course candlesticks and candles. I may just tuck in some white and clear christmas balls amongst the leaves, at some point.  Pretty, simple and classic, perfect for my home in the city.

Merry Christmas!

Lisa

 

 

Filed Under: antiques, Cottage, decor, DIY, Floral, Haven, inspiration, Living Room, natural, nature, Seasonal Decorating, vintage Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Simple and easy turquoise accented Christmas urn

November 24, 2016 By

As promised, here’s my turquoise Christmas urn and wreath at my city house. As you can see I went with turquoise accents on my Christmas urn, this year.  I love the way the turquoise stands out against the evergreens.

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And a close up.

Closeup of turquoise and evergreen exterior urn

It was super quick this year, I just picked up some cedar and boxwood branches from Loblaws and I used some leftover pine branches that I had brought home from the country and layered them together.  I added in the huge pinecones, which I always seem to use,  along with some birch branches.

I’ve used the turquoise bow and butterfly before and I just pulled them out of my supplies and that was it.  Quick, simple and inexpensive

I also picked up a ready made boxwood wreath and just added a few pinecones and another turquoise butterfly for a super simple DIY.

Exterior christmas wreath with turquoise accents

I love the way the turquoise and green pops against the dark brown door.  Hopefully the boxwood wreath will hold up all winter.

Exterior urn and wreath with turquoise accents

Exterior christmas urn with turquoise accents.

If you haven’t seen my first Christmas urn I did last week for my cottage, you can see it here.

I also decided to go back and share some of my previous exterior urns and decor from years past. I think you’ll see that I stick with a pretty similar style, year and year.  And they may give you some inspiration to get yours done, if you haven’t already.

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So let’s see your Christmas urns!

Lisa

Filed Under: COLOUR, decor, design professional, DIY, Entry, Exterior, Floral, Haven, inspiration, natural, nature, Seasonal Decorating Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

From my home to yours

December 22, 2014 By

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Lisa

Filed Under: decor, Foyer, Haven, Holidays, inspiration, Seasonal Decorating Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The 613 Holiday Special | Holiday Decorating

December 9, 2013 By

Welcome to the second instalment of the 613 Holiday Series.  This week’s topic  –  Holiday Decorating!

613 holiday special

Holiday decorating should reflect the style of home that you live in.  So with that in mind, I’m showing you how I seasonally embellish my two very different homes for the holidays.

First up, my city home, where I try to keep everything sparkly, elegant and simple. I do this with natural and faux greens…particularly magnolia leaves, pearls, crystals, mercury glass together with silver and snow white pieces.

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I found these little birds last year and love the little touch of whimsey they give the mantel.

 

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Here’s how it looks in the evening with this year’s addition of the new type of wired LED light strings.  I love how the wires are barely visible.

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I’m still looking for this year’s addition to my mercury glass tree collection.

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After seeing birch logs wrapped in these LED lights in the Pottery Barn store in Miami last year, I was determined to do the same in my home.  I so love the look they may just stay past the Christmas season.  And you can see here the ornaments that I hang in the window above the fireplace. I do the same thing for the transom window over the front door.

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Now, at the cottage, which is a log home, I use natural elements, like pinecones, evergreen boughs together with vintage pieces and a few touches of red.

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My adorable Santa seagulls nestled among my vintage encyclopedias.  They make me smile, every time!

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Vintage pieces, such as this sap bucket are the perfect touch for a country or rustic home.  It literally took me a few minutes to put this display together.  Some fresh evergreens, birch branches, a few frosted faux stems and berries and you are done!

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A vintage green glass jug with some faux branches and cotton stems help to add some height to the top of my dining room hutch.  Loving the jingle bells!

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This chalkboard banner was picked up while shopping in Almonte a few weeks ago.  I’m thinking it has found it’s permanent home here and I’ll be just changing up the message per the season.

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Well that’s it for me but be sure to follow five Ottawa bloggers as we set our tables, deck our halls & try to survive the holiday season with style & cheer. Grab your eggnog and toast to the season with us every Monday until Dec 23rd. Happy Holidays!   Check out their holiday decorating below!

NewberrySykes

The Sweetest Digs

Just Settle Down

Keep it Beautiful

Oh yes, stay tuned as next Monday’s instalment is Oh, Christmas Tree!

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Filed Under: Cottage, decor, Floral, Haven, Holidays, natural, Seasonal Decorating, vintage Tagged With: , ,
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