Published!

I’ve FINALLY achieved my goal of being published in a magazine! Yeah! A couple of months ago, I did a phone interview with Patrick Langston at the Ottawa Citizen for a story he was writing about decorating for Christmas. I gave him some decorating tips and sent him some pictures, and this morning there they were in Ottawa Citizen Style magazine!

My tips…

    
And my friend, Sarah Kidder of Sarah Kidder Design also has a great tip for decorating a condo for Christmas:

You can read the whole article online here. And if you’re an Ottawa Citizen subscriber, you probably received the printed version with your paper this morning.

Thank you Ottawa Citizen Style!

What are some of your favourite Christmas decorating tips?

Festive Friday: Christmas at my house

Wow, is it really just 4 more days till Christmas?! Between lack of time and lack of mojo and chasing after energetic puppies in the house, Christmas decorations this year are on the minimal side. I did put up one tree in the living room, where it’s protected from the puppies. And I hung a garland on the fireplace with colourful balls and some little starfish. But otherwise, decorations are low-key. And I actually kind of like it that way :-)

The living room is the most-decorated room in the house…

My stuffed Christmas buddies :-)

A little penguin love :-)

Family room mantel… I just hung up the garland and kept adding balls to it, and then some small starfish to give it a coastal touch :-) {If you’d like to check out my bubble “light fixture” tutorial, click here}

More coastal Christmas vibes….

These are ceramic pieces my mom made years ago…

A snowflake wreath I made about 5 years ago…

Some people may call them blurry, I call them artsy :-)

Oh, and those puppies I mentioned at the beginning of this post – sweet little Joey was adopted and went to his new home near Montreal yesterday. I know he’s going to have lots of fun and he’ll be getting LOTS of love in his new home. Miss ya lots little Joey – you’re the BEST snuggler!

We still have spunky John…

And now we have another one of their brothers, Myles. You’d never guess they’re from the same litter – John & Joey are little pork chops, Myles is a big Whopper!

We all had fun playing in the snow today :-)

And with that, I’m signing off for the holidays. I’ll be back in January with more room makeovers and DIY projects and furniture refreshes and puppies!

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, and everything else festive…

See you in 2013!

Festive Friday: Colourful Christmas

Bing Crosby may have been dreaming of a White Christmas, but this year I’m dreaming about a Colourful Christmas! Bright green, purple, turquoise, pink, and orange look fabulous together, and they add some fun & funky to your Christmas decor. Check out these bright & bold Christmas ideas, and I bet they’ll kick your festive mojo up a notch or two or ten :-)

Who wouldn’t have a big smile after seeing these colourful packages under the tree on Christmas morning…

1. All the colours of the rainbow (well, except yellow!) Pinterest
2. Polka dots in turquoise & pink. Pinterest
3. Pretty in pink & green. The Enchanted Home
4. Purple & orange & green, oh my. Pinterest
5. Who says blue & green must never be seen – they look fab together! Pinterest

Of course, colourful packages go great with a colourful tree :-)

6. Tobi Fairley designed this wonderfully colourful tree. remodelaholic
7. Pink and green is so fresh and pretty. The French Tangerine
8. Kelly Porter’s pretty pink & orange tree was inspired by the funky cushion on the chair. Color Sizzle
9. This super-sweet colourful tree is topped with a sock monkey – too cute! Rate My Space
10. Not your average tree! You could create something similar with a small wire tree and colourful ribbons. Absolutely Beautiful Things

Brighten up your home with holiday colour…

11. Bright holiday decorations stand out so nicely against the white walls. Trafford Centre
12. Another mainly white room decorating in cheery pink & red. BHG
13. This room’s traditional red & green decor is fresh and fun & festive. House to Home

Wreaths can he hung on your front door and interior doors using metal hooks that latch over the top of the door. Wreaths also great hung from a beautiful ribbon in front of a mirror.

14. Pretty peacock-inspired wreath. Etsy (PatalyaFloralDesign)
15. Bryn Alexander created her pretty mantel entirely with decorations from Home Depot. Bryn Alexandra
16. Ornament wreaths are fun and it’s easy to make your own (here’s a tutorial from Love Live DIY) Etsy (dottiegray)
17. A pretty wreath made from ribbons and ornaments. Etsy (ADoorableCreations05)

Love the intense colours in this home…

18. A lovely bright Scandinavian home all dressed up for a colourful Christmas. Love the pompom mat under the tree. Hidden in France

Have fun with your decorations, and take a shot at making your own. Topiaries are easy!

19. Green, blue, and silver ornaments glued to a styrofoam ball and voila, festive topiaries. BHG
20. Instead of filling stockings, use some colourful pails to hold candy canes and little gifts. HGTV

If you’re a traditionalist, here are some stockings in non-traditional colours…

21. Colourful felt stocking. Etsy (Naturali4color)
22. Stocking made from colourful festive fabrics. Etsy (Twopinkhearts)

Top of your colourful Christmas celebrations with a colourful tablescape.

23. My favourite combo – blue, green, and purple. Facebook
24. A cute little green box ans white tree top off this pretty pink & red table setting. BHG
25. More pink & red. HGTV
26. More proof that blue & green MUST be seen! Live the Home Life

I’m changing things up this Christmas and going with bright & bold colours. Here are a few things I picked up to decorate my home…

Now is a great time to pick up decorations and ornaments – they’re half-price just about everywhere!

Have you done your Christmas decorating yet? What’s your colour scheme?

I’ve got some bold colours to share with you on Monday – here’s a little peek…

Happy weekend!