ReCap: Handmade Holiday

For those of you who missed the column in The Stuart News this week, here's a little handmade holiday how-to:

CHRISMAS CARD GARLAND

One great thing about this time of year is correspondence from old friends. Unless you have a bulletin board or lots of room on the fridge, here’s a simple way to display your family and friend’s beautiful Christmas cards.

1. Decide where you will hang your Christmas Card Garland—perhaps over a window, china cabinet or mantle. Cut a piece of ribbon, string or twine accordingly.

2. Affix 14 clothespins to the string.

3. Make “letters” from stickers and paper to spell M-E-R-R-Y C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S. Shiny silver stickers on 2” x 2” squares of red or green paper are pretty, but be as creative as you want. For the brave, try shiny tin foil wrapped around letters cut from a thin cardboard.

4. Use one clothespin per letter to attach “Merry Christmas” to the string.

5. As Christmas cards are delivered, place the cards behind the letters and attach with the clothespin. Don’t be afraid to double up if you receive more than 14 cards— the more, the merry-er!

SOCK ADVENT CALENDAR

I’m not sure where it originated, but I came across this advent calendar via Martha Stewart. This would make a great gift for an expectant mother – or any mother for that matter!

1. Again, decide where you are going to hang your Advent Calendar, and cut a piece of rope or thick twine to the desired length. Plan on using 5’ or more to give you room on the ends.

2. Gather 24 children’s socks in coordinating Christmas colors. Look for stripes, plaids and polka dots in varying sizes and shapes.

3. Lay socks out in the order you would like them to hang, mixing up the patterns and sizes.

4. Affix each sock with a number – stickers work great. If you don’t have enough to do this time of year, embroider numbers onto each sock.

5. Use clothespins to attach each sock to the rope in number order.

6. Place a (petite!) surprise in each sock, and allow children to “open” one sock each day of December leading up to Christmas!

Although I'm not going to make the advent calendar for this year, I've started to collect children's Christmas socks that are now on sale to prepare for next year!

Enjoy!

Master{ing the}Bath ~ Phase 2, The Hunt

Back on November 3rd, I posted some inspiration photos for our master bathroom remodel. I’d like to announce that we are officially in Stage 2: we made our first purchase!

Oh and what a steal it was – 100 square feet of (might I add, gorgeous!) honed marble for less than $100! Some installer cleaned out his storage unit, and I happened upon it, making for a very happy day. :)

Anything would be an upgrade when compared with our yellow linoleum that wishes it was terrazzo…

As happy as I was about the price, it was great to have one thing…solidified (for lack of a better word). For so long I was back and forth between styles and stones and floorplans and vanities and...it is nice to have something purchased (that can’t be returned!) to base the other elements around.

We have finally decided on a floor plan, which means I have measurements for our vanity and corner storage piece. I’d like to use a piece of furniture for the vanity with this feel:

You’d think that being in the furniture business, I’d be able to find something – you know, the cream of the crop. Nope. I’ve been looking for about 6 months and nada. So lovies, I hate to leave you hanging, but it’s my day off from the shop and I’m out to hunt!

Don’t worry, I’m looking for new fun stuff for the shop too. Be sure to stop in to see what I find. :)

white + raw

You know how you can quickly waste hours by clicking from person to person and photo to photo on Facebook? Yah, well I don't really have that problem, but I DO often spend a little longer than I'd like popping from design blog to design blog. Before you know it, an hour is gone! At least I can justify it as "working". :)

Well, I found many fun things, but you'll just have to wait until I have a little longer for those. BUT, I will give you this:

image via Kathryn M. Ireland

This one photo describes all that I'm loving right now - white walls with raw woods mixed with a dose of personality.

The architecture is so fun. That huuuuge fireplace. The little balcony up top. Raw wood ceilings. The mantle and chimney...

I think my favorite thing about this room is its....quirky-ness (for lack of a better word!). Like that little sconce on the left side. So tiny on such a big wall, and in a rather random location - but it works! And how about the firewood up on the shelf?

I would looove to see the rest of the home. Bummer...

ReCap: Mantle Madness

On (most!) Mondays, I plan to repost my column that was printed in the Sunday paper the day before. Be sure to look here for additional photos!

Whatever your style may be, I hope the following images give you a bit of inspiration as you decorate your home for Christmas:

STYLE: French Provincial

- Elements: Rusts and golds look great in a French Provincial home. Try symmetry with little clutter, keeping in mind that fruits, busts and statues, mirrors, candles and clocks make great mantle accessories.

- Must Have: With the mantle relatively bare, live garland adds that festive touch –Eucalyptus or Magnolia work well.

- Stockings: My personal favorites are created from antique grain sacks, but a luxurious velvet would be nice as well.

- Where to Shop: Arhaus, Pottery Barn, European antique shops, EloquenceInc.com

STYLE: Coastal Cottage

- Elements: Begin with driftwood, starfish and white flowers. Add pops of traditional Christmas red or green for holiday flair. Experiment and see what color combinations would work best in your home.

- Must Have: A driftwood forest from Petite Surprise – I know I’m a little biased, but these driftwood trees are adorning my coastal mantle this year!

- Stockings: I’m really loving the recycled sweater stockings (customized in your home’s color scheme!) from Handmade Pretties which can be found on Etsy.com.

- Where to Shop: April Daze, Gumbo Limbo, Petite Surprise, the beach

STYLE: Vintage-Bohemian

- Elements: Bright colors, organized clutter, vintage finds and a random mix of accessories pulls off this look. It helps to have a bold backdrop, but even white walls can be transformed into a vintage haven.

- Must Have: Multi-colored tree trimming lights in the larger bulbs. If you can find vintage ones, even better – just be sure to check the wires!

- Stockings: The hand-knit sherpa stocking from Anthropolgie is a great option for new, or hunt at second hand shops for something vintage.

- Where to Shop: Anthropologie, Petite Surprise, Etsy.com, second hand shops

STYLE: Rustic Woodsy

- Elements: Raw woods and little color are the foundation of this look. Add rusted metals with recycled or repurposed architectural pieces. Throw a bit of greenery in, and you’re mantle is complete.

- Must Have: Unfinished wood is key. Whether it’s the mantle, candlesticks, picture frames or architectural finds, the more the better!

- Stockings: Hand-knit stockings are hard to beat. Creams, reds, greens –you pick!

- Favorite Shops: Restoration Hardware, architectural salvage yards, the great outdoors

By now, I know many of you are wondering what to do if you don’t have a mantle to decorate. Unfortunately, our older Florida home puts us in the same boat. Know that you can always decorate what you have - pick a room you use often and adorn the focal point of that room. Is it a buffet in the dining room, a large bookshelf in your living area, an armoire in the bedroom? You can still incorporate many of the same ideas with any piece of furniture.

Your other option is to create a faux fireplace. My husband and I purchased an old pine mantle and simply leaned it against the wall (as seen in several of the above photos). Add a cluster of candles in the opening, and you’ve got the same effect – only your “fire” can be kindled in 5 seconds!

I’d love to see what you create in your own home– send photos to info@petitesurprise.com to be posted here on my blog. Share your inspiration. Happy decorating!

The Big Apple

Well hello there – I’m back and I’m breathing. The entire month of November was a complete sprint, but I can see December peeking its little head around the corner.

I hope you and yours had a fabulous Thanksgiving and a wonderful long weekend. I had the pleasure of joining my in-laws in NYC for 5 fabulous days. I wanted to share a few of the highlights:

First up, the Macy’s Day parade, of course. Times Square is a bit overwhelming, but quite intesting – there is never a dull moment.

Once upon a time, I was going to open a cupcakery. Magnolia Bakery in NYC was the ringleader of the whole cupcake trend, making millions off of $3 cupcakes. It was so nice to finally see (and taste!) the famous Magnolia Vanilla Cupcake.

Grand Central Station is amazing. It was incredible to me how even an underground train station can be so beautiful. I loved the architecture and details, most of which go unnoticed to the scurrying New Yorkers. Oh, and a little fun fact: because of the shape of the ceilings, if you stand in one corner (yes, like you are in time out) and whisper something, someone on the diagonal, opposite corner can hear you clear as day! How fun?!

Being a huge Apple fan, this was fun to see,

until I realized it was Black Friday.

Ok, so maybe we ate a lot (especially my brother-in-law who—purposefully—gained about 15 lbs. over 4 ½ days!). Ferrara Bakery in Little Italy had some delicious desserts.

Visiting (two!) Anthroplogies, including the flagship store in Rockefeller Plaza, was definitely a highlight. Their displays were creative (although some a bit strange) and inspiring.

You can’t really see it, but this sink of “dirty dishes” was a fountain that had water flowing into the sink. Very cool.

One morning my (self-less!) man hopped in a cab with me wander the streets of SoHo in search of inspiration from home boutiques. We didn’t have much time, so we really only found a couple shops, and wow! prices are high. Basically just add a zero to the end to all of my prices and that’s SoHo for you! It was still fun to look though.

I did snap some shots of pieces we came across throughout the week that I wouldn’t have minded taking home with me.

But my most favorite-est?? Elf on Broadway. So stinkin’ cute. If anyone is going to NYC this month, be sure to see it!

New York was fun, but I must say, there is no place like home. :)

A Quick Hello

I'm so sorry my dearies, I have been seriously MIA. Not sure what I would do without coffee these days ~ lots to do and not enough time!

A few things...

A HUGE thank you to all who were a part of UNTIL EVERY CHILD IS FED at our shop last week. Through the generosity of so many, we were able to raise enough money to buy over 30,000 meals! Y'all amaze me.

Secondly, if you haven't seen it already, look for more ideas and inspiration in the HOME section of the Sunday Stuart News by yours truly ~ thank you Hillary for such an amazing opportunity!

Lastly, I wanted to stop in to wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving ~ I hope it's filled with unforgettable moments with the ones you love most!

Inspiration Board via Forever

Headboards Galore

Almost daily I get requests for headboards. Lots of you have come in looking for something to use at the head of your bed, but many don't want to use your standard "headboard."

Here's a little inspiration for all of you headboard hunters out there:

A mantle..

An old door...

A huge mirror...

A combination of fabrics and "floating" artwork, mirrors or just simple frames...

A collection of driftwood...

Shutters...

::Bathroom Inspiration::

When my man and I moved into our house, everything got an update except for 1 room - our master bath.

When I'm brushing my teeth and looking at the linoleum peeling up or the base board-less walls, sometimes I wish we just remodeled it with everything else before we moved in.

But if we did that, I know we'd have any ole bathroom. But since I've waited this long, I planning something magical. :)

I've been collecting inspiration for a while and think I (I mean we!) have finally decided on a style.

We're going for clean with a healthy dose of worn-in. Don't think hospital sterilization, but something a bit warmer. Whites and marbles mixed with raw woods and sunlight.

I like it all but the sinks. And if it were mine, I'd have to add a bit more....stuff. I think a piece of art would be neat on the shower wall, and I'm sure I could tuck a comfy chair and cute side table in the corner.

(Does anyone know where I can find some closet doors like those?? I'm dyyyyying here. Santa please bring me summa those! 48" wide by 80" tall x 2. K thanks.)

Love, love the carved raw wood.

This vanity is pretty fun too. I like the paint job, the ledge on the back and side, and the stone is great! I would be perfect if it had a bit more storage.

Although our space is only 9' x 9', I want to make it feel more like...a room. Real rugs (not bath mats), artwork, unique lighting fixtures, etc.

Just dreaming for now, but hopefully one day soon I'll have some photos of my own to show you. :)