Heather's Dreaming of a Modern Christmas

Modern Christmas tree tea light holder. To view: click here.

Heather, friend and client, is remodling her home, the whole downstairs including entry way, dining room, living room, family room and kitchen. She and her family are embracing contemporary design after many years of living in a traditional space.

Decorating for Christmas this year and coming years may mean revamping or remaking Christmas decorations to complement her new furnishings. So Heather and I have been on the hunt for inspiration in modern holiday design. I came across a variety of things.

For starters, design*sponge has this terrific DIY project to create mod paper ornaments (below). Learn how: click here. These colors might be a bit subdued for Heather's tastes that tend towards bright saturated hues, but she can use any colors to create these. And she can whip out several of these paper gems with the help of her five kids and husband Tom. A great family night project for sure! Best thing, it's not a budget buster.

Make a few for me, please!


How about this glass spiral goodie (below) for a tree topper! Found on Ebay - click here - comes in several colors.


Check out the fun stockings at Bunnie Maxwell (below) and click here. These are Heather's colors!


Found it at the Big Box, yesssss! Target has these trees (below) in red and white -- click here.


A search on Etsy uncovered tons of fun items to inspire.

Like these (below) acrylic ornaments. Click here to see more.


I am loving these felt bobbles found on Etsy -- click here


Heather must have an abominable snowman (below)! What could be more contemporary and contrarian! Also brought to you by Etsy -- click here.


This just may be my personal favorite from Bunny with a Toolbelt - click here. A very contemporary and fun nativity (below). Check out the link for more Christmas designs including ethnic Santas and wisemen in assorted colors and designs.


Heather needs this pillow (below) for her piano room that is done in black, turquoise and green. Found on Etsy - click here.


This ornament (below) reminds me of the complex graphic designs Heather loves. Found on Etsy - click here.


Heather wants to inject more turquoise color in her holiday decor. Here are some I found on Etsy doing a search by color with key words like "ornament" and "Christmas decorations". You can find handmade items in any color by searching the thousands of crafters on Etsy.
Beautiful polymer clay filigree ornament(below) - click here.


Fused glass star ornament (below) - click here.


Trio of trees below - click here.


Turquoise Glass Icicle ornaments (below) and in a variety of colors - click here.


And last, this just looks like something Heather would tuck away some place, even an area of sophisticated decor just to throw you off. Heather is always good for the unexpected startling surprise. Carmen might become part of the family tree, Christmas or otherwise, a new family member. If Carmen paints her nails, she's in! (side note: Heather always paints her nails). See more of Carmen - click here.

ABC's Extreme Makeover, Home Edition -- watch this Sunday

l to r, Sara Zigman and Joni Spears, designers who collaborated for the Haven of Grace project. Their children's room is pictured above. Furnishings provided by Zigman, Three Little Ziglets, who also provided furnishings for ABC's Extreme Home Makeover, Home Edition

I have two really good reasons to watch ABC's Extreme Makeover, Home Edition this Sunday.

First, Ashley Furniture Homestore, where I work part-time as a customer specialist,in Kirkwood MO donated the furnishings for most all the rooms in the home.

Second, friend Sara Zigman, whom I first met on the Haven of Grace project, will be one of the featured designers, showcasing her children's room furnishings.

Sara Zigman with her darling handpainted chair.

Learn more about Sara's participation, read her press release:

LOCAL DESIGNER ANSWERS CALL FOR “EXTREME MAKEOVER” FAMILY

ST. LOUIS, MO (September 10, 2008) – St. Louis designer Sara Zigman of Three Little Ziglets answered the call from ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” to help create a dream room for the Martirez family’s 7-year-old daughter. Zigman was contacted late Sunday night by the show’s lead designer, and asked to donate items from Three Little Ziglets’ C’est Chic collection. 30 hours later, Zigman delivered with 15 pieces of custom, hand-painted furniture and a complete set of made-to-order bedding and window treatments.

Once Zigman and five of her artisans worked through the night to complete the request, her work was not done. Zigman was pressed into service on-site at the new Martirez home, painting unique motifs on the walls and helping to stage the adorable room. Three Little Ziglets’ total donation of goods and services total over $10,000.

Named for Zigman’s triplet daughters, Three Little Ziglets’ unique brand of children’s furnishings features hand painted furniture, made to order bedding and movable wall murals. Each collection is designed to grow with children from infancy through the elementary years. Zigman is the winner of recent design awards from Pregnancy Magazine, StyleBakery.com and Metier Magazine. Stylish moms can easily outfit an entire room with one-stop-shopping at the online boutique www.threelittleziglets.com.

Hoppy Easter!

Wow, Easter has crept up on me. In less than a weeks time we switch from the green of the Irish to the pretty pastels of the season.

Felicia visited me and I followed her bunny trail right back to her blog and Etsy shop. Look at her darling glove bunny. Yep, that's right, it is made from a glove. I think the BIG eyes are a hoot.

Hop on over to her shop -- Fluffy Flowers -- and see more, including funny bunny jokes.

Etsy is always a Phoebe favorite. Consider how your holidays can be made more unique with handmade goods. For just about any holiday, you can search Etsy to find special goods. For instance, search for "bunnies" or "eggs" and see the incredible collection.

I hope you have fun Easter plans...I will go to church and enjoy my dove dark chocolate.


Hoppy Easter!

Rachel Ray's Fave for the Home -- polka dot lamp

I don't often think of Rachel Ray providing home decorating advice, but each month in her magazine she highlights her favorite home decor finds.

She likes this fun brown dot lamp from Wal-Mart and I do too.


How great this would be paired with wall sticker "sprinkles" by Michelle Christina You can order colors to match the lamp!



I'm seeing dots, are you?

Not Your Grandma's Wallpaper, Part 4 -- Wall Stickers

from michellechristina

Introducing wall stickers, sometimes called vinyl lettering or vinyl stickers. They are a budget-friendly way to add art and design to your walls. They can be removed without hurting your walls so they are ideal for apartment dwellers. To find them, I like to search Etsy. Just type in "wall stickers".

Here are a few:

From pulcinopazzo:

From holly:
Note, above, the Russian nesting dolls are wall stickers. How clever.



from michellechristina:


What can you do with wall stickers?

My Etsy "Holiday" Gallery

Painting -- Christmas Toys -- from Fauve Studios

I am so stuck on Etsy -- the online bazaar of handmade goodies.

Right here, right now, I invite you to my Esty Gallery, hosted by me! It's some of my favorite holiday paintings found on Etsy.

Here is an idea: During the holiday season, I like to take down my paintings I usually have up all year long, and replace them with holiday paintings and family photos of Christmas past. It is a wonderful way to add "history" to a space.

Scroll down to see my Etsy Gallery:

From Leaky Faucet, Nativity

From Aceo, Waiting for Santa




From Luluvillage, Mother and Child

From the Vintage Sister, The Sleigh Ride

From Wakulla, Partridge in a Pear

From Leepeirce, Poinsettia

From Lunatiqueart, Father Winter

From Donna Hickerson Original Christmas Art, Christmas Cityscape

From Wjcatnip, Wonder in Red and Green

From Eggman Studios, Lonely Peppermint Tree

From Fauve Studio, Christmas Toys

From 12 Fifteen, Winter Wonderland

From BaabaaCreations, Christmas Birds

To view more, see www.Etsy.com and search for "Christmas Paintings" or "Modern Christmas Paintings" and be inspired.

Got Retail? ...Give it Detail!

I get excited about the stylish budget-wise finds at the Big Boxes. These finds can help us make our house a home; only thing is, if everyone is buying the same mass-produced stuff, will our homes look the same?

This reminds me of a Friends episode where Rachel hides her love of Pottery Barn from Phoebe, who dislikes anything mass-produced. Phoebe wants her furnishings to be one-of-a-kind and to have a history. The sameness of Pottery Barn just gets to her.



See, I have to admit, I am torn. Am I "Rachel" or am I "Phoebe"?

What got me thinking is a recent article in the New York Times about Etsy, the online community of over 70,000 artisans and counting. Everything sold on Etsy has a "history".

Sounding like Phoebe, the founder of Etsy, Robert Kalin said:

Buying something from the person who made it is “the opposite of what Wal-Mart is right now: just this massively impersonal experience. When you get an item from Etsy, there’s this whole history behind it. There’s a person behind it.”

I am stuck on Etsy. I love art fairs, but they don't come around often enough for me. Now I can go to one "virtually" everyday, thanks to Esty.

So am I "Rachel" or am I "Phoebe"?

I'm probably both.

My living room has a sofa and chairs from Basset furniture, rug and tables from Pottery Barn, an antique Chinese door, art painted by moi and furniture, lamps and artwork inherited from Grams.

The "history" is in the "details" -- the inherited items and the artwork that are juxtaposed with the "retail" furnishings.

So this is, in my opinion, how you solve the problem of looking like everyone else --make the "details" tell your story, your history.

It might not appease the "Phoebes" of the world, but it will keep your home from looking like a page out of the Pottery Barn catalog.

Etsy is a great place to start your hunt for the unique. It has become the first place I look for the "details" with personality-plus.

So, are you a "Rachel" or a "Phoebe"?