One of my favorite things to do is decorate Christmas trees for clients.  Through the decorations or theme that they choose for their tree I can really see a reflection of their personality and style.  This year I've really done some fun trees.  The styles have ranged from Texas hill country using rustic ornaments and even rope on the tree to a very elegant tree totally decked out with ornate gold ornaments.  I've also had a lot of requests for trees with cool earthy textures like burlap which can go well with the shabby chic look as well as the rustic decor.   Always remember to decorate the tree in layers.  I usually start with the ribbon or deco mesh first, then put on the largest ornaments placing some back into the tree and some closer to the outer edge of the branches.  Then, I place the medium and small ornaments in the same fashion.  I finish with berries, sticks or feathers which give the dimension.  I usually do the topper at the end so that I don't rock the tree and disturb it during the process of decorating.  Here are a few pics of some fun trees I've done. 

Lavish Christmas

Maybe it's just in Texas, but I have noticed retailers starting to merchandise Christmas decorations much earlier than in years past.  This year I think it was in late July that I saw
Christmas coming out at my favorite craft store in Grapevine.  I had a really hard time wrapping my head around artificial snow and pine cones as I walked to my car in 110 degree heat!  But now it's finally time to "deck the halls" and I am in full swing with my
Christmas decorating.   I've actually already done two homes this year and I thought I would share a few highlights from some of my clients.  Both of these ladies have gorgeous

decorations to work with and I truly enjoy my job!

Dress your Shelves

The cold weather is compelling me to stay indoors and continue my post holiday re-arranging of my house (specifically the accessories). Today I am focusing on my bookshelves. Making bookshelves look balanced and beautiful can be a challenge but with a few simple rules of thumb it can be done fairly easily.

Shop through your home for nice looking hardback books (not paperbacks or phone books) ha ha! Also, look for framed photos, sentimental keepsakes, a pretty plate or tray, maybe a small lamp and a small dried floral arrangement. After gathering your goodies, clear the shelves completely. If your shelves are adjustable this is the time to adjust them to accommodate varying heights of books, etc. Starting with the top shelf I use a zig zag method to decorate. By this I mean balancing the weight of the books/accessories on one shelf heavy on the left then on the next shelf heavy on the right and so on. Experiment with placing the books upright and stacking horizontal. Arranging bookshelves is an art ~ just use your imagination and try, try again!

It's that time of year, Christmas is over and all the decorations are down....well, hopefully they are by now! Have you experienced it yet? That feeling that your house looks blah and empty? I have this feeling every year! All the nooks and crannies that had something cute are now empty and dull. For example, a cute little berry wreath that was on my pantry door for the holidays is now gone and the doors looks bare. I really didn't want to replace it with another wreath so I found this super cute panel at Pier One. The fork is actually a chalk board that I can post our dinner menu for Bobby! Tonight we are having......Pei Wei !

Bathroom Update

For the past few months Bobby and I have been working our way through the house room by room doing a little updating. We have been here for 17 yrs. and the house is now 20 years old so it's time!

I love pretty bathrooms therefore our master bath was a recent target for the paintbrush. We had the walls and cabinets painted and glazed. I added a few new accessories and a new vanity chair..... voila ~ we now have a beautiful sanctuary with minimal cost! The wall color is Valspar, Woodlawn Blue Angel and the cabinet base color is Sherwin Williams, Hopsack. We used a dark brown glaze over the cabinets. The transformation is amazing.....love it!

Ribbons & Bows

As I have been sharing for the past few weeks, I have been hard at work doing Christmas decorating jobs all over the Metroplex. I absolutely love doing this work! One of the best parts of the job is that I get to work with my friends. This year I have had the chance to work with both Judy and Sydney ~ I love this!!! Over the years I have also been blessed with the friendship of my clients.

When I first started holiday decorating the girls I worked with deemed me "The Queen of Bows". I just love to use ribbon and bows to add a festive touch of sparkle to almost anything. It's easy, fun and won't blow your budget. Check out some easy ideas for decorating with pretty ribbon. Tis the season!!