Happy Thanksgiving

My Mom circa 1980s

Black, Gold and Rustic Chic Thanksgiving DIY Table Decorating Ideas

The elegant look of black and gold, matched with the comfort of rustic materials, makes a Thanksgiving Day feast look personalized and dazzling! These are some EASY DIY and TREND WORTHY ideas to make your Thanksgiving table as special as your food and your guests.  

START WITH FABULOUS PLACE SETTINGS

See below for details on how to get this look:

NAPKINS WITH STYLE 

(you'd never guess how easy these are to make!)

HOW to create these unique napkins:

Buy fabric quaters like I did (see above photo) to create one a of a kind napkins.  

*You can find quaters, cut up fabric tied in bundles, at local craft stores.

  

OR

Find yards of fabric you like and cut it up into 18" x 21" sizes.

A NEW TWIST ON NAPKIN RINGS

Forget about buying expensive napkin rings; go outside and find fallen branches.  

These branches are four to six inch high.  

Just one step to this DIY: Spray the branches on both sides with spray paint.

Fold your napkin and place a golden branch on top. Tie a satin black ribbon around the branch to finish the look!  If you have selected specific seating for your guests, include a chalkboard name tag to each napkin branch.  I picked this tag up at Hobby Lobby (comes in set of 4).

PLASTIC CUTLERY SHINES IN GOLD

Whether you are hosting a sit down dinner, or buffet style, plastic cutlery allows for easy clean up after the meal!  The gold color makes it look more expensive.  Place cutlery in mason jars for a down home touch that shines.

Masonry Jars Are Inexpensive And Have Many Uses!

 A BURLAP TABLE RUNNER

Buy a roll at a craft store.

Cut pieces of the burlap the width of your tablecloth to have them under each, or every other place setting, OR make one long runner by cutting it the length of the tablecloth.

Add metallic spray paint to both ends of the runner for an ombre shine!

CHARGERS MADE OF WOOD

You can buy wood slices or have your local lumberjack cut you some pieces for your Thanksgiving table.  They are so unique and available at numerous online websites like saveoncrafts.  I ordered mine from there and they arrived less than a week after I ordered them.

 CENTERPIECES FOR THE TABLE

Pumpkin Stands: Use various sized candle holders with flat tops and place pumpkins on them!  The different heights add interest and can be scattered down the center of your table.

Tree Branch Centerpiece: this tall decor can be placed on any table including a dessert or buffet area!  I love this one because you can personalize it by adding paper shaped tags with written messages of things you are thankful for!  Ask your guests to do one and place each on a branch.  

Get your guests to write on each tag what they are thankful for, then place it on a branch!

How to make a Tree Branch Centerpiece:

Take a vase and wrap painters tape around it, then spray it with spray paint 

(in a well ventilated area).  Takes 5 minutes to dry!

Fill vase halfway with rocks to give it weight.  Find fallen branches and place them in the vase, then add moss at the top!

From the branches, you can hang anything from sparkly feathers, paper leaves, to my favorite, written messages of thankful thoughts!

Here is a previous post about another popular DIY project DREAM TREE.  

CLICK HERE FOR INSTRUCTIONS TO CREATE A DREAM TREE 

Don't forget to include a signature drink for your guests! Makes a great personal touch and can create it ahead of time.  Have it ready for them when they arrive.  They will immediately feel special!  

Have a signature drink on hand for guests.  Place in a mason jar like this one above.  Garnish it with a lemon!

Here is a great recipe:

Gin shandy-

 Mix 1 cup lemonade

One 12-ounce bottle ginger beer

¾ cup gin

Watch Shosh talk to viewers about all the ideas above!

CLICK HERE

I Can't Wait Until Wednesday To Get This Thanksgiving Table Look

Try a black, gold and natural chic theme this year for decorating your Thanksgiving table!  These ideas will add charming glamour that your guests will appreciate while feasting.

Wednesday I will show viewers on WFMZ 69 News At Sunrise how to get this look!  Tune in at 8:50 am.  If you miss it, you can catch the segment online on their website, and can come back to this blog to get complete instructions, and tips!

CLICK HERE to see all great ideas presented on the TV show!

Happy Veterans Day!

Happy Veterans Day to my Dad and all those who served, and are serving our wonderful country!  

Decorating Your Home With A Partner Successfully

This blog post is a BIG one for me personally!  Its a great topic for anyone living with another person, including a spouse, partner, friend, and even kids, who is trying to design and decorate their home.

Making design and decorating decisions to your home can be challenging; factor in another persons opinions and the process can be not only drawn out due to lack of agreeability, but emotionally draining.  Blending your style and taste with another persons can be tricky but there are ways to make it easier and accomplish your goals.

WATCH SHOSH TALK ABOUT THIS TOPIC ON WFMZ-TV 69 NEWS AT SUNRISE

You need to act as a team in order to get the best results.  Here are some ideas:

Each of you making a list of:

1   1. Goals/your priorities for the room

     2. Specific ideas you already have for the room (tip: gather pictures of rooms you like; create idea books thru online sites such as Pinterest and Houzz)

Sit down together and review your lists.  You may be more specific with your list than the other person.  Be as visual and specific as possible (I say that a lot because its important).

YES you will disagree, so read these tips below to minimalize arguments and resentment as you take on your project:

Don’t let this meeting become a bar fight.  Feelings can be hurt if you degrade someone’s choice of personal style; be respectful and you will be happily surprised with the progress you make!  You may be coming together with no ‘baggage’ (furniture/décor); or you each have ‘baggage’ from previous residences.  Deciding what to keep and what to get rid of can be very emotional.  Yes, it is possible to blend styles.  If a modern table represents you, but traditional chairs represents the other person, go for it! 

Go back to your original list of priorities you wrote down.  Express the most important one, and have your partner do the same.  Make a decision to give each of you something; For example, if electronics are your thing, ask to take that on and let the other person choose another element.  If there are multiple spaces included in your project, let one of you have more say in one of the rooms, and take on the other so you both feel in control.

There are a lot of options to choose from with most aspects of designing and decorating. If one of you gets overwhelmed at the thought of all that is out there, narrow down the options for the other by doing pre shopping, then present your ideas.   The key is not to tell them THIS is what you are doing; instead give them choices.  You are giving them a voice although controlling the volume.

Quick story for you: I redesigned a family room for a couple and they did not include their thirteen year old son.  You might not think anything of this, but after the room was complete, the son expressed his dislike of it over and over.  This is his room too and he was shell shocked by the changes.   Keep kids in the process of changes to their environment so they adapt to them better to it.  You don’t need their permission to make changes, just keep them involved.

Your aim at the end of the project is to have the room or rooms feel like all of you are represented. 

I can’t tell you how many times I have run back and forth to stores with throw pillows because I saw them and loved them but my husband did not.  Custom furniture can be very expensive and many times you cannot return it, so make sure you do not buy it on a whim without the other persons approval.  I have seen too many times, people buy furniture because they give up and feel overwhelmed, then regret it. 

If you feel strongly about a piece of furniture, paint color, or other design element you want, and your partner says NO, do not take it negatively.  Turn it around on them by asking them why they don’t like it.  Ask for a more specific reason.  Maybe it’s the fabric on the chair you chose, but not the chair itself.  Or maybe he/she can’t see your vision fully so you need to help him/her understand it better.  Or maybe it’s an emotional attachment to what you are looking to replace?  You may end up getting the other person on board with what you want to do!

Good luck with your project!

Shosh Talks 'How to decorate with a partner' Tomorrow on TV

This design dilemma comes up all the time during casual conversations, whether I'm working at a client's home, having lunch with friends, or even sitting in my hair stylists chair (like I did today!):

"I'm trying to decorate my home but my partner and I can't agree on anything!"

Tomorrow on WFMZ TV 69 News at Sunrise at 8:50 am I will give tips to hopefully alleviate this tough and emotional interior design topic.  If you miss the show, I will have a blog post about it after it airs on TV.

Great Online Resources To Help Decorate Your Home

As seen on todays WFMZ 69 News At Sunrise TV show

Home redecorating can be stressful when you lack direction or inspiration.  I am always asked where I go for help to get moving on a home improvement project.   Below are my 'go to' home improvement resources.  You have probably heard of all or most already, but if not, read a little more about how you can use them to your advantage!

Beware:  These online sites are VERY addicting!

These 3 Online Sites Allow Their Users To Interact:

Olioboard

Olioboard is an online, interior design, mood board creator, where users can create 2D and 3D room designs using real products from all their favorite brands.  You just drag and drop real products onto a digital canvas you create!  You can even load your own photos onto the boards.  It is just so much fun!  You can view other users mood boards and get inspired. 

Olioboard has become a community who chat, compete in design challenges, and have fun experimenting with interior design.

Pinterest

For you Pinterest newbies out there, this is a great place to search for creative ideas on subjects ranging from home improvement, cooking, travel and more!  Then save those ideas by ‘pinning’ them to boards you create.  Many photos online, not on Pinterest, allow you to save them to your boards as well!  You can write a description as you ‘pin’ to help you remember why you liked it.  You can also follow other people to see what they ‘pin’!

Houzz

Houzz is the fastest growing online resource for home improvement ideas.  A place to browse and save beautiful home photos. A place to find the right design and construction professionals. A place to connect with others who have been there too. Houzz has become a community of more than 35 million homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals—across the country and around the world.  Similar to Pinterest, you save photos to idea books, and you can also follow other Houzz users to what they add.  Houzz also has a ton of advice from design professionals and Q&A from other ‘Houzzers’ (people like you). 

More Online Sites Worth Checking Out:

HGTV

I love their ‘Design and Decorate’ Section of HGTV.  Its chock full of great ideas, trending design and décor, photos you can save and videos from HGTV shows and quick tips from the popular hosts!  There is a ton of DIY, Before and After, and so much more.  

Apartment Therapy

No, Apartment Therapy is not just for people living in an apartment.  It has great budget friendly ideas, animal and kid decorating advice, creative solutions dealing with small spaces, and so much more!  Apartment Therapy has many detailed topics that are fun and inspirational: everything from tours of apartments to get inspiration, to DIY projects, Before and Afters, and decorating ideas.  You can even search by color and a bunch of photos of rooms and more come up using that color.