My Holiday Home Depot Style Challenge

 

Giving thanks for so so many blessings this Thanksgiving holiday. Persevering through some personal challenges, getting a clean bill of health from my first mammogram, and being fortunate to see the continued growth of our design business, which allowed us to hire another assistant.

And this year, for the first time ever, my home is already fully reflective of the holiday season thanks to my participation in The Home Depot Style Challenge    



For the challenge, I was asked to incorporate specific holiday decor items sent by The Home Depot, into my dining room and to include a few DIY projects where possible. I'm no DIY queen, so I kept it simple with some clever DIY items like spray painting these hurricane vases in gold, using paint chips as place cards and scribbling personal notes inside a thank you card for guests.

Go see all the details on The Home Depot blog and be sure to share your thoughts and your own ideas we can all use. Huge thanks as well to our friends at the Home Depot for inviting us to do this challenge. It certainly pushed me outside my comfort zone to finally decorate my home, albeit in 90 degree weather! Have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving Day!

http://www.livelaughdecorate.com/2015/11/my-holiday-home-depot-style-challenge.html
http://www.livelaughdecorate.com/2015/11/my-holiday-home-depot-style-challenge.html

Style Tips For Your Holiday Table Decor

How are you peeps? I know we've become scarce around these parts, but it's for reasons rooted in being blessed with a bounty of design projects.
This of course means we have lots to be thankful for, including the purchase of our new home. Even though we are many, many moons away from completing all the necessary renovation work, we wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving with dinner at our very own table.

This would be a simple affair with just two great friends and my cousin Lisa who visited from Jamaica as our guests. If you follow along on Instagram you'll know that this was the hubby's first attempt at cooking a turkey and he stayed up all night making a special brine for the poor turkey. 

 Let's just say he was pretty pleased with himself, and man oh man you should know it tasted oh so good!  

Anywho, back to some styling tips for your own tablescape. The table setting was an easily pulled together affair. Our dining table is a white tulip table, we have a mix of old and new chairs and this modern banquette bench. My point: no need to shy away from hosting dinner because you don't have a fancy matching dining table and chairs. The more mixed and eclectic the better.

I snagged the napkins and brass napkin holders on clearance at my local West Elm over the summer, and by snagged I mean I raided that clearance bin and really stocked up because they were about $1.50 a piece. 

 
The Ikat printed placemat is actually a napkin folded to add a punch of color and pattern to the table. Again, no need to panic because you don't have fancy placemats.

So y'all know I'm a lover of all things Target and purchased this sparkly gold Joy sign weeks ago with no plan in mind. I just loved it and I mean, who doesn't want joy sprinkled throughout their lives every freaking day. 


The irony is that I also purchased the gold, black and white pitcher weeks ago, not even knowing it was part of the Oh Joy collection. Joy and Oh Joy? What a perfect match. A round tray by Nate Berkus, candle holder and serpent candle holders also on clearance from West Elm, rounded out my center piece. White hydrangeas from Whole Foods are my go to florals so course they needed to hold court center stage.

Gold and white table runner? Yes please. Also from West Elm. I loved the hammered detail of these gold chargers from Target. And yes I doubled up on the napkins because hmmmm why not? It's your soiree have fun with it, break some rules, or better yet, ignore the rules.

 

And that's all folks. Our first Thanksgiving in our new home and we had a great time. And yes, we still have leftovers! The hubby really threw down.

HELLO JULY! AND SOME JULY 4TH DECOR IDEAS !

Via Pinterest

 

It's July! How and where did the months go? Anywho, if you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that the hubby and I finally bought a house and the little man now has a huge back yard to run around in. Yay. Alas, it's a major fixer-upper so we're now living in renovation hell. Since we won't be entertaining anytime soon, here's some 4th of July decor inspiration I'm swooning over that should hopefully inspire y'all do entertain in style this weekend. Yes, I plan to live vicariously through y'all, so do entertain well.

Via Pinterest

Via Pinterest

Via Pinterest

via Pinterest

Via Pinterest

Love those hurricane lanterns as centerpieces and those mason jar covers! 
What's your favorite 4th of July decor tip? 
 Cheers to a happy holiday weekend to all.

Easter Blessings...

Happy Easter Everyone.
Here's to new beginnings on this day of resurrection.
May the months ahead be filled with boundless joy, love and hope.

Source: brit.co via Krystelle on Pinterest

xxxx xxx

Source: hercampus.com via Her Campus on Pinterest

xxx

Source: Uploaded by user via Trending Mom on Pinterest

Thanksgiving Decor Settings to Salivate For....

We know the turkey is da Queen of the show on Thanksgiving day, but that doesn't mean the table setting and decor can't give that Queen a run for her money. Here are a few show-stopping settings we found to get ya motivated to turn it up a notch this year. The first is a gravity defying centerpiece by the uber fabulous Preston Bailey. How in the world is that thing standing? Any who, feast on - yes, the pun is intended.

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Any faves? We love that the the oxblood trend will likely seep into many settings this year. But I think my faves are the simplicity of setting at that stunning glass table with the Lucite chairs, and the personalized touches added to the candles and napkins in the that rustic setting. Which do you prefer? Do you go all out with your Thanksgiving decor or do you just sit back and let that turkey do her thing? Holla. 

p.s.

Thanks for all the anniversary wishes. The hubs pulled out all the stops and it was a great night.

p.s.s

Did anyone (besides moi and Linda at My Crafty Home Life) watch the premier of Million Dollar Decorators? I caught a bit and am so NOT impressed with the ridiculous expenditures. A $50,000 table that weighs a ton? So unnecessary. And what decorator worth his or her salt would NOT know that the paint crew and company had not yet finished doing their job or mailed a $10,000 check to a vendor you'd NEVER met or seen his/her workspace? Come on..............This is reality TV that is not based in reality, at least clearly not my reality which aint million dollar budgets.