Seasonal Decorating Archives - Satori Design for Living

10 Ways to Decorate With Glass Cylinders

Apr

2013

Glass cylinder vases are one of the most versatile accessories in decorating. With their simple and classic shape, as well as accessibility at a variety of price points, it’s no wonder they’ve become a favorite amongst decorators and a staple in decor. If I think about how many glass cylinders I have in my own home, I’d have to say there are at least half a dozen. Some of these are always on display, and the others are pulled out from time to time for seasonal decorating or entertaining.

I thought I’d gather together some of my favorite ways to make good use of glass cylinder vases in almost every room in your house. Chances are you have at least one or two sitting around.

Use one small glass cylinder within a larger one to create interesting candle holders with items sandwiched between. This wine cork candle holder is perfect for a table centerpiece.

Christmas House Tour {Countryside}

Dec

2012

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After showing a snippet of my friend Sandi’s country home back in October, I received emails from several of you asking for more. I’ve been wanting to share this house with you for a while now, and was excited when Sandi extended the offer to be part of my Christmas House Tour series this year.

Although this house was built less than two years ago, it has much of the same character and charm you’d find in a century old home. I think you’ll see why I loved being part of this project, aside from having a good excuse to spend more time with a great friend.

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Powell Christmas House Tour_11

Upon entering the front door, Sandi has displayed a beautiful combination of mercury glass and natural materials that look so welcoming. At night they’re even more gorgeous.

Christmas House Tour {Elma Street}

Dec

2012

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One of my friends is so fortunate to have her home located on the prettiest street in the town. A neighborhood filled with historical homes, large lot sizes, and mature trees, I can’t help but feel a wee bit envious every time I visit. After attending a wedding shower at her home earlier this year, I asked Katja if she’d be willing to share her place with my readers. As a former boutique owner in Calgary’s trendy Marda Loop area, she has a great eye for detail and a creative way of expressing her style. Her home is what you’d expect to see knowing her personality, and this is what I mean when I talk about “getting you and your home speaking the same language.”

Although Katja’s home is always charming, somehow I knew it would be even more extraordinary at Christmas. When I stopped by last week to take some photos, I whipped out my camera as soon as I made my way up the sidewalk to capture the lovely Christmas decorating starting at the front gate.

Jingle Bell Ornaments

Dec

2012

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As I was going through my Christmas storage totes last week to see what I had for wrapping supplies, I came across a package of tiny silver jingle bells I bought at the end of last year’s holiday season. To tell you the truth, I didn’t know what I was going to do with them back then, but it’s hard to pass up on a great deal, especially when it’s something so adorable.

Last year, I made simple jingle bell ornaments to dress up some handmade gifts using large, colorful, and sparkly options that seemed to stand alone. However, I knew these smaller ones would require a little more work to create something with impact. Luckily, I had a little motivation from my friend Shannon at AKA Design, who inspired a group of design bloggers to create a Christmas ornament or other holiday decorating element to share in an upcoming book. So much fun!

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Filed Under: DIY, Holiday & Seasonal Tagged With: Aka Design, Christmas, Crafts, DIY, Gift Wrap, Seasonal Decorating

Holiday Countdown Series Recap {Week Six}

Nov

2012

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Hello everyone! It’s the last day of November and that means we’ll be turning our Christmas lights on tomorrow night. Like so many, December marks the start of the advent calendar in our house (one of my son’s favorites), as well as so many other fun holiday preparations and celebrations.

I hope you’re enjoying this year’s Holiday Countdown series. Although there’s still a lot to do, I’m feeling pretty good about where I am right now. Last week I managed to go through my wrapping supplies bin to see what I had, and I set aside some time to create a few new gift tags I’ll be sharing with you next week. My son and I also put together a collection of items (snacks, grooming products, water bottle, etc) for his school backpack campaign, and we sent an Endless Harvest Gift to a family in need through Plan Canada.

If you’re just joining us or need a little series refresher, you can find the whole 2012 Holiday Countdown here.

This Week:

Decorate your front door/porch.

Nothing says ‘Welcome’ more than a beautifully decorated front porch. Although there are many ideas, I suggest coordinating your decorations with the theme you chose back on week two, as well as something that suits the exterior of your home. For instance, if you have a modern exterior you should select decorating elements that are clean lined and minimalist. If your front porch is traditional, go for something embellished and ornate.

I’m smitten with these doors below, and can’t decide which direction I’ll go in this year.

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Planting Bulbs for Christmas

Nov

2012

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Although Christmas may seem like weeks and weeks away, there are a few things that take time to get ready, including amaryllis, narcissus and other bulbs. Last year I planted my bulbs at the beginning of November, and I had gorgeous blooms starting mid-December lasting past Christmas Day. This timing worked perfectly since we spent Christmas with our families and we were able to enjoy the flowers before we were away.

If you’ve been following this year’s Holiday Countdown, planting bulbs was already part of the homework. Last week I mentioned I was going to try something new this year and plant a few bulbs with water and no soil. I was definitely convinced after seeing these inspiration pics.

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Filed Under: Gardening & Outdoor, Holiday & Seasonal Tagged With: Christmas, Plants & Flowers, Seasonal Decorating

Holiday Countdown Series Recap {Week One}

Oct

2012

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Happy Friday! Some of you may recall that I started a Holiday Countdown series on this day last year. Basically I started it to keep myself organized and on track preparing for Christmas week-by-week, but the comments and emails I received told me that many of you were following along as well. Recently, I was asked if I’m going to do something like it again this year, but rather than create new posts from scratch, I’ve decided to run it as a series recap instead. I’ll be modifying and tweaking last year’s posts to make them better, and rather than giving you a play-by-play of my week like I did last year, I will be sharing a few thoughts and/or photos of what’s been going on at my house instead. I’m also throwing a challenge out to you (read to the bottom to get the details)!

This Week…

Plant amaryllis and paper white bulbs.

Most bulbs take at least 8 weeks to bloom. If you plant them now, they’ll be ready for Christmas. I like to watch mine transform as the weeks go by to remind me that something special is coming. I have a fairly neutral space and the pop of red from the amaryllis adds color and interest and paper whites have always been a favorite.

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Front Porch Reveal + New Door Color

Sep

2012

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A couple weeks ago, I posed the question, “Which color I should paint my front door?” and you definitely gave your input. The top response was blue, with black and yellow being close contenders. Basically it was a mixed bag, which meant I probably couldn’t go wrong with any of my considerations. To refresh your memory, this is what our front door and porch looked like before.

As I always do when selecting paint colors, I held my fan deck up in the location and began flagging colors that stood out to me. I then taped the larger swatches from my Benjamin Moore color kit to the door and stood back. It didn’t take long for certain colors to jump out, and I quickly had it narrowed down to (you guessed it) blue, yellow and black!

Yellow was the next color I eliminated as an option. Our house faces southwest and yellow was far too bright with the sun shining on it. I could also tell by my husband’s and son’s reactions that it wasn’t their favorite color (although they usually defer to me when it comes to decorating decisions). Blue and black, however, were capturing my attention equally, and I decided to sleep on it (all this over a door color!).

The next day, I considered our landscaping colors and it made my decision much easier. Not only do we have a large tree with plum foliage on it throughout the summer, but most of the perennials in our front yard have purple or yellow blooms. I felt that adding blue would just be too much color. In addition, I’ve always loved the sophisticated and classic look of a black door. After looking at several blacks, I decided on Benjamin Moore’s Wrought Iron. It has a blue undertone, which seems to complement our siding and trim.