A Minimal Mantel

Pier 1-1-Design Crush

 

My holiday decor game plan goes something like this:

  1. Work around what you already have.
  2. Stay true to your style.
  3. Don’t do a lot of rearranging.

 

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It’s a plan of action that’s served me well in the past, but when Pier 1 challenged me to do a mantle refresh I knew it was time to try something new. Their holiday collection revolves around several styles this season, a little something for everyone, and it was fun to pull from a few to create a look that was 100% me.

 

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The starting point was this amazing Peacock Ombre Wreath. My tree is full of jewel-toned ornaments, mostly in different variations of pinks and reds, so this piece on the other side of the room just made sense. It’s colorful and saturated and a great focal point to build my mantel off of.

 

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Christmas is all about sparkle, so anything I did wouldn’t be complete with some sort of lights. I fell for these Ornament String Lights in a heartbeat. The ten shimmery ornaments are handblown and have a mercury glass finish, something that’s always been one of my holiday staples. I stretched a strand along the mantle and tucked about half into the lower part of the wreath. It ended up feeling very abstract and modern, which I love! And they’re operated by a battery pack, a total bonus.

 

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To add some extra height I pulled in the Glitter Ice Pine Tree Set. They’re such a great touch with those silvery bases, but manage not to compete with the brilliance of the wreath. Decorating with threes is something I always do – in this case the tallest of the three trees was offset on one side by the middle and smallest sized. My mid-century rocking bird is the only piece I left from the usual mantle setup because it just added something special.

 

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The last touch was a pair of LED Birch Tree Pillars that tie in nicely with the all-encompassing tree theme I ended up with. They have two settings – one for a steady light and one that flickers like a real candle! I’ve been turning them on every evening and the yellow tone of the lights is just so warming.

 

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This post is brought to you by Pier 1 Imports. All words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Design Crush creating fresh content!

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Mega Holiday Card Roundup

 

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1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

This year, instead of breaking up our usual December roundups into parts, we’re going big. A mega holiday card collection, a mega 2016 calendar post, mega holiday DIYs, and our usual imaginary Christmas celebration. This way you’ll be less likely to miss out on any favorites and all the more likely to get into a festive spirit! To start off here are 50 holiday cards I’d love to show up in my mailbox.

 

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11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20

 

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21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30

 

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31 / 32 / 33 / 34 / 35 / 36 / 37 / 38 / 39 / 40

 

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41 / 42 / 43 /44 / 45 / 46 /47 / 48 / 49 / 50

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Make or Buy: Advent Calendars

Lately I feel like I’m being pulled in about ten different directions, and it’s really become the norm. Aside from needing to work on my work/life balance and learning to say no more often, I’ve also come to value what little free time I have. With that thought in mind and the idealisms of the holidays nearly upon us, I’ve tracked down twelve DIY advent calendars and twelve to buy. Because it’s really all about picking and choosing our battles, right?

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ROW 1: DIY Advent Calendar // Printable Mountain Advent Calendar // Printable Advent Calendar Christmas Countdown    ROW 2: Printable Winter Village Advent Calendar // Last Minute DIY Advent Calendar // Printable Advent Calendar    ROW 3: DIY Paint Dipped Advent Calendar Bottles // DIY Lattice Advent Calendar // DIY Advent Calendar    ROW 4: DIY Geo Advent Calendar // DIY Copper Advent Calendar // DIY Christmas Countdown Candle

 

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ROW 1: 3D Advent Village Calendar // Chocolate Truffle Advent Calendar // Advent Calendar Box Set    ROW 2: Advent Calendar Display Box // Advent Calendar Set with 24 Bags // Advent Calendar    ROW 3: Advent Eraser Kit // Candy Countdown // Graphic Advent Calendar with Stickers    ROW 4: Modern Craft Advent Calendar Kit // Scandinavian Advent Calendar // Wooden Activity Advent Calendar

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A Very Merry Christmas

Decade Diary-Design Crush

Photo: Decade Diary

I hope that all of you who are celebrating Christmas tomorrow have a beautiful day full of time spent with friends and family, more food than you can imagine, and thoughtful gestures. It’s the little things that count most, today and every day. Merry Christmas!

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Happy Weekend

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01/ Processed Views creates crazy colorful landscapes using junk food.
02/ stunningly beautiful photographs of the mass migration of animals.
03/ The big guy in red, aka Santa, got a makeover from the designers at Joint London.
04/ Strap on a Circlet Bracelet and turn your arm into a touchscreen device!
05/ People of the Twenty-First Century highlights covertly captured street style over 20 years.
06/ The Fairy Post Office is hidden inside a tree in an Orinda, California park.
07/ Marija Puipaite shapes stools using her own legs.
08/ How chic is this carrara marble Ovo speaker?
09/ Honey, I’m Home is such a smart, symbolic concept for a key holder.
10/ The Twelve Beards of Christmas is pretty magical.

This week on Design Crush:
I’m daydreaming about escaping for a holiday getaway to one of these Cabins.
Good news – you’re invited to Christmas Brunch!
Lovely, ethereal collage work by Beth Hoeckel.
I created a fast and fun holiday candy buffet for holiday visitors!
The last of our four part holiday card coverage.
Gorgeous dhurrie rugs from OYYO (and a great lookbook, too).
Twelve more 2015 calendars to get you thinking about the new year.
Geometric wood art by Alex Morrison.
The tastiest breakfast comfort food – cinnamon rolls 10 ways.
Download these 22 holiday printables!

Design Crush elsewhere:
Make your winter home merry and bright with yellow decor.

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22 (Free!) Holiday Printables

Oh Happy Day-Design Crush

Printable Faux Bow Gift Boxes by Oh Happy Day

Printable Holiday Postcard by Paper & Stitch

Printable Holiday Gifting Templates by Design*Sponge

Printable Holiday Treat Labels by The Proper Pinwheel

 

Almost Makes Perfect-Design Crush

Printable Holiday Gift Tags by Almost Makes Perfect

Printable Holiday Gift Tags by Poppytalk

Printable Holiday Gift Tags by Julep

Gemstone Gift Tags by Love vs. Design

 

The Proper Pinwheel-Design Crush

Holiday Gift Tags by The Proper Pinwheel

Printable From Santa Gift Tags by DIY Candy

Printable Holiday Tags by Creative Index

Printable Christmas Tags from Tomfo

 

Persia Lou-Design Crush

Hand-Lettered Christmas Tags by Persia Lou

Printable Gift Tags by A Pair & a Spare

Holiday Gift Tags Printables by Blabla Kids

Printable Woodland Gift Tags by Design*Sponge

Printable Illustrated Holiday Gift Tags by Oh So Beautiful Paper

 

Style Me Pretty Living-Design Crush

Watercolor Gift Tags by Style Me Pretty Living

Holiday Gift Tags by Maiko Nagao

Printable Bottle Tag by ManMadeDIY

Printable Christmas Gift Tags by Visual Heart

Printable Holiday Tags by Petit Pippin

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Holiday Cards – Part 4

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Shiny New Year by The Good Twin Co. // Bright Year by Parrott Design Studio //
Stuff It by Farewell Paperie // Jingle All the Way by Steel Petal Press

 

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Season’s Greetings by Skipping Fox // Happiness & Love by The Yellow Note //
Color Swatch Tree by Fierce Mally // A Cozy Cup by Fierce Mally

 

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Peace Pie & Coffee by Moglea // Merry Little Christmas by Thimblepress // Ho Ho Ho by Big Jon //
Trees on 67th Street by Mr. Boddington’s Studio

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

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you’re invited to: Christmas Brunch

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A few years ago my family switched to having a Christmas Day brunch in place of dinner. While I miss the big dinner with all of the trimmings, this seems to suit us all just fine. It’s always at my Grandma’s house, but if it were at mine it might go a little something like this. Lots of brights and metallics and an air of fun about it all. Lots of carbs to pick at while each person opens their gifts. And of course dessert and some alcohol to lighten the mood. Wanna come over? (Imaginary Christmas 2013, Imaginary Holiday Appetizer Party)

 

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Adorn Wooden Ornaments // Christmas Scent // Decorative Sisal Trees // DIY Fancy Paper Chain //
Flaneur’s Pocket Geometric Wooden Ornaments // DIY Paint Chip Wreath // DIY Paper Pinecones //
Tinsel Tree Wall Decoration // DIY Paper Mistletoe Kissing Ball

 

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Fig and Black Pepper Lattes // Nutella Hot Chocolate // Pear Nectar & Thyme Mimosas

 

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Herbed Cocktail Meatballs with Honey Mustard Sauce // Miso Deviled Eggs //
Rosemary Spiced Mixed Nuts

 

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Blomster // Branch & Twig Cocktail Picks // Cloched Greenery // Confetti Platter //
DIY Dip-Dyed Placecards // French Wine Glass // Glittered Cocktail Stirrers //
Pearl Place Hi-Ball Set // Red Birds Plate

 

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Earl Grey Orange and Medjool Date Scones // Easy Breakfast Roll Ups //
Easy Fluffy Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls // Eggnog Steel Cut Oatmeal // Garlic Parmesan Roasted Potatoes //
King’s Hawaiian Waffles with Pumpkin Syrup // Maple Molasses Muffins //
Sweet Potato Pomegranate Salad // Vanilla Maple Baked Stuffed Apple Parfaits

 

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Apple Cake // Carrot Gingerbread Cake with Cardamom Frosting and Ginger Fries //
Chocolate Peppermint Bundt Cake

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20 Holiday DIYs

How in the world is it already December 11th?! This month is flying by at the speed of light, and to be quite honest I’m lucky my tree is up and a few fresh wreaths are on the windows. I’m dreadfully behind on my holiday shopping and haven’t had time to so much as think about creating any seasonal DIYs. Which is why it’s nice to have creative friends and an RSS feed full of projects to bookmark with the hopes of adding hours to each day next December.

 

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Click on each image to go to the project.
All photos copyright of their respective sites unless otherwise noted.

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