Homestyle Winter 2012

The Prince George Citizen | Winter 2012

It’s a Colorful Life

Design mogul Jonathan Adler shares his picks for the most festive

hues of the season

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Tree Tops and Bottoms Create a new look this season

12 Days of Decorating Fun projects for the family

The Simple Things Celebrity designers say that the simplest solution is often the best

Th e C h r i s t m a s E d i t i o n

— homestyle — winter 2012


On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me ... plenty of holiday decorating ideas to make the home beautiful and festive for the season.

From new crafts to updates on traditional staples, holi-day decorating doesn’t have to be a chore.

Take this advice from Linnea Johansson, a chef and event planner for the stars who originally is from Sweden, or as she calls it: the “home of Christmas.” She says, “The thing about the whole process of Christmas is not to be stressed out. Make it a fun thing that goes

throughout the month. That’s something my family has always done.”Getting others involved means that decorating becomes a part of

the holiday celebration. Homemade projects also can alleviate stress and inject some fun back into the planning process. Crafty projects get the kids involved and the creative juices flowing.

So gather your friends and family and prepare some extra holiday treats to get an early start on holiday decorating.

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Gather up your friends and family for these fun decorating projects that will get everyone in the holiday spirit

Days 12Crystal clear: Clear glass ornaments are ripe

for experimentation – fill them with holiday confetti, ribbon and/or glitter.

of Decorating

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1Wrapped FramesKara Allen, party planning expert and author of “Kara’s Party Ideas”

(Cedar Fort Publishing, 2012), has a fun idea for sprucing up a stan-dard item: Wrap it!

“We wrap picture frames in gift wrap and make them look like gifts and then hang them back on the wall,” says Allen of one of her favor-ite family tricks. It’s perfect for leftover gift wrap that isn’t big enough to contain a whole gift.

2Celebration BulbsClear glass ornament bulbs are versatile for lots of different projects.

Here’s an idea for tree ornaments that double as birthday decorations.Victoria Hudgins, blogger at A Subtle Revelry and contributing writ-

er for “Handmade Wedding” (Chronicle Books, 2010), came up with the craft when she was looking for a way to incorporate seasonal décor with a festive birthday party. To make the ornaments, start with clear bulbs, which can be purchased at craft stores, and stuff them with confetti or textured ribbon. “A stack of small candles would be a great inclusion, as well,” Hudgins says.

But they don’t have to be birthday-specific – Allen does a similar Christmas version. She fills the inside of the bulb with liquid glue and then pours glitter inside, so it sticks to the sides. Hudgins has also done a version where she fills the bulbs with hot chocolate ingredi-ents.

“The clear ornaments are perfect because you can design them for any style or party you’d like,” Hudgins says.

3 A Tisket, A TasketA fun spin on tradition is to use baskets instead of regular orna-

ments for the tree, says Johansson, who is releasing a new book, “Per-fect Parties” (Skyhorse Publishing, 2012), this year. They fill the baskets with candy, and when the holidays are over, they invite friends to the house to socialize and eat the candy from the tree. “We call it tree-plundering,” she says.

“People will sneak some pieces during Christmas,” she admits, “but the plundering is a good way to keep the celebration going. We are pretty Christmas-obsessed.”

4 Get Your Crochet OnAnyone comfortable with cro-

chet should try incorporating the handy activity into their holiday decorations. Alice Merlino, who writes the craft blog Futuregirl, has plenty of Christmas-related crochet ideas. In addition to wrapping pres-ents in crochet – which she sug-gests for oddly-shaped gifts and as a way to personalize the item – Mer-lino also suggests crocheting candy cane-colored bunting to hang over the fireplace, stockings for everyone in the family, tree skirts, ornaments in fun shapes (like octopuses!), door wreaths and even homemade Advent calendars. “The great thing about crocheted decorations are that you can wash them to keep them looking fresh year after year,” Merlino says.

5 Homemade Advent CalendarsMerlino isn’t the only fan of

Advent calendars. Tamara Maynes, an Australian craft designer and author of “82 Modern Style Ideas to Create at Home” (Murdoch, 2012) also is an advocate. An Advent calendar is a spe-cial calendar used to count or celebrate the days of Advent in the days leading up to Christmas. To create your own, Maynes suggests removing the backs from 25 graphic Christmas cards and stamping the numbers one through 25 over the images on the front. “Write a message appli-cable to Christmas on the back of each and tack [them] on the wall in an organic, clustered style.”

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Crochet critters: This whimsical octopus ornament is embellished with sequins and stands out from

traditional ornaments.

Alice Merlino

Count it down: Advent calendars are easy to make and to personal-

ize, and they last the entire holiday season.

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12 x days x of x decorating


Cont’d from page 4 Or add a chocolate or treat to each day so kids will look forward

to counting down the days to Christmas – if they aren’t already.

6 Cake Stands and Pastry DishesSometimes, new holiday decorations can come from repurposed

household items. Allen suggests using cake stands and pastry dishes to display Christmas objects. “Stack three cake plates in a tier and throw ornaments and Christmas trinkets and gifts on them,” she says. If you have a cake stand with a lid, she says to turn the lid upside down and fill it with ornaments.

7Stocking Stand-Ins Apart from the tree, the most standard Christmas decoration is the

stocking. But if you want to branch out from the traditional thumb-tacked sock on the chimney ledge, Maynes suggests, “Line objects like gumboots or tin buckets beside the fireplace, and stencil names on them to personalize.” Other items that work for stocking stand-ins: hats, vases, gift bags, empty paint cans or vintage jars.

8 Mason Jar CenterpiecesThe rustic decorator’s darling, Mason jars, can wear many hats in

Christmas decorating plans. One idea, from Maynes, is to fill them with candles and group them together as table centerpieces.

Allen suggests filling them with white sand or other white and sil-ver decorations – like garland or lights – and to group them together in different shapes and sizes.

9 Decorating With FoodDon’t want to stock up on paper

or cloth decorations? Try mak-ing decorations out of something everyone loves: food.

Johansson says that one of her favorite decorating projects is hanging gingerbread hearts, since it’s a multi-step process that allows everyone to contribute.

“You make the dough, have to wait a bit, then bake them,” she says.

Then others can help with deco-rating them and writing holiday messages with icing. Afterwards, “we put little holes in the middle and hang them in the windows,” she says.

She also decorates with cloved oranges. “Leave the orange whole, and stick cloves into the orange in different patterns,” she says. The orange will dry out and stay good for a few months. “Put them in a bowl on your table or hang them around the house. It smells amaz-ing.”

The biggest benefit of decorating with food? You can eat the left-overs.

10 Sparkling SilverwareIf decorating with food isn’t

up your alley, maybe decorating with silverware will be. Allen likes to dip the end – the end that doesn’t go in your mouth, that is – of inexpensive cutlery in glitter and use them during par-ties or to dress tables throughout the season.

11 Light it UpWhile not exactly a craft, one

non-traditional way to inject some color for the holidays is to use different colored lights around the house – not just the string lights.

Rather than spending money on lights that might not be used again, Johansson recommends buy-ing inexpensive spot lights and covering them with heat-resistant color film. “You can place those spot lights on a bookcase or what-ever you want people to look at,” she says.

For the general ambiance, “I use a lot of pink light bulbs,” Johans-son says. Contrary to people’s beliefs, she says, “it does not create a girly hue, but actually everyone looks 15 years younger!”

The “soft pink” light bulbs are available at most hardware stores.

12 Christmas Tree, Minus the TreeOne of the easiest ways to free up some decorating time in a cre-

ative way is to ditch the tree altogether and look for simple, trendy alternatives.

Maynes suggests a hand-drawn tree. “Paint a large sheet of light-weight plywood with blackboard paint and draw on a stylized tree, including decorations, in white chalk,” she suggests. Or experiment with colorful chalks to add depth.

Prop up against the wall and arrange presents around the bottom for a simple, easygoing Christmas “tree.”

Edible ornaments: Gingerbread cookies are great family projects

that can be displayed as ornaments.

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Spice it up: Cloved oranges serve as natural potpourri and unique

decorations for the holiday table.

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Coastal ChristmasTake inspiration from the sea for a fresh and relaxing twist on holiday décor

Bliss Home and Design / Corona del Mar

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Seashells, sand and starfish may be most identified with warm summer days at the beach, but they are also the hottest way to decorate your home for the holidays – and there’s no need to live in a cottage on the shore to pull it off.

“We’re seeing a trend towards a more simple style of decorating, and coastal design is all about that soothing, serene look,” says Barbara Jacksier, author of “Waterside Cottages” (Gibbs Smith, 2009). “It doesn’t matter if you live on the 10th floor of an apartment building in Chicago, you can still make this look work for you.”

This year is the perfect time to give it a try, because almost every home décor store is stocking nautical holiday accessories. Plus, deco-rating with the sea as inspiration can help you feel calm. “It makes sense to combine the sea and this season,” says Erin Pitts, an interior designer who focuses on elegant coastal homes in Gibson Island, Md. “The beach is a relaxing place, and that’s a mood you especially crave during the frenzied holidays.”

So how to do it? The first thing to realize is that there’s no need to toss all of your old holiday accessories and spend a fortune on en-tirely new items; coastal décor can coexist with the more traditional types of decorations. “You want your home to have a consistency to it, but sticking to one theme exclusively can be a little boring,” Pitts says. “So, for example, spread spruce branches on your mantle like usual, but nestle ornaments in the shapes of fish, shells or lighthous-es in with it. This way your home will be obviously dressed up for Christmas, and you’ll still get that holiday smell from the fresh pine or juniper clippings, but you’re also incorporating the coastal theme.”

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Starfish and shells have a naturally festive look that

bring a unique touch to holiday décor.

Photo by Dan Mayers (www.danmayers.com)


Coastal x Christmas

Cont’d from page 6While red and green always are going to be popular holiday colors,

this year, go for a blue, white and silver color scheme instead. “Think of the colors that naturally occur at the beach and use those through-out your home: blues and greens of sea glass and water, the beige and white of sand and shells,” Jacksier says.

A more modern twist on the palette would incorporate more contrast and bold colors. “You can take it to the extreme by getting a white artificial tree, spray-painting sprigs of store-bought berries a pretty blue and hanging up turquoise garland,” Jacksier says.

For even more sea-inspired ornaments, Jacksier suggests picking up large pieces of sea glass (available at most home décor and craft stores), drilling a hole in them and dangling them from ribbon on your tree’s branches.

Another easy way to bring the sea inside is to fill your holiday home with shells. “I like to pile all kinds of them in big silver bowls on side tables,” Pitts says. “If you’re feeling crafty, take starfish or sand dollars, cover them in glue and sprinkle them with white or silver glitter.”

DIY crafters also can try to create their own themed holiday wreaths. “Just take a green foam wreath from a craft store, wrap it in a colored ribbon and glue on the shells,” Pitts recommends.

She also suggests making simple stock-

ings more festive by adding beautiful drapery trim in a shell pattern to them. Sew the trim directly onto the stocking. If you aren’t comfort-able with a sewing machine, use something called fusing tape. It gets ironed on and acts as glue between two pieces of fabric.

And don’t forget the holiday table. “For a great centerpiece, fill a large hurricane shade or bowl with sand and tuck in starfish, sand dol-lars and white candles,” Jacksier says.

Colors of the sea: Take a hint from nature and use the blues, yellows and oranges you see along the sea shore.


The walls are decked, the tree is trimmed, the stockings are hung. Yet it’s likely no one has thought much about seasonal indoor lighting, save for the usual string of lights on the tree.

Lighting is now considered an integral part of interior design as opposed to an afterthought. More recently, party hosts and planners see lighting’s potential as a decorative element, setting the stage for holiday gatherings and other events.While most indoor light fixtures are permanent, they are not un-

changeable; existing lighting can be altered and supplemental lights brought in for special occasions.

Keep it Dim“One thing people tend to do incorrectly is make the light way

too bright in the entryway or foyer,” says Jeffrey Dross, corporate director of education and industry trends for Kichler Lighting, Cleveland-based decorative lighting manufacturer.Guests usually arrive after dark for holiday parties,

he adds, so unless you’ve lit up the yard a la "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" it hurts coming in from

the dim into ultra-bright lighting.

Feel Free to Embellish“One simple change that makes a big impact is if you have a chandelier in your dining room with exposed lamps, there are clip-on shades you can add to change the mood of the room” and correspond with holiday decorations, Dross says.

Chandeliers and fixtures can be gussied up for the holidays with add-on magnetic crystals, available at finer lighting stores.

Better BulbsSimply switching out light bulbs can create the desired party atmo-sphere, though it’s best to avoid cheesy, unflattering bulbs that glow bright red, blue or green.

“My neighbor takes out the normal bulbs in her chandelier and puts in those little white flickery ones, which create a very warm glow and an intimate feel like candlelight," Dross says. Remember when switching out bulbs that warm, yellow tones are most flattering.

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The Season toString up the fairy lights, but don’t forget about the bulbs and fixtures that set the mood for your holiday home

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Get In FocusLighting can be used to draw attention to centerpieces and stations, such as a champagne fountain, cocktail bar or dessert buffet, says Karen McCommon, vice president of communications for Intelligent Lighting Design, based in Austin, Texas.Flexible adhesive LED light strips are a cinch to attach, unseen, beneath the countertop along the edge of a kitchen island or bar. The lights come in different colors and cast an atmospheric glow from beneath the countertop and partway down the façade, McCommon says.A lower-tech way to spotlight impressive menu items or a small tabletop Christmas tree – provided shadows won’t spoil the effect – is to position an enclosed low-wattage lamp under a table covered with a white tablecloth that drapes all the way to the floor. The table will glow from within and take on an ethereal quality “almost like it’s floating in the room,” Dross says. With a rented lighting fixture called a wall washer, “You can wash an entire wall in color,” McCommon says. “This is usually used in big productions like weddings, galas and fashion shows, but it’s a great way to transform a room and wow guests."

The Little ThingsThere’s no need to spend a lot of money on special effect lighting,

though. Generally, people already have seldom used – and often forgotten – light sources that change the mood of a room. Remem-ber the little bulb in the china hutch that makes the crystal goblets sparkle? While subtle, it may add just the touch of elegance guests don’t necessarily notice yet somehow appreciate.

Kichler Lighting

Attachable glamour: Magnetic crystals and attached shades can dress up a chandelier.

The x season x to x shine


style who has worked with celebrities like Allie Sweeney of “Days of our Lives” and Eva La Rue of “CSI: Miami.” For La Rue’s holiday home, Espinet says she was able to create a beautiful tablescape with a simple white tablecloth and leftover decorations from the tree.

“We had extra ornaments for the tree that we hung from the chan-deliers,” Espinet says. “The napkins were tied with extra pieces from the tree. The only things we bought were a Christmas dish set … but even plain white dishes can serve the purpose.”

The rest of the table can be dressed with an inexpensive – and delicious – decoration: candy canes. “The kids can make napkin rings out of the candy canes – you put the napkin with the candy and wrap it with a big bow,” she suggests.

Don’t be afraid of the “cheesy” tra-ditions of getting an uncle to dress up as Santa Claus, or putting an inflatable snow globe on your front lawn. “It’s all about the kids, and the kids love it,” Olson says.

“Whether you’re celebrating Christmas or Hannukah, especially for a working mom, don’t stress it,” she says. “We beat ourselves up that every last thing has got to be perfect. The year that my Christmas tree full of sentimental glass ornaments smashed, that’s the end of perfection. You’re just left with the dog sitting there wagging his tail.”

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It’s hard not to feel the pressure when the in-laws are coming or a judgmental aunt says she’s “curious” to see how you handle the pressure

of playing host. But an over-the-top holiday celebration isn’t the answer. Even designers known for their luxurious, elegant styles suggest shortcuts and easy tricks to decorate without too much stress.

Candice Olson, star designer on HGTV, is known for her well-bal-anced designs and attention to detail. She and her husband used to collect delicate blown-glass ornaments for display at Christmastime, until reality set in.

“I remember hearing a big smash in the middle of the night, and the whole Christmas tree fell down. Every one of those beautiful, precious ornaments was smashed to bits,” says Olson, who is appear-ing in the third season of “Candice Tells All” this year. “It must have been the dog that knocked over the tree.”

This wake-up call prompted Olson to focus on collecting memo-ries rather than objects. Nowadays, her family opts for talking orna-ments that will record a message, which they can get at the local convenience store. Her kids will sing “Jingle Bells” or answer “Have you been a good boy or girl this year?” and listen to their messages

over the years.“It’s tacky, but they mean so much,” Olson says.

Besides these sentimental decorations, she relies on the reflections of candles and crystal to create an intimate, happy vibe that lasts all year round.

Year-round décor is a great way to keep the decorating process simple, says

Sandra Espinet, a designer with a luxurious

Resist the temptation to go all-out to show off your home during the holidays. These celebrity designers say that the simplest solution is often the best

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Candice Olson

Reused décor: Repurpose tree trimmings like branches, ribbon and mini stockings to dress up the table.

Sandra Espinet

An easy decorating trick is to hang extra ornaments from chandeliers and other lighting fixtures.

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It’s hard not to be happy when speaking with Jonathan Adler. In just a few minutes, the words and phrases he uses immediately conjure the kind of person who could inject Technicolor life into a black-and-white movie. He says things like, “Orange napkins never hurt,” and “As long as it twinkles, I’m happy.”

Adler, who first became famous for his iconic pottery that got him featured at Barneys New York in 1994 (and countless retail stores since

then), launched into a wildly successful design career in home décor and beyond, all the while maintaining his commitment to “irreverent luxury.” He’s also penned several design books, including the upcoming “100 Ways to Happy Chic Your Life” (Sterling Signature, 2012), and appeared at various design con-ferences and on countless television shows as a design expert.

For the holiday season, Adler says he doesn’t go all-out to decorate. “I’m Jewish and my husband [Simon Doonan] is a gentile, so we don’t do a Christmas tree,” he says. “But back when the Liberace Museum was around, which it isn’t now, we bought two ornaments and kept them in the original boxes. Every year, we plop them on either side of the mantle. That’s how we know the holidays are coming.”

After all, their home is full of furniture and décor that would make holiday decorating a “herculean” task. He says, “I believe that surrounding yourself with the stuff you love, no matter how stylistically eclectic it is, will make you happy.”

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COLORFUL LIFE

It’s a

Jonathan Adler has never shied away from bold color, and the holiday season is no exception. A design legend in the 21st century, Adler sug-gests unique color palettes to create a “happy chic” mood for the holidays

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And Adler is an expert on creating happy spaces. His use of bold, graphic patterns and vibrant colors make any room look playful and

elegant at once, which is embodied by his catchphrase, “happy chic.”Of course, this is the kind of attitude you want to have during the holiday season, so read on to find out the color palettes that Adler rec-ommends to create a bold, beautiful home for the holidays this year.

Icy metallics: Adler’s pottery products (middle and bottom right) show his love of mixed metallics. To add a punch of color, try an icy blue used in Adler’s products (top right).

GOLD, SILvEr, BLUEFor Adler, the holidays are all about the sparkle and twinkle. “Gold, silver, other metallics … I like to mix them indiscriminately,” he says.

Plus, to add a punch of color, “I always think of icy blue as a fantas-tic holiday color that goes beautifully with gold or silver.”

In his own home, he displays a good amount of his own work in gold- and silver-luster pottery. “The metallic materials find their ways into my house,” he says. “I just made this groovy brass peacock table, and it looks perfect in my house.”

Of course, he recognizes it’s not so easy for those of us who don’t make a living by creating home décor. In that case, he says, “Add more lights” to create more sparkle in the home, and don’t forget the garland on the mantle to make it more festive.

“Obviously, that’s what the holidays are about. Sparkly is happy, and that’s why I go for the sparkle.”

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GrAY AnD OrAnGEThis on-trend color combination takes some courage, but Adler says, go for it.

“If I’m feeling a little more neutral or subdued, I’ll do icy grays with pops of orange.” Leave it to this color guru to consider bright orange accents as a subdued palette.

“Orange is the color of happiness,” he says. “A lot of people have neutrals in their homes, on the furniture and walls, so throwing in some nice orange throw pillows is a great place to intro-duce color.”

Another tip is to keep a big bowl of oranges around. “It’s counterintuitive because it’s the freezingest out at winter time, but I always have it ... and I keep a lot of flowers around, the fresh-est ones, whatever is in season.”

Make sure it’s a bright, sunny orange that exudes warmth, and put it where everyone is bound to see it, like the dining table. “Your table-top should be bright and colorful,” Adler says.

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Bold and unexpected: A neutral gray with bright orange accents can create a festive look. Bright orange napkins and natural décor like oranges and kumquats (above) add a punch of color to the tabletop.

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For many people, Christ-mas tree decorations don’t change much over the years. Ornaments

that have been lovingly col-lected and passed down from generation to generation get hung on the tree, and that’s that.

So instead of messing with tradition, try thinking tops and bottoms to spruce up the tree this year.

“Think of your tree as a little black dress that you can acces-sorize differently to take it from formal to casual in an instant,” says Cathy Hobbs, New York-based interior designer and finalist on season six of HGTV’s “Design Star” competition show. “You can give your tree a totally different vibe without touching the ornaments by focusing on the skirt and topper.”

Not only is this type of updat-ing easy, it’s also inexpensive. “You can spend hundreds of dollars on all new ornaments and garland, but just changing the topper and skirt is much

cheaper and is still impactful,” says Gina Luker, editor of the remodeling blog Shabby Creek Cottage.

Every décor store will have fun options to play around with, but you can also go the DIY route. Here, Hobbs and Luker offer some ideas for finding the perfect topper-and-skirt combo, depending on the desired aesthetic.

rusticGet a rustic feel that’s both natural and festive by gathering together pieces of wheat, hay or straw, wiring them together in the middle and tying a bright red ribbon around the wire, Hobbs says. Use that as a topper instead of a standard angel or star. Attach it to the tree with more wire.Then, for a coordinating skirt,

tuck a big piece of burlap around the base of the tree. For this look, Hobbs notes that decorators should use colorful ornaments so the tree doesn’t

appear too neutral.

ModernHobbs suggests a quick trick to create a modern topper: Wrap many white lights around the top of your tree – way more than you have on the rest of it. Once turned on, they will ap-pear like a brightly lit star.

Swap out a traditional fabric skirt for a cool looking planter, bucket or box that’s been spray painted in a bold color, Luker suggests. This works particu-larly well if you have a live tree instead of one that’s been cut down.

TraditionalFor a formal look, Luker recom-mends tying an oversized rib-bon into a big bow at the top, using wire to keep it securely in place. Don’t cut the ribbon too short; let the ends reach all the way down to the bottom of your tree for a stronger visual impact.

Balance that with tulle or metallic mesh as a skirt, says Hobbs. Those fabrics will stay nice and full, giving your tree drama and elegance.

PersonalizedThis also is an opportunity to get personal with your décor and show off items that have special meaning to you.

Hobbs suggests using a large picture frame that’s not too heavy and putting a favorite quote, line from a carol or pic-ture of your family in it. Place your tree in a corner of the room and wire the frame to the top of it. (This works best on an artificial tree, since its top will be nice and sturdy.)

Then pull out a favorite antique quilt, blanket, table cloth or other heirloom fabric that has significance to you, she says. Drape it around your tree as a skirt: It’s better than keep-ing the cloth hidden in a linen closet. And if you’re worried about it getting ruined, protect the fabric by first covering the base of the tree with a few plastic bags.

Too attached to your ornaments but want a new look for the tree? Switch out the tree topper and skirt for a different vibe

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Tree Tops

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Go natural: A burlap sack for the tree bot-tom and hay or straw as the topper can cre-ate an on-trend rustic look at an affordable price.iS

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Homestyle Winter 2012

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