Modern Holiday Table Styling + Holiday DIY Videos

This is it...video day!  This week and last, I shared the holiday-themed projects I created for Canadian Tire.  The opportunity was perfect for me: free rein to create a bushel of neat projects, with the added bonus of revealing to you my super high-pitched voice, which is not unlike that of a 13-year-old girl. 

As I type this, I'm torn between the "publish" and "delete post" buttons.  Maybe you've forgotten that I ever uttered a word about videos?  I'm trying to be a good feminist and not fixate on my appearance but it's so hard not to nitpick!  When I run out of steam, I start to nitpick the projects, the house.  If only I had just smoothed a ribbon here, fixed a bow there...oh, and washed the house exterior. 

But I have to share these videos because the Canadian Tire team worked so hard on them!  Filming these three, one-minute videos was actually really labor-intensive!  There were many email and phone chats, plus a walk-though, before shooting even began.  I didn't get to choose which projects were highlighted and even after decisions were made, some extra bits were filmed the day of, which had me hopping.  We worked from 9:00am-6:00pm and it was a fast-paced and slightly exhausting day!  I consider myself a pretty peppy person: I laugh a lot, make a few inappropriate jokes, and just generally have fun.  But for these videos I had to be even peppier - real life peppiness was not peppy enough on film.  My cheeks hurt from smiling and when everyone left for the airport (I don't envy their schedule, it was nuttiness!), Hubs and I collapsed on the sofa. 



The whole experience was a little bit nerve-wracking, but also really fun.  Having seven (!) people with cameras and equipment made the lakehouse feel very tiny, but everyone was so careful with the house, making sure not to break anything or cause any damage.  Someone even swept the floors before they left.  Seriously, they tidied.  A very awesome group of people, indeed.  Perhaps my assessment is skewed, though, because everyone was so complimentary about the house, which of course I always find endearing.  Also, everyone loved Szuka, and that little gal's my weakness.  

It was really eye-opening to see how professionals film a video like this - I was in serious awe!  This team sifted through hours of footage to create what you'll see.  It's just mind-boggling to have seen what was filmed and then see the result in its tidy little package.  Self-deprecating critiques aside, I love how the videos turned out.  And given how huge Canadian Tire is for us Canucks, and how I've frequented their stores since I was a kid (tagging along with my Dad), I'm so thrilled to have had the opportunity to collaborate with such a great brand!

You'll notice I'm a "blogger and design enthusiast".  They wanted to call me an "expert" and I vehemently refused!  It was the only creative difference we had, but I was adamant that while I'm enthusiastic about DIY and home decor, but at the end of the day I'm no pro. 

Okay, let's just do this:

 

 If for some reason the embedded videos don't work, you can find them on youtube, using the links below:  

Decorating a Festive Holiday Brunch

Did you spot Szuka's cameo?  I totally forgot about her being filmed and it was such a fun surprise to see her and her adorableness pop up on screen!  

Create Your Own Wreath

I seriously want to make a million wreaths now.  Filming the front door was an impromptu decision and I wish my new door had arrived.  Between you and me, I still think this is the easiest DIY ever and maybe the construction didn't need a video...but I love the idea of hanging wreaths in less expected places - this isn't even necessarily a "Christmas" idea.

Unconventional Ornament Decor

I love those rolling shots - especially the one up the ladder!  This might be my favorite video just because the framed ornaments and rustic ladder look SO good.

Two of the video are available in French, too (they dubbed over my yammering): 
Décorez l’espace déjeuner avec style: Conseils de décoration pour les Fêtes de Canadian Tire
Décoration pas ordinaire: Conseils de décoration pour les Fêtes de Canadian Tire
 
As you saw in the first video, my final project with Canadian Tire was to create a tablescape.  Well, I'm not one for tablescapes.  I have a small dining room with a small table and once there are people seated and food in front of us, there isn't much room for condiments, let alone flowers and decorative objects d'art!  But the creative team really wanted one, so we came up with "a simple holiday brunch for two" at our lovely kitchen counter.  All I did was top a DIY napkin (made from my favorite Marimekko fabric - here's the tutorial) with a CANVAS ornament that coordinated so well with it, and fill a cake stand and platter with ornaments.  Done.  Everything else on the counter was edible or served a purpose.  This part looked a little different for the video but the sentiment was the same: do very little, add a smidge of sparkle, and then just enjoy the meal.      

That's the wreath my grandma made!!

That wraps up my holiday-themed DIY projects!  It was my decision to space them out this way (I could have lumped them into one colossal post), but I worked so hard on these projects and photos that I didn't want to rush through.  If you missed any posts or projects, here they all are:

Scandinavian-Inspired Plywood Christmas"Tree"
Easy Holiday Wreath Cheat + Red & Aqua
Festive Rustic Ladder Ornament Display
Framed Ornaments
Window Curtain of Ornaments
LED Holiday Sign

Thanks for letting me indulge in a little merriment this season.  It brought back a lot of childhood memories.  Have a great weekend!!

How to Build a Scandinavian-Inspired DIY Plywood Christmas Tree

Looking for an alternative to the traditional, evergreen Christmas tree?  Here's a tutorial for making a simple, Scandinavian-inspired plywood tree, which can be displayed in even the smallest spaces!  Or, make a mini version for a credenza or entryway and display some treasured ornaments!

Before I get into the nitty gritty, I should confess that there are some things I wish I could change about this DIY holiday project.  In my mind, I originally envisioned a more simplified tree (like a cookie-cutter shape - really simple), but on a whim I decided for a little more realism.  The top was looking good and I got cocky.  Then it started to get windy (I was working outside) and this giant sheet of plywood acted like a sail.  I was flailing.  I started to rush and then the tree got a bit thick in the middle and then I tried to thin it out but made it look a little wibbly-wobbly.

I still think the idea is cute but, if I'm being honest, I don't love my wonky tree.  So if you're going to make one, I suggest a simpler shape. 

It was simple enough to make: I grabbed a full sheet of plywood (any size will do), lightly sanded it smooth to the touch and then sketched out approximately where the tree silhouette would be so I could decide where I'd like the pegs.  The pegs are just a length of wood dowel that we chopped into 3" lengths.  We lightly sanded the rough edges smooth and affixed them each with wood glue before doing any staining or painting.

Once the glue dried, I stained the plywood white and then painted the tree in black acrylic paint - painting the wood dowels too, so they blend in.  With everything dry, I just propped it against the fireplace.  One tip: don't choose really thin plywood if you're going to make a larger version because the plywood can warp.

When I was a kid, I think my advent calendar filled with chocolates might have been my favorite part of Christmas, so I started to think that with more pegs and numbered cloth sacks filled with goodies, this could be a sweet advent calendar too.  

On the subject of faux tress, I've gotten a few questions about the sparkly trees in the background of some of my photos.  They are flocked trees (4 foot and 6 foot heights) from Canadian Tire and they come pre-wired with lights.  They come apart for easy storage and transport, which is convenient.

I think that they looked best unadorned, but I did try hanging some ornaments on them too and they work nicely to display just a few special ones. 

Click the link to see more DIY Christmas decorating ideas, in collaboration with Canadian Tire.

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Make a Holiday Wreath in Minutes for a Red + Aqua Kitchen

I know that there are a few people out there just itching to add some red accents to my aqua kitchen.  Any time it's suggested that I add a pop of red I demur, but when I started brainstorming ideas for Canadian Tire, I decided I'd use this opportunity to add a little bit of red, just for fun - just for you!



My grandma is a serious crafter (I just helped her with a craft show on the weekend and there's only about a hundred more this season).  She makes many different things, including beautiful wreaths.  In a strange coincidence, she gifted me one before my partnership with Canadian Tire commenced, and it's made entirely from supplies purchased at Canadian Tire last year.  It features prominently in a post later this week - I'll be sure to point it out.  She makes her wreaths from scratch: buying a metal frame and attaching each sprig of greenery with wire.  Here's the back of another one she made:

It's time consuming and labor intensive, so when I saw that the CANVAS line included beautiful, modern greenery wreaths - calling out for a little personalization - I decided that I had to have one for the kitchen.  I added a few sprigs of cranberry (for that pop of red!) to the square laurel wreath.  I thought it made a festive place-holder for that spot next to the window that sorely needs some art. This is the cheater version of making a quick and easy holiday wreath - seriously, it takes minutes!

I turned one long CANVAS sprig into three smaller ones by simply removing the floral tape, but that's pretty much the only prep work.  I just attached my sprigs with hot glue, lifting up some of the faux foliage and affixing the sprigs directly to the wreath base so the leaves hide the glue.  We all know hot glue isn't always permanent, so it's simple enough to remove these sprigs and re-use the square laurel wreath with completely different accent colours next year!

The tea towel, made in Finland, is something I put out during the holidays, along with the little felted wool joulupkkis I've had forever (you can spot them in this really old blog post).  My Mom bought them for us at a local shop, but I just recently saw the same kind (made in Sweden) at Winner's.  I moved the red Iittala bird from the credenza and then cheated by snagging the little Arabia strawberry pot from the Etsy shop.  It was hard finding red accents around the house but I did it!!  There is RED in my aqua kitchen.

You like?

Click the link to see the rest of my modern holiday decorating ideas!

If you're looking for ways to add some red (or red and aqua) holiday decor to your home, here are a few fun ideas:

• Red and aqua felted garland
• Red and white striped tea towels
• Red Iittala Toikka bird
• Red  and aqua modern Advent banner
• Red and aqua holiday wrapping paper

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Unique Ideas for Displaying Ornaments - Alternatives to the Traditional Christmas Tree

This post is all about unique ideas for displaying ornaments and I have two cute ideas: using a rustic ladder for a casual ornament display and framing beautiful ornaments as holiday wall art.

When my friends at Canadian Tire saw the colossal, rustic ladder I dragged into the lakehouse like a Morlock, they were inquisitive about where it came from:

"Antique shop?"
"Nope". 
"Thrift store?"  
"Nope".
"Family heirloom?"
"Nope."
"Okay, we give up."
"I found it stuffed under a building on my property (duh)."

It seemed totally normal to me to find random odds and sods, here and there on the property.  My mother-in-law bought a rural place with an out-building packed full of dozens of men's suits, so a ladder is kind of a run-of-the-mill find.  But the weathered wood was especially beautiful, so I heaved it inside for some holiday decorating.  I've seen rustic ladders used for everything from magazine holders to a place to stash blankets.  I decided my rustic would make the perfect display piece for some pretty ornaments.  The ladder ended up in the videos I'll be sharing next week, and it looked so good on film.

If you can't find one under a building near you, you can easily find rustic-looking display ladders online, in varying heights and price points - like this beauty!

Holiday Decorating Idea:  Use a Weathered Ladder to Display Ornaments

The execution of this idea took seconds: with the rustic display ladder placed firmly against the wall (you might want to consider securing with string and removable 3M wall hooks if there are kiddos and pups in the house), I just tied on various ornaments with sparkly teal ribbon.  If I did this again, I'd really pack it full of ornaments but I wanted a spare, minimalist vibe.  

Although Hubs and I referred to the ladder as "the janky ladder" (not sure why it needed such a specific name, when it was the only ladder we had propped up inside), I grew to love this thing.  I liked the contrast of the sparkling ornaments and ribbon against the weathered wood, but, if I'm being honest, I grew pretty smitten with this ladder on its own.  What is happening to me?!?  I'm starting to really fall for weathered wood.  Is there something in the water here?  Someone help me - stage an intervention because every other string of words that comes out of my mouth seems to include "weathered wood," or "driftwood look" - discussed favorably, without fail.

Yup, the ladder stayed propped up long after the holiday stuff was packed up.  How cute would this be for storing blankets and magazines within arm's reach?  Here's are some of my favorite rustic ladders (made with genuine reclaimed wood) from Amazon: 4 ft Tall Authentic Barnwood Ladder (has a great weathered brown patina), this 4 ft Rustic Barnwood Ladder (which has a lovely light and airy patina), this taller 6 ft Decorative Ladder with Genuine Reclaimed Wood (it makes a great statement), or, for smaller space, this cute 3 ft Reclaimed Barnwood Ladder. 

Holiday Decorating Idea:  How to Create "Framed" Ornaments


Eager for more places to display ornaments, I also painted some thrift store frames and, using ribbon and a staple gun, created glittering works of "art" using sparkly ornaments. 

Before

To attach the ornaments (and to affix the ribbon from which the frame hung), I just used my trusty staple gun.  I used 3M removable hooks to hang the frames on the wall temporarily, and created little bows to hide the hooks (you can buy pre-made bows if you're pressed for time).  This was a seriously easy DIY holiday project.

With a Bow...

Without a Bow...

The result was really fun and festive.  My one suggestion: really large ornaments protrude from the wall a little too much (unless they're hung in really thick, deep frames), so petite ornaments - like these small glass acorns - are best.

Here's a better shot of everything, including the ladder - what a giant, right?  It got me thinking that, one day, building a really tall book case with a rolling ladder would be oodles of fun.  Until I have to dust it. 

This post was sponsored by Canadian Tire.  I'm seriously having a ton of fun sharing these DIY projects with you and I hope you've been enjoying this steady stream of non-traditional holiday projects.  Click here to see the rest of my DIY projects created with Canadian Tire - there is not a single evergreen tree among them!   

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